Doe Valley Ministry

I Can’t Handle This

2011-11-13T07:29:00.000-05:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.

In our Scripture this morning Paul reminds the Corinthians and us about the difficult situations that the Israelites went through. These things happened to them to provide an example for us, so that we would not fall into those same evils.

But all of us go through periods of struggles. Maybe you are struggling now. You know the Scripture lays out clear principles, but all you can think is, It’s just too hard, I can’t do this. I just can’t handle this anymore. We grumble just like our ancient ancestors.

Or maybe you’re not struggling with sin at all but rather a very painful circumstance—an illness, death, financial crisis, or conflict—that feels like it’s too much for you to handle. Whatever situation you’re in, God has a message for you.

I want to focus on one particular verse this morning. 1 Corinthians 10:13.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) ESV

This passage has five hope-giving truths you must embrace in the midst of your struggle.

1. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
You are not alone. You’re not the first person to go through whatever you are experiencing. Whether you’ve lost a loved one, your job, your marriage, or your battle against sin, there are millions of people around the world and throughout history who have experienced essentially the same thing. This should give you an incredible amount of hope.

You’re probably thinking, What hope is there in that? The answer is simply this: common problems have common solutions. Your situation has details that are unique to you, but at its core it is just like what many other people experience. Scripture was written to people who were in many ways like us.

They experienced pain and death; they had bad marriages and problems in church; they struggled with the same kinds of sin we do. Therefore, the solutions God gave them apply to us as well. Whatever your struggle is, the solution is in the Bible. You simply need to search for it and commune with God to provide the strength to find His solutions.

2. God is faithful.
No true Christian would deny God’s faithfulness. But maybe you’ve been tempted to wonder if He’ll be faithful to you. Make no mistake, “if we are faithless He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God’s very character is at stake, and God will never be found lacking.

God’s faithfulness always overcomes sin and persecution. God promised His faithfulness to Israel, even after they’d committed unspeakable acts of idolatry (Ezekiel 16:59-63). God was faithful to David even after he sinned with Bathsheba. God was faithful to Peter even after he denied Jesus three times. Sin and impossible circumstances are no match for God’s faithfulness.

Maybe your are thinking God has abandoned you. Or maybe you feel guilty that you have abandoned Him. Well stop thinking that. God is there and has always been here. You may have ignored Him, but His arms are open and ready to welcome you once again.

3. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you’re able.
Whatever you’re facing right now, God’s grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9). It may not feel like it’s possible, but on the basis of God’s character and by His strength you can overcome your trial.

Maybe you’ve observed others going through difficult times and thought to yourself, I could never go through that. The truth is if God placed it into your life, He would give you the grace to go through it. Whatever you’re experiencing now, God gives you the grace to endure it. Once again, ask Him for the strength, the grace, and the mercy to endure through your trial, struggle, or temptation.

4. With the temptation He will also provide a way of escape.
This makes me think of the paratroopers dropped into enemy territory during WWII who need to make their way back to safety. He has no trap door or tunnels to crawl through; he won’t be rescued by helicopter or beamed to safety. He has to find a way through enemy territory.

In the same way, God has provided, in every situation, a path for you to take. There is always a choice of roads to travel. When faced with the temptation to sin, you can choose to succumb to it or you can choose to resist and flee.

When you are confronted with a difficult ordeal, you can succumb to despair and anxiety or you can endure with the strength He provides. Whatever your situation, God’s Word will light the way of escape and show you the path to follow to get you through the situation and out of enemy territory. Trust Him.

5. You will be able to endure it.
After reminding you that your situation is common, God is faithful, and He will strengthen and guide you through difficult times, Paul assures you if you follow God’s path, you can and will endure. If you’re weighed down with the pressures of life, God may not remove the burden, but He will strengthen your mind, body and soul to endure.

Think about it. The Bible isn’t only for people with simple problems—getting cut off on the freeway or plumbing issues. The Bible addresses all people and all problems, whether trivial (bad traffic, clogged faucet) or severe (life dominating sins, terminal illness).

The apostles had personally evangelized and taught many of the people to whom they wrote. Reading their letters you quickly realize people and churches had very difficult problems and they needed apostolic instruction.

In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures were for New Testament believers what the entire Bible is to us—“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

So when you read 1 Corinthians 10:13, know for certain that no matter the depth of your temptation or trial, the Lord is faithful, He has provided your way of escape, and you can endure it.

Closing prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time together this morning. We are thankful for your grace, your mercy, and your love even when we can’t understand or make sense of the things that are happening in our lives.

Help us to trust you more fully with our lives knowing that you have a plan for each and every one of us individually and collectively.

AMEN

God’s Severe Mercy

2011-06-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 2 Samuel 12:13-23

Last week we examined the incident with Bathsheeba. It essentially goes like this: David saw and desired Bathsheeba. He got what he wanted and then tried to cover things up at first by making it look like the husband was the father, then by simply having the father/husband killed.

So we see a few “small” sins cause a lot of problems. And as we saw last week and will continue to see today these problems didn’t just affect David. Bathsheeba lost her husband and as we will look at today, her child. Uriah lost his life. Joab, the commander of David’s army lost some integrity with the troops, and probably some loyalty among them as well. For sure, his leadership ability was called into question by the soldiers. And finally, several of David’s soldiers lost their life as well.

All because David saw, wanted, got, and covered up. Sometimes this type of thing happens to us as well. Hopefully, our actions don’t escalate to the level of David’s, but they could.

The idea of last week’s lesson was that these little sins can wear down our consciences to allow in more and more sin eventually severing our relationship with God. And that is exactly what Satan wants.

Now when we do sin, and we all do, we know that we can go to God for forgiveness and He will forgive. However, that does not mean that we won’t suffer earthly consequences for our actions. And that is today’s lesson.

The story starts off at the beginning of Chapter 12 with Nathan coming to David to tell him a story. He says, there once was a rich man and a poor man. The rich man was having a dinner for a friend and took the poor man’s only lamb and slaughtered it for the meal.

As we have seen before David was the best King that Israel has ever had and he tried to be fair to all. So, David didn’t like this story about a rich man taking what little a poor man had. So he told Nathan that this rich man should be punished, in fact, he deserves to die, but the law required that the man repay 4 times the price.

Nathan replies, well David you are that man! David was the rich man, Uriah the poor man, and Bathsheeba was the lamb. Nathan used a story or parable to get his point across to David. Jesus also used many parables, the only difference is most people didn’t understand the meaning. David clearly got the message here.

It is difficult for any of us to be truly objective about our own sin. I think we all realize that we aren’t perfect, but on the other hand we also think we aren’t that bad either. We don’t want to see our sin for sin because of our ego, our pride, or maybe even out of embarrassment.

Here is David, a man after God’s own heart. God has given David everything and has promised to continue to be with him throughout his life. But David wanted something else. David wanted Bathsheeba, even though he already had his three wives and all of King Saul’s wives.

He wanted more. David thought his way was better than God’s. How many times has that happened to us? We look and saw and said we want that, rather than looking at all that we do have.

Right after this story from Nathan, David goes to God and confesses his sin. Of course God forgives him as He forgives all of us, but David still has to suffer the consequences of his actions.

David committed adultery and murder, both offenses were punishable by death. Now David was spared by God, but his ancestors were plagued with violence. As we read this morning, his son with Bathsheeba died. Later David’s son Amnon is killed, so is his son Absalom and Adonijah.

Now many people always have the question why did this child die? Why did God do this? Didn’t God say he would not punish the child for the father’s sin? I cannot answer any of these questions and I don’t believe anybody can. We do not know the mind of God.

We do know that David had to live with the death of this child on his mind for the rest of his life. Maybe some of you have experienced this. That is no doubt a very tough thing to deal with.

Anytime someone starts talking about a situation like this I jump to verse 23, But now he is dead. . . Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” That is such a powerful statement.

The death of a loved one is always difficult to deal with, but we know that if they received Jesus Christ into their life as Lord and Savior, then we too can say with David, they will not return to us, but we shall go to them!

For children there is no if statement. Children go to be with God in heaven immediately upon death. And I don’t say that just to make someone feel good. I believe it to be true based upon God’s word and obviously David does too.

We look at the death of David and Bathsheeba’s son as a very sad, upsetting, terrible thing. And it is, don’t get me wrong, but look at the lives of the rest of David’s family. This child was spared all of that.

Why does God do the things He does? I have no idea, but I know that He has a plan and it’s a good one. Sure some things may seem wrong or crazy to us, but I trust God knows what He is doing.

God is good to us, even though we sin against Him. God is indeed merciful to us even though we will suffer for our actions. God is gracious to us, even when we turn our backs to Him.

Let us truly put our trust in God’s hands. Let us submit our lives to Him knowing that He does what is best, right, and just.

Closing prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time together this morning and these past several years. We are thankful for your grace, your mercy, and your love even when we can’t understand or make sense of the things that are happening in our lives.

Help us to trust you more fully with our lives knowing that you have a plan for each and every one of us individually and collectively.

AMEN

Facing Temptation

2011-06-19T07:25:00.003-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 2 Samuel 11

Last time we left off with David bringing home the Ark of God to Jerusalem. He started off doing it his own way, but when God’s wrath was made known to them. David stopped and returned to God’s ways of doing things.

David gets the Ark to Jerusalem and decides he wants to build a temple for the Ark to stay in. God says no, but his son will do that. Instead God has much bigger plans for David.

God says to David that He will make his name great. He will give Israel a place to live. He will give David rest and make him victorious. Finally, God tells David that He will give him a son to succeed him, but also a Son that would rule forever. Of course, the immediate son was Solomon and Jesus Christ is the Son that rules forever.

After this David starts to see God’s Word come true. He is continuously victorious in battle and his name is made great. Then one day, David goes up on his roof and sees this beautiful woman and says, “I want that.” And as king, you pretty much get what you want.

We see then a bunch of what we would call small little sins continue to build up into a massive web of deceit and lies.

First our account of David and Bathsheeba starts off with David maybe being a little bit lazy or arrogant or egotistical. It is spring time and that is when the kings go off to war because during the winter it is cold and there is not as much food available. So kings go to war in the spring.

But not David. He stays back at his castle. Wakes up from a little nap and decides to go for a walk on his roof. So sin number one is David wasn’t doing what he should have been doing. He was idle and he got into trouble.

I’ve never been in the military, but I know some of you have been and I’ve talked with some of my friends who were. They would always tell me about how the Sergeant or whoever was in charge would always give them stupid ridicules things to do.

Why? Because if you have a bunch of soldiers sitting around doing nothing then they are going to get into trouble. This applies to any of us. This is what happened to David. But his sin doesn’t stop there.

David sees this beautiful women, now remember David is married already to a couple of other beautiful women, but he wants her. So David’s next little sin is desiring something that he doesn’t have.

Wow, how often has that gotten us into trouble as well. Even if we don’t act on that desire it still makes us feel bad that we can’t have whatever it is we want. David of course, being King can get what he wants, so little sin number three is David pursues Bathsheeba. Then comes sin number four, David sends for Bathsheeba, even after he finds out she was married.

Think about it. This entire situation could have been avoided if David had simply gone to war with his troops. Or didn’t look at Bathsheeba, or inquiry about her, or send for her.

Since David ignored his conscience through these little sins, he was good to go when Bathsheeba arrives at his bedroom. And that’s the point. Satan doesn’t attack us with this really massive temptation. He uses these small little sins as we call them to enable us to justify our actions.

Satan wears down our defenses and before you know it you are knee deep in some serious sin and separated from God. If you go home and read this entire chapter this afternoon or this evening you will see that God’s name is not mentioned until the very final sentence where it says, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.”

And that is what Satan wants. He wants to separate us from God. He wants us to do things that displease the Lord.

So now we have David committing several little sins that lead to adultery. I would like to say that it is at this point that David gets on his knees in prayer and repentance to God, but that isn’t what happens.

Instead of confessing his sins, he tries to cover them up by sending for Bathsheeba’s husband and tries to get him to sleep with her so it will look like the child is the husband’s. But Uriah is an honorable man and will not sleep with his wife no matter how hard David tries.

So David comes up with another plan. He sends a letter to his commander to have this man Uriah killed during battle. Unbelievable isn’t it! Here we have a man after God’s own heart, lusting after a married woman, impregnating her, trying to cover it up, then killing her husband. Unreal.

As you look at this web of lies and deception that David had built you see how many people it involved. Obviously David and Bathsheeba, but also David’s servants had to know what was going on and were no doubt sworn to secrecy. The king’s commander also had to realize that something was fishy with the letter that he received to have Uriah killed.

Of course Uriah has to pay for David’s sin with his life and not just Uriah but other soldiers died during the battle as well. Finally, we see next time that David and Bathsheeba’s child dies as a result of all this as well.

This is what happens when we stray from God. There is a lesson here for all of us to learn this morning.

One author wrote, “The process works like this. First, the thought is allowed to enter into our minds. Second, the imagination is sparked by the thought. Third, we feel a sense of pleasure at the fantasy and we entertain it.

Fourth, and finally, we engage in the evil action [giving in] to its urges. This is how little by little, temptations gain entrance and overcome us if they are not resisted at the beginning. The longer we let them overcome us, the weaker we become, and the stronger the enemy [is] against us.”

There’s an old saying,
Sow a thought – reap an action.
Sow an action – reap a habit.
Sow a habit – reap a character.
Sow a character – reap a destiny.

How true that is. We need to remember that we are what we make ourselves to be. We can be children of God or we can be children of Satan. Who are we going to listen to and trust with the everyday matters of life.

Closing prayer

Lord, we come to you now seeking your guidance in our everyday matters of life. Help us to turn from our temptations that we face. And when we do happen to give in and mess up, strengthen us to not cover up our sins, but to come to you for forgiveness. Grant us the grace, mercy and peace that you desire for us. AMEN.

God’s Wrath and Blessing

2011-06-12T07:39:00.003-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 2 Samuel 6 read 1-11

Last time we looked at the range of emotions that David’s men went through when they returned to their hometown only to find it burnt to the ground and all of their belongings including their families was gone.

We saw how they were at first distressed, saddened at the sight. Then they blamed David and wanted to kill him. However, they went to battle the enemy after checking in with God’s plan. They were victorious and happy and celebrating until they got back from battle and didn’t want to share the loot.

After this battle, Saul knows he is finished and David will be king. At the end of 1 Samuel, King Saul is killed in a battle against the Philistines. Not only is Saul killed so is his son Jonathan, David’s buddy.

Some guy gets this great idea to go and tell David that King Saul is dead and he is the one that did it. David listens to this man describe Saul’s death, then David has him executed for killing the King.

All of Israel mourned and fasted at the loss of their King, including David and his men. After this, David is anointed King over Judah and Israel. He also gets his first wife, Michael back and gets the city of Jerusalem. And as I have said before, they all lived happily ever after. Well not really as we see in our scripture this morning.

Everyone is once again happy and excited. God has been good to them. They are finally bringing the ark of God home to Jerusalem. They are singing, dancing, playing music. It is truly an awesome time.

But then suddenly the ox stumbled a little bit and a man by the name of Uzzah reached out and grabbed the ark of God to steady it. God struck him dead right there on the spot. The party was over. No more singing. No more dancing. In fact no more moving the ark of God.

What a shock. Here was a guy that was just trying to help out and God struck him dead. What kind of a God would do that? I’ll tell you. A holy one. A righteous one.

See way back in the book of Numbers God goes into great detail about how the ark was to be moved. The Levities were to use poles and carry the ark, not put it on a cart and have oxen pull it. So David and his men were directly disobeying God.

God also said that no one was to touch the ark. They were to use the poles to lift it. The penalty for touching the ark was death. So no matter how innocently it was done, touching the ark was in direct violation of God’s law and was punishable by death.

This rule of God’s wasn’t just made up for God’s own fun and amusement. This was a means of preserving the sense of God’s holiness and the fear of drawing near to him without proper preparation.

Think about it. How many times do you come into worship and maybe aren’t prepared for it. Or maybe you just go through the motions of the service. This was always one of my disappointments with the Catholic church. While at Saint Francis I would see many people and students just go through the rituals and traditions without actually preparing their hearts for worship.

And you can bet once the mass was over, they went right back to their sinful ways. I’m not picking on the Catholics here, I’m just saying that is what I saw. And it can happen to any of us if we just go through the motions without preparing ourselves for worship of God the way He wants.

God wants us to have a relationship with Him and we need to have that relationship on His terms, not ours.

After Uzzah is struck dead by God, David becomes very angry. At first, probably a little angry at God for killing this man who was helping out. Then David probably realizes he was at fault for not obeying God and is angry with himself.

So David decides to leave the ark of God there for a little while to give God some time to cool off, so to speak. As if that will help. The ark is placed in the house of a Levite there. God blesses this house for the next three months.

David figures God’s wrath has subsided and decides to continue the journey to Jerusalem. This time, however, he follows God’s prescribed methods. In fact, after the first six steps, David sacrifices an ox and another animal to God.

When they finally get the ark to Jerusalem, David is so thrilled that he dances for joy in the street. He also makes an offering to God and gave everyone some food to eat.

So what’s in this story for us today. Well, I mentioned a few things all ready. One of course being the fact that we need to prepare ourselves when we come before the Lord to worship Him. In fact, we need to obey Him throughout our lives.

The main idea though is that our God is a God of wrath and a God of blessing. Most people and preachers talk about God’s love for us all the time, but rarely do they mention His wrath.

The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. Sure the Old Testament saints were under God’s laws. Today we are under His love, His grace. But jump to the end of the book. In Revelation God’s wrath will be back.

God’s holiness and goodness are most clearly revealed in the cross of Christ. God’s holiness demanded the death of His Son for our sins. But His goodness and love flow out from the cross offering us acceptance, forgiveness and eternal life.

Let us truly worship and thank the God who saves us.

Closing prayer

Lord we thank you for being a God of wrath and of blessing. We sure do enjoy the many blessings that you have given to each and every one of us. However, we know that you would not and could not be a holy and righteous God without wrath upon those who reject you and disobey you.

We ask that you will continue to strengthen us through our journey in life. We ask for your forgiveness when we wrong you by disobeying you. We pray that your will shall be done in and through us.

AMEN.

Finding Strength in the Lord

2011-06-05T07:10:00.003-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Samuel 30:3-10

Last time we saw David ready to kill not only this guy Nabal who insulted him, but all of his male servants as well. This was over nothing more than some offensive behavior. Thankfully, Nabal’s wife intercedes and stops the killing spree.

If you remember before that David had the opportunity to kill Saul, the person who was after his life. But David could only cut off a piece of Saul’s robe before his conscience got to him.

Right after this episode with Nabal, David again has the opportunity to kill Saul. This time however, David doesn’t listen to his friends. He simply takes Saul’s spear and his water jug while he is asleep.

David leaves and is given a small town to live in. More troops join David and they raid and destroy many cities. Saul comes to the complete realization that he will die and David will be king of Israel.

Of course the battle is not over though. When David returns to his home, he finds that it has been raided and burned to the ground. All of David's and his men’s possessions, their wives, their children, their livestock is gone.

All is lost. It’s hopeless. These men that have trusted David now return home to nothing. Everything they had is gone. The mood is very sad and depressed. No doubt, much of us would feel the same way if it happened to us.

David’s men become very angry at David for allowing this to happen. In fact, they become so angry that they want to stone David to death. Somehow, David manages to calm them down and seek God’s will.

David asks God point blank, “Should I go after these people?” and “Will I catch them?” God answers David in the affirmative. “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you.”

What a wonderful feeling that would have been. David returns to his men and tells them the good news and they are ready to fight for what is theirs. They come to a river that is difficult to cross so 200 men stay behind with some of the heavier baggage.

The other 400 men cross the river and slaughter the Amalekites from evening to evening. The men return victorious. They are shouting for joy because they have defeated the enemy and got all of their stuff back unharmed, including their wives, children, and animals.

But when the 400 men meet up with the 200 men that stayed behind with the baggage, they didn’t want to share in the spoils of war. David immediately steps in and says everyone had a part to play in this battle and everyone will share the spoils of war.

The emotional state of these people is amazing to me through this situation. First, they are really sad and depressed about losing everything they own. Then they are furious at David for allowing this to happen. So mad, in fact, that they want to kill him.

Then they listen to David and trust him again to go to war against the enemy. When they are victorious they are so happy. But then when they return home, they don’t want to share the loot. They let their greed take over.

Think about some past situations that you have experienced. Maybe you have felt similar emotions. Maybe you got mad. Maybe you wanted revenge. Maybe you were greedy. It happens. It is human nature.

The key to the lesson is David’s response. Sure, no doubt he felt similar sadness and anger at his lose. But he turned to God and asked God to show him the way. He came home to nothing, but he knew that God is always there and that is what makes him a man after God’s heart.

He found his strength in God during this time of distress. He didn’t give up. He didn’t run from God. He went right to God and asked him what to do. What a wonderful lesson for all of us to learn.

David sought God’s guidance. He trusted God with his life. He had a relationship with God. That is what God wants from all of us.

In verse 23, David says God “has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.” I would bet that there were a few of David’s men that mumbled to themselves something like, “well yeah, that is true, but why did God allow the enemy to overtake our homes and families in the first place.”

You know, that is a question that many of us dwell on too often as well. We try to figure out why God would allow this type of thing to happen to me. Why was my child killed. Why did I get cancer. Why did I lose my job and have my house foreclosed on. Why did my spouse cheat on me. Why did God allow these things to happen to me.

The answer is simply we don’t know and we may never know during this lifetime why certain “bad” things happen to us. We simply need to trust in God’s love, His grace, and His mercy for us. God has a plan and He will use us to accomplish that plan.

More often than not, when bad things happen to us, there is a lesson for us to learn from the experience. It is a time to prove our faith to ourselves. Or to show where our faith is lacking.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean all of our earthly problems are going to go away. It simply means that when these problems arise we can take them to the One who will see us through them. Life isn’t always easy, but we must be faithful to God.

I would imagine each and every one of you out their today is facing some type of difficult or challenging situation right now. It may be health related. It may be family related. Or it may simply be dealing with the fact that you are aging and have trouble doing the things you used to do.

I am here to tell you though that whatever it is, there is hope. David knew that and he went to God to see him through the situation. We too should do the same.

Closing prayer

Lord of strength and hope, help us through whatever situations arise in our lives. Guide us with your grace and your mercy. Help us to always be faithful to you and bring you glory, honor, and praise from our actions.

AMEN.

Secure in the Lord

2011-05-29T07:21:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Samuel 25:10-19.

We see something interesting occurring here in chapter 25 this morning. If you recall from last week in chapter 24 we have David hiding out in a cave from Saul. Saul goes into the cave and David cuts off a piece of Saul’s robe.

David is filled with guilt because he attacked God’s anointed one that he exits the cave and confesses to Saul what he has done. David knew that God chose Saul and he knew that it would be clear when the time was right for David to assume the throne.

Again, David had lessons to learn and that is what we find again in our Scripture this morning. As I mentioned in chapter 24 David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but he didn’t. In Chapter 26 David again has the opportunity to kill Saul, but doesn’t. But here in chapter 25 we have David being the aggressive one, ready to kill another man over an insult.

At some point in our lives we have all said or at least thought something like this: “I’ll get you for that.” Or “You’ll regret the day you did that to me.” Or “I don’t get mad, I get even.” When people mistreat us our human sinful nature takes over and we seek revenge.

We want to give them a taste of their own medicine. Although usually we don’t just give them a taste, we give them a mouthful. We don’t just get even, we like to kick it up a notch and get even plus a little something extra. That’s our human sinful nature. And that’s exactly what we see David about to do this morning.

David is insulted by Nabal and is ready to seek vengeance. See David and his men looked after Nabal’s men while they were out watching the sheep. No harm came to them. When it was time to celebrate the sheering of the sheep, David asked Nabal if they could be part of the festival.

Nabal insulted David and would not give him any food or let them participate in the fun. David gets very mad at Nabal and tells his men, “Strap on your swords.” Here David is, a man of God, ready to go a kill another man and not just the man, but all the males of the household.

See what I mean. We don’t just get even. We kick it up a notch to show that we really mean business and you messed with the wrong guy. David did the same thing. Thankfully, there is a beautiful woman that steps up to the plate and averts disaster.

Nabal is a rough, tough looking man, and apparently he wasn’t too swift. His name actually means fool and judging from his actions he was. His wife, Abigail on the other hand was very beautiful and intelligent.

Some of Nabal’s servants saw how Nabal treated David and they came to Abigail and told her the story. She immediately raced into action, getting food and supplies ready to repay David for his kindness to the shepherds watching over the flock.

She meets David as he is in route to kill Nabal. See, she knew, as most people did, who David was. She knew he was God’s choice to be the next King of Israel. She obviously knew her husband as well and what a fool he was.

Abigail humbly comes before David and asks for mercy. David blesses her for her discretion and her wisdom and bravery. David lets her return in peace and does not attack Nabal.

When Abigail returned to her house, she found Nabal drunk out of his mind. So she decided to let him sleep this one off. The next morning when Nabal got up, Abigail told him what she did. He had a heart attack and stroke which left him paralyzed for a few days before he died.

When David finds out that Nabal died, he goes and marries Abigail. Again, I would like to end the story by saying and they all lived happily ever after, but that isn’t the case.

Well, this is quite a story, but there were lessons that David needed to learn. And there are lessons that we need to learn as well.

First of all lets look at verses 12 and 13. “So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. And David said to his men, ‘Every man strap on his sword.’”

So David gets insulted and what does he do? He prepares to fight. He doesn’t think about the situation, he doesn’t ask his friends or his advisors for their thoughts or opinions. He doesn’t show mercy to this fool Nabal. Worst of all, he doesn’t go to God and ask Him what He wants done.

None of that, David simply says strap on your sword and lets go kill them all. How many times have we done that. We react to the situation without seeking the counsel of others and for sure not God.

That is a lesson we all need to learn. Think before you do something. Check in with God on the matter and see what it is that He wants done. There is a reason why you are in the situation you are in. See what God wants you to learn from the experience.

I think the main lesson of this episode in David’s life is to once again trust God. He knows what He is doing. He has a plan and He actively pursues that plan. His will shall be done.

Vengeance is mine says the Lord. We need to leave things up to God to take care of. Now that doesn’t mean we just sit at home in our recliner watching television. We need to take an active part in God’s plan. We just need to be sure that we are participating in God’s plan. God will take care of things on His timetable and in His way.

Many Christians today take a very active role in the protest of abortion clinics. Unfortunately, they are often times not carrying out God’s will with the things that they do and say. They are following their plan, not God’s plan. In fact, no doubt some of them are being used by Satan to continue his plan of making the name of God look bad.

Looking back at our story this morning, in the end how did things turn out? Nabal died. Nabal insulted God’s anointed one and he died. Now I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, but the same thing happens to Saul.

See Nabal and Saul did not respect David, God’s chosen one, and both men die.

The issue for us to think about this morning and this week is to look at the way we treat others when they mistreat us. Think about how trusting the situation to God can change your attitude and action involving that person.

If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If your enemy is thirsty, give him something drink. Love your enemies. That is what Jesus tells us. I know it is hard to do in this world today. But it is what God wants. It is what Christ did.

Closing prayer.

Lord, we ask for forgiveness this morning for those that we have wronged. We ask for the strength and courage and grace to show love and mercy to those that wrong us. Help us to better trust you with our lives.

Amen.

A Matter of Conscience

2011-05-22T07:31:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Samuel 24:1-7

Last week we looked at the friendship of Jonathan and David. We said that was an example of true friendship. The characteristics they had are the same ones that we should implement into our friendships as well.

They looked out for each other and truly cared about each others well being. They even risked their own lives for each other. They loved each other as they loved themselves. That is indeed true friendship.

This morning our story jumps a few chapters to chapter 24. In chapters 21 through 23 we see David on the run from Saul. As he is fleeing he meets and helps people along the way. Many of these people join him on his journey. In fact, he has quite a following of family, friends, and soldiers where our scripture lesson picks up this morning.

Saul finds out where David is at, so David hides out in a cave. Saul goes into the cave to relieve himself and David has the opportunity to kill the King. However, his conscience says no after he cuts into the robe of the king.

Think about the feelings and struggles that David must have been going through at this time. David knew he was going to be King and here is his chance to take the throne. Even beyond that, David had been fleeing for his life and he had a chance to end that. He had the chance to eliminate the person who was after him. He had the chance to get even.

But he didn’t do it. His conscience stopped him. Sure, his friends were trying to persuade him, saying this is the day that God has spoken of. God has put Saul into your hands; make your move.

What a tough decision this would be. Here you are, in the heat of the moment. You don’t really have much time for an internal debate you just need to act or not. Your friends are saying do it, but what is your gut saying. What is your conscience saying to you.

It sure looked like David was supposed to kill the king. This was the perfect opportunity. The question is, did God ever tell David that he was to kill the king? The answer is no. Sure, God told David he would be king, but he never told David to kill the king.

So David’s conscience, which is in tune with God’s will, says no. He feels guilt after cutting a piece of the King’s robe. David knew that Saul was given his power to rule from God and it would be up to God to remove Saul from the throne.

As I said, David’s friends thought this was the time. You know, we often rely on the counsel of friends when making decisions about what we should do. If we are surrounded by godly people, living godly lives then it is probably good advice. However, we still need to check in with God.

We must not do anything that will violate our conscience. We must not give in to peer pressure, especially when we know what is right.

A friend of mine has a daughter who is about 5 years old. For her birthday in August I think, she got a pillow pet. It’s like a pillow in the shape of an animal. In December, the kids were writing letters to Santa Claus. All of her friends wrote they wanted a pillow pet, so she wrote that in her letter too.

When she got home that night, she was crying her head off because she wrote to Santa that she wanted a pillow pet for Christmas, when that’s not really what she wanted. She gave in to peer pressure and she violated her conscience. And it hurt her.

Of course, that weekend Santa was at the school for a breakfast so her loving mother took her to sit on Santa’s lap and she was able to tell Santa what she really wanted. Which was an alarm clock by the way.

I realize this is a trivial example, but it makes the point clear. When we violate our conscience, when we are doing something that we know isn’t right, it hurts. It makes us sad, depressed, miserable, and so on.

David loved, trusted, respected, and obeyed God. God never told him to kill Saul, so he knew it was not his place to kill God’s anointed king. The guilt of just cutting Saul’s robe was too much for David to bear.

David emerges from the cave and confesses to Saul what he did. He showed Saul that he could have killed him, but he didn’t. David is not out to get Saul even though Saul is out to get David. David simply tells the king to think for himself rationally. God will be the judge.

Saul’s reaction to this confession was a humble one. Although we know that Saul is tormented by evil spirits, Saul confessed that David is more righteous than him. He even acknowledged that David would indeed be king one day. Of course, Saul wasn’t ready to relinquish the throne, but he knew that God put David next in line for the throne.

Sometimes in our lives we wonder why things happen to us. “Why me?” we often say. No doubt David had every right to say this with all that he had been through. But when you look back at these events that happened in David’s life or even your own life for that matter, you can see God’s hand at work.

God was with David every step of the way. Throughout all of these events there was a lesson that David needed to learn. The same is true for us today as well. We go through many struggles in our life and there is a lesson to learn. Sometimes the lesson is discipline for wrongdoing. Other times the lesson helps us to mature into the people that God wants us to be.

The question that we need to think about it is what does God want me to do. How can we know when to take matters into our own hands and when to leave them in God’s hands?

It is tough today. God spoke to the prophets of the Old Testament in a personal way. He often times told them exactly what to do. Today He doesn’t do that. We have His Word to rely on, but He doesn’t provide us with any new revelation.

We need to read God’s word and place it into action each and every day of our life. We need to be in communion with God through prayer. Ask Him to lead and guide us through life as He wants us to live. We need to look at the example of Jesus’ earthly life and live as much like Him as we possible can.

Of course, we always need to listen to our conscience. When it says no, pay attention. Don’t turn it off. Don’t ignore it. Block out what the world tells you and listen to your heart. Listen to God.

Closing prayer:

Lord we thank you for our time together again this morning. We thank you for the wonderful lesson’s of David. We thank you for shaping our conscience. Help us to listen to what you tell us. Help us to trust and obey you with our lives.

In Jesus name, AMEN.

True Friendship

2011-05-15T07:17:00.002-04:00

Click here for the message of 1 Samuel 20:12-17.

We left off last time with the battle of David and Goliath. David knew that God was not only with him, but God was with all of his people. The Israelites would have been victorious without David had they realized that and trusted in God.

After David defeats Goliath he becomes something of a hero. This is how Jonathan and David become friends. In chapter 18 verse 1 we read, “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

We also then hear of the women singing their song to praise David, Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed ten thousands. Saul becomes jealous of David.

In fact, Saul devises a scheme to get rid of David. He tells David that he can marry his daughter if he will go and fight the enemies, hoping that the enemy will kill David. David agrees and comes back victorious once again.

However, while David is away fighting the king gives his daughter to another man to marry. King Saul is surprised and upset when David returns alive. The king then finds out his other daughter is in love with David, so the king challenges David once again to go a kill one hundred enemy soldiers then he can marry Michal his other daughter.

David agrees and does so. This time the king allows the marriage to take place, but the king still wants David dead. So he finally just sends his soldiers over to his house to kill David. His wife helps him escape and this is where our scripture picks up this morning with the friendship of Jonathan and David.

David and Jonathan are soul brothers. They loved each other loyally and were devoted to each other. They loved each other as they loved themselves. They were committed to each other.

This type of friendship is tough to find these days. Most people are in relationships to see what they can get from it, not what they can give to it. But not these two people, they were dedicated to each other as we shall see.

It is interesting to note the fact that Jonathan who is Saul’s son would normally be the next in line for the throne. By rights Jonathan should be the next king. But he realizes that God has chosen David to be king. He isn’t jealous or envious or upset or deceitful or anything.

Jonathan simply loves David and supports him, looks after him, is kind to him, and cares for him.

This kind of reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

That really describes the relationship between Jonathan and David. Does that describe any of your relationships? Chances are this portion of scripture was read at your wedding, or you have received some type of wedding or anniversary gift with this scripture on it. Love is not just an idea or a thought or a feeling, it is an action.

We see that love in action with David and Jonathan. Relationships take work. Jonathan’s friendship and devotions to David put him at odds with his father. In fact, because of his dedication to David, Jonathan’s life was put at risk a few times.

In fact, Saul became very angry at Jonathan when David didn’t show up for the banquet. The King curses out Jonathan. Accuses him of shaming the family name for siding with David. Saul even acknowledges that David will be king and rubs it in Jonathan’s face. To top it all off, Saul throws his spear at Jonathan, his son!

But Jonathan remains dedicated and loyal to David. Friendship – relationships can be costly at times. They certainly aren’t free and they take work and dedication. It is about doing the right thing for the right reason.

Jonathan and David had this type of relationship. They had a deep connection to each other. Now we must not mistake this for any type of homosexual connection because there was none. This was a brotherhood type of soul connection.

Of course one of the big reasons they were drawn to each other is because they were both drawn to God. That is also another key to any relationship. There needs to be a common connection. In this case, it was serving God.

Today, I believe it is very difficult to find this type of true friendship. Most people are simply out for themselves. They give up when the going gets tough. They abandon their friendship when things don’t go their way.

That’s a real problem for us today. It is sad too. People are so focused on themselves that they miss out on a wonderful opportunity to have a deep and meaningful relationship with a friend.

Even in marriages people don’t find that friendship and I believe that is why so many marriages fail. The characteristics that David and Jonathan have for each other are what we need to cultivate in our friendships and our marriages.

I would also encourage you to find friendships and nurture them as well. Friendships are a necessity in life. We are so detached from each other these days. Sure, we stay in contact with facebook, twitter, and texting, but we don’t have that deep connection with others that we need.

One survey revealed that seven in ten do not know their neighbors. So I got to thinking about the main drag in Strongstown, 422 from the General Store to the Church. There are 19 occupied homes. Out of those 19 homes, I know who lives in 8 of them. I am not saying I am close with those 8 families, I am just saying I know who physically lives in them. And I have lived in Strongstown all of my life.

As a society we are indeed detached. As many as one third of the population has struggled with loneliness. It is an even bigger problem with the elderly and those that are not able to get out of their homes much.

This week, I would ask that you look again at the relationships that you have. Is there room for improvement? Can you be a better friend to someone? Can you start a new friendship with someone that needs a friend?

Do you need to rekindle your relationship with your spouse? How about with God?

Not all of your relationships will turn out to be close like Jonathan and David’s, but you’ll never know until you put forth the effort.

Closing Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for providing this great example of friendship between David and Jonathan. Help us to be more like them in our relationships. Draw us close to you and place people into our lives that will encourage us along our journey through life.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

The Battle is the Lord’s

2011-05-08T07:39:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Samuel 17

1 Samuel 17:41-51

Last time in our study we saw God rejecting Saul as King. God instructs Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem and anoint one of his sons as the new king of Israel. Samuel sees Jesse’s first born son and wants to anoint him. However, God says no.

Samuel continues to look at all of Jesse’s sons until only the young shepherd David is left. God tells Samuel that David is the one. Samuel needed to learn a lesson about looking at people for who they really are on the inside, not just what they look like on the outside.

God knows our hearts. He uses us as we are and molds us into what he wants us to be if we allow him to. David was chosen to be king because God knew his heart. And we see David trusting in God in our Scripture lesson this morning.

At the end of chapter 16, we see the spirit of God leaving Saul and a tormenting spirit is upon him. This causes Saul great mood swings. It brings him depression and fear. In order to cheer himself up he requests some music. So the kings servants find David who plays the harp beautifully. David ends up serving in Saul’s court.

Today’s lesson of course is that familiar story of David taking on Goliath. No doubt, we are all familiar with the story. It is probably a story that we heard as kids. Goliath was a giant. Every day he would challenge the Israelites to a fight.

The Israelites were afraid of Goliath though. And from a human standpoint I can see why. Goliath was a warrior. This is Arnold Swartzenegger as the Terminator or Sylvester Stallone as Rambo. You just don’t mess with guys like that.

From a spiritual standpoint though, the Israelites had forgotten that God promised to be with them. They were simply lacking in their faith. God had promised them victory if only they believed and trusted him.

Enter David, a man after God’s own heart. He shows up at the battlefield to bring some food and supplies to the troops. He finds out that Goliath has been taunting the Israelites for 40 days.

David starts to question the troops about the fight. He questions why the soldiers allow this man to defy, intimidate, embarrass, and shame the armies of God. David’s brother hears about this and basically tells David to get lost. No doubt he is a little jealous. After all, this kid is a Shepard, not a soldier.

King Saul hears about David’s activity and sends for him. David convinces Saul to allow him to fight the giant. Again, from a human standpoint, this is a ridiculous idea. David was young and inexperienced. Goliath was a seasoned veteran, a warrior.

The fate of Israel rested in his battle. If David loses then Israel is enslaved to the Philistines. Saul was taking quite a risk here.

Think about it for a minute. Normally, we select people who are humanly qualified to do a job. Likewise, we normally take on responsibilities for which we feel qualified. Sure faith is important, but it doesn’t remove the need for qualified people to do certain jobs.

We must continue to rely on God for strength and guidance in our lives. David surely did. As part of his conversation with Saul, David tells about his experience protecting his sheep from bears and lions. But David knew he was only able to protect his sheep because of God.

Because of his experiences, David is confident that he can defeat Goliath. David knows that God has been with him, is currently with him, and will be with him in the future as well. The same applies to us today as well.

Think about some of the events that have happened in your life. Surely looking back on things you can see God’s hand at work. No doubt you can still see God at work in your lives today as well. So why would you even think that He won’t be there for you tomorrow.

It’s time for the battle. David grabs five rocks and heads out to face off against the giant. Goliath basically laughs in David’s face and continuously insults him. Goliath has quite the attitude. But David has something better. He comes in faith with God on his side.

Of course, we know how the story ends. David flings a rock at Goliath that knocks him to the ground. David grabs Goliath’s sword and chops off his head. And as any good story ends, they all lived happily ever after, right? Well not quite as we shall see in the coming weeks.

The key lesson for this morning is the fact that the battle is the Lord’s. We must trust in God’s Word. Of course, in order to trust in His Word, we must know His Word. We must read and study His Word and continually place it into action in our lives.

No doubt, the Israelites knew God’s Word. They knew they were the chosen people. They knew that God would protect them, but they failed to take what they knew and place it into action.

Each of us face struggles and troubles everyday. Maybe there is a Goliath of a problem that we are trying to deal with. But we must put our faith into action like David did and trust that God will see us through whatever situation we are facing.

One of the great myths of our society and this is something that we even teach our children, is “if you set your mind to it, you can do anything.” That is simply not true. The message of the world is this: victory goes to the strong and the spoils of victory to those who are powerful.

Well as we see in our lesson this morning that is not God’s way. As we learned a while ago in our studies of the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the poor in Spirit, blessed are the humble, blessed are the weak and so on.

God has some different ideas, and David represents those ideas to us this morning. David sums it up best in verse 47 right before he kills Goliath, “And everyone will know that the Lord does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The Lord will give you to us!”

We can do nothing on our own, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. All things truly do work for good for those who love God and are called according to His will and purposes.

Let these be our words to live by this week.

Closing Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for these words of wisdom. Help us to truly trust in your word and act in ways that show our trust and confidence in your providence over our lives. Help us to realize that the battles of this world are not ours, but they are yours. We give you thanks for always being with us and ask for your continued patience with us as we journey through life.

AMEN.

God Looks at Hearts

2011-05-01T09:09:00.000-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Samuel 16:1-13

This morning we start our look at the life of King David. We won’t have enough time to cover every aspect on David’s life during this series, but we will hit the major events that give us guidance and encouragement in our own lives today.

The book of Samuel occurs right after the time of the judges. The Hebrew people no longer wanted to be ruled by judges they wanted a king. King never wanted a king for His people other than Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. But God gives His people what they want.

Now, we aren’t sure who the human author of the book of Samuel is. It starts with the birth of the prophet Samuel and ends with the last words of King David. The book covers most of the kingships or reign of Saul and David.

Our lesson picks up this morning with Saul being rejected by God as King. Before we get into the text any further I want you to think about something for a minute. Think about how a person’s appearance affects your initial opinion of them. Think it doesn’t? Take this little test.

You’re looking for a new leader in your organization and there are three candidates available.

Candidate #1 – hangs out with crooked politicians; consults with astrologists; has had a least two mistresses; is a chain smoker and drinks regularly

Candidate #2 – likes to sleep in late; used drugs during college; drinks heavily

Candidate #3 – a decorated war hero; vegetarian; doesn’t smoke; rarely drinks; faithful to one women

Based upon the appearance of these three candidates, which would you pick? Most people would probably choose candidate #3 because he sounds like an okay guy.

Candidate #1 describes Franklin Roosevelt. Candidate #2 describes Winston Churchill. Candidate #3 describes Adolph Hitler.

Appearances can be deceiving. That is why God looks at the heart of a person. Israel’s first King, Saul, was the ideal candidate. According to Scripture he was tall, handsome, and an impressive person. Unfortunately, he was also foolish and disobedient.

Our Scripture picks up with the prophet Samuel in a state of shock and grief over God’s rejection of King Saul. God tells Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem, offer a sacrifice, and anoint one of his sons as King.

Samuel arrives as Jesse’s house sees the eldest son and prepares to anoint him as king, but God says no. This goes on with all of Jesse’s sons but God says no. Finally, Samuel asks if there are any more sons left and there is one. A shepherd boy in the field with the flock.

When David arrives God tells Samuel that he is the one. This was a lesson that Samuel had to learn. Samuel saw the eldest of Jesse’s sons who was tall and handsome. Samuel was looking at the external, whereas, God was looking at the internal things.

God looks at what the person is truly like inside. He looks at their heart. He looks at their emotions, their will, their intellect, their desires. He looks at their entire life.

What do we look at? Maybe the way a person dresses, how nice their hair looks, maybe their height or weight, muscles, and so on. Don’t believe me? Turn on the television or open a magazine.

Look at our movies stars, our models, and even our public officials. Most of them have a nice external appearance, but their inward self may be totally different. People are who they are, not what they look like.

That was the lesson that Samuel needed to learn and that is a lesson that all of us need to learn today as well.

If we were given the task of picking a King, most of us probably would not have picked David. Actually, as I demonstrated earlier, most of us would probably have picked Hitler!

David was a young adolescent doing a dirty job. Not only would he be ceremonially unclean, but he would have been physically unclean living out in the fields with the sheep. We probably wouldn’t think much of him, just some dumb farm boy or something like that.

But as we shall see David was a man after God’s own heart. Sure he wasn’t perfect and he messed up at times, sometimes with grave consequences, but he was in love with God. David was faithful to God and ready to serve Him, ready to do his will.

You know if you really think about it, a good Shepard would make a good king. Why? Well think about what a Shepard does. He takes care of his flock. He leads them to food. He protects them from enemies. He disciplines the ones that get out of hand. He cares for them when they are sick. He treats them fairly. He loves them.

That sounds like a pretty good leader to me. In fact, doesn’t that sound like our Shepard, Jesus Christ? It sure does.

The point of our lesson this morning is the fact that God looks at the heart of a person. We should do the same as well. Not only that, we should examine our own hearts to see what it says about us.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Help us to me more like David, a man after your heart. Help us to be in love with you, to serve you faithfully all the days of our lives.

As we journey in life gives us the wisdom to see people for what they are, not for what they appear to be. We pray the same for our country as well. As we select new leaders, help us to choose people that will be good stewards of all that we have been blessed with.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Becoming Whole

2010-11-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

Click here for the audio message of – James 5:12-20

We conclude our look at the epistle of James this morning. Over the past couple of months we have learned from James about several aspects of the Christian’s life. We are to stay faithful during trials and temptations.

We are to live out our faith with selfless love. We are to watch what we say, control our words, control our tongues. We are to be patience. We are to be humble. And we are to trust God rather than trust in our own abilities or riches.

In verse 12, James tells us to make our yes, yes and our no, no. When you say you are going to do something, then do it. When you promise someone something, then follow through and uphold your promise, uphold your word.

This also means to say what you mean. Speak the truth in love and you won’t ever have to worry about what the other person thinks. This idea once again reinforces the idea of controlling the tongue and having patience.

Think before you speak. Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 29:8, “Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.” Be wise, be loving, be patient.

James then starts to finish up his letter by writing about prayer. Whatever your situation is, pray. Pray if you are happy. Pray if you are sad. Pray for healing or pray for continued good health. Pray for suffering, confessions, each other, petitions, praise, supplications, and thanksgiving.

No doubt most of you have had experience with prayer. We’ve discussed prayer here many times. Some people still only pray when they need something. They view God as some type of genie in a bottle or something. He’s there when you need something, but other than that you leave me alone.

I think to some extent we are all like that. Our prayer life kicks in to overdrive when we are in trouble, sick, or in need of help. But in those good times, maybe we don’t praise God enough for the wonderful things He does in our lives. What a great time to do it, now today. This week as we celebrate Thanksgiving, make sure to thank the One who makes it all possible.

Later on today or this week, read back over the scripture this morning and try to make at least one of these types of prayer more a part of your life. I know some people keep prayer journals and look back through them to see how God has answered their prayers.

Each week at our Bible study we close with prayer and prayer requests. I always write them down in my notebook and it is interesting to look back through them and see what has been done. Our prayers are not always answered the way we think they should, but God does answer them.

In verses 14-16, James discusses physical and spiritual healing. We are to tell other people about our physical needs, our spiritual needs and ask them to pray for us. We are to pray with passion and energy.

James tells us to call the elders and other church leaders together for anointing, prayer, and confession. If you remember we did that here for Joyce about a year ago or so. We gathered around her here at the alter and I anointed her with oil and we prayed for her healing.

Now, I didn’t do anything special. I don’t have any super powers and there was nothing special about the oil in this bottle up here. But God listened to us. He heard our prayers and He answered them in a way that we can rejoice in but He answered our prayers according to His will.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. These are the energetic, passionate prayers of godly people that activate the power of God to move in their lives or the lives of others.

James gives the example of Elijah from the Old Testament. This is probably once of the most notable illustrations of the power of prayer in the Old Testament. His prayers both initiated and ended a three and a half year drought. Now that is power. That is being in tune with God.

We are the same kind of person as Elijah was. He like all of the other Old Testament characters wasn’t a superhero or something. In fact, He was a man subject to similar passions as we are. But he was also a man who prayed with passion, and that is the kind of prayer we need today.

James closes his letter by telling us that we are responsible for each other. We are to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. As they receive Christ into their lives, we are to help them grow and mature in the faith. This involves discipline and correcting them when they stray from the Word of God.

The closing words of James really express his primary objective of this letter. That is simply to confront those people that have a fake or dead faith. Rather than address these people and warn them directly, James tells the faithful believers to witness to those fellow believers that are not living in full obedience to God’s Word.

That is definitely something we need to continue to do today as well. Some believers have indeed strayed or wandered from the truth. This people are in danger and must be called back to a faithful life.

Maintaining open, sharing, praying relationships with other Christians will help keep us from getting stuck in a rut in our spiritual lives. These relationships help give us the strength that provides victory over our sin.

God has granted to all believers the ministry of reconciling wandering souls to Himself. When a so called believer’s life shows evidence that their faith is not real, it is our duty as a believer to witness and minister to them for genuine saving faith in God.
Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time studying the words of your servant James. We thank you for the many practical advice you gave us through him for our daily lives. Help us to truly implement them into our lives.

As we prepare to give our thanks this week, help us to remember to give thanks to you for all that you have done and for all that you will do for us. We thank you especially for sending your son into this world to save us from our sins.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

AMEN

What Awaits

2010-11-14T07:38:00.000-05:00

Click here for the audio message of – James 5:1-11

James continues his tests of faith in Chapter 5. Now James focuses on money and the believer’s view of money. This portion of Scripture is really divided into two sections, greed and patience and is addressed to the rich and the oppressed people.

James condemns the people who profess to be Christians, but really worship money. He tells them to look at their hearts again. He isn’t condemning their wealth, simply how they are using their money.

James declares that judgment awaits rich people because of their crimes. What are these crimes? The rich have hoarded their wealth. They have committed fraud in order to get more wealth. They are greedy. They live a life of luxury while others do not even have enough to survive.

If James were writing this letter today, I don’t think he would be addressing just the millionaires here in the United States. Even the poorest people here have it much better than many places around the world.

I believe as citizens of the United States we have been blessed by God many times over, but I think as individuals of the kingdom of God we will be judge based upon what God has given to us and how we have used or abused those blessings.

Do you consider yourself rich? Most people here would probably say no and that may be true based upon American standards. However, if I describe rich as having more than you need, I suspect everyone meets that standard. That’s how James described the rich.

Piling up riches can be like not trusting God. Now, I am not saying we shouldn’t save for things like retirement or education or a home or car or whatever. God doesn’t tell us not to plan. He tells us to trust Him and make Him a big part of our plan.

God takes care of His people. Think about some of the things that Jesus said during His sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 5 through 7.

“…do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink…. Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, or reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

“…your heavenly father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:32-34

James then speaks to the poor, they were the ones being persecuted and ruled over by the rich. He starts by telling them to be patient during their trials. This too shows where they place their trust. Trust God, not man. Trust God, not riches. Trust God, not works.

It is tough to watch everyone else around you getting stuff like new cars and big screen tv’s and such. It is tough not to want those things too. It is tough to see others live in luxury while you struggle to make ends meet. We need to be patient and trust in God and use whatever He has given us to further honor Him. Trust and obey.

But part of the problem is the fact that people don’t have patience. They want what they want and they want it now. That is partially why we are having this economic meltdown. People simply bought on credit more stuff than they could afford. They were trying to live a lifestyle beyond what their income supplied. The results are not surprising to me at all.

James gives several examples of patience in his letter. He says look at the farmer. He invests a bunch of money and time in seeds. He plants them and then pretty much trusts God and waits on Him to make the crop grow. Sure today, we have pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation systems, but whether or not the farmer acknowledges it he is at the mercy of God to make his crop grow as well.

The farmer has to wait. He has to be patient because the crops don’t grow and produce fruits and vegetables overnight. It takes many months to produce a harvest.

James also mentions the patience of the prophets of the Old Testament. They proclaimed the arrival of the Messiah, but never actually saw the birth of Christ. Many of them were ridiculed and persecuted for their words, but they patiently endured and were proven right with the birth of Christ.

Finally, of course, anytime you think of biblical patience, I am sure Job comes to mind. He was being tempted by Satan, but he never gave in. He was patient and God showed he was not being punished for his sin.

Some of us can use some patience. Even if it is just the little things in life that get to us, like traffic or waiting in the checkout lines, we still need to trust God. Wait on the Lord, His timing is best.

The words of James speak to us this morning, not just about being rich or poor or being patient through our suffering, but they speak to us about the coming of Christ. The believer rejoices at the thought of Christ’s return, while the unbelievers are fearful of death. God will set things right when He returns, but it will be on His schedule and on His terms.

Wealth can be a blessing or a curse. It simply depends on the person’s relationship with God. A right relationship produces blessings whereas a wrong relationship will be like a curse. Are you blessed or cursed?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this practical advice on being patient. Help us to be like the farmers who trust in you for their harvest. Give us the patience that we need in our everyday matters of life.

But most importantly, help us to be patient in our faith and wait for your timing as you work in our lives. Give us the things that we need for today and help us to trust in you to take care of tomorrow.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

AMEN

Getting Perspective

2010-11-07T07:53:00.002-05:00

Click here for the audio message of – James 4:11-17

How many times have you been convinced that you are in control of your life? You are the captain of your own ship. You are the commander and master of your fate. Right? I think at times we all have this type of thinking.

Sometimes only a crisis type situation will enable us to see the truth. That we are not in control and never have been and never will be. God is in control as we have studied before. In this morning’s scripture James flat out tells us that “[We] are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

This portion of James’ letter focuses on just that fact. He clues us in to realizing what our attitude is toward God, towards others, and towards our future. Then he helps us to make them what they really should be.

James starts by telling us that we are not the judges of other people. Do not speak evil of others. How many of you have ever done that? Yeah, all of us. How many of you have actually done that today! No doubt some of us.

We are not to speak evil of others. Why? Because those who speak evil of others set themselves up as judges. God is the only judge. He is the only one that knows our hearts. Now this speaking evil of others we would translate into slander today.

James is not talking about confronting other’s sin. We are commanded to do that, but we are not judging their sin by our own rules, rather we are confronting their sin based upon the word of God. If we do in fact judge others based upon our own thoughts then we are not respecting God who is the lawgiver.

At lot of times people speak evil of others or slander them to build themselves up. We see this especially with kids, but adults do it as well. As we are building ourselves up we actually start to believe that we are better than other people.

It reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. As Max Lucado retells the parable [Traveling Light p 74], the self righteous person prays like this,

“God, I thank you that the world has people like me. The man on the corner needs welfare – I don’t. The prostitute on the street has AIDS – I don’t. The drunk at the bar needs alcohol – I don’t. The gay [people] need morality – I don’t. I thank you that the world has people like me!”

That is the prayer of the self-righteous man. We really ought to be praying like the sinners we are.

“God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Like my brother on welfare, I’m dependent on your grace. Like my sister with AIDS, I’m infected with mistakes. Like my friend who drinks, I need something to ease my pain. And as you love and give direction to the gays, grant some to me as well. Have mercy on me a sinner.”

When we love and trust God, we will also loves others and obey God. We will know that we are no better than anyone else. We are saved by the mercy and grace of God just like others. When we truly realize and believe that, then we can more fully understand what God wants for us and from us.

That brings us back to the opening of this message. Are you living your life thinking you are in control or are you living life as if God is in control? The phrase here today, gone tomorrow is true. We have no control over how long we will live. We should be living each day for God.

Our earthly lives are only temporary, but as you receive Christ into your life you can start to enjoy eternity with Him.

Our life is like a mist, like a vapor, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan for things either. James is not saying that at all. Wise planning is very important and in fact is a gift from God. The idea here is to always make God a part of your plan.

The last thing I want to look at this morning is verse 17. I am not going to say much about it, but it really hits home to me and affects the way I live my life.

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (NASB) Think about it. Most of us are not “bad” people at least by societies standards. But how often did you not do the right thing, when you knew what the right thing was to do.

There are a great many people sinning today and they don’t even know it. If you know the right thing to do and do not do it, that is sin. Being a Christian is not just about avoiding the wrong things in life, rather it means focusing our lives on doing what is right according to God’s plan.

Our lives are very brief, 70 or 80 years says Moses. We should not spend our time arguing over things that really won’t matter for eternity. It ruins the joy of living. We need to come to Christ and then we will truly start living.

Living the will of God is another test of a Christian’s faith. We should want to carry out the will of God with all our heart. Trying to be in control of our own life is like rejecting God’s path for us.

In John 10:10, Jesus said “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He wants to give you that life. The question is do you want it and are you living that life today?

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for giving us the knowledge of right and wrong. Help us to do what is right. Help us to love those around us rather than judge them. Make our plans align with your plan. Strengthen our commitment and faith to you.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

AMEN

Peace

2010-10-31T08:53:00.003-04:00

Click here for the audio message of James 4:1-10

In today’s portion of scripture, James tells us where the sources of disagreement come from and where the source of peace comes from. He starts this at the end of chapter three and continues on into chapter 4. Of course, when he was writing this letter, he didn’t use chapters. Just like we wouldn’t use chapters in any of our letters to friends either.

James writes of earthly and heavenly wisdom. Wisdom is not simply intelligence or knowledge, rather wisdom in general is the effective application of the truths you know. Wisdom is yet another test of a believers faith.

There is man’s wisdom and there is God’s wisdom. The wisdom of man seeks his own and has no saving relationship with God.

“The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” (Chapter 3 Verse 17)

Purity, that is something that many of us are missing today. This is spiritual integrity and moral sincerity. Having pure motives. This comes from truly loving others as you love yourself. Being gentle means having power under control. Reasonable, mercy, good fruits, unwavering: these are all traits of a person with heavenly wisdom. Wisdom that comes from God.

Earthly wisdom, on the other hand, is bitterness, selfishness, boastful, lying, envy, and deceitful. This is the harsh attitudes that you see in other people, maybe you even see it in yourself once in a while. This is seeking your own agenda, your own pleasure, and your own goals at the expense of others.

You can see then why earthly wisdom provokes people to conflict with others. It is focused on themselves, not the love and concern for others that God commands us to have. Think about this past week and about some of the different situations that you saw.

Did the conflicts happen because of heavenly wisdom or earthly wisdom? More often than not, the people operating with Heavenly wisdom do not get involved in too many conflicts, especially over earthly matters.

Now that doesn’t mean that Christians are to be a doormat for abuse either. For example, if a husband is physically beating his wife. The wife should not just take it and try to live at peace with him. She needs to protect herself and that may involve defending herself as needed.

However, we have the police and other agencies that are available to help. So maybe the guy goes to jail for his actions. The wife shouldn’t feel bad or sorry for that. Everyone has to suffer the consequences of their actions.

James continues in chapter 4 talking about the sources of quarrels. Here James is referring to conflicts within the church. Again, these disagreements come from our own selfish desires taking control. This is especially true when we cannot tame our tongue as we talked about last week.

James tells us to simply ask God to deal with our desires. If we are in tune with God’s will, then our desires will be His desires and he will give us what we want. It gets no clearer than Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

We need to ask God from a pure heart, not of our own selfish desires. See we always think we can do things on our own. We need to stop and ask God what He wants done and reflect and meditate on His answer to us as give to us in His Word.

James says that we don’t receive what we ask for from God when we ask with the wrong motives. When we seek God’s honor and glory, then we have the right motive. The people of this world have the wrong motives. They do not submit their lives to Christ. They do not even acknowledge their dependence upon Him.

Being a friend of this world is therefore being hostile to God. Christian living involves separation from the contaminants of this world. Christians need to live in this world but not be of it. That is a very hard thing for us to do. In fact, it is impossible for us to do by our own power. That is way we need to rely on the strength of God.

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through [Christ] Him who strengthens me.” We must disdain the things of this world and not get caught in the deceptions of Satan. We must draw nearer to God and humbly submit our lives to Him. We must truly mourn over our sin.

This gives us the humble spirit that we need to continue our maturity in the faith and grow closer to our Lord. We realize the wrong sinful things that we do and we are truly sorrowful for them. We submit to God and it knocks our worldly ego’s out. It aligns our motives and will with God’s.

Some people get on James’ case here a little bit and say he sounds a little harsh or a little rigid with his writing here. I don’t. I think he is right on target.

Make no mistake about it, everyone gets into arguments. Sure some people more than others. But look at the sources of those arguments. They come from our ego’s. They come from our envy of others. They come from our own greediness.

The solution is to be humble before God and others. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. To be a peacemaker, to be called a son of God, you need humility.

We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. If you profess to be a Christian but your heart is still proud, arrogant, and self centered, then you are lying to yourself. You may have even fooled yourself and others around you. But you cannot fool God. He knows your heart.

Strive for a pure heart. Strive for peace. Be gentle and reasonable. Be full of mercy and good fruits. Be unwavering in your faith and attitude and of course, be without hypocrisy.

Ask the Lord, for heavenly wisdom and the strength to be his servant, his friend, and his son.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Help us to humbly come before you, filled with sorrow over our sin. Help us to turn from this world and its desires. Strengthen us to be pure like your Son.

Give us the humility to serve you each and everyday of our lives until you return again to us and for us.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

AMEN

Fiery Words

2010-10-24T07:58:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of James 3:1-12

James continues his look at the Christian life in our text this morning. He writes about something that probably hits close to home for most of us as well. That of course is taming the tongue. A person’s speech tells a lot about their heart. Through words is probably the easiest and most common way for people to make their sinfulness known to others.

There are some sins that we may not be able to commit simply because we don’t have the opportunity or the interest or desire to do so. For example, most of us here will probably never physically murder anyone. We may not have the strength to do it, we may not be willing to take the risk to do it, or whatever. Most of us will never physically murder another person.

However there are no limits as to what we can think and then say about that other person. Each of us is capable of saying anything and many of us have indeed said things we shouldn’t have.

James compares the tongue to several things in everyday life. He tells us that a little spark can start a forest fire and we know that to be true. The tongue is the same way. The power of words is tremendous.

Fire can get out of control quickly and rapid destruction occurs. What about words? Your words can get out of control quickly too and cause destruction of your relationships with the people around you as well.

Your words can hurt those people around you and make them bitter toward you. Compulsive liars for example begin to believe their own lives. They can no longer distinguish between the truth and a lie. That is why Satan loves it when we are talking.

He knows that the more we talk, the more opportunity we have to say something bad, mean, hurtful, or sinful. It has been estimated that the average person says about thirty thousand words every day. And I am sure we all know a couple of people that exceed that number.

Think about the destruction thirty thousand words can do. The tongue cannot be tamed except by the power of God.

The tongue can condemn, control, and corrupt. But your words can also bring your faith and works together as we shall see. If your heart is obedient to God then your words should demonstrate your love for God and for others.

Going back to the fire illustration. Our lives would be very different without fire. We would have no heat to keep us warm. We would have no way to cook our food. So fire is a good thing, when it is controlled.

Left unattended though a fire can get out of hand and cause massive destruction. The same applies to our words.

We as Christians may talk the talk, meaning we say we are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, but are we walking the walking? Are we doing what God wants us to do? Are we doing what Jesus did? Are you living the Christian life or just talking about it?

We are not perfect that is for sure. We as faithful followers of Christ are still tainted by sin in this fallen world.

But James also finds inconsistency with our words. We bless people and we curse them. It builds people up and it also tears them down. How can this be? This is quiet a conundrum!

We need to remember that only God can completely tame our tongue. We need to live our life in submission to the will of God and joyfully accept what God places into our lives.

One thing that I think we forget is the fact that each of us is made in the image of God. That is right, Saddam Hussain and Adolf Hitler were made in the image of God. That isn’t something we think about very often because we have labeled people certain ways by our standards.

But it is true we are all made in the image of God. So when you are degrading someone with your words it is like degrading God.

Your words can also show others what is in your heart. Do you have nice and kind words, even under pressure? Or are your words mean and nasty? It shows your true self. Think about your words to others and see if you can spot any inconsistencies with your words and actions this week.

Think about this past week, did you: brag and boast to others, lie, slander, gossip, curse, make off colored comments, spread rumors, yell, or argue? I suspect we all did. Maybe there is one of these things that trips you up more than others.

We cannot change our past. What we have done, we have done. What we have said, we have said. But we can change today and we can be the person God wants us to be.

Our words don’t have to tear down. We can in fact use our words to build up instead. As I said, the tongue has tremendous power and can be used for good or evil. We can encourage others rather then telling them they are a failure.

We can comfort them when they are sad. We can praise them when they have done well. We can be supportive when they are struggling. Most importantly, we can proclaim the word of God to them, telling them and teaching them about Christ.

We should make our speech focus on the positive things of life rather than the negative. We will in fact need to deal with difficult people every day of our lives, but we can deal with them with the power of God on our side as well receive Jesus into our lives and live in submission to His will.

A true believer will posses a sanctified tongue, yet they must maintain it.

Nowhere is the relationship between faith and works more evident than in a person’s speech. What you are will be disclosed by what you say. Your speech is a reasonable and reliable measure of your spiritual temperature. Are you burning with a heart for God or for this world?

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We ask that you will tame our tongues. Make them a source for life rather than a source of evil. Help us our hearts to be shown to others through our words and our actions this week.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

AMEN

Faith and Works

2010-10-17T07:42:00.000-04:00

Click here for the audio message of James 2:14-26

James provides us with practical tests of our Christianity. We have seen how a true believer responds to trials and temptations. We have learned about the reaction of a true believer to the Word of God. And last week we saw that Christians should be impartial because God is impartial.

This morning we continue our look at these tests of James. In particular we look at the test of works or the behavior of the Christian. We do need to keep in mind, however, that a person is not saved by their works. Christ has done all the work necessary for our salvation. But our works, or what we do, really shows who we are.

The genuineness of a believer’s claim that Christ is their Lord and Master is shown more by what they do than by what they claim.

James provides several examples of actions proving our beliefs. He gives one example that everyone would understand and that is of the physical needs of the body. The other two examples are from the Old Testament, Abraham and Rahab.

James starts to illustrate his point by comparing faith without works to words of compassion without acts of compassion. You can tell someone to warm up if they are cold, but unless you give them a coat or a blanket they will not warm up.

You may mean well and speak well, but if you do not do well then it doesn’t really help that person who is freezing. So professed compassion without action is fake, therefore, the kind of faith that is without works is simply an empty profession, not the genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God. He didn’t just say he would do it, but he literally held the knife ready to perform the sacrifice when God stopped him. As we have talked about before when we were studying the book of 1 Peter, God didn’t give this test to Abraham so that God would know Abraham’s heart. Rather, God gave this test to Abraham to prove his faith to himself.

Abraham’s faith was made complete by his actions. He obeyed God and acted according to His will. I am sure he didn’t understand why God wanted him to do this, but he believed and he acted upon his faith.

This was not simply a one time act of faith either. Abraham lived a lifetime of faith. Sure, he wasn’t perfect. In fact, we are still seeing some of the ramifications of his actions today through his son Ishmael. He wasn’t perfect, but he was faithful to God.

The other example is from the book of Joshua, Rahab protected God’s messengers from harm even though it was at great risk to her own life. She could have listened to their story and simply said, “Good luck getting out alive.” But she didn’t. She was demonstrating her faith in God, even though she didn’t really know much about this God. She knew He was the God though and she placed her faith and trust into Him.

We have opportunities everyday to act on our faith. I do not believe any of us will be asked by God to sacrifice our son, but there are certainly many poor and needy people around the area that we can minister too.

Maybe you can’t get out much anymore. That doesn’t mean you are useless to God. We are blessed with many well run local agencies that will use your donation of money, food or clothing to help those in need.

Don’t have much money, food, or clothing yourself? That is okay too. You can pray for those organizations. You can pray for the poor. You can pray for the sick. You can pray that God will send someone to minister to those people since you cannot.

The idea here is that our faith is just not a simple intellectual agreement with God, but the idea is that you genuinely want to obey Him and do what He wants. James tells us that even the demons know God. They know who He is and what He can do, but that have no interest in believing in Him, following Christ, or obeying Him. They reject Him even though they know who He is.

James closes this section by writing in verse 26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Our spirit is what makes us go. It is what makes us alive. When we die our spirits are no longer in our body. For a Christian our spirit goes to be in Heaven with the Lord. Our body lies lifeless here on earth.

In the same way, faith without works is dead. Our works show our heart. Our works show our faith. Again, our works do not save us, they simply show that we are saved. They show that we have received Jesus Christ into our life to be our Lord and Savior.

Think about your actions. How do they demonstrate the reality of your faith? Both Abraham and Rahab trusted God and demonstrated this with their actions. They passed the test! Do you?

We also need to respond in love when we see a fellow Christian not acting like one. We need to remember not to judge them or condemn them. Rather we need to support them and remind them of their faith.

There is always room for improvement in each of our lives. None of us is perfect. This week make a conscious effort to align you faith and your actions. For some of us, it may be a challenge, but it is guaranteed to bring you great joy and peace with your Maker.

All Christians sin, we are still human and imperfect creatures in this fallen world. But all Christians also obey the Word of God. While sin may be present in our lives, it is never the main character of the true believer. That is what we need to remember.

God will accept us when we humbly return to Him. He is waiting with open arms for each of us when we fail.

Closing Prayer

Lord we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for always being there for us, even when we are not worthy to come into your presence. You are there waiting for us. Waiting to offer your forgiveness when we ask for it.

We ask this morning that you will open our eyes to our actions this week. Help us to see what others see. Help us to see what you see. Help us to act upon our faith in tangible ways.

We do this not so that we can impress others or to even impress you. Rather we do it because we want to be obedient to you each and every day of our life. Give us the wisdom and the strength to do so.

In Jesus Name,

AMEN

Judging

2010-10-10T07:57:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of James 2:1-13

So far in the book of James, we have seen three tests of faith for the Christian. First we looked at how a Christian responds to trials. And we said that a true believer that is in tune with God will respond with joy and trusting obedience. Trials show us that we cannot do things on our own, we need to rely on God.

A trial can turn into a temptation for a Christian so we then looked at how a Christian responds to those temptations. God allows trials to strengthen us and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle. God always provides a way out of our temptation, but we may not always choose it.

Last week we looked at the Christians reaction to the Word of God. When a true believer hears the Word that want to obey it and learn more of it. We said this isn’t just an intellectual knowledge, rather it is a heart desire to be closer to God.

This morning we look at another test of a Christian. That is of their partiality or favoritism. In particular, James mentions social or economic status.

At some point in our lives we have all showed favoritism to someone, so James gives us some of the results of doing so. He says favoritism brings about evil thoughts, dishonor, oppression, mercilessness, and sin.

We need to remember that God is impartial in His dealings with people. This is not something that we normally think about with God. So, we too need to be impartial in dealing with others. Christians are all equal with God and will one day be surrounded by His love for us.

We cannot show favoritism toward certain people. Jesus says in Matthew 22 to love your neighbor. Unfortunately, favoritism does happen too often among Christians and in the Church.

When someone new or different enters the church we as members of the body of Christ need to welcome that person in a way that is friendly and loving, but not pushy or weird.

I’ve been a stranger in churches where everyone comes up to greet you and ask all about you and it can be a little uncomfortable. I’ve also been in churches were no one comes to great you and that too is uncomfortable. So there needs to be a balance there.

In our society and again unfortunately in some churches, people with money or people that look rich seem to get better treatment. James saw it 2000 years ago and we still see it today. People want to be around other people with money for their own ego. It makes them feel important or maybe somehow they think they will personally benefit if they are around the rich people.

Now, there is nothing wrong with being rich and having money. The problem is the fact that often times the people with money forgot where the wealth came from in the first place and to whom it really belongs. Poor people tend to trust God to provide for them daily.

From a practical standpoint, it is foolish for the Church to ignore the poor. It was foolish in James’ day and it is foolish today as well. If our mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples for Him, then wouldn’t we want to do this to as many people as possible?

Do you think there are more rich people or poor people in this world? Obviously there are many more poor people around the world. In James’ day the rich people were actually ruling over the poor and oppressed them.

People often times think that having money makes life easier. No doubt it does make certain aspects of life easier but it also makes things more difficult too. Rich people are really no better than poor people. God treats us all the same and we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

Our treatment of others needs to be guided by the royal law that James writes about. The command is to pursue meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well being of others as we would look after ourselves.

We are to truly love our neighbor. James goes on to tell us that treating others unequally is sin. Breaking just one of God’s laws is like breaking them all. It breaks the unity with Him and with others. Murdering someone and stealing are the same in God’s eyes even though our society treats them differently.

It is still sin. We are to love God and obey Him and we are to love others as we love ourselves. We must show mercy to others because God shows mercy to us. For those who show no mercy to others, God will show no mercy to them.

Remember the parable about the unmerciful slave in Matthew 18? The king showed mercy to one of his slaves for a debt that was owed to him. That slave in turn was owed money from another slave and he showed no mercy to him. When the king found out he had the first slave tortured. Verse 35 says, “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Even in the Lord’s prayer we pray to God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We are to forgive others. We are to show mercy to others. We are to love others as ourselves.

The cross of Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of mercy triumphing over judgment. Because of the sacrifice that Christ made, I know I am forgiven for my sins and I should forgive others for their sins against me. You should do the same.

This week think about some of the people that maybe you try to avoid or maybe even look down on. Think about ways in which you can reach out to them with love and kindness. Make a conscious effort to love others, especially when they aren’t too loving to you.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly father, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for your unending love and your impartiality in dealing with each and every one of us. Help us to do the same.

Purify our hearts and our minds so that we may see others as you see them. Help us to care for others and love them as you love them. Enable us to be the people that you would have us to be. We do this all for your glory and honor.

AMEN

Hearing the Word

2010-10-03T08:43:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of James 1:19-27

Last week we read about two tests that James gives us regarding a true believer. The first test was their inner response to trials. The second test was their response to temptations. In all circumstances we are to rely on God to strengthen us.

You can know a true believer by their response to the Word of God. Whenever a believer hears the Word of God, they want to hear more of it while trying to understand, live out, and obey what they have already heard. That is the natural response to the Word of God for the believer.

We must be careful though not to just have a scholarly or intellectual interest in the Gospel, but we must have that heart desire to obey it. This is not just a one time emotional feeling; rather it is a life long pursuit.

This morning James continues on the topic of hearing the Word of God. How many of you out there think you are a good listener? How many of you are listening right now?

Think about some of the conversations you have been involved with or have heard. Usually they go like this. One person is telling a story and even before that person is finished with their story the other person is telling their story and trying to one up the person with their tale.

Listening is a tough skill for most of us to master. James tells us that we need to be good listeners not only to each other, but to God as well. Unfortunately, most of us do not take the time to really listen to others or God today.

God desires for us to be obedient to His Word. That is why He gave it to us. He gave us His Word not only for His glory and honor, but for our own good as well.

James tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. I suspect when most of us here get anger we don’t start punching, kicking, or throwing things. We probably start with mean words and facial expressions.

So God tells us to listen rather than speak and it will tame our anger. “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies, not resent them.

God gave us two ears and one mouth right, so I suppose we should listen twice as much as we speak. You know when you are listening and I mean truly listening to someone you don’t always have to have an answer for them.

Sometimes people just need to talk and get the topic off their mind. They aren’t looking for criticism or a meaningless generic response. They just need to talk and that is ok. We need to listen to them and be there for them.

We as Christians have the Word of God planted in our hearts. But sometimes worldly things can grab hold of us and pull us from living out God’s Word. James tells us to put aside all filthiness and all wickedness so that we may continue to grow in our relationship with God.

As we grow in our relationship we will be doers of the Word, not just hearers. Meaning, we hear the Word of God and then we act upon it. Many people do indeed hear the Word of God, but never really act upon it.

They are those lukewarm believers. Like the church in Laodicea, Jesus will spit them out. Many people in this world think they are religious. In fact, I’ll bet everybody that I work with on a daily basis would identify themselves as Christians. But I’ll bet only a few actually practice their faith.

See many people hear the Word of God and say they are religious, but never act upon their faith. That is James’ point in this letter. God wants us to live out our faith each and every day. People who love and obey God show it in their lives.

It is indeed easy at times to fall into the traps of this world and become and easy believer, a hearer only. But as we saw last week with our trials and temptations we need to depend on God for help and our strength. He is in control. He is dependable. We can count on God to be there for us.

We need to continuously read, study, and apply God’s Word to our lives. Even though we will never get to that goal of perfection in this life, we need to continue to press on toward that mark like Paul.

One final note though. We must also be careful not to just do good works thinking that is what God requires of us to get into heaven. That is not the case. We do good works and live out our faith to show obedience to God. We do these things because we are saved, not because they will save us.

This week I would ask you to be doers of the Word and not just hearers only. Live out your faith and serve your Lord, not to be saved, but because He has already saved you through the sacrifice that He made on the cross for us.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word to help us live in this dark world. Help us to be your humble servants. Help us to listen to others and to listen to you this week. Strengthen us so that we may take what we hear from you and act upon it in a way that gives you the honor and glory you desire and deserve.

AMEN

God is Dependable

2010-09-26T07:48:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of James 1:2-11

This morning we start our study on the epistle of James. Now, everyone knows that James wrote this letter. The question is which James. Is it James the brother of John or James the half-brother of Jesus Christ.

Most scholars believe that it was indeed James the brother of Christ, because James the brother of John was executed for His faith shortly after Christ’s death and resurrection.

James of course would have first hand knowledge of the life of Christ and is writing this letter to the Christians that are scattered around the area due to the persecutions, much like Peter’s letters that we just finished looking at.

The main theme of the letter is the relationship between faith and works. This is a very practical letter for Christian living. James opens his letter by looking at the importance of perseverance when we face trials and temptations.

Right away, James mentioned several different situations that we as believers must get through in our lives. First, as we studied through out Peter’s letter, there will be trials for each of us. What the trial is will no doubt be different for us, but we will all have them throughout our lives.

Second, James mentions the rich and the poor of the world. Some people have more money than they need. Some people don’t have enough money to meet their basic needs. But when we come to Christ, either rich or poor, we are all equal. God is no respecter of people, he treats us equally.

Lastly, James mentions temptations. We all face temptation. The temptation does not come from God. God is Holy and has no capacity for evil. He is perfectly right and just. God allows us to be tempted though by the lusts and desires of this world.

God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our limits and he always provides an escape for us. The question is whether or not we take His escape or we give in to the temptation. That decision is up to each and every one of us in all circumstances.

In verse 2, James tells his readers to consider these things pure joy. A human or worldly response is not joy when we are faced with trials. Think about it. The last time you had a flat tire did you rejoice? Yeah, me either. Although afterward, I thank God that he kept me safe and I was able to get through the situation.

But the idea is to make a conscious commitment to face trials with joy, knowing that God is indeed in control. And that He is there with you, guiding you, and strengthening you. God doesn’t send us these trials just for His fun and amusement. He has a plan and purpose for allowing them to occur in our life. We may not understand it of course, but God knows.

As we face these trials and we persevere through them our faith, our maturity, our closeness to God increases. It gives us a deeper commitment and trusting relationship with our Lord. It brings us closer to God.

Going through trials also shows our weaknesses and things that we need to work on in life. In verse 5, James said we need wisdom from God. How often do you pray for wisdom or thank God for wisdom? This wisdom is the practical skill that is necessary to live life to God’s glory.

When we have that and do that everything else doesn’t really matter because everything just falls in to place as God has prepared it for us. The faithful believer asks for wisdom and other needs through prayer.

The person described in verses 6 through 8 is a weak or wishy washy believer. They are the rocky soil. They readily accept the word of God but when tough times come fall away. They do not have a strong faith. They do not have that solid foundation. Their roots are shallow.

When a trial comes to you, and it will, you can either ask God for the wisdom and strength to get through it, or you can allow the trial to turn into a temptation and turn from God and back to your sin nature.

For example, a recovering alcoholic or drug addict. Things are going pretty well. They have their life turned around. They are working and have been sober for a while. But then something happens. A trial comes. Maybe it is a bad day. Maybe they get fired. Maybe they run into one of their old buddies.

Whatever it is, a trial comes to them. The issue is how do they handle that trial. Do they ask God for the wisdom and strength to get through the trial. Or do they give in to that trial and turn it into a temptation to open the bottle or go party with that friend.

It is tough. We all face these kinds of trials in our lives. And sometimes we do fail. Sometimes we do let that trial turn into a temptation. But we must remember that God is still there for us, even after we fail.

God is the ultimate example of goodness and dependability. God is the same. He does not change and He will not change. We can depend on God for what we need, no matter what your situation is, no matter how bad you have been. God is there to extend His forgiveness and strengthen you for the journey ahead.

Think of the trials and temptations you are currently facing. Think about how this passage of scripture this morning applies to your life right now. How can you be encouraged and increase your dependence on God during those tough times.

Sometimes during a trial or temptation that is tough to do. Think back to times when you were in trouble and see how God’s hand was indeed at work in your life. See how God has always been there doing what He does. Providing comfort. Providing peace. Providing strength.

God is dependable. He is faithful. Remember that the next time trouble comes your way. We are tested to prove our faithfulness. Our testing produces enduring patience in our lives. That is something I think we all need.

Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for giving us this practical guide to living a Christian life through your brother James. Help us to face our trials with joy, knowing that you are there waiting for us to come to you for our strength, for our endurance, for our patience.

We thank you for your unending and unchanging presence in our lives. Give us the wisdom that we need to face each day’s adventures in our journey through this life. Guide us so that we may live to glorify you in all that we say and do.

AMEN

God is In Control

2010-09-19T07:47:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 2 Peter 3:1-10

We finish up our study of the book of 2 Peter this morning. Last time we looked at Peter’s warning to the people about false teachers. He said that we need to pay close attention to what the preacher/teacher says and evaluate their statements and lifestyles based upon Scripture.

False teachers may look and sound good on the outside for a while, but they cannot hide their true feelings on the inside. They are really only interested in themselves. They are greedy, they want the power, the prestige, and money.

Sure they may start off with the word of God, but eventually they soften their message to tell the people what they want to hear, and of course the people need to send them money. This type of thing was happening in Peter’s day and it continues today.

Peter tells us that God has judged the wickedness of the world in the past and gave the example of Sodom and Gomorrah. He also gave the example of the flood in Noah’s day. This leads right into the conclusion of Peter’s letter today. And that conclusion is don’t lose hope. God is in control.

When you think about your own life, maybe there was a time when you were feeling a little down or little let down or disappointed in God. Maybe you felt as though He didn’t come through for you. He didn’t answer your prayer the way you expected.

This can happen to us, especially when we start listening to what the world says. But at some point you had to realize that God’s answer was best for you at that particular time. It may not have been what you wanted to happen, but God knows best and gave you what you needed.

The people of Peter’s day were expecting Christ to return and take them all to Heaven any day. In fact, the people of Thessalonica were actually quitting their jobs and just hanging out waiting for the return of Christ. Paul wrote them a letter and said you can’t do that. You have to continue living your life today, but prepare for Christ’s return tomorrow!

The world was mocking the followers of Christ, saying “Where is this Jesus. He said He was coming back for you, but where is He?” So, Peter encourages his listeners to stay strong in the faith.

He also tells them what to expect in the last days, the days that we are still living in today. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Christ will return when the world does not expect Him.

He is not slow. He did not forget about us. Rather He is patient with us and the world, waiting for all to come to repentance. He is giving the world the chance to change their ways and He uses us and wants us to go out and tell the world about Him so they will indeed change.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. We as believers need to be out their telling the world about the One true God and how to come to salvation through Jesus Christ. And we tell people about Jesus Christ not jus through our words, but our actions as well.

Peter is telling his readers these things so they do not become disappointed with God. It still applies to us today as well. God has not abandoned us as some people think. We cannot believe these false teachers or the deceptions of Satan. We must continue believing and serving God.

God is in control. It may not seem like it at times, but He is. When we doubt this we must just accept it on faith. As we mature and our eyes are opened we will see God’s hand at work, not only in our life, but in the lives of others around us. We can see God answering our prayers.

God is in control. He will keep His promises. He says He will return for us and He will. Until then, we need to continue to serve Him. We must separate ourselves from sin and let God’s love rule in our hearts. We need to live a Christ-like life and serve Him while waiting for His return.

We must guard our faith. The world, the false teachers, and Satan all want us to turn from God. They want us out of fellowship with Him. So we need to be strong in our faith as we follow Christ. We need to continue to grow and mature as Christians and truly know Christ.

Peter talks a lot about the knowledge of Christ. This isn’t just an intellectual knowledge of Christ. Rather this is an intimate knowledge of who He is, what He’s done, and what He will do. And not just knowing it in a factual way, but believing it and living out your life accordingly.

It is challenging, no doubt about it and the temptations of this world do not make it any easier. The world seems to know when you are down and out, feeling stressed, upset, sad, angry or whatever. And he world is ready to help you out with its solutions, not God’s.

We all experience times like this. I think partly because of our unrealistic expectations that we place on ourselves and others and honestly even on God. This is when you need to be on your guard and truly come to Christ for your strength.

We need to remind ourselves that God is in control and He has a plan for your life and He has a plan for others as well. And all of those plans fit together somehow even though we don’t know it or can’t understand it.

Sometimes though there are lessons we need to learn and God allows certain “bad” things in our lives to happen so we learn those lessons and we can be strengthened through those trials for the future.

God is not slack in His promises. He will return again for us, we must live our lives accordingly.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many blessings in our lives. We thank you for being there and answering our prayers. We ask for your forgiveness when we feel that you have not answered our prayers the way we wanted.

Open our eyes so that we may see the plan and purpose You have for each and every one of us. Help us to be patient and remember that you are in control. Thank you for taking care of us and doing what is best for us.

AMEN

False Teachers

2010-09-12T07:59:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 2 Peter 2:1-10

Last week in Second Peter chapter 1 we read of Peter telling his people, his fellow Christians around the country to maintain themselves. They are to live out their faith by adding the characteristics of Christ to their life.

Some of those attributes are virtue, self control, knowledge, patience, godliness, kindness, and love. We are supposed to practice these things so we are faithful and fruitful servants of God.

At the end of chapter one Peter mentions that all Scripture comes from God. It was not invented or dreamed up by men. And that leads right into today’s discussion of false teachers in chapter two.

Peter describes false teachers in detail throughout this chapter. He realized the importance of Christians recognizing false teachers by their characteristics and their methods.

Peter knew that nothing was more wicked than for someone to claim to be speaking for God or from God, but really are servants of Satan. Satan’s goal has always been to infiltrate the true believers and to corrupt them with his wickedness.

Satan has been in the business of deception since Eve in the Garden of Eden. But Satan does not win the war. God does prevail and God’s justice is carried out. Peter gives a couple of examples from the Old Testament about this.

He mentions the angels falling from Glory. He mentions Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah. He mentions Noah and His family. God is not asleep. He sees and knows what goes on and His wrath and His justice will be poured out upon false teachers and the unbelievers someday according to His plan and purpose.

It can be difficult at times to discern a false preacher or teacher. They look like good bible believers and teachers, but they teach heresies. The basic error of most false teachers is the fact that they will not submit their lives to Jesus Christ.

Their motive is not love of God or love of others, but rather they are motivated by their greed. The love themselves and they love money. They love the power over others or the title of their position. They are controlled by the desires of their flesh.

The question becomes, “Why do people follow false teachers?”

Many of these false teachers have very charismatic personalities. They are able to charm people with their looks and with their words. Mainly, because they say the things people want to hear.

Think about it, nobody wants to hear, “You need to repent or stop doing that sin and you need to dedicate your life to the service of God.” People don’t want to hear that. Instead people want to here, “Send me $100 and your sins will be forgiven.”

I do not think most of the false teachers start out as false teachers. I think they really do start out with the intention of proclaiming the Gospel, but the power and the money gets to them. They are overwhelmed with the deception and lies of Satan.

After a while, they determine they need to do whatever it is they can do to keep people following them, so even though they know the truth they stray from it just to keep the people happy. That is how it all starts.

After a while they even begin to believe their own lies. They are able to fool others and they are even fooling themselves. But they cannot fool God. There will be a more severe punishment for those people, because they knew the truth, yet they taught these lies and deceptions.

I think the false teachers are becoming more popular today because they bring an easy believism gospel and prosperity gospel. A gospel that the people want, not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They tickle the ears of people rather than delving into the Word of God and explaining it.

While I do believe technology has helped proclaim the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, I also believe that many false teachers have benefited from it as well. You don’t like what one pastor says, log on to another website or simply change the channel.

So many Christians are looking for a show each week. They are looking to be entertained rather than being taught the Word of God and disciplined by the Word of God as needed. We too, like the people of Peter’s day, need to recognize false teachers.

We need to test the things that the pastor or teacher says against what the Word of God says. Now, none of us is perfect. Once in a while I say something that is incorrect, like saying Peter said this when it was really Paul who wrote that. But the incorrect statements that I make are not meant to be deceptive.

Whenever I do say something that is incorrect I would hope that someone would correct me, especially on doctrinal issues. Or at least give me the opportunity to further explain what I was saying and if I am wrong then you show me based upon Scripture how I am wrong.

False teachers won’t do that. They don’t what to discuss the bible. They simple want to say what they want to say and have no questions about it.

When dealing with false teachers we also need to look at their lifestyles and see how they live. Do they live by biblical standards? Do they practice what they preach? We need to evaluate things and think for ourselves rather than just trusting the so called experts.

God holds true to His Word. These false teachers will be judged according to their actions someday. We cannot fall into their trap, the deception of Satan. We must prevail with the Truth of God’s Word.

In order to do that it must be written on our hearts. We must know the Word, so we can evaluate what others say. We must live like Christ to set an example for others.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly father, we thank you for your word. We know that the things you say, you will hold true. We know that judgment is coming upon all who reject you. We ask for the wisdom and knowledge to withstand the influences of evil in this world today.

Fill our lives with your word so that we may easily recognize those false teachers and expose them as such.

AMEN

Self Discipline

2010-09-05T07:57:00.003-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 2 Peter 1:4-11

We start our look at Peter’s second inspired letter to the believers scattered around the country. If you remember we said that Peter’s first letter was to encourage his readers during times of persecution. He told them to watch out for the trials that come from outside the church.

In his second letter, Peter warns his readers from trials that occur inside the church. Whether it is from laziness on the believer’s part or actually heresy from the leaders, Peter says to watch out. To be on guard.

Peter tells the people to be disciplined. That was a problem they were apparently experiencing way back then. You know what? It is still a problem we face today as well. For the most part we have become an undisciplined society and unfortunately it has rubbed off on us Christians as well.

God has given us so many good things, so many blessings each and every day. He gives us what we need. And He has given us the greatest gift of all, eternal life through Jesus Christ. How much better can it get? But yet, with all the blessing He gives us we often times become a little lazy if you will in our lives, especially our spiritual life.

God has instilled in us certain characteristics or attribute that all Christians have, it is just a matter of how much we let those attitudes show in our lives. God gives us what we need. He gives us faith.

Peter tells us to add to our faith certain things. He is telling us to practice our faith by demonstrating these attitudes in our life and each attitude builds up to the next one.

First, Peter says to add to your faith virtue. Virtue is a tough word to place into our society today. But Peter is talking about moral excellence. This is the God given will power to live a life of excellence, thinking about others and acting upon those thoughts.

This is the stranger who runs into a burning building to save a child. It takes courage and strength to be this type of person. Like all of these attributes it takes practice.

Next, Peter says to add knowledge. Here he is referring to not book smarts about any subject. Rather he is referring to knowledge about Jesus Christ. Not just Bible knowledge, because there are many people who know the Bible well. This knowledge is that intimate knowledge of a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Peter says as Christians living an excellent life for Jesus Christ, we must have self control. We must be disciplined. A Christian must control their flesh, their worldly passions, and bodily desires. We must control our desires or else our desires will control us.

Adding to our self control is perseverance or patience. We must endure whatever it takes when we are doing what is right in God’s eyes. We cannot give in to our temptations or turn away from God during our trials.

With our perseverance comes godliness. To be godly is to live reverently, loyally, and obediently toward God. God has given us everything we need. Rather than asking Him for more, we need to ask Him to enable us to use what we have in order to serve Him.

Godly people want to be like God, even though we will never see perfection in this world. They want to live out their life like God lives. It is dependence on Him and a life that is devoted to Him.

When we are living a godly life with others then we will automatically add brotherly kindness to our life. This is the love of other believers. We are to love each other and should make sacrifices for one another.

Finally, Peter says not only do we love other believers, but we have a love for others in general. We are to love our enemies. We are to love the sinners as God loves them. God wants them to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ and that should be our mission as well.

As you read through these attributes they are all descriptive in the English language. We would probably refer to them as adjectives in many cases. That is how a lot of these words translate from the original Greek.

But when you actually study the original Greek, many of these words were not descriptive adjectives at all. Rather they were action words, verbs as we call them. And that is what Peter is getting at.

Peter tells us that when these characteristics are active in our lives, then we are useful to God. It takes practice to include these things in our lives, but it is what we are supposed to be doing as faithful believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

It takes discipline to live the Christian life today. It takes an effort. Faith is not something we say we have, it is something that we show in our life style. We practice and live out our faith. Being disciplined shows your love for God.

As believers pursue these qualities in their life they will see a difference. They will find they will have a meaningful, useful, and fruitful life. When tough times come, and they will, they will not struggle with doubt, fear, or despair. Because they know that God is there with them and that His Word can be trusted.

Think about your life this week. Think about the spiritual areas that you need to be more disciplined in. Think about some of the areas where you have been disciplined and how it has helped you, especially during those tough times.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank you for coming into our lives and enabling us to live fruitful lives for you. Help us to use the gifts that you have given us to serve you better so that we may bring sinners to you so that they may also come to know you and find forgiveness.

AMEN

Shepherds and Sheep

2010-08-29T07:16:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 5:1-11

As we finish up our look at First Peter this morning, we find Peter is addressing the Church. He addresses the issue of suffering from the perspective of an elder and that of a member of the church.

We have found so far in Peter’s letter that we are to expect suffering in our lives as we follow Christ. God uses that suffering to make us the kind of people He wants us to be. Our suffering produces service, hope, humility, and patience. It strengthens us as followers of Jesus Christ.

During these times of suffering, we as sheep, as members of the church, as members of the body of Christ need faithful leaders. Peter refers to these leaders as elders. The term elder simply refers to the spiritual maturity of the person.

Each elder of the Church must be able to teach, to explain the gospel of Jesus Christ. They must also demonstrate a faithful lifestyle, meaning practice what they preach. We need to also keep in mind though, that the flock belongs to God, not the pastor or elders of the Church. Those people are just put in place by God to lead and care for them.

Being an elder or leader in the Church means more than just teaching the word of God though. It involves providing for the needs of the people. It involves protection from harmful things and that may include discipline if needed.

This ministry is to be performed in a positive manner. You are to be a leader in the Church for the right reason and in the right spirit. You should not be a leader in the church if you are coerced or forced into the position. You must be willing to do it because you feel God calling you to lead.

When you do accept a position of leadership you must do it faithfully. You cannot be lazy in your work for God. You cannot want the position just for the title or for the money or for the power. You must have the right attitude. You must truly want to serve God joyfully.

False leaders are almost always interested in the money or the power of the position. This is nothing new to us today. You can turn the television or the radio on and hear people saying send me money and God will solve all your problems.

Peter saw the same thing almost 2000 years ago. It is nothing new. Satan is still at work in this world. Don’t fall into his trap. Don’t let the title get to you. When you are a leader of the Church you certainly do have a responsibility to lead the people of God, but remember they are God’s people and you too are still a follower of Him as well.

We as leaders, as ministers of God, will be judged for our faithfulness when Christ returns. Many people forget that. They think, I am saved so therefore since God no longer holds my sins against my I will escape judgment.

While that is true that God forgives sins, as believers going on to eternal life with Christ, we still have a job to do on this earth. God gave us that great commission to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.

Finally, Peter addresses the members of the Church. He says the younger are to submit to the elders. The members are to submit to the leaders of the Church. The members of the church are to respect the leaders and give honor to them.

Submission is a key aspect of the Christian life. We submit to authority with the government, at work, at home, and in the church. We are to humble ourselves and serve others. This is how God is honored and glorified.

It is during these times when we are submitting to others and humbling ourselves, that we will suffer. It is challenging to have this mindset today, but we must. We must trust God to truly live in peace.

God not only allows us but encourages and even commands us to cast all of our anxiety onto Him. He knows this life won’t be easy. He knows we will struggle. He knows we will suffer. But He cares for us.

He wants to take all of the bad stuff from us. He will take our discontentment. He will take our discouragement. He will take our despair. He will lift us up when we fall. He does it because He loves us.

God knows and allows Satan to continue to operate in this world today at least for now. Satan and his forces are always active and looking for opportunities to attack the believer. It might start as a minor temptation and then grow from there, but Satan will continue to attack us, Peter says, like a roaring lion.

We are told to resist Satan. How do we do that? By standing firm in our faith. This means to continue to live according to the Word of God. Satan’s goal is to separate us from fellowship with God and out of the service to God.

When we stand firm, we are not by ourselves. Not only do we have the rest of the body of Christ standing with us, but we have God Himself right there too.

And that is the point of Peter’s letter. We will struggle and suffer with all kinds of things in this world. But always remember that when we stand firm in our faith, we stand together with each other and with Christ.

Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for these encouraging words from your servant Peter. We thank you for standing with us and seeing us through our trials and temptations. Help us to be the people you want us to be.

Help our elders of this church to lead according to your Word. Guide them in their service to you and to the other members of your body.

In Jesus Precious name, AMEN.

Trusting God Through Trials

2010-08-22T07:19:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 4:12-19

Peter returns to the main theme of his letter in our Scripture reading this morning. That is the idea of trials that come about in the Christian’s life. When Peter wrote this letter, Christians were just starting to be persecuted. This horrible persecution and attack of Christians would last another 200 years or so.

Persecution against Christians has never really stopped and continues to this very day around the world. So in this letter Peter gives four attitudes that are necessary to persevere through persecution.

The first thing Peter says, is to expect it. He says, “do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you.” We must not be surprised by the suffering that will come our way because we follow Christ.

This suffering is not accidental. That is not the way God works. There is no chance or luck with Him. He controls all and He allows suffering to test, purge, and cleanse the believer.

Think about suffering in general for a moment. When something “bad” happens, most people think, “Why me!” Or they get so down and out depressed saying, “Why do these things always happen to me.”

We feel as if nobody understands, as if nobody else has ever gone through what we are going through. I don’t mean to belittle anyone’s pain here this morning. There is something unique to each of our own experiences, but whatever you are suffering through I am sure there are others out there who have gone through the same thing or at least something very similar.

Feeling alone? Feeling depressed? Have you lost a loved one? Trouble with your job, marriage, or children? Trouble with the law or the IRS?

You are not alone in this world. Even when you feel like the world is against you, God is still there waiting with open arms for you. Suffering is a normal Christian experience. God has a purpose in our suffering.

The second attitude to have regarding suffering is to rejoice in it. “Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s suffering.” Why are we to rejoice through our trials? Because the Christian who suffers FOR Christ suffers WITH Christ.

Suffering prepares us for the coming of Christ. When we are persecuted for righteousness in this life, we can rejoice knowing that our rewards await us in Heaven. There is no shortcut when living for Christ. There is no easy way.

Suffering is a part of the Christian’s life, it develops us. We should rejoice in our sufferings for righteousness sake. When you endure through suffering God “rests on you.”

This means that when a believer is suffering for Christ, God is there with them, strengthening them and enabling them to endure the suffering. The greatest proof that you are a true believer is your God given ability to endure through suffering. And that is something to rejoice over.

But sometimes we suffer because we did wrong and that is the third attitude toward suffering that we are to have. Peter tells us we are to evaluate the reason why we are suffering.

If we sin and suffer for it we cannot glorify God for our suffering. But we can glorify God through our witness during our suffering. For example, a Christian sins and kills someone. They are sent to prison and will no doubt suffer the consequences of their actions in prison.

This is not suffering for Christ. God is not gloried because they are suffering for their sin. However, if the person lives out their faith in prison and witnesses to the other inmates, then God can be glorified through that person’s life.

You see the difference and the distinction there. We should take responsibility for our actions and suffer the consequences when we do wrong. When we suffer for Christ, God will get the glory He rightly deserves and we will be rewarded eternally.

Notice some of the sins Peter lists there: murder, theft, crimes, or troublesome meddler. When you murder someone, steal something, or commit any type of crime you should be prepared to suffer the consequences of your sin. But notice that last item, the troublesome meddler, the busy body, the gossiper.

Peter makes no distinction between that and murder. Sure, you probably won’t go to prison for gossiping, but it is still sin and you should be prepared to suffer for your actions.

The final attitude of godly suffering is trusting it all to God. God is the creator of all. When we commit our lives to God, we are simply giving back to Him that which He already created and owned.

As the Creator, God knows what His creation needs, better than we do. When you entrust your life to God, He will take care of you and will supply all your needs according to His riches.

Think about your sufferings this week. Have you suffered because of your sin, probably. Have you suffered for Christ, possibly.

Although, most of us have probably never really experience violent physical persecution for Christ, but we should still expect it and rejoice in it and entrust God with our lives.

Maybe the suffering for Christ that we have experienced is simply being excluded from the crowd, maybe we were called names, or ridiculed for our beliefs. Whatever our suffering may be, we need to simple trust God and ask Him for the strength to persevere through it all.

Closing Prayer

Lord, you never said this life will be easy for us. Yes, we will all be invited to that Heavenly feast one day, but life is no picnic. We ask for your strength through the troubles and trials that come our way.

Teach us to rely on You so that we may persevere through to the end, all so that you may be honored and glorified.

AMEN

Joyful Service

2010-08-15T07:03:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 4:1-11

The end of all things is near says Peter about 2000 years ago. The idea of near means that the end is imminent. It is the next big thing or major event that God is going to do. The return of Jesus Christ could be at any moment, so we need to be ready and that is what Peter is telling his readers.

We are to maintain our eternal perspective on life. We are not to be carried away with the cares, desires, fears or emotions of the world. On the other hand, we are not to be so focused on our future heavenly life that with miss out on the opportunities to do what God wants us to do while on earth.

While here on earth we are given certain things to do, such as proclaiming the gospel, because we won’t have that opportunity when we are in Heaven. We are to pursue holiness.

Yes, we are citizens of Heaven, but our current travels are on earth. One day we will need to given an account of the things that we have done for God while on this earth.

God has given each of us certain spiritual gifts to use for His glory. As we use these gifts they will bring glory to God, but also joy to use and for those around us. 1 Corinthians 12 goes into more details about Spiritual gifts, but for today we can simply say that all Christians, all members of the body of Christ have certain God given gifts that they can use to building up the Church.

How do you know what your Spiritual gift is? Well today there are many computer programs that will ask you a bunch of questions and help you identify which gift or gifts you may have.

However, I think there is an easier way to figure it out. Simply identify what you enjoy doing the most to serve God, based upon the Spiritual gifts that are identified through the bible! That’s it. That’s your gift.

You should enjoy using your gift while glorifying God. You will look forward to the opportunity to use your gift to serve God. If you haven’t figured out your gift yet, get involved in a variety of ministries and you will eventually figure out what you like and what you don’t particular care for.

You should enjoy using your gift and it should bear fruit. We are to be fruitful. The Holy Spirit wants you to know your gift. Follow His lead.

In order to strengthen ourselves and our gifts we need to use them at every opportunity. In order to do this, we truly need to know God’s Word. We get our strength from Him to do everything that we do, so we need to align our will with His and focus our lives on Him to serve Him.

Part of serving Him means serving others. We do this out of love, not just for God, but love for others as well. Peter tells us to “keep fervent in your love for one another.” This kind of love requires a believer to put another person’s spiritual health ahead of their own desires.

This is true even if they are being treat poorly and especially during times of trouble and persecution as many of Peter’s readers were. Why do we do this? Peter continues, “because love covers a multitude of sins.”

This is one of those scripture that people get a little confused about sometimes. They think it is ok for a person to sin as long as they show love.

For example, lets say there is someone who really loves the church and serving the body of Christ. Let’s say their service is taking care of the lawn. He takes pride in the work that he does and he does it to glorify God.

Now, lets say some kids are out riding their bikes and decide to take a shortcut through the Church lawn. This man sees this and starts running after the kids yelling and screaming at them for riding on the lawn. And maybe he used a few choice words and really lost his temper because these kids were messing up his lawn.

People would say, oh that is just the way he is. He is passionate about his work and gets angry when somebody comes along and messes it up. His love covers that sin.

This is not the point of this scripture. Yes, love does cover sins, but not like this. We as believers cannot overlook sin in our lives. It must be confronted and removed. The meaning of this scripture is that if you love someone it will “cover” their sins against you.

In other words, if that guy was yelling and screaming at you for walking across his lawn, you won’t hold that against him. You will always be ready to forgive insults and unkind acts against you.

When we do show this type of love we are at peace with others. We do not seek revenge. We seek love and peace. As Peter says, we will be hospitable toward one another. We will open our homes to one another and care for the needy.

Think about your service to God this week. What motivates you to serve Him. What gives you joy while serving Him. Think about the blessings that you have received and will receive for your service to Him.

Rely on God to strengthen you and express your thanksgiving for the many things that He has done for you, is doing for you, and will do for you in the future. We need to radiate God’s love for us.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our spiritual gifts. Help us to use them for your glory. Help us to show our loves for others. Give us the strength, the wisdom, and the perseverance we need to carry out your will for our lives.

Help us to serve You joyfully today and every day, “so that in all things You may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion for ever and ever. AMEN

Loving People

2010-08-08T07:23:00.000-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 3:8-17

Peter has wrote about how Christians should act toward the government or other authorities. Peter has wrote about how Christians should act with their spouses. In both cases we are to submit to those over charge of us.

Finally, this morning we see Peter writing about our conduct with other believers. He says we are to be like-minded. We are to be sympathetic, tenderhearted and courteous toward each other. We are to be united with each other through Christ. This should not only be our attitude but our actions as well.

No doubt there are times when this is difficult for us to do. Believers are still human and at times fall prey to the ways of the world. But we are to turn the other cheek when someone is saying or doing something evil to you.

We should return good to them for their evilness. We can try to find ways to serve that person. We can pray for them, maybe for their salvation or just their spiritual growth. We can express our thankfulness to that person. Or we can simply speak well of them and honestly desire their well being.

This is how we are to live. We are indeed to enjoy our lives. God put us here for a reason and we should live life to its fullest, but we can only do that as we are living the life God wants us to live.

Peter tells us in no uncertain terms how to enjoy life here, even while living in a dark world that is out to get you. We have already seen in verse 8-9 that he says to have a humble loving attitude toward everyone. Do not seek revenge against those that hurt you.

In verse 10, he continues and says, quoting from Psalm 34:12-16, refrain from speaking evil, use pure and honest speak only. We are to hate sin and pursue peace as much as possible. We are to have a right motive to seek righteousness and please God with our lives.

That is the type of life God wants for us. When we are living like that then we will truly be able to enjoy our lives, even when our situation looks pretty bad from a world perspective.

That is what Peter delves into next. He says when people do good, the world is slow to attack those people.

Look at politicians for example. When they are routinely doing good for their constituents, bringing money and jobs into the area or whatever the people are happy. If the politician does something a little bad, the people are willing to over look it because of all the good stuff that they have done.

But it can happen and Christians should expect it and be ready for it. We as Christians should be focused on being and doing good. Then when we do speak out against sin, the world won’t attack us immediately. Peter does go on to say, that it will happen though.

He uses the example of Christ to show suffering. Suffering for doing good should bring us joy. When you suffer for doing wrong it should be expected that you will be punished and suffer. But God knows when we are being persecuted for doing good.

When the world is attacking us we should be ready to given a defense of our actions. That means we should know the Word of God. We should have it locked in our hearts. As we live in submission to God, loving and obeying Him, we will have no fear of what will happen.

You must understand what you believe. You should understand why you are a believer and be able to given an explanation to others in a dignified and respectful way.

You must also have a clear conscience. If someone is speaking evil of you and what they say is true, then you do not have a clear conscience. You need to clean up your act. You need to eliminate any ongoing sin in your life and confess them to God. Ask for the strength to remove those thoughts or actions from your life.

We must always remember who we are. We belong to Christ and we represent Christ in this world. We need to remember the life of Christ and mimic His actions.

Jesus was always there for others, even when He wanted to be alone. If someone was in need, He was there for them. Why? Because He loved them. He was compassionate toward them.

The next time you are feeling overwhelmed. Everybody wants a piece of your time and attention and you have a million other things to do. You heart is starting to race because you just can’t handle it.

Think about the life of Christ. He gave Himself to others because He loved them. We should do the same. Whether we are giving ourselves to family members, friends, or strangers, it doesn’t matter. We are to love them all and give ourselves to them.

After all Christ gave His entire self to this world. “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 18)

Closing Prayer
Lord, help us to love others as You have loved us. Even when we are exhausted and feel as though we have nothing else to give, strengthen us and fill us with your grace and mercy.

Help us to demonstrate that love of Yours in this world. Enable us to be like Christ, compassionate, caring, and merciful. Use us to be an example to the people of this world and help us to bring sinners to You.

AMEN

Holy Living

2010-08-01T07:33:00.000-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 3:1-7

Last week we started to look at some obligations that Christians have to this world. When we make Jesus the cornerstone of our life, we live for Him and we live like Him. So we get these examples from they way He lived His life.

As we have said, Christ is the perfect example of life. He did not seek revenge when He was wronged. In fact, He loved His enemies and prayed for them. We too should do the same.

Christ endured the suffering that came to Him to carry out God’s will. That too is something that each of us should be prepared to do. Christ also submitted to the authorities of this world so far as their laws didn’t violate God’s laws.

In our Scripture this morning, Peter continues the theme of holy living. Now he switches from the perspective of citizen, to that of a family nature.

First, he says, “Wives, submit to your husbands.” No doubt this is one of those Scriptures that has been abused throughout the centuries. Notice it doesn’t say, “Wives, let your husbands beat and abuse you.” It doesn’t say that nor does it mean that nor does it imply that at all.

Women are not inferior to men in any way. So how are women to be submissive to their husbands. That is an easy answer, but sometimes tough to do. You are to love them, even and especially if they are not Christians.

In fact, Peter even says, you can win your unbelieving husbands over to Christ by simply submitting yourself to him. Submission is tough for all of us, because we all want to be in charge, but part of being a Christian is submission to others.

Submitting yourself to another person means serving them. I know it sounds kind of sexist these days, but you know what. When you have a kind, loving, caring, and compassionate spouse, serving them is a wonderful thing.

If your spouse isn’t so kind, caring, or compassionate, then serving them will show them what holy living is like. A Christian brings the blessings of Christ to their entire household.

Peter then tells the women to focus on their inner beauty. Inner beauty is precious to God. It shows your heart to others. It is having a gentle, kind, meek, humble spirit. These are some of the characteristics of Christ.

It is challenging today to develop that inner beauty. The world pulls us in all kinds of directions and we rarely make time to focus on growing in our faith and changing our lifestyles to reflect our Christianity.

Think about your morning routine of getting ready for your day. It probably takes most of us about an hour to get ready to do whatever is on our agenda. We shower, shave, fix our hair, pick out our outfits and so on.

Now think about the amount of time you spend on God and focusing on your inner beauty each day.

There are many examples of this inner family throughout the Bible. We have studied Ruth who definitely showed that inner beauty. She was submissive, she was faithful, she was loyal. We’ve looked at Esther as well. She too was submissive and faithful. She stood up for what was right, not just for her or her family, but for her entire race.

These people were examples to others of a holy life. A holy pure life, doesn’t simply benefit us, but the blessing pour from us to others. The people around us get to see an example of life that isn’t focused on worldly stuff. It lets them know and see that there is something more to life.

Becoming holy is a process. It takes a lifetime to become holy and even at that we won’t know perfect holiness until we are with our Lord. We are not perfect and will never be while on this earth, but like Paul, we press on toward the mark.

God sanctifies us. He sets us apart from sin. He forgives our sin. But we have a responsibility too. We must flee from the temptations that try to trap us. Of course, we can only do this consistently by relying on the strength that God gives us.

Our actions speak louder than our words and we seem to learn this at a very young age. Children can sense when something is wrong, maybe by the tone of our voice, or the look on our face and we don’t even realize what we are doing.

Our lifestyle and our love for others can open the eyes of others to see that there is more to life than just stuff.

So Peter gives the first six verses to women, but it applies to men and all Christians as well. Finally, in verse seven Peter gives the men, the husbands some advice.

He says, “You husbands in the same way live with your wives.” In other words, husbands you too are submitting to your wives. You must love your wife. You must be sensitive to her needs, to her fears, to her feelings.

Husbands, you are to make her needs your needs. Marriage is the best earthly relationship that life has to offer. Our wives are our companions and we are to cultivate that relationship.

Not only is it what God wants, but Peter tells us this so that our prayers are not hindered. How about that? Husbands, if you are not treating your wife right, do you think God is going to listen and answer your prayers?

Submission is a requirement for all Christians. We are to submit to the authorities over us. We are to submit to each other. Next time we will see our submission requirements in the Church.

Of course, above all of this we are to submit to God. We are to make His will our will. We are to live the life that He wants us to live and He gave us that example of life through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for that perfect example of life that you have given to us to model our lives after. We want to be holy and we want to live that life, but we are weak and we fall into temptation in this dark world.

Make your presence known to us so that we may live the holy life you have for us. Help us to give up our selfish desires and focus our attention on others. Help us to live by your spirit and not by our flesh.

Use us to bring others to you.

AMEN.

Following Jesus’ Example

2010-07-25T07:17:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 2:11-25

The first portion of 1 Peter chapter 2 deals with Christ as being the Cornerstone of the Christian’s life. He is the perfect example of life. All Christians should model their life after His.

With Christ we can come into the presence of God. We are the priests. We are the Holy Nation. We are God’s chosen people. We are His children. We should read, study, and apply His Word in our life.

Peter begins our portion of Scripture today by continuing that theme of following the example of Jesus. We are to live a righteous life in this fallen, hostile world. We are foreigners here, our true home, our true citizenship is in Heaven.

This earth is just a temporary place for us to carry out God’s work until we are all called to our eternal home. While we are here, however, we do have some obligations if you will.

First, Christians have an obligation to strangers. In verse 11, Peter tells us to abstain from fleshly lusts. We are to not only abstain from them but we are to stay away from them completely.

In order to have an impact on the world we, as Christians, must show that we are indeed different. We must avoid the desires of this world, not only from an external standpoint, but internally as well.

Fleshly desires are all encompassing. These things, these desires, these lusts literally wage war against the Christian. It is a desire for health, wealth, beauty, fun, and so on. These desires, especially when taken to the extreme, will destroy the Christian’s joy, peace, and ultimately their usefulness to God.

Our behavior should not follow after the lusts of the world. Instead it should be excellent, pure, noble. The world should recognize that we are different. The world saw Christ was different, some believed and some persecuted Him. We should expect the same.

Our second obligation in this world is to the government. We are to submit ourselves to the government. We are under the civil law and authority. God has placed these governments in charge to protect the good people and punish the evildoers.

Therefore, when we live obediently and submit to the authorities we are honoring God and He is glorified through our conduct. The only time a Christian should disobey the government is when it tries to force a Christian to do what is against the law of God explicitly state in Scripture.

Christ submitted Himself to the governing authorities. He paid His taxes and obeyed and submitted to the government with regards to worldly, civil activities.

Our third obligation is to our masters. Today we would say, “Employees, be subject to your bosses.” Just because we are Christians doesn’t make us any better than anybody else. We are all still sinners in need of a Savior.

There are certain social structure in place in society, such as the employee / employer relationship. We are not to rebel against that structure no matter how unfair it may be. This is a difficult thing for most of us to deal with.

Luckily, here in the United States and especially in Pennsylvania, we are considered “at will” employees. Meaning, I can leave my job any time and my employer could fire me at any time too. It is at will employment. I willing work for my employer and they willingly employ me.

Some places around the world are not like that. Some places still have a caste system in place that says if you are born into a farming family you will be a farmer. There is no choice.

Either way, we are to submit to our masters. Again, the same holds true as with the government. If our boss asks us to do something against the word of God we should not do it. Furthermore, if our boss asks us to do something that is against the law of the land we are not to do it either.

Whenever we submit ourselves, we do it voluntarily. We do this for our testimony for Christ. Especially when we are treated unfairly. We are to take our treatment knowing that God sees and knows all and we are under His care.

That is certainly what Christ did. As a human person, He didn’t want to be persecuted and be nailed to the cross. His prayer in the garden shows that. He prays, if there is another way, lets do that instead, but not what I want, but your will be done.

Christ was and is the perfect example of patient endurance in unjust suffering because He was sinless. Christ suffered not simply as the Christian’s pattern, but far more importantly as the Christian’s substitute. To bear the sins of His people.

Christ bore the punishment and the penalty for believers and satisfied our Holy God. This is the heart of the Gospel. Christ died for you.

We are to honor all people. We are to have a respect for human life and treat people accordingly. We are to love other believers. We are to fear God. We are to receive Christ into our lives as the perfect example to follow.

Think about how you act in this world. Do you act in a Godly manner? Or do you seek revenge when others try to hurt you or your family.

Make no mistake about it, if you are living a Christ like life, you will be mistreated. Just remember that God sees and knows all. Pray for the strength to resist the temptation to seek your own revenge.

Pray for the person offending you. Pray that God will open their eyes and their hearts to see the error of their ways and to receive Christ into their life. We are to love our enemies.

Are you following Jesus’ example?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us your Word and not just Your Word on paper, but Your Word in the flesh. Help us to truly live as you would have us to live. Strengthen us to be submissive to those in charge, ruling over us.

Help us to extend that great mercy and love that you gave us to others. Help us to resist the temptation to seek revenge on our own. Guide us in our journey as we strive to follow Christ closer and closer each day.

AMEN.

Jesus Christ the Cornerstone

2010-07-18T07:53:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 2:1-10

Our Scripture this morning really focuses on Christ and the role He plays in our life. Last time we saw that we are a new creation in Christ. The Christians new life cannot grow unless we get rid of the sin in our life.

So we need to get rid of all malice, that is evil stuff that comes from inside our hearts. We get rid of hypocrisy. We get rid of envy. We get rid of slander. So we get rid of all that stuff.

But we don’t just leave that area of our heart empty. No. We fill it with the Word of God. To grow in our faith we must have a desire for God’s Word like a baby desires milk.

We read the bible. We study His Word. We apply what we learn from Him to our life everyday. And we grow, from babes to mature men and women.

We eliminate sin, desire God’s Word and grow in our faith. We need to remember the life God has given to us, not just our earthly physical life, but out eternal spiritual life as well. We ask God to help us remove that sin in our life and give us the strength to resist the temptations of this world.

When we are saved we get a taste of God’s grace in realizing what Christ did for us on the cross. And we can come to Him as a living stone. When we come to Him, we come with the intention or desire of staying with Him.

We don’t come to Him just to help us through a certain situation and then once everything works out we go back to our old lifestyles. That is not the case at all. We come to Christ and desire to follow Him for the rest of our lives. We remain in His presence.

As we know Christ is to be the Cornerstone of our lives. When building a house you spend a lot of time on the foundation so the rest of your house will stand. Our Spiritual houses our built on Christ.

We are called living stones. We are so closely united with Christ that the characteristics of His life should be evident in our lives. We build our life on Him. Christians are little Christ’s. When people look at us and our lives they should see Christ.

Christ is the perfect model or example of a life to follow. He is perfect. He lived like us, yet without sin. Even though we will never reach perfection in our earthly life, we are to still strive toward that goal.

Then why does Scripture tell us that Christ can be a stumbling block and a rock of offense? How can this be? How can Christ cause someone to stumble?

Christ is the way to our salvation and eternal life. But when someone rejects Christ, then they are rejecting the Gospel and Christ will be a stumbling block to them. They will either trip over the rock or the rock will crush them. Either way they will be judged for their rejection of Christ.

Peter tells us that, as believers, God has given us a special role to play. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are God’s own people so that we may tell others about His grace, His mercy, and His love.

We know that God chose the nation of Israel to be His chosen people during the Old Testament times. But they rejected Him so God chose us, followers of Jesus Christ to be His chosen people. We are to carry out His work in this world now.

We are a royal priesthood. Again Peter draws from the Old Testament priests. Only the priests were allowed into the Holy of Holies, which represented the presence of God. When Israel rejected their Messiah, they temporarily forfeited this privilege. I do believe they will get this privilege back again during the tribulation, however.

Today, the Church, the body of Christ is a royal priesthood. We all have access to the presence of God. We serve God and one day will rule with Christ.

God calls us His own. We are children of God. He hears our prayers. He cares for us. He watches over us. He calls us His own. We belong to Him and He wants us! We are the people of God.

God usually spreads His grace and mercy on everybody. The sun shines and the rain falls on believers and non-believers alike in this world. But we as believers have experienced His unique and saving mercy and grace at our salvation.

What a wonderful thought that is. And I think sometimes we forget about it or maybe even take it for granted. Maybe because many of us received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior so long ago.

Maybe we have lost some of that enthusiasm and commitment you had when you first became a follower of Christ. And I think part of that has to do with our society today. Everything seems so complicated. We are in such a rush.

There are so many demands placed upon us. We run out of time. We get tired. And usually it is God’s work that gets shoved aside. We need to rekindle that love, that enthusiasm, that commitment for Christ.

We need to spend time in God’s Word. We need to spend time in prayer. We need to eliminate or at least minimize the worldly distractions. We need to constantly evaluate our life from God’s perspective.

Ask yourself, Is what I am doing glorifying God? Is there something else that I can do that would glorify God more?

Look at your priorities and make sure your life is built on that Cornerstone.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for sending us Jesus Christ and making Him the Cornerstone of our lives. Help us to grow and pattern our life after His. We thank you for making us your special people.

Help us to carry out Your will here on earth. Strengthen us and guide us as we journey in our faith.

AMEN.

New Life in Christ

2010-07-11T07:16:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of 1 Peter 1:13-21

Last time in our study we saw that God wants us to be saved. He doesn’t force us into salvation, but He provides it for us to receive or reject. When we receive that salvation, we no longer need to fear death because of the hope that we have for eternal life through Christ.

We can rejoice in the knowledge of our salvation. Trials and troubles will come to us to prove our faith – to make us pure. It may not always be an easy journey, but we know we will have a safe arrival. God is with us and will strengthen us through those tough times.

In our Scripture this morning, Peter continues the theme we saw last week, only now he writes about the believer’s new life in Christ. Think about your own life. Many of us probably grew up in Christian homes and have always attended church. But there are probably differences in the way you act today because of your growing and maturing relationship with Christ.

When you received Christ into your life you were a new creation. You were born again. You have a new life in Christ. We are to prepare ourselves for God. We should reject the evils of the world and focus on what God wants us to do.

We are to be sober minded. We are to study the Word of God diligently and apply it in our lives. We are to live by His Word. We are to live in joy by following His Word. We are to live a Holy life because He is holy.

To be Holy or to live a Holy life is to be as much like God as we can be. Even though while we are on this earth we will never reach perfection, it is still our goal. This involves treating God with respect and reverence.

Holiness is God’s number one attribute. In the Hebrew language a word was often repeated to emphasize its meaning. We sometimes do similar things in the English language.

For example, when a child is about to do something dangerous, we might shout “No, No, No.” In Isaiah’s vision (Isaiah 6:3), he hears the angels praising God by saying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”

God is Holy, we should be Holy. We should be motivated to live righteously as God is righteous. Living a righteous life in a fallen world is very challenging, but we must be strong in our faith.

Peter tells his readers that God judges each according to His deeds. Everyone will experience eternal life or eternal death. God will judge all according to their deeds, but for believers not just their deeds, but their heart attitude as well.

Why did they do these deeds? Were they done to look good to others or were they done to glorify God? What was the person’s heart like? God knows our hearts. He knows what our motives are. He knows us better than we know ourselves. That is why He sends trials and troubles into our lives, to prove to us what our motives are.

Through our troubles we must remember and understand the price that Jesus paid for our salvation. We are redeemed by Him. We cannot save ourselves. He paid the ultimate price for our sins. Because of His sacrifice, we are no longer under the curse of the law.

John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

The only way we can have a right relationship with this world and the people in it is if we have a right relationship with God. God loved the world and gave his Son to it for salvation. We are also to love the world, not in a material or worldly way, but in a Godly way.

We should love the world so that we too want to do whatever we can do to save it. The way we do that is going into the world and making disciples of Jesus Christ. We get our strength and our ability to do this from God.

We get this through a right relationship with God, when we are reborn through Christ. Trying to explain what it is like to be born again is a challenging thing to do. It is something you need to experience to fully understand.

It is a complete change in your life. You have a change of mind, of your heart, of your entire lifestyle. The old worldly things no longer matter like they did before. You no longer want to do the “bad” stuff you used to do.

In John chapter 3, Jesus explains the rebirth to Nicodemus. Being born again means having the Spirit of God working in your life. I don’t know how it all starts or when, but I just know it does.

Even after our rebirth, after coming to Christ for eternal life, we still live in this fallen world. We still have those fleshly desires and temptations to contend with. Those old habits are hard to break.

But the key is knowing and remembering that we are a child of God and that He is there ready to help us through our temptations and troubles. We need to rely on Him for the strength to get through whatever we are dealing with.

We must always remember to thank Him for the opportunities that He gives us and for the blessings that He provides for us. When we do indeed fail, we must return to Him and ask for forgiveness and the strength to resist that temptation in the future.

As a believer you have a new life in Christ. When we received Christ into our life, the Holy Spirit took up residence within us. That means we are attached to God for eternity. We will live with God and God lives with us for the rest of our lives. We share the life of God.

We will want to do what He wants and we must be Holy because God is Holy.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you being a part of our lives and for the gift of eternal life through Christ. Help us to recognize your hand in our lives each and every day. Help us to be righteous as you are righteous. Help us to be Holy as you are Holy.

Transform us each day to grow in your likeness.

AMEN.

Hope

2010-07-04T07:27:00.001-04:00

Click here to listen to the audio message of 1 Peter 1:1-12

This morning we start our look at the book of 1st Peter. We know that this letter was wrote by Peter to those Christians who were being persecuted around the area. The Christians were being persecuted because the Roman Emperor, Nero, decided to burn down the city of Rome to build new buildings.

Of course, during the burning of Rome many Roman citizens lost their homes, businesses, and even their lives. The people obviously became furious at Nero. Of course Nero looked for a way out and found it with Christians.

The Roman people already had some hated of Christians because they were associated with the Jews and seen as hostile toward the Roman government. So Nero decided to blame the Christians for the burning.

Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes this letter to those Christians being persecuted to strengthen them through their trials. The purpose of the letter is to teach these Christians how to live victoriously through the trouble they were experiencing, without losing hope or becoming bitter and continuing to trust the Lord and wait for His return.

Peter as we know was a fisherman and considered by many to be the leader of the disciples. I believe Peter had a strong desire to follow Christ and that is what made him appear as a leader. He certainly played an important role in the early Church. We also know that Peter’s brother Andrew is the person who brought Peter to Christ.

According to tradition Peter watched his wife be executed and then he himself was executed upside down on a cross.

After the introduction, Peter starts his letter by blessing God for His mercy, giving us hope for eternal life through Jesus Christ. Peter tells his readers to look past the temporary struggles and troubles they are experiencing.

He reminds them of their heavenly inheritance: eternal life, joy, peace, perfection, and being in the presence of God, along with whatever else God has planned for us in Heaven. This is an imperishable inheritance. It will not rot, decay, disappear, be destroyed or fade away.

God wants us to be saved. Paul gives us a clear picture of this in First Timothy chapter 2 verses three and four. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

God wants us to be holy, pure, and righteous. He knows we are not perfect, but God will continue to work in our lives when we ask Him to. God’s plan is for good in our lives and we need to trust in Him and His plan for us and others.

We are to rejoice in our salvation and consider it the ultimate blessing from God. This is not a type of emotion that changes with how you’re feeling at any particular moment. Rather this is an intense joy that comes from a daily, growing, eternal relationship with God.

This is the ultimate blessing or prize if you will. We as Christians don’t need to strive for earthly accomplishments or rewards. We have an eternal reward waiting for us in Heaven.

Peter tells us in verse 7, the trials we may experience in our life are for us. They let us know if our faith is pure. The trials aren’t for God. He already knows our hearts. The trials are for us to prove that our faith is pure.

When a Christian comes through the trial still trusting in the Lord, then they know their faith is real. It is pure. It has been tested by fire if you will. It is like the saying, you have talked the talk, now will you walk the walk. It is living out your faith and obedience to God.

Having hope in Jesus Christ is what gets us through those trials. The hope of the Bible is not the hope of the world. Many of us might say something like, I hope I get a nice Rolex watch when I retiree after 50 years of service to my employer.

That is a worldly hope. We think or wish for something. You know, I hope I get a new bike for my birthday. This is not the hope of the Bible. The hope of the Bible is the knowledge of the sacrifice of Christ. This is knowing that you have eternal life, not simply wishing for it.

I know of an older man that was hooked up to all kinds of machines to keep him alive. He didn’t want to die. I suspect it was because he was afraid of death. We as Christians do not need to fear death. It is not the end for us. We have the hope, the knowledge of eternal life with Christ.

If Christ had not conquered death for us, then sure we would have every reason to fear death In fact, if we had to work for our salvation, I am not sure I could do it. When I think about the people that believe they can work their way into Heaven, I think of a Muslim professor I had in college.

He followed all these rules, daily prayer, fasting, trip to Mecca, and so on, just for a chance to get into what they call heaven. He could live his entire life according to these rules and still not get into his heaven.

We don’t need to worry about that. We do not work for our salvation. The price has been paid. We have the assurance of our salvation. The hope that we have in our salvation allows us to live without fear of death. We can live each day for God.

Think about some of the trials you have experienced and think about how you reacted to those times of trouble. Then look back and see how God was there helping you through it all. Think of all the blessings that God has given to you.

The next time a trial or troublesome situation arrives in your life remember that God is giving you an opportunity to live out your faith. Trust in Him and He will not let you down.

You may not understand why all of these bad things are happening to you, but just trust that God knows what He is doing.

Trials and persecutions are a part of life, but God will take care of you.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for giving us those times of trouble in our life so that we may prove our faith. We thank you for seeing us through those difficult times as well.

We thank you for that great joy and hope of salvation that you have freely provided to us. Help us to make your will our will each day as you strengthen us to do what you want us to do.

AMEN.

Discerning the Spirits

2010-06-27T07:36:00.000-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – 1 John 4:1-6

We finish up our look at Angels this morning. I hope you have enjoyed this little series for the past couple of months and hopefully you have gotten something out of it. To conclude with today, however, I think we need to look at trying to make sense of it all.

No doubt you have all heard of miraculous stories of healing, of being saved from danger, and so on. Maybe you have even heard about people talking about their experiences with angels or demons or some other type of supernatural situation.

Think about your reaction to their story though. How do you handle what they say? On one hand we have to be open-minded to the possibility of angelic intervention in our lives, but on the other hand we also need to make sure that it is in accord with the Word of God.

For example, I once read of a story about a young girl who was very ill. The doctors didn’t know what was wrong with her nor did they know how to treat her. One day this girl’s mother was praying for God’s help when she heard a scratching sound at her door.

When she opened the door there was a kitten. This kitten had some white fur around its ears. The kitten ran up to the bedroom and jumped on the girl’s bed. Of course, like most little kids, the girl was thrilled to have a little kitty to play with.

A few days later the girl’s symptoms disappeared and the girl was better. The next day the kitten left and never returned. The mother was convinced that the kitten was an angel from God.

Was this an angelic appearance and how would you react if your friend or family member was telling you this story. That’s tough because we need to respond out of love, but also remain biblical in our answer.

I am not sure what I would say. I realize God can do and use anything to help us. On the other hand, I have found no evidence in the bible of angelic possession of people nor animals. We find only demon possession of animals and people for that matter.

Evaluating the experiences of other people is extremely difficult because we often feel so judgmental. But as our Scripture teaches us this morning we need to evaluate biblical things. To simply accept spiritual concepts or stuff without comparing it to scripture is very dangerous to our spiritual health.

John starts out, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Apparently, the people that John is writing to were accepting whatever anybody taught them about God.

So John tells them to “test the spirits.” We are to compare anything we hear with Scripture, much like the Bereans did. John associates the word spirits with false prophets to make it clear that these people speaking these lies and heresies are under the control of Satan.

The major test is the person’s view of Jesus Christ. Who does this person say or think that Jesus is? Is He the Son of God? Was He born to the virgin Mary? Was He crucified dead and buried? Was He raised to life on the third day, and so on.

So one of the questions you could ask someone is simply, “What is your view of Jesus Christ.” If that person’s answer agrees with Scripture then they are from God. If the person denies any part of the biblical account of Christ then you should not accept his teachings.

The next time you are listening to a preacher on TV listen to how many times he uses the term God and compare that with the number of times that they use Jesus’ name. You will probably be surprised.

God is mentioned quite a bit, but Jesus’ name doesn’t come up very often. In fact, if you were to ask many of these TV preachers what their view of Jesus Christ is you would probably get a very vague answer.

Anytime I am asked to pray publicly and I know it is going to be a mixed crowd I try not to end the prayer with a simple AMEN. I try to end it using Jesus’ name so the people listening know that I am a follower of Christ, not just a person who talks about God. That is very important to me.

We as believers need to be aware of false teachers out there, in fact, the next series we will be launching into is 1st and 2nd Peter which deals with false teachers as well as some other issues. We need to be aware of false teachers, but not afraid of false teachers.

See we have the Holy Spirit living in each of us. He guides us and leads us into sound doctrine. As we listen to these teachers we need to compare not only what they think about Jesus, but also compare what they say with Scripture.

The Old Testament and the New Testament are the standards by which all teaching is to be tested. For example, if someone starts preaching that we should stop eating animals because they are part of God’s creation and we should love His creation. What are you going to say or think?

I know this is a ridicules example, but are you going to repent of you sin of eating meat and become a vegetarian? Or are you simply going to ignore that person and think they belong in the loony bin?

Most likely you will ignore them. In reality though you should evaluate their claim with Scripture before committing them to the loony bin. In this example, there is enough evidence in Scripture to support the eating of animals, but there is also evidence in Scripture that says people don’t have to eat animals if they don’t want too. Being a meat eater or a vegetarian doesn’t affect your ability to get into Heaven. It is not a salvation issue.

The idea is to think about what that person is saying rather than blindly accepting their teaching as gospel. Ask yourself some questions and search the Scriptures for answers. Does the person’s lifestyle conform to biblical standards? Obviously no one is perfect, but do they have a Christ like attitude.

Does the person demonstrate a genuine love for fellow believers? Are they faithfully serving God? Do they proclaim the Gospel to others? Do they try to bring sinners to Christ? And so on.

We are to test what other people say, not based upon our own judgments or ideas, but based upon the Word of God. We are to hold fast to the truth. We are to confront false teaching and the false teachers. Especially today, we are indeed in a spiritual battle for the truth.

We must recognize however, that just because someone’s beliefs are different than ours doesn’t make them wrong. They are only wrong when it is different that what the bible states. If the bible does not speak to the issue then we are to give them the freedom to hold to their beliefs.

We don’t have to be persuaded into their beliefs. Rather we are to continue to love them and maintain that relationship with them. For those people that have the wrong beliefs, meaning they don’t believe or understand Scripture, we are to minister and witness to them. That is our mission. That is our battle.

Again the main idea is to evaluate the things you see and hear with what Scripture tells you. If Scripture is silent on the issue, then ask for God’s guidance in the situation.

Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time in your word. We thank you for this interesting study of your angelic beings. We ask that you would give us the discernment to be able to separate truth from error.

Help us to be your faithful servants, so that your name will be exalted above all. Through your Son Jesus Christ we pray and give thanks

AMEN.

The Battle Against Us

2010-06-13T07:27:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – Ephesians 6:10-20

Our Scripture this morning is no doubt a familiar one to most of you. It describes the whole armor of God. In the first five chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he is describing a true believer. What they are like and how they live a spirit filled life.

Now, he closes his letter by giving a warning to his readers about the spiritual warfare that is occurring and will continue to occur throughout their lives. Which, by the way, still continues with us today. Thankfully, Paul not only describes the warfare, but gives instructions on how to win the war.

God provides us with the things that we need, Paul refers to it as armor. As we know, ultimately Satan’s power over Christians is already broken. The war is won through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He conquered the power of sin and death.

However, as we live in this fallen world we will continue to faces the battles of evil, of sin, of temptation on a daily basis. This is what Paul is preparing us for. We need the Lord’s power. We need the strength of His spirit. We need His Word to strengthen us for victory.

So often today, we find ourselves getting upset, irritated, or maybe disappointed with other people. We must remember that Jesus told us to love our neighbor. So Paul tells us that our war is not against flesh and blood. Our war is not against other people, even though that is who it seems like we are battling against.

Our war is actually against the rulers, the powers, the world forces of darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness. These four classifications are different rankings of evil spirits in this world.

The rulers or the principalities are the demons who have oversight of the nations. The powers are the demons that want to possess people and make them do their bidding, we talked about them last week. The forces of darkness are the demons that are in charge of overseeing Satan’s plan. The spiritual forces of wickedness are the demons that are in charge of the religious institutions.

The reason Paul lists these four categories of evil is to let us know that Satan has a plan and he has his demons well organized to carry out that plan as effectively and efficiently as possible. This battle does not just last a day, but it lasts a lifetime for the believer. We are to stand firm, to stand our ground.

We are to put on the full armor of God. We need to use all of the things that God has provided for us to be victorious in our battle. If we were to leave something behind, then that would leave us open for attack. The idea is to wear the full armor of God each and everyday of our lives.

Usually, Satan’s assault on us in not direct or obvious. Remember, Satan is a pretty crafty and clever character. Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world. He opposes God’s work and he hinders our work for the gospel.

Often times Satan gets to us through our work. When we become disappointed or discouraged and want to give up or maybe we do give up on things, that is Satan’s hand. Or when there are some issues in the church that creates conflict and division, there is Satan at work again enjoying our separation from each other and from God.

Make no mistake about it though, it is indeed a struggle for all believers. You cannot excuse yourself from the battle or think that you are not part of it. In fact, if you don’t feel yourself being attacked then you better check to see which side you are on.

There are certain things we need in our battle that Paul mentions as he closes out his letter to the Ephesian believers.

First, the belt. We all know what a physical belt does, it holds are pants up so we can keep our shirts tucked in, right? The belt of truth is simply knowing and keeping the truth of God’s word with us. We are to live believing the Word of God.

The breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate protects the vital organs, the heart, the lungs, etc. As believers live in obedience to the Word of God and are in communion with Jesus Christ, then the righteousness inside of us grows. This isn’t a self-righteousness, but a God given holy righteousness.

Shoes. Shoes give us a consistent foundation to stand on and provide us with traction. Our spiritual shoes or foundation again is the gospel. We are at peace with Christ and know that He is on our side. We can stand firm knowing that God is there with us.

The shield of faith. A shield protected the entire body from the enemy. Our trust in God’s Word and His promises is our shield. It protects us from all temptations and sin. When we reject God’s blessings and when we are disobedient to Him, then we allow room for Satan’s lies and deceptions into our life.

The helmet of salvation. Of course, we know a helmet protects the head. Professional athletics wear them, soldiers wear them, even little kids wear them while riding their bikes. The idea here again is to protect your head, to protect your thoughts spiritually. Don’t let Satan get in to your head. Don’t let him try to convince you that God does not, can not, and will not love and save you.

That is not true. That is the type of mind games that Satan plays with us. We must not get discouraged. God is here with us and He is in control. He will not abandon us and He will save all those who come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So far all of these items listed are defensive weapons. Now Paul gives us an offensive weapon to use. That of course is the Word of God, the sword of the spirit. Christ is the Word of God. That is what we all need. We need the word of God flowing from us each and everyday. That is how we “attack” people. That is our offensive weapon.

The other offensive weapon we have is prayer. And we have talked about this a few weeks ago.

This is still our battle today and we have the same armor and weaponry that the Ephesians had. When you head home this afternoon, think about your battles. Think about your armor and your weaponry.

Are there pieces that you are missing or things that you need to work on or practice.

The Christian life is indeed a battle, but we must not get discouraged. We must not become fearful or always defensive. We are also told that the believer’s life is a walk, a race, a challenge, and an adventure.

But we must not forget it is a battle and we need to be prepared for whatever comes our way. We must stand firm on the truth of God’s word and pray for the boldness and the faithfulness to continue to live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for providing us what we need for this battle. Help us to put on your full armor. Give us the strength to honor you during our battle with the evil of this world. Help us to remember that you have already won the war.

When we fail and lose a battle, pick us up and put us back on the path to righteousness. Through you Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you now and forever, we pray and give thanks.

AMEN.

Dealing with Demons

2010-06-06T07:33:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – Mark 5:6-13

For the past few weeks we have been looking at one of God’s most unique creatures. That is angels. We have seen that they worship God like we do. They can appear to us like normal people even though they are not people and people are not angels.

They also have special supernatural abilities like power, strength, and speed. We also compared the angels to Jesus and have proved that Jesus is not an angel, but better than the angels. He is the Son of God, the Sovereign Lord of all.

This morning though, we are going to look at yet another aspect of the angelic realm. See not all angels help us out. Not all are on God’s side. When Satan fell from heaven, he took some angels with him. And those angels, what we call demons are now working for Satan. Their goal is to try and stop us from being close to God.

No doubt many of you have heard the excuse, the devil made me do it. People use this excuse to justify why they did bad things. Many psychologists and other people have completely dismissed the idea of demons and demon possession and other supernatural things.

However, it is real. Demons are real. Have I ever seen it? No, not that I am aware of. So, how do I know its real? Because it is in the bible. That is where our scripture picks up this morning.

Jesus arrives at the country of the Gadarenes. As soon as He got out of the boat there was a man that approached Him. This is the first thing that we need to make a note of in our passage. This was a person, just like any of us.

This guy is in bad shape. He lived in the tombs where there would be dead people. It was not only a ceremonially unclean place, but it would have been a physically unclean probably smelly place.

This man was possessed with unclean spirits. Demons we would call them. We are told that this man possesses superhuman strength. The people could not bind him. He would break the chains. He was a wild man and he lived a miserable life. He suffered physically because of these demons. He suffered emotionally and mentally because of these demons.

But when this man saw Jesus. He ran up to him and bowed down and worshipped him. Here is this man, tormented by demons, yet while in the presence of Jesus has the strength to run up to Him and worship Him. That right there shows you the power of God over Satan.

Right after this, the demons regain control of the man and finish the conversation with Jesus. Today, a professional would probably say this man was a schizophrenic or something. He would seem to have split personalities. That is what the demons would do to him.

The many demons inside this man knew who Jesus was and they knew of His power over them. So they request that they not be sent out of this land, rather they request to be sent into a herd of pigs nearby.

Jesus grants their request. Why? I don’t know. Maybe just to give the man and the other people around the area a graphic depiction of His power over Satan. The demons leave the man and enter the pigs. The pigs then all run off the cliff and drown in the water below.

The herdsmen are mad and afraid so they run off and tell the townspeople. The townspeople come out and tell Jesus to leave, they don’t want Him around. Before He leaves though He tells the man who was demon possessed and is now demon free to go home to his people and tell them how God had mercy upon him.

What an interesting situation we have here. Imagine if you were one of those townspeople and had to live near this demon possessed man. It probably wouldn’t be a real safe thing. You wouldn’t want your kids out playing too far from home. Anytime someone died and needed buried in the tombs you could be risking your life going near this man.

Yet, when Jesus comes and removes the demons from this man. The townspeople become afraid and ask Him to leave the area. They don’t care who He is. They know how bad and powerful those demons were, so if this guy Jesus is stronger than those demons, then they don’t want Him around either.

Not only that, but He destroyed their livelihood when all the pigs ran off the cliff into the sea. What would you do? What do you do when you see the power of God triumph over the power of evil?

Scripture doesn’t tell us how this man became possessed by demons. Some people today worship Satan and try to become possessed with evil spirits. They think it will give them power and freedom to do what they want.

But notice in our text that these demons knew who Jesus was. Demons believe in God, but they do not have the saving faith in Him. They knew He had power over them. They knew they were going to be judged for the things they did to this man, so they pleaded with Jesus. They begged Jesus for mercy and Jesus showed them mercy.

In our society today, we probably would not expect to see people possessed by demons acting like this. We are too “advanced” so to speak to believe in or see that type of thing. We would give this type of demon possession a medical term or something.

But we still do have people that are controlled by demons today. Satan is definitely using the people here in America carry out his plan. It is much more subtle and sophisticated today than it was in our Scripture reading this morning. Satan uses the highly educated people to propagate his lies.

You know why we don’t have prayer in school today? Not because somebody complained and they passed a law and the courts have upheld that law, but because Satan used those people to further his plan.

So we see this morning, that bad angels, called demons, exist as well. For some reason these demons have the power to possess people. I have found no evidence in Scripture of good angels possessing people. Only the Holy Spirit will indwell a believer.

There are a lot of demons out there and they are under the control of Satan. They are working for Satan to accomplish his goal. Thankful, as our Scripture demonstrates this morning, Jesus has power over Satan and his demons.

That is a great lesson for us to remember. We do not need to be afraid of Satan or his demons. Sure, we may allow evil to encroach on our life sometimes when we give into certain temptations, but we know we have the power of God on our side.

When we feel evil encroaching in our life or we see someone else being controlled by evil, remember to ask God for deliverance. Talk to that person and explain to them the power, the love, and the mercy of God.

Closing Prayer
Thank you Lord for defeating Satan for us. Thank you for your protection over the forces of evil in this world. Deliver us from the evil one and enable us to carry out your will.

AMEN.

The Christian Code of Conduct

2010-05-30T07:52:00.001-04:00

Click here to listen to the audio message of – John 15:12-17

This of course is the Memorial Day weekend. In many areas there will be parades and celebrations tomorrow to memorialized soldiers who gave their life for our country. The day has also been termed the official kick-off of summer. And of course once Memorial Day is here the kids know they only have a few more days of school.

Many men and women and even children have sacrificed their lives to fight for or preserve our freedoms here in the United States and other places around the world. People serving in the Armed Forces follow a particular code of conduct.

The first article of the code states: I am an American, fighting in the armed forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

Article II: I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

Article III: If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

Article IV: If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

Article V: When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

Article VI: I will never forget that I am an American, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

We too as Christians follow a code similar to that. We are Christians fighting the good fight. Fighting the war on truth. We should be prepared to give our lives for the fight.

We will surrender our will to that of God’s will. If we are captured by the lures of the world we will rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver us. If we become a prisoner because of our beliefs we will keep the faith.

When questioned, we will respond with the Gospel message, the Good News of Jesus Christ. We will never forget who we are. We will trust in God. We will love and serve God throughout our lives.

We see in our scripture this morning. Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

The commandment to love each other is not new. From the Old Testament, we are commanded to love God and love our neighbors and I have said before that your neighbor is anyone that you come into contact with.

The difference with the type of love that Jesus is talking about is the fact that it is a sacrificial love that is modeled after His own love. And it is produced through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in each of us.

Love is key to a Christian. I am not talking about an emotional or sentimental love. I am talking about the self-sacrificing love. The type of love that Jesus has for us, the love that took Him to the cross. That is the type of love that each of us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ should display throughout our lives.

If we don’t display that type of love in our life, then do we really love God? As I said, Jesus was filled with this type of love and is the perfect example of all things for us.

The two main characteristics of this type of love is obedience to God and laying down our lives. If we really are setting our minds and our hearts to follow Christ then we must show those two characteristics in our life.

First, we must obey God. We must do what He tells us. Now this doesn’t mean we will always perfectly obey Him. We are sinful people living in a dark world and we will fail at times. But the pattern of our life will be in obedience to Him.

One of His commands, of course, is to love each other. It is indeed a sad thing to see believers attacking each other, tearing each other down, talking about each other, arguing over trivial things.

One of the unique characteristics of the United Methodist Church is its focus on worshipping with other Christians. As I have said before, we have an open communion table. Anyone who is a believer is welcome in any United Methodist Church to come and worship, fellowship, and partake in the body and blood of Christ. Many other churches are not like this.

Secondly, we are to lay our lives down for others. Most of us would probably say that we would and quite honestly if the situation arose the Holy Spirit would give us the strength to lay our lives down for others.

For the most part we are pretty safe here in the United States, especially from religious persecution and especially out here in the country where we live. Most people just leave us alone because they think we are crazy for living in the middle of nowhere.

So for us, Jesus is not really calling us to die as He died, although we should be prepared to die if needed. Jesus is really calling us to live as He lived. We should lay down our lives for others. When we see people in need, we are to help, even if and especially if it is a sacrifice for us.

These types of things could be helping people financially, food, clothing, shelter, or simply visiting them. Doing these type of things is much more difficult that dieing for someone. This type of love comes at a price. But they also have their own rewards.

In particular, Jesus promises three things for those who obey His commandment to love.

First, He promises us that we will be filled with joy. In John 15, Christ is almost at the cross, yet He is filled with joy. He has a deep sense of satisfaction and peace. He knows He is obeying the Father’s will and will soon be seated at His right hand side. The reward is worth the cost.

Second, Jesus now says that He is our friend, not just our Master. He has experienced life as we experience it, only He didn’t fall short of perfection. He knows and shares in our feelings. That is true friendship. When we obey His commands, we too enter His circle of friends. We have fellowship with Him that is deep, rich, and meaningful. The reward is worth the cost.

Finally, Jesus answers our prayers. Our prayers activate the power of God. That is amazing! We have influence with the Creator of the universe! That reward is certainly worth the cost.

We must remember, however, that none of this is us. It is all God’s graciousness too us. He calls us. He sustains us. He empowers us to bear fruit. All of our goodness is simply a testimony to God’s grace and love for us.

Now you be a testimony for the world, by loving each other sacrificially as Jesus loves you.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for the many men and women who have served our country and gave their lives for our freedoms. Help us to be as committed to living out your word as they were committed to this country.

We continue to ask your blessings upon this nation and help us to truly be one nation under your care and guidance until you return again for us.

AMEN.

Jesus and the Angels

2010-05-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – Hebrews 1:1-4

We continue our look at angels this morning. This time however, we look at Jesus and the Angels. We have probably all had a certain group of people knock on our door at some point in time and want to tell us about God.

When you ask these people about Jesus and who He is, you will get an answer that is completely different from Scripture. But that is a good question that all Christians should be able to answer. How would you explain who Jesus is to someone who doesn’t know much about Him.

Some people believe that Jesus was just another man. He was a great teacher. He was a great prophet and wonderful person. Some maybe even believe He is an angel of some type.

We know that angels are created beings by God to carry out His will. The Jewish people held angels in high regard. They believed they were the highest beings next to God. And as we saw with the Seraphim a few weeks ago, that is true in sense of proximity to God.

But as with most things in life, there were Jews that took this idea or concept to the extreme. Some of these people believed that Angels, in particular Michael the archangel, was more powerful than the Messiah.

The book of Hebrews was wrote about 30 to 40 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. We do not know the human author, but we know that all Scripture is given by God so the human actually writing the words is immaterial to us and our discussion.

So, 30 to 40 years have gone by since the events of Jesus’ ministry and some of the Jews are still confused. They were still struggling with the concept of who Jesus really was. They were struggling with the difference between Jesus and the angels of God.

The Jews were familiar with the angels. They knew about their importance. They knew their power and closeness to God. They knew and saw the power of Jesus too and they just weren’t sure at times who He really is. Some people still struggle with this today.

The author of the book of Hebrews sets out to make it clear who Jesus really is. The simple conclusion is the fact that the Son of God is superior to the angels in every way. There is a more excellent name. That name is Lord and no angel is Sovereign Lord of all. That is reserved for Christ alone.

Versus one through three give us several facts about Jesus. We know that Jesus is appointed heir of all things. Everything that exists will ultimately come under the control of Jesus. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus says, “All authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth.”

Not only does Jesus have all authority, but through Him all things were made. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all. When we see Jesus we see God. God’s glory shines through Him. Jesus is the exact representation of God, not just a reflection or godly person or being. He is God.

It is through Jesus that we have a path to salvation. Through the cross we are cleansed of our sin. And since that sacrifice, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, the place of honor. Jesus’ redeeming work is done and now reigns over all.

That is the Son of God. That is Jesus. That is God. And no angel can claim that. Sure, several places in the Old Testament angels are called the sons of God. But no angel was ever given the title “Son of God”.

The term sons of God simply refers to the position of being in the glory of God. The angels are God’s servants, but the true Son of God reigns as Sovereign Lord of all. The author of Hebrews repeatedly reinforces the Sovereignty of Jesus. This should bring us strength and encouragement.

We have a God that we can trust and rely on. We have a God who sacrificed His life for us, so that we may have eternal life with Him. We don’t worship angels thinking they can save us. Nor do we rely on them for our strength. Yes, they are here worshipping with us. Yes, God uses them to help us. But they, like us, are servants of God.

The angels were created by God. God is eternal and unchanging. Even after the rapture and Heaven and Earth are destroyed, God remains. Angels do play an important role in God’s creation and care and ministry to His people.

In fact, angels are to serve those who will inherit salvation. And that’s us. Angels are sent to serve us. That is their role. That is their destiny. That being said, I want to caution you though. Even though angels are here to serve us, we are not to command or pray to the angels.

Scripture makes that very clear to us. The New Age movement tries to encourage people getting into contact with angels in some way. That idea goes against Scripture. As we have talked about before, our prayers are to God the Father, the Son, and or the Holy Spirit.

So, we realize that Jesus is Sovereign Lord of all and the angels are His ministering servants. Angels are inferior to Jesus. This should not discourage us though and we should not discount their ministry. They serve God faithfully as we should do as well.

Angels are a unique part of God’s creation. We should not worship them or try to contact them, but we need to realize their purpose and the possibility of their presence in our lives. We all need help in our lives and God gives us what we need. Sometimes it might be the neighbor who helps us. Other times it might be an angel. Who knows.

There were several occasions in Jesus’ life that angels came and ministered to Him, even though He is superior to the angels. They were there at the beginning of His ministry when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. They were also there near the end of His ministry that night in the garden.

The angels were ministering to Christ, who is Creator and Sustainer of all. They strengthened Him through His trials and temptations. If they can do that for Christ, imagine what they can do for us.

God knows what we need and He will give it to us. Let us remember that during our times of trouble.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time in your Word this morning. We thank you for the ability and opportunity to continue our study of your unique creation of angels. Help us to truly understand what it is that you want us to know.

We thank you for sending us your angels to serve and to minister to us. But we ultimately thank you for your Son and the sacrifice that He made for our salvation. It is through his name that we pray and give thanks.

AMEN.

Angels are Among Us

2010-05-16T08:20:00.001-04:00

Click here for audio message of – Genesis 18:1-8 and 19:1-3

In our Scripture reading this morning we continue our look at Angels. Often when we hear people talk about angels we think of the winged creatures flying around in the heavens, watching over us, or doing whatever it is that they do. Rarely do we envision angels looking like people.

However, we see in both of these instances angels appearing in human form to deliver a message. The angels that appear to Abraham had feet that needed washed so Abraham has some water brought to them so they can clean up.

The angels must have looked tired and hungry, because Abraham invites them to rest under a tree while he has a meal prepared for them. Abraham actually prepares quiet a feast and as I have said before food preparation was no quick and easy task in those days, so apparently these angels can eat.

It is also obvious from the Scripture that Abraham and Sarah, later on, are talking to these angels in their normal language. So far, these angels seem pretty much like normal humans. In fact, they are so much like humans that, that is exactly what Abraham thinks they are. We of course know that two of these men were angels and the third was the Lord.

After the angels and the Lord were finished talking to Abraham and Sarah, the two angels went to Sodom to meet and talk with Lot and actually announce judgment on the city and save Lot and his family from the destruction that was coming to the city.

These angels meet up with Lot at the city gate. Lot invites them to his house for some food and typical hospitality. The town gets word of these visitors and heads over to Lot’s house to essentially rape them. They bang on Lot’s door.

Lot goes out to try and calm the crowd down and get them to disperse and leave his visitors alone. In fact, Lot being the righteous person that he was, tells the crowd they can have at his daughters instead! The crowd refuses and presses in on Lot presumably going to attack and rape him now as well.

But the angels who were in the house opened the door, pulled Lot inside, and closed the door. I envision this happening in like a split second. The angels moved at the speed of light we would say and nobody realized what happened.

But then the people start banging on the door still trying to get at these mysterious guests of Lot. The angels now strike the crowd with blindness, but that doesn’t stop them from trying to get into the house. The Scripture says “they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.” These people wouldn’t give up. They wanted these visitors for their desires.

That is what unrepentant sin does do you. You have the lust and desire to sin and can think of nothing else. That is what this city was like and that is why the angels were there. To announce God’s judgment upon the city and to get Lot out of there.

The angels continue their conversation with Lot and tell him and his family to get out of the city the next day. The next morning the angels urge Lot to get him and his family moving. But Lot was not in any rush.

The angels knew they were there to protect Lot and they knew what they had to do. So the angels literally grabbed Lot, his wife, and their two daughters and drug them out of the city to safety. Of course, we know the story continues with Lot’s wife looking back and turning into a pillar of salt. But that isn’t the end of it, Lot’s two daughters decide to have children with their father to continue the family line. This city has corrupted this family indeed.

So here we see the power of angels. They can appear and act like humans, but they are not humans. People do not turn into angels when they die. Angels have supernatural power from God to do certain things as needed.

Lot thought he was protecting these visitors by offering his daughters to satisfy the desires of the crowd. In reality, the angels protected Lot and his family. Angels have the power to not only take care of us, but they can take care of themselves too.

That doesn’t however leave us off the hook. We are to treat people with hospitality because you never know when one of them may actually be an angel sent from God to help us. Often times God will use angels to protect us. We may not realize it, but angels are among us today.

We can see that God uses angels to rescue the righteous, to show mercy to those whom He wishes to show mercy. But He also uses angels to punish the wicked. We must also keep in mind that direct contact with angels is rare.

We should never try to initiate contact or summon them as you see in TV shows. In fact, in many of the biblical accounts of angels, the angel starts by saying, “Do not be afraid.” So I suppose some angels must be pretty scary looking or at least have a scary presence about them.

But we must, as bible believing Christians, believe in their existence and be aware of their presence and their possible intervention in our lives. Angels can appear like normal human beings to us and we may not even realize it.

I have read of several possible angelic encounters and I can’t say for sure if it was an angel at work or not, only God knows for sure. But I do know the things that have happened in my life and you know the things that have happened in your life.

Think back to those situations in your life where you needed help, a time of critical danger, a near car wreck or other disaster, or whatever.

No doubt there where things that happened to you that you still to this day cannot explain. Or maybe there were people that seemed to appear at just the right time and you never knew who they were, but they helped you out.

Did God send His angels to protect you? I don’t know. But let us make no mistake about it, God still uses angels today for His purposes.

We should be encouraged and strengthened in knowing this. Angels are watching over us in order to serve the Lord so that we may carry out the will of God in our lives. We should always be grateful of the mercy and love that God showers us with and uses angels to protect us.

Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for creating angels to watch over us and act as Your mighty servants. We are also open to Your intervention in our life. Keep us open to Your will so that we may serve You this week.

Keep Your angels close to us so that we may serve You more faithfully.

AMEN.

Mothers to the Faithful

2010-05-09T07:59:00.001-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – Acts 12:6-12

Chapter 12 of Acts brings about the death of James and the arrest of Peter. While Peter was in prison the church was praying for his release. Peter was heavily guarded with four squads of soldiers, each with four members.

Two guards were always chained to Peter and two were placed outside the door. Every few hours the squads would swap. Peter was probably heavily guarded because of the embarrassment the Romans suffered by Jesus’ resurrection.

So Peter was under heavy guard. There was no way he was going to escape. There was no way anyone was going to come and take him away. Peter was definitely going to stand before Herod the next day.

So there is Peter, chained to two guards and he is sound asleep. Peter never had trouble sleeping and I think that is because he knew who was in control of his life. He had faith and confidence in his Lord.

An angel appears and wakes Peter up and tells him to get dressed. Peter thought it was a dream so he would have left without his cloths and shoes. You know, that’s usually the way dreams go. The angel leads Peter past the guards and once Peter is a ways from the prison and is safe the angel leaves him.

Peter then realized that this was no dream and that God had delivered him. Peter continues on his way to Mary’s house, the mother of John Mark. It is also interesting to note that when Peter arrived at Mary’s house the people didn’t believe that it was Peter.

I find that interesting because here was the church praying for Peter’s release and then when Peter shows up they don’t believe it. They think the servant girl simply heard his spirit. They didn’t think their prayers would be answered.

We can take comfort in that. The early church with all of its power, and first hand knowledge of the apostles and of Jesus, still had their troubles. Still today, at times, when God answers our prayers we are surprised. What a wonderful and gracious God we have.

Well, by now you are probably starting to wonder what in the world this passage of Scripture has to do with mother’s day. That’s a good question because most people skip over the mother in our Scripture today.

That person is Mary the mother of John Mark. This is the only place in Scripture that we find her mentioned, but when can figure out a lot about her by this passage as well as from the life of her son Mark.

Today, the body of Christ meets in a building like this that we call the church. In the early days, the believers, who are called the church, met in people’s homes. So right away, the first thing we know about this women is the fact that she was a true believer. She had the church meeting at her house. Since it is referred to as her house, she was probably a widow as well.

She must have also been a relatively wealthy women to maintain a house large enough to accommodate a gathering of the church. We know that she had a servant girl at the house who answers the door and hears Peter. She must have also been well known because Peter knows exactly where to go once he left prison.

Mary must have been a very brave women as well. James, the brother of John was just executed as I said and it appeared that Peter was next. The followers of Christ were being persecuted for their beliefs.

But here is this women, opening her home to fellow believers. No doubt at great risk to her life and the lives of her loved ones.

This isn’t all that we know about Mary though. The rest of what we know about her comes from the life of her son John Mark. After Peter leaves the area, Paul and Barnabas visit Jerusalem. No doubt they would have came to Mary’s house because Barnabas was Mary’s nephew.

After a while, Paul and Barnabas leave and take her son Mark with them on their missionary journey. Something happens on the journey and Mark deserts them and heads back home to mom. Paul didn’t accept Mark’s reason for leaving and this later becomes a problem for Barnabas.

Mark’s leaving actually split up Paul and Barnabas for a time as well. But we do know that the relationships were reconciled near the end of Paul’s life. In fact, while Paul was in a Roman prison he actually sent for Mark and said he was useful in ministry.

As we know, John Mark became a devoted fellow worker for Christ and went on to write the inspired Gospel of Mark. Now, getting back to mother’s day. What does all this tell us about Mark’s mother, Mary?

Well for one thing, she raised her son according to the Word of God. She taught him what she knew and no doubt she lived the things she taught. She loved God. She raised a son who loved God too. She let him go out on a dangerous and potentially life threatening mission trip. She willingly raised her son for service to God.

No doubt, she also loving accepted her son back home after he deserted Paul and Barnabas. Mark knew that even if he was considered to be a failure by everyone his mother would still love and accept him. I’m am sure that while Mark was back at home his mother never stopped ministering to him.

In fact, I would bet that Mark’s mother played a big role in his return to the ministry. She no doubt knew that failure is often times a part of growing up and would remind him of those Old Testament saints that would fail God at times, but never gave up on God.

The life of John Mark demonstrates the power of a godly mother in their child’s life. Whether you mother’s out there realize it or not, you too have tremendous power over your children’s lives. And not just your children, but your husbands as well. You can use this power for godly good or worldly evil.

If you look back at the Old Testament Kings you will see many scriptures that read something like this, “In such and such a year, so and so becomes King and reigns for so many years and his mother’s name was so and so.” Most of these Kings were pretty bad, but some were good. Whether good or bad kings, there mother’s name is mentioned and associated with their reign.

Mother’s surely do have a tremendous influence in the lives of their children.

If you are a mother to young children, then raise your children in the ways of God and give them into His service. Live your life as you want your children to live. Set an example for your children to follow.

If you are mother to adult children, remember to always open your door to them. Allow them to come back to you when they fail. Don’t criticize or condemn them, just continue to minister to your children throughout their lives. Encourage them, be there for them, and pray for them.

Mary the mother of John Mark was indeed an extraordinary mother. She gets no applause. She gets no thank yous. Rather she simply gives herself to her loved ones. She gives to God all that she has. That is what makes a mother extraordinary.

Closing Prayer

Lord we thank you for the mother’s that we have. We thank you that you made them to be kind, compassionate, and nurturing to us. We thank you for the many lessons we have learned from them.

We pray for our mother’s here this morning. We pray that they may see their children grow in the faith and raise them for your service, honor and glory. AMEN.

Angels: Burning in God’s Presence

2010-05-02T08:13:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – Isaiah 6:1-7

Chapter 6 starts the call and commission of Isaiah the prophet. The King is dead after 52 years of reigning over his people. King Uzziah was considered to be a good king overall and the southern kingdom of Judah was blessed during his reign, according to God’s promises.

But now that the King is dead, Isaiah is sad, afraid, and concerned for the future. He knows the history of the Israelites and He knows what will happen. They will be taken captive again and their prosperity and blessings from God will cease.

So what does Isaiah do? He does what all of us should do when we are distressed, upset, afraid, or concerned. He goes to the temple, a place to be with God. He comes to the earthly temple seeking comfort from God and he was given this vision of the heavenly temple.

Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne. The temple shook and smoke filled the air. He sees these beings hovering above the Lord. And they would call out to each other singing, “Holy, Holy. Holy, is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.”

What a sight to see and experience. Most of us today would pull out our cell phones or digital camera’s and start snapping pictures to send to all of our friends, but not Isaiah. He was overwhelmed with the presence of God.

As he looked around he realized how unworthy he was. He realized he fell way short of perfection. He saw God’s purity, His majesty, His holiness.

Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips.” He realized that the only thing he was worthy of was God’s wrath and judgment. And not only himself but also of those around him.

It exposed the corruption of his society. The same holds true for us today as well. The closer and closer we get to God the more we realize that we too are unworthy of His blessings and that our society is also deserving of nothing but God’s judgment and wrath.

After Isaiah said these thing an angel, a seraphim, flew over to him and touched his lips with a burning coal. Isaiah was purified because he realized his unworthiness. God cleansed him and Isaiah repented of his sin. Repentance is truly painful, but satisfyingly joyful as well.

What an experience this must have been for Isaiah. There are so many things we could investigate here, but this morning I want to focus on those angelic beings, the seraphs or seraphims.

Seraphim are around the throne of God. We don’t know much about them as they are only mentioned a few times in Scripture. Much of what we do know, however, can be gleaned from this passage and Isaiah’s experience.

We know the word Serpah means to burn. So the Serpahims are called the burning ones. These angels are the closest to God. They fly around Him praising Him and glorifying Him. They burn with God’s holiness.

We need to remember that angels are personal beings. They have intelligence. They are not just mindless robots obeying commands. Rather, they have a deep desire and ability to see and respond to God’s glory.

Angels have a will of their own, however, their will is in perfect tune with the will of God and therefore act obediently to what God commands. Angels have the ability to speak as we see in our passage this morning. They are praising God as well as talking to Isaiah.

Angels are a unique part of God’s creation. They were created to relate to people and to God. They assist God in carrying out His will. They also assist people with carrying out God’s will as well.

As I mentioned the seraphs are the closest angels to God. As I said, they fly around God’s throne and praise Him continually. They simply worship God perpetually. So when we come here each week and worship God we are not alone with our worship. The seraphs are worshipping with us as well.

I think we often times forget that today. We need to pass the truth about angels on to our children and other believers. Angels are used by God throughout the bible. We sing hymns that have references to angels in them.

Of course, we must have our scripture correct. We should never worship angels, but we should remember that they too worship the God we worship. They worship with us and we worship God with them.

I have heard from Christians that don’t believe in angels. I always wonder what other portions of Scripture they don’t believe in as well. Angels are a part of God’s creation, they are described throughout His Word. Angels are real and they are here serving God.

Think about Isaiah’s experience and how he must have felt as he left the temple that day. He went there in grief and concern, but left with probably the best worship experience of his life.

Think about your own life and worship experiences. Can you think of a time when you felt very close to God during a worship service? What is preventing you from that same feeling again?

I am sure after this experience, Isaiah’s own personal worship of God was changed for the rest of his life. Think about your most memorial worship of God this week and try to worship God like you felt that day.

As we worship God we become closer to Him. And that is our ultimate goal, right?

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Help us to learn the mysteries of your word and help us to realize the presence of angels with us. Fill us with your spirit so that we too may be close to you, praising you each and every day of our lives like the seraphim.

AMEN

Prayer - Completed

2010-04-25T08:10:00.000-04:00

Click here for the audio message of – Luke 11:1-13

This morning we will finished our study of prayer. There are a few more aspects of prayer to look at. We will look briefly at the conditions, content, and hindrances of prayer.

First, the conditions of prayer. Now when you're going to pray, how are you going to pray? Well, you ask in Christ's name. And this needs to be explained because more people get this over simplified. They think that at the end of every prayer you say "in Jesus' name, Amen," and that guarantees it.

That is not what it means in John 14:13 when it says, "If you ask anything in My name." What the word "name" means is all that Jesus is. So praying in His name is asking consistently with who He is. That's all. It is saying, "This I ask as if Christ was asking it."

Secondly, we not only ask in Christ's name, we ask in faith...we ask believing. God wants you to believe Him and then when He does respond you'll give Him praise.

Matthew 21:22, "And all things whatever you ask in prayer believing you will receive."
Do you really believe God does answer prayer in your heart? That's a condition. And what he means by that is, Do you really believe God will answer your prayer?

Thirdly, asking in God's will, consistently with God's will. Praying, "Father, this I ask in Your will." First John 5:14, "This is the confidence that we have in Him, if we ask anything according to His will He hears and does it."

So in Christ's name, asking in faith and in God's will. And if we say, "God, do this whether You like it or not," He's not going to do that. God is not up there whimsically responding to everything we ask for whether He wants to do it or not. Prayer, as I said, is lining us up with God's will.

Another thing, prayer must come from a pure heart. James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man..." If there's garbage in your life, the channel of prayer is really closed off.

And then the last thing is we're to ask with earnestness. God really wants what is called by the old English word "importunity." Remember the guy in Luke 11 who wanted to get the bread?

So he goes and he starts banging on the door and the guy's asleep. And he says, "Get out of here." And the guy keeps banging and banging and banging and the guy says, "Get out." Bang, bang, bang. The guy finally comes down and he says, "I want some bread."

And the Lord says, you see, he got the bread for his much knocking, so shall you for your much asking. In other words, this is seeking. This is being so intense and so desirous that you continue to seek the Lord, not endless repetition but earnestness.

The second thing to look at this morning is the content of prayer. What is prayer to be about? Well first of all as I’ve mentioned before prayer is to be about anything it is just conversation with God.

Ephesians 6:18, all kinds, any old kind...standing up, sitting down, crying out, whispering, praying in a closet, praying in public, supplication...which is asking for things, interceding...which is praying for somebody else's needs, thanksgiving...which is thanking God for what he's done, praise...which is just extolling His virtues. Any kind and all kinds of talking to God.

Now what is to be the subject of your prayers? Who do you pray about? There are really only two things, yourself and others...that's it. Pray for yourself and pray for others.

If you search through the Bible you will find a list of about 15 different specific groups that you're told to pray for. You're supposed to pray to the Lord, He'll send for laborers into His harvest, you're supposed to pray for new missionaries and teachers and preachers.

Do you ever pray for your President? You're told to pray for those in authority over you. Do you ever pray for the governor? The policeman? Yep, you should pray for your local police. There's a lot of people you're supposed to be praying for and they're all there in many places in the New Testament.

Finally, there are some hindrances to prayer. And generally speaking the hindrance is Psalm 66:18. "If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me." The hindrance to prayer is sin. Psalm 66:18, the hindrance to prayer is sin.

Now that sin can take many, many, many forms. Selfishness for example. If you ask selfishly to consume it on your own lusts, your prayers are hindered. Unconcern (Proverbs 21) would be another. You are praying for someone because you are supposed to, not because you really care.

Another would be anger at your spouse. If you're not getting along with your wife, your prayer won't be answered. Did you know that? That's kind of a heavy, isn't it? People wonder why things aren't going well in their home, well they ought to maybe get right with the wife before they get right with the Lord.

When you doubt things, James says, you're wavering, your prayers are hindered.

That is our brief look at prayer. Hopefully, each of you have gotten some better insight into prayer and are able to pray better.

Need help prayer. Ask God to clear your mind when you prayer. That is one of Satan’s tools. He tries to fill your mind with noise. Maybe it isn’t necessarily bad stuff. Maybe it is simply a shopping list, but it keeps you from talking to God and that is Satan’s goal.

Here is a simple way I teach people to pray. It has four simple parts to it.

1. Thanks
2. I’m Sorry
3. Help Me
4. Help my neighbor

That’s it. That is a simple prayer, you fill in the blanks.

Thank God for something He has done or given to you.

Confession your sins to Him, say you are sorry.

Ask Him to help you through your situation.

Finally, ask Him to help others around you.

That’s it. Try it this week. It is simple.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our study of prayer. We know we are not experts on the subject, but we know what to do. Help us to clear our minds and our schedules to take time to communicate with you through the day.

Show us your will for our life and demonstrate your power through us so that others may come to know your saving grace.

AMEN.

Prayer - Continued

2010-04-18T08:21:00.002-04:00

Click here for the audio message – James 5:13-18

This morning we continue to look at the topic of prayer and in particular we will look briefly at the necessity of prayer.

It is necessary, because it is commanded. And anything that is commanded of the Christian becomes necessary. Jesus said in Luke 18:1, "I want everybody everywhere to pray and not to faint." You know what most people do when they have a problem? They faint. Jesus said, "Don't faint, do...what?...pray. I want you to pray, not faint."

You know, Peter had a problem, he was always falling asleep in prayer meetings and Jesus said to him, "You know, if you stayed awake and prayed you wouldn't be in the mess you're in. Watch and pray unless you enter into...what?...temptation." You see, Peter didn't pray so he didn't have himself ready for the temptation.

If you pray more than you'd sleep, you be better off. You know, some of us go to bed at night and we say, "Dear Lord...." and we're gone, you know. We wake up the next day and we bomb out all day. Well you know what we did? We went to sleep instead of praying, watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.

Prayer undergirds us. It's necessary to pray. It's necessary because it's commanded. It's necessary because it keeps sin away. It prepares us for what is to come.

Now it is commanded that we not only pray but it is commanded that we pray a lot. In fact as we saw last week, it says, "Praying always," in Ephesians 6:18 and in 1 Thessalonians 5 it says, "Pray without...what?...ceasing."

I used to wonder, pray without ceasing, how do you do that? It simply means that you are in an attitude of God consciousness at all times. It is commanded that you see everything in relation to God.

Secondly, prayer brings glory to God. When you pray God gets glorified because then He can answer and when He answers then you praise Him. John 14:13 says that we're to pray and He will answer for His own glory. "Whatever you will ask in My name I'll do it that the Father may be glorified." God says I answer prayer to get the glory.

So prayer is a way in which God can display His power and gain glory. And that's very important.

Thirdly, we are to pray because prayer blesses us. Blessing means it makes you happy. When you pray you get happy. Praying people are happy people. You know why? They're talking to God and it's great to talk to God. And then God answers what we ask and that makes us even happier.

Fourth, prayer is important because it works. And I'm like you, I want to do what works, right? I'm not going to waste my time doing something that doesn't have any effect. Prayer works.

James 5:16 says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." It works. Effectual fervent prayer from a righteous heart works. It actually activates God. It makes a difference. Sometimes He answers no, but He answers yes enough for us to know that prayer works.

First John 5:15 says, " And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." If God hears, John says, then we know He answers. Prayer really works. It really does have an effect.

How does it work? That's a good question. First, under that, sometimes it works immediately. Have you ever noticed that? Sometimes you can't hardly believe how fast it works. Sometimes prayer works immediately.

Isaiah 65:24 says, "And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer. And while they are yet speaking, I will hear." God's already sending the answer before we've even gotten the prayer off. It works immediately, sometimes.

Secondly, sometimes it's delayed. Sometimes we may pray for something and we have to wait because God knows a lot more than we know and He knows it's better to come later than to come now.

Luke 18:7, "And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?"

In other words, sometimes it's painful and you have to go through a lot of things and sometimes God's chosen people have had to suffer and suffer and suffer and suffer and it seems like it goes on and on and on but God will answer even though it takes him a long time to get his answer. And that's because He has a purpose.

So sometimes it's immediate, sometimes it's delayed, sometimes it's different than we asked for.

Sometimes He gives us even more than we ask for. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.," even beyond what you know. It's kind of like Ephesians 3:20, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask." He can do more than we can ask.

No doubt many of you have experienced this. You ask God for a small simple blessing. Maybe years ago, you asked Him for a healthy family and now many years later you just don’t have a couple of sons or daughters, but you have a tremendous family of children and grand children, Sons and daughters in laws and so on. God gave you and blessed you with more than you asked for.

So prayer is necessary. It is commanded from God. It keeps us from temptation. It prepares us for the future. It brings glory to God. It blesses us. It makes us happy when God answers our prayers. And prayer works, sometimes immediately and sometimes when the time is right by God’s standards.

Let us continue to remember to talk to God daily, not only for our blessings but His glory as well.

Closing prayer

Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to come here and worship you this morning. We thank you for listening to our prayers and answering them in a way that not only helps us, but serves your purpose.

AMEN.

Praying

2010-04-11T07:57:00.001-04:00

Click this link to listen to the audio message – Ephesians 6:10-20

We're going to talk about how to pray this morning. One of the very basic things about the Christian life is praying.

Prayer really is important. We talk a lot about prayer and we throw the word around but prayer is a tremendous power. Prayer activates the power of God. God moves in response to the prayers of His people.

And not only that, prayer lines us up properly with God. When we're told to pray, we are told to pray in the Spirit. Now what it means to pray in the Spirit is to pray consistently with the Spirit of God.

So prayer not only moves God to act but prayer is to align us with the will and purpose of God. When we pray in the will of God or in accord with God's will we are lining up with His purposes.

Prayer really does change things. Prayer is effective. We would say that prayer is simply is talking to God.

One of the things that happens when a baby comes into a family is that the first thing you want the baby to do is...what? You want to communicate with the baby, right? You want some response, and that's the same as a Christian.

The thing that happens when you become a Christian is immediately you're thrown into an environment with God when you have a tremendous desire to communicate with Him, to respond and say the things that are on your heart.

Now that's all prayer is. Prayer isn’t buying a little book and reciting whatever it says. That isn't prayer. Prayer is communing with God. It's just conversation like you talk to anybody. It isn't a whole lot of thees and thous and such, it's not a vocabulary contest to see who can say the most theological words without taking a breath. It isn't that at all.

Prayer is not vain repetition. It's not, "Please, oh do this, oh I beg You, I beg You, I beg You, you know, please do this, please." You don't need to beg like that. The Pharisees had endless repetition. Prayer isn't that either. It's not saying 48 Hail Marys in a row, the same thing over and over again. God isn't deaf and He heard you the first time.

Prayer is simply conversation.

And sometimes in your life you may say, "God, it's sure a nice day and I hope You're enjoying it like I am and I just want to thank You for it." That's a significant a prayer as if you stood up in a pulpit and said a bunch of theology because all you're doing is communing with God.

When we read the Bible, God talks to us. When we pray, we talk to Him. And you've got to have both sides or you don't have conversation. Nobody likes a one sided conversation.

Now all Christians pray. We all talk to God sometimes. We don't all pray right. We don't all pray the way we ought to. A lot of Christians pray wrong.

In the first place, we spend a lot of time asking for stuff we don't need. Did you ever know that? "Lord, give me this, give me that, give me that," and the Lord knows if He gave it to us it would only mess us up so He doesn't.

So, prayer is simply communing with God. It’s simply talking to God. It isn't to be sophisticated, it isn't to be formal or informal, it's just anything. Paul says in Ephesians 6:18, "Praying always with all kinds of prayer." Any kind of prayer.

You could be crying out, "O God, help me" in a terrible time of stress. Or you could be saying, "Lord, this is a terrific day, I'm really happy, I just want You to know I'm checking in. Thanks!"

That's prayer. Any kind of communion with God at any point, at any level, on any subject...communion with God is prayer.

Now you don't have to close your eyes. It really doesn't matter, the Bible says you can pray with your eyes lifted up to heaven. It says you can pray with your hands lifted up. It says you can pray kneeling, you can pray bowing, you can lie down and pray, you can stand up, you can pray while you're walking, sitting, whatever.

Often times we close our eyes and teach our children to close their eyes during prayer to simply block out distractions from our surrounds. Although I must say if you are praying while driving, don’t close your eyes.

Incidentally, you can pray to anybody in the trinity you want. You can pray to God. You can pray to Christ. You can talk to the Holy Spirit. Or you can say, "I want all of You to listen here, I have something to say to all of You." So you can call them all in there.

Let me give you an illustration of how this communion with God really works.

You're going through your day and you're just minding your own business. You see something good. You see a clear day, you see a lovely little child or you hear a friend call you on the phone and you think about the love of that friend.

Or maybe you look at the person you love and you just say, "Isn't that great," so what do you do? What's your first reaction? Thank You, Lord, for that. You're seeing things in relation to God.

You see everything in relation to God and you converse with Him about it.

Or maybe you see a problem and you say, "Lord, here's a problem, deliver us from the problem, solve the problem, gain glory from the problem." You see, in other words, everything it is, good, bad, indifferent, whatever it is, you see it in the light of God.

It becomes something for which you can talk to God. That's praying. It isn't just mumbling all through the day some little words, or praying some special prayer. It's just relating everything that goes on in your life through the day to the presence of God, He's there.

You can all think of a best friend you have, maybe it's your husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend, or whatever. But think of the best friend. And imagine your best friend was with you today all day by your side.

You had the whole day with your best friend, or the person you love most. And that person never left your side this entire day. And you talked to that person today just as many times as you talked to Christ today.

How much conversation did you have with them? How would your friend feel if he spent the whole day with you and you never said a word and he was there the whole time? Well it would be a little ridiculous, wouldn't it?

It would probably be the start of the end of your friendship. You would at least acknowledge that they were there and you would begin to see things in the light of the presence of your friend. You'd say, "Hey, isn't that terrific? Did you see that? Isn't that too bad, you know, we ought to do something about that."

You're relating everything to the presence of your friend. That's how it is in prayer. All you're doing is relating everything to the presence of God and that's a God conscious attitude and that's praying without ceasing.

Closing Prayer

We thank you Lord for the gift and blessing of communication with You. We thank you that you are always there for us. Help us to always be there for you too.
AMEN.

Seeing Christ

2010-04-04T09:31:00.001-04:00

Click here to download the audio message of John 20: 11-18

Seeing Christ

What a wonderful Scripture reading this is on this Easter morning. There are so many things we could say about it, but this morning I want to focus on Mary Magdalene and her encounter with the risen Christ.

It had been a long morning for her already. She was up early, before dawn. Her and a few other women were on their way to the tomb to finish the burial process of placing the spices on the body.

She was determined to give her Lord a proper burial because she loved Him. Sure, Joseph of Arimathea did what he could by wrapping the body and placing it in the tomb, but Joseph didn’t have that same knowledge and love of Christ that Mary had.

So Mary and the other women make their way along the dark trail to the tomb. Their discussion is focused on how they are going to get into the tomb. The last thing they saw last night was a large stone rolled in front of the tomb and Pilate placing guards in front of it. What are they going to do to get inside?

When they arrive at the tomb their concerns about the stone are irrelevant. The stone was already moved and the guards were gone. But so was Jesus’ body. Mary is devastated. She runs off to tell Peter and John about the situation.

The three of them run back to the tomb. John and Peter ran faster than Mary, so by the time she arrives at the tomb again Peter and John are done investigating the situation and return to the town.

According to Scripture they said nothing to Mary. So there is Mary at the tomb, all alone. Filled with grief, filled with sorrow. Her stomach is in knots and her eyes are filled with tears.

Then as she looks into the tomb again, she sees two angels where Jesus’ body was laid the day before. Of course, she didn’t realize they were angels. They ask her why she is crying. See the angels don’t understand, they know that Christ is risen. They must have thought that it was strange that Mary was here crying.

But Mary responds, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” She must have thought they were the caretakers of the cemetery or gardeners or something, but not angels. That thought never crossed her mind.

Before the angels can respond to her though a man appears behind her and asks the same question, “Women, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Mary thinks it is the gardener, so she responds, “If you took my Lord’s body away, please tell me so I can go get it.”

But this man is not the gardener, rather it is Jesus. The reason for Mary’s failure to recognize Jesus is unclear. It could be the fact that she had been crying and just couldn’t see clearly. Sometimes that happens.

Or maybe she remembered what His body looked like the night before. It was bruised and beaten and bloody and that image was ingrained in her head no doubt. So when she sees the resurrected Jesus she failed to recognize Him because His appearance was so much different.

Or maybe the simple answer is God prevented her from seeing Christ, much like He did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. But for whatever reason she did not recognize Jesus standing there.

Then, Jesus calls out her name, “Mary.” Now, I don’t know how He said it, maybe in a nice soft gentle tone as in “Mary” or maybe in a “Mary, it’s me” kind of voice. I don’t now. But, whatever the reason for her failure to recognize Jesus before, the moment He spoke her name she knew who He was.

There was just something about the way He spoke her name. In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” What a true illustration we have of that point here with Mary.

Mary no doubt lunges forward to hug and hold Jesus at that moment. She clings to Him for dear life, because that is exactly what He is not only to her, but to all that come to Him. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Verse 28 of John 10 continues, “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Jesus sends Mary away, saying “You cannot cling to me now, but go and tell My brothers about what you have seen and what I have said.”

This is significant and most people miss it. Throughout Christ’s teaching and ministry He referred to His followers mostly as slaves, as servants, and even as friends. But now, He calls us brothers. We are sons of God. We are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ.

After Jesus said these things, Mary went on her way and announced these things to the disciples. “I have seen the Lord,” she says.

What a thrilling and mountaintop moment this must have been for Mary. But in order to have that mountain top experience, she had to first be as low as she could go. Think about it, Mary’s experience is not that much different from our own.

At times, we are down and out. Filled with sorrow, filled with tears and grief. But then Jesus appears to us. Like Mary, we can’t see Him. But then He calls to us. He calls out our name. He sends us what we need and then He sends us on our way with that same commission that He gave Mary.

That same commission He gave to all of His disciples. That is to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel. There are still people out there who have not heard the Word of God, there are people out there that do not know He has risen from the dead, that He has conquered death for us.

This Easter – Resurrection Sunday morning let us not forget that encounter with Mary. She loved Jesus and she obeyed Him. We should do the same today. Christ has risen indeed, now tell others.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, be as real and present to us as you were to Mary. Open our eyes so that we may see your hand at work in our lives. Open our hearts to receive the love that you pour out on us. Give us the wisdom, the strength, and the courage to proclaim the Gospel message to all that we meet.

AMEN

The Last Passover

2010-04-01T09:25:00.002-04:00

Click here for audio message of: Matthew 26:20-30

“The Last Passover”

No doubt we are all at least somewhat familiar with the Passover feast. Each family in Israel picks a spotless lamb and takes it to the priests to be slaughtered and then taken home and roasted. This is done in remembrance of the nation’s deliverance from Egypt.

Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the last Passover this night almost 2000 years ago. I want to take you back in time to the scene so that we can understand and feel what it was that the disciples did that night.

There were many preparations that needed to be made. Early in the day, Jesus told Peter and John to go and prepare the Upper Room. No doubt the other disciples were preparing portions of the meal. The lamb needed to be taken to the priests for the sacrifice. The unleavened bread needed to be prepared. They also needed wine and bitter herbs for the feast.

The disciples went about their business with a solemn, reverent attitude that day and probably didn’t see each other much until they gathered that night in the Upper Room. Jesus continues talking to and teaching each of His disciples that night.

When it is time for the feast, they all recline around the table which would have been low to the ground, much like a coffee table, and the feast begins. As with many traditions there was a certain way the Jewish people celebrated this meal.

A cup of wine was passed and each person would take a sip. Then there was the ceremonial washing to signify the need for moral and spiritual cleansing. It is at this point that a discussion broke out among the disciples as to which of them should be considered the greatest.

Jesus acted in true humility by washing the feet of His Disciples. After the washing, the meal continued with eating the bitter herbs. This would be a mix of parsley, endive, and other leafy greens.

The herbs were bitter to represent the harshness of Israel’s bondage in Egypt and they were eaten with the bread. The bread was dipped in a chutney like dip, made of pomegranates, apples, dates, figs, raisins, and vinegar.

The chutney was similar to the consistence of mortar mix to represent the Israelite’s slavery in Egypt when they were forced to make bricks. As each of these items were passed, the head of the house, in this case Jesus, would explain the meaning of the Passover and the stories of their ancestors.

The cup of wine was passed again and there was singing and praising God for saving them. Then the roasted lamb was served with more bread. It was at this point in the evening that Jesus spoke and said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

Each of the disciples were sorrowful and each asked, “Lord, is it I?” Jesus knew who it was. Jesus took some bread dipped it and handed it to Judas. After Judas took the bread, Satan entered him.

Jesus told Judas to go and do his deed quickly and Judas left. From that point on the Passover feast became the New Covenant which we know as the Lord’s Supper.

Jesus took some bread gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it and distributed it to the disciples saying, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

This would have startled the disciples. They knew something was up. Judas had left, someone was going to betray Jesus and now Jesus breaks from the Passover tradition and does something new, something different, something out of their comfort zone.

The disciples think to themselves, what is going on here. This is My body? What is He talking about? Wait a minute, as they think back to Jesus’ ministry and teachings. Didn’t Jesus say at one point that He is the bread of life? This is it, they know it now, something really big is truly happening here.

After the bread was eaten, Jesus took the cup of wine. Again He gave thanks to God and said “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

What? The disciples are even more stunned now. Nothing was more repulsive and disgusting to the Jews than blood, especially drinking it. Again, the disciples think back to the past 3 years of Jesus’ teaching.

They think back to all the times He spoke of His death and they knew that Jesus was not talking about literal blood, rather He was speaking of the kind of death He would have. As we know, it was a violent blood shedding that resulted in the death of Christ, but a death that would mean eternal life for us.

As the last Passover draws to a close, a new ordinance was established for the church. They sang a final hymn and the Passover meal was complete.

As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper tonight, let us remember the sacrifice Christ made for us. Let us remember, like the Israelites, what the sacrifice means for us. Christ removed the power of sin over us. He also took on the penalty of sin for us. And one day, He will take us to be with Him and remove us from the presence of sin. - AMEN

The Triumphal Entry

2010-03-28T07:14:00.001-04:00

Luke 19:28-40

The Triumphal Entry

This of course is Palm Sunday. A day that Christians around the world celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This is the start of the final week of Christ’s earthly life. The disciples knew something was up.

For the past 3 years, their teacher had been walking around the country or at times taking a boat to cross the sea. Never had he ridden a donkey. No doubt they remember the account of Solomon’s inauguration.

In 1 Kings 1:33, King David told his advisers to have his son Solomon ride on his mule to the local spring where the high priest and prophet will anoint him king. But even beyond this example, there are many Messianic prophecies regarding the King and his inauguration.

The people see their Messiah riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and become overwhelmed. They have their King who will conquer the holy city and rule over the Romans forever. The crowd starts to sing and shout and praise God.

We need to remember this was the Passover and this was and is a spiritually charged event. People from all over the country came to Jerusalem at this time to celebrate and to worship. But this time they came and saw their King ready to take the throne of His Kingdom. Or so they thought.

See, they saw what they wanted to see. They were tired of the Roman control. They were oppressed. They wanted to be a free nation again. They still felt like they were in captivity. They wanted their King to rule over the Romans.

As Jesus climbs the Mount of Olives the people are singing and shouting praise to Him. Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

The people were laying down their cloaks and palm branches for Him to ride over. They were prepared to make Him King. But if you remember, they wanted to make Him King a year before this when Jesus fed the 5,000.

These people wanted a King and here was the best candidate ever. He could provide for their physical needs and their spiritual needs. And when they saw Him riding the donkey, they knew this was the King!

As Jesus approaches the top of the mountain the crowd is at its loudest. Once over the crest of the mountain the temple is plain view. No doubt the priests that were at the temple preparing for the celebration saw all the activity and commotion of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

The priests enter into panic mode. They look up and see their worst nightmare. There is Jesus, with the support of His people, acting like a King. They understand the implications of Jesus’ actions and the praise of the crowd.

The priests demand that Jesus stop the crowd from doing this. Jesus replies, “Their praise is accurate and inevitable.” The battle lines are drawn.

Not only would it surprise and anger the priests, but it would worry the Roman’s as well. Since this was a big festival, the Roman military had extra forces there to keep the crowd under control. They too are watching the same thing and are wondering what is going to happen.

We can’t blame the crowds for their ignorance about the true meaning of this event. Even the disciples who had been with Jesus throughout His ministry didn’t fully understand what was happening until after Jesus ascended into Heaven.

Today, we often say that Jesus came to be a spiritual ruler, not a political ruler. We also accuse the Jewish people of only wanting a political ruler. And both of those statements are true. Jesus was certainly a spiritual ruler and is also a political ruler.

Christ’s church is more than just a spiritual, religious institution. This is true today and this was true from the beginning. Many times in the book of Acts we see disciples of Christ come before political and religious rulers. They are beaten and executed for their beliefs.

The Church should create social and political tension. The issue is how the church operates in the social and political realm. Christ came not to set up a physical political kingdom. Rather He setup His Kingdom in the hearts of his followers.

Our agenda’s as Christians are carried out with love for others and are based on the truth of God’s Word. We do not come with muscles bulging and fists flying to get our way. We accomplish our goals with the cross of Christ, not with a sword of war.

Christians rule with their love for each other. We bring together all types of people. We break down the socio-economic barriers so that we may all become one with each other and one with Christ.

Sadly, by the end of the week, the people had rejected their King. They rejected the things that Jesus stood for. They rejected God’s offer of salvation. They rejected God Himself.

How about you? Do you reject the things Jesus stood for? Jesus stood for love, peace, joy, righteousness, and truth. While you may not outright reject those ideas, do you take them to the next level?

Do you live for those things and display those attributes in your life? Do you reach out to others who may not be on the same social or political wavelength with you? Do you reach out to them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christ will return again someday to judge those who have rejected Him. And not only those who have rejected Him but those who have rejected His ways and those who follow Him. Christ rules in the hearts of all believers today.

Is He ruling yours? When He returns again, He will rule over you one way or the other, so you better make sure you know what side you are one.

Many will cry out to Him saying, “Lord, Lord, we have done many things in your name. But Jesus will say to them, depart from me for I never knew you.” Those are words you do not want to hear.

Think about that this Holy week as you take time to rediscover Christ in your life.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for the lessons that you have taught us. We thank you for being our ruler. Help us to more fully understand the things that you want from us.

Help us to focus on you this Holy week and help us to carry out your will for our lives.

AMEN

Faithfulness

2010-03-21T07:58:00.000-04:00

Esther 8:1-8

Faithfulness

We finish up our study of the book of Esther this morning by looking at the events of chapters 8, 9, and 10. Last time, we left off with Esther presenting her request to the King, which was simply to save her people.

The king becomes angry, leaves the scene to cool off for a few minutes, but when he returns it looks to him as if Haman is assaulting the Queen. Haman, is actually begging and pleading with the Queen for mercy.

The king sees what he sees though and has Haman executed and hung on the gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecai. Haman was considered a traitor, so his assets were seized by the king and given to Esther and Esther gave them to Mordecai.

Mordecai was essentially promoted to Haman’s position in the kingdom. He was now the king’s right hand man. We don’t know what happened to Haman’s wife or friends, but we do know that his sons were killed in the battle with the Jews, the very battle that Haman had the king write a decree for.

Esther once again comes before the King and asks what he can do to stop the murder of her people. The king pretty much responds by saying an order is an order, even he cannot over turn it, but she can make her own order.

Mordecai wrote a decree for his people in the King’s name. The decree gave the Jewish people the right to defend themselves against any enemy that might attack them, including women and children.

This sounds bizarre to us. God doesn’t want us to kill our enemies does he? But when you look at some of the things in the Old Testament we see part of God’s justice and Holiness is through His wrath. We also see His wrath in the New Testament, especially in the book of Revelation.

A perfectly just and right God must punish sin. There is a price to be paid. Thankfully, for us, the price has been paid through Jesus Christ. Those who do not accept that payment will suffer the penalty for themselves.

So, the people get this message from the king and they rejoiced. In chapter 9, the day arrives for the battle to take place and the Jews destroy their enemy. 810 people were killed in the area and 75,000 were killed around the country.

As I mentioned, Haman’s sons were killed in the battle. God’s people came out on top. God kept His promise to Abraham about blessing those who bless him and cursing those who curse his descendants.

After the battle, Mordecai sends a letter out to his people to remember this day and establish a feast called Purim. This is an annual feast to commemorate what the Lord did for them on this day and the story of Esther is typically read.

What can we learn from this story? Like most Biblical accounts, faithfulness is an important lesson from God’s Word to us. As we see, when God’s people are faithful, they prosper, maybe not immediately, but it is part of God’s long term plan.

When His people are not faithful, they suffer. Again, maybe not in the short run, but over the long term they do. The same holds true for us today as well. God wants us to be faithful followers of Christ. He wants us to live by faith.

Hebrews 11:1 give us a great definition of faith. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Faith is being sure and certain of the right things. The things of God. The promises of God. Faith is the confidence that God will do what He says He will do.

To apply our faith is to live as if God will keep His promises. That is the question for you, Do you believe that God will keep the promises He has made to us in His Word? If so, then live your life accordingly.

If you aren’t sure about all of His promises, then read His Word, study it, pray about it. He will show you what He wants you to see.

No doubt, some of your are sitting there thinking, “I believe, I believe, but it just doesn’t seem like God comes through for me sometimes. I am struggling, why doesn’t He help me out?” Or maybe there is a past hurt that you have experienced and God didn’t come through like you thought He would.

There are some people that become maybe disappointed with God. They feel as though God let them down. He did not answer their prayers the way they expected. Maybe they even gave up on God, stopped praying, going to church, or even reading the Bible.

That is a bad road to take. Our faith is tested all the time. It is tested to prove if our faith is real or is it something we just say we have. Our faith is tested to help us grow and to strengthen us. And of course, our faith is tested to give God the glory when we persevere.

God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we expect. We need to remember that He has a plan and He knows what He is doing. Things will work out. Just because He doesn’t give us what we want, doesn’t mean He doesn’t give us what we need.

God loves us, make no mistake about it. That is not the question. But sometimes part of love might involve discipline.

So be faithful, like Mordecai and Esther. They were sure and certain God would hold to His promises and they were right because God is right.

If you find yourself disappointed with God, ask Him to strengthen your faith. Read though the story of Esther, or Ruth that we looked at a few months ago, or any of those Old Testament Characters, Job, David, or Daniel and His friends.

Look at their lives and see how they lived out their faith even when times were rough for them. And remember that God is there with you through it all.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank your for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for those examples of faith in Esther and Mordecai. Help us to be people of faith. Forgive us for those times when we fail and strengthen us again to give you the glory and honor.
AMEN.

Anger

2010-03-14T08:04:00.000-04:00

Esther 7:1-10

Anger

Last week we saw God’s hand at work for his people once again. The king got a sudden case of insomnia, so he asks his servants to bring a record book of his kingly deeds. The servants read the story about Mordecai discovering the plot to kill the king.

The king decides to reward Mordecai. At that exact moment, Haman enters the king’s court, seeking permission to hang Mordecai. But he never gets a chance to ask the king. The king initiates the conversation by asking Haman what a good way would be to honor someone.

Haman, of course, believes the king is referring to him, so Haman comes up with this grand honor for this person. The king agrees and tells Haman to carry out the honor on Mordecai. To his credit Haman does obey the king and parades Mordecai around the city giving him honor.

After the parade, Haman returns to his own home and tells his family and friends about his humiliation. They realize Haman is in trouble because Mordecai is a Jew. The servants then come and take Haman to the banquet the Queen has prepared.

At the banquet, the king reaffirms his interest in the matter that is bothering Esther. Again, he pledges to do whatever she wants. Esther once again displays humility and courage as she presented her request to the king.

Esther answered and said, “if it pleases the king, save my people from destruction.” She could have asked for anything, even the death or torture of Haman, but she simply presented the facts and asked the king to spare the life of her people.

Of course, the king wants to know who came up with this plan to kill her people and Esther responds it is Haman.

The king is filled with wrath, but notice what he does. He leaves. He doesn’t start yelling, swearing, kicking, screaming, crying, or whatever. He leaves the scene, presumably to cool off in the garden. To slow down, collect himself, count to ten, or whatever he needed to do.

People handle their anger in different ways, think about some of the ways you have handled your anger and think about some ways in which you have seen others handle their anger.

It seems as we mature, especially as Christians, we handle our anger differently. Anger is no doubt a normal part of life, it is a normal response to a difficult situation.

When we see injustices done in this world we should be angry. When God’s name is trashed we should be angry. When the cable or satellite goes out during a movie, we might be disappointed, but that really isn’t something that we should blow up about.

The king is mad, because of the injustice that occurred. He promoted this man Haman, gave him authority, trusted him and Haman abuses that power, that trust for his own purposes, for his own revenge.

While the king is cooling off in the garden, Haman approaches Esther to beg for mercy and plead for his life. When the king returned it looked to him as though Haman was assaulting Esther.

The other guards grab Haman and one of them mentions Haman’s plan to execute Mordecai. The king thought that would be a good punishment for Haman, so they hanged him.

If Haman were to have been tried, he would have three charges against him. First, he manipulated the king so he could exact revenge upon the Jews. Second, he would be charged with assaulting the Queen, although I believe this charge would have been dropped. Lastly, he planned to use the king to kill a man that the king just honored.

No wonder, the king was so upset with this guy. We all get upset and angry sometimes as I mentioned. But we all need to learn to deal with our anger.

As you might have guessed, the bible has a lot to teach us about anger and how to deal with it. First, we must realize that anger is sin if it is unjust or uncontrolled. Being angry at abortion clinics is justified, but blowing them up in anger is not.

Even with righteous anger, we must remember that we as Christians are representing Christ and we are still to treat others with love and mercy. We are to love our neighbors. We are to love our enemies.

Anger is a work of the flesh and is characteristic of fools, of prideful people. Anger brings about its own punishment, Job 5:2 states, “For wrath kills a foolish man.” When you think about it, that is exactly what happens.

Did you ever get mad at your car for not starting or something? Did you jump out and kick it as hard as you could? What happened? Did the car magically start up and run or did you just hurt your foot and dent the car!

Psalm 37:8 tells us to “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath Do not fret, it only causes harm.” Our best defense against anger is prayer, talking to God. Allowing Him to take control of the situation.

Anger is not good for us physically, mentally, or spiritually. Anger management and conflict resolution are some of the most important things that we need to learn in life. Especially, when others are trying to provoke you to anger. Don’t let them win.

We often find ourselves dealing with people who don’t play by the rules. We find underhandedness, deception, dishonesty, and self-serving attitudes in this world today. It is nothing new though. Those traits pretty much describe Haman, doesn’t it.

When we choose to abide by God’s rules and deal with situations according to His will, then we know that we are under His protection and guidance. He has promised to take care of us, and He will.

When our lives are guided by biblical principals, it gives us the ultimate advantage. Think about that the next time you feel angry, think about what God would want you to do.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Sometimes in our anger and frustration we do indeed sin. We ask for your forgiveness for our weaknesses and we thank you for that forgiveness that you provide to us.

Help us respond to others in our daily lives in ways that honor and glorify you.
AMEN

Earning Rewards

2010-03-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

Esther 6

Last time we saw Haman’s pride. He was bragging to his wife, family, and friends about how great he was, how many children he had, about his great wealth, about how the king promoted him, and how even the queen invited him to a special banquet.

He also told his friends the story of Mordecai not bowing down to him and paying him the respect he felt he deserved. His friends encouraged him to make a gallows for Mordecai and have him hung on it the next day.

Our Scripture picks up this morning with the King having a sleepless night. So he tells his servants to read the book of records of his kingship. The servants start reading and they come to the part about the plan to assassinate the king.

Once again we can see God’s hand at work. The king “just happen” to have insomnia and the servants “just happen” to read about Mordecai’s good deed. This isn’t just chance. This is God at work.

The king asks his servants what reward was given to Mordecai for discovering this plot. The servants reply, “nothing.”

The king married Esther in the 7th year of his reign. The plot to kill the king occurred shortly there after. It is now the king’s 12th year of his reign. So about 5 years had past since Mordecai exposed this plot to kill the king.

No doubt by this time, Mordecai had long forgotten about his role in saving the king. More than likely Mordecai wasn’t even ever looking for a reward. He was simply doing what he felt was right.

The king wants to reward Mordecai for his actions. The king calls for whoever is in his court to come. Again, it just so happens that it is Haman, who is actually coming to ask the king to execute Mordecai!

Chance? No way! This is God at work yet again. The king asks Haman what is the best way to honor someone. Haman, of course, thinks the king is planning to honor him, so Haman comes up with this wonderful and extravagant plan to honor this person.

As we know, the king is referring to Mordecai. The king likes the plan and tells Haman to go and prepare the honors for Mordecai. Haman is quite shocked, but obeys the king, even though it humiliates himself.

After Haman parades Mordecai around and honors him, he returns to his house to tell his family and friends about the events that took place.

It is interesting to note that Haman must consider these people true friends because he is willing to tell them of this embarrassing story. Most people wouldn’t do that unless they were true, close friends and family.

At the end of the chapter, we read of Haman’s friends telling him that if Mordecai is a Jew, then you will not win this battle. Apparently, they were familiar with the God of the Jews and knew the history and the stories of how they prevailed.

So who earned their reward here? It sounds like both Haman and Mordecai are going to get what they deserve, right? As we shall see next week, that is indeed what happens.

But what about us? Are we rewarded for our good deeds? No doubt we are sometimes. We are rewarded sometimes, if you want to call it that, for our earthly good deeds. Maybe we get a monetary reward for finding a lost dog or helping to capture a criminal or something.

Sometimes we get a thank you or an atta boy for doing an outstanding job. And that is ok too. We must not let that effect us or our ego’s, but it is important on a human, earthly level to give thanks to others and show our appreciation to them for the things that they do not only for us but for others as well.

We also need to remember the reward of believers is from God. Our reward is eternal life through Christ. We will reign with Christ because we are joint heirs of Christ. We will receive a crown of righteousness, of glory, of life and an imperishable crown.

We do what we do for God, not for ourselves, not for our own ego. We do it to honor and glorify God.

As I mentioned we should always give thanks to the people that do things for us. We need to remember that it is God working through them to bless us. We should never take our blessings for granted.

How many times have you thanked God for the blessings of our forefathers, like George Washington, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin and other signers and supporters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?

Think about it! What a blessing it is to live in a free country.

How about the teachers that taught you to read and write or the many soldiers that fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and the freedoms of others.

We are to give thanks to God for all things and everyone. 1 Timothy 2:1 says, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.”

Let us remember to not only thank each other for the things we do, but to thank God for all that He does for us. Especially, that great and wonderful reward of eternal salvation.

Try to create a spirit of thanksgiving in your life this week. Thank the people that are good to you and encourage others to gives thanks to God for the things that he has done.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for that wonderful gift of eternal life. We thank you for the many blessings in our lives. Often times we take for granted the freedoms we have here in this country.

Help us to remember where all of these blessings come from and help us to use the blessings you have given to us to be a blessing to others. We do this all for you and your glory.

AMEN

Pride

2010-02-28T07:56:00.001-05:00

Esther 5:9-14

Pride

Last time we saw the courage of Esther. She knew she needed to approach the King about the slaughter and destruction of her people. But she also knew that if the King rejected her, she could lose her life.

She prayed and fasted with Mordecai and the rest of the Jews in the area for three days. Then she prepared herself. She got all dressed up and she waited. She waited outside of the King’s court.

She waited to see if the King would notice her. Sure enough, the King does. But not just noticed her in a physical way, rather the King actually notices that something is wrong with her mental or emotional state.

The King asks what is wrong. Esther simply requests his presence, along with his right hand man Haman, at a banquet she has prepared for them. The King agrees and has a good time, so Esther invites them back for another party the next day.

In the meantime, where our Scripture picks up this morning. We see Haman heading home to his family. Along the way he sees Mordecai and became very angry again that this Jew would not bow down to him.

But he was able to control his anger and continued his journey to his house. When he got home Haman invited some of his friends and family over for a get together. Haman starts to brag about his accomplishments and how many children he has and how rich he is and how the king promoted him above all others.

Not only that, but the fact that the Queen invited him to a party today and tomorrow as well and no one else was invited. But he says, “there is this Jew that does not honor me.”

His family and friends tell him to build a gallows and hang the Jew from it. Of course, this sounds like a good idea to Haman so he orders the gallows to be built.

Haman’s pride is out on display here in full force. He is showing off to his family and friends and bragging about how great he is. Isn’t is amazing how this man can he think he is on top and yet a little man like Mordecai can ruin his whole day!

Isn’t it also interesting to see how Haman’s family and friends feed his pride and arrogance and encourage him to have Mordecai executed.

Pride is one of those tough things to deal with. I mean we all have some pride right? I am sure when your children did well in school you were proud of them right? It is only natural and it is healthy and Godly.

I take pride in my work. I try to do the best job that I can do given the circumstances. Sometimes I can do a better job than others, but at the end of the day I have to believe I gave it my best shot.

I don’t do that just for me. I do it for the honor and glory of God. He has given me the ability to do the things that I do, so I try to do my best for His honor.

But pride can also be like a disease. We can sum it up by thinking that we know better than anyone else. We are experts in everything. We are never wrong. If it turns out we were wrong, then we make excuses and argue rather than “fessing” up and saying, I was wrong.

Pride insists on being in the spot light. Being the center of attention. This usually involves elevating yourself and belittling others and causing conflict. The Pharisees loved the best seats in the synagogue. Why? Because they were filled with pride.

Jesus tells us that the proud love to hear praises from people. Of course, we know that those praises will be their only reward, they will certainly get no heavenly acclamations for that.

The opposite of pride is humility. We have talked a lot about that during our series in the Gospel of Mark. The humble person may never hear a praise from others here on earth, but we know they will receive their reward in heaven.

God hates pride. Pride made sin a reality way back in the garden of Eden. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”

The apostle Paul is a great example of a humble servant of God. And God kept him from become proud. As we know, Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews’. He had the perfect upbringing and training in the Jewish faith.

Then he is converted to Christ, to Christianity. Paul teaches and preaches the Gospel. He sets up and leads many churches. He oversees the spiritual growth of many. He is inspired to write about half of the New Testament. Here is a man that could truly be proud.

But Paul knew it wasn’t him. Paul knew it was God doing the work. And Paul knew that God was keeping him humble.

In Paul’s Second letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions that thorn in his flesh. We don’t know what that thorn was, but it caused Paul some trouble. Paul prayed and begged God to remove it. But God would not.

Why? Because that is what God used to keep Paul from losing his humility and becoming filled with pride.

Pride seems to be so natural for many of us today. As I mentioned, we are all proud of some things, especially our children. But listen to some conversations this week. I suspect you will notice someone telling a story and then the other person tries to “one up” that story. They are more proud of their story than they are interested in hearing your story.

Don’t feed pride like Haman’s family did. Instead when you hear someone boasting, simply say something like, “Wow, God has really blessed you!”

But what about you? Examine your heart this week, look at your actions and attitudes and see if there is any self-pride in them. If so, pray that God will do whatever needs to be done to remove that pride from you.

Closing Prayer

Lord, so often in this world today we are focused on ourselves and we forget that all things come from you. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways. Give us your vision for our lives.

Enable us to see our pride and remove it. Help us to humbly serve you with our lives.

AMEN

Courage

2010-02-21T09:26:00.000-05:00

Esther 5:1-8

Courage

Last week, we read about Mordecai and Esther finding out about the plan to exterminate the Jews. They discuss between themselves what needs to be done. And it is finally decided upon that Esther must approach the King and plead for mercy.

But before she does that she tells Mordecai to gather the Jews in the area and fast for 3 days and she and her servants will do the same. Fasting is a way of showing a grieved heart and soul. It is a way of becoming closer with God.

During a fast you block out worldly things and focus on God. Today most people only fast for medical reasons and even then it seems like such a sacrifice. But here we see all of the Jews fasting for 3 days to get in tune with God.

Then comes the action. After the third day of the fast, Esther gets dressed up real nice and pretty, goes to the King’s inner court and waits. She waits for the King to notice her. And sure enough, the King does notice her. And he extends his royal scepter to her, meaning he welcomed her presence.

As we have seen with the king so far, he doesn’t really pay much attention to what is going on. Remember, his first wife refused to come to him so he got rid of her because that is what his advisors said. And he signed the decree to kill the Jews because that is what Hayman said to do.

So the king isn’t one to really think for himself. But here he sees his beautiful wife and notice what the New American Standard text says in verse 3, “Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request?”

Amazingly the king actually had a thought of his own. He recognized something was bothering his wife and he was genuinely concerned for her.

Esther requests the presence of the King and his right hand man Hayman at a special banquet she has prepared for them.

Esther believed God’s hand was at work in this situation. How do I know that? Because she had the courage to approach the King. A man that could have you killed. Not only that, but she invited the guy who wanted to kill her and her people.

But Esther believed, she had faith. She knew the King would come, she had everything prepared for the King. What an example of faith, confidence, and dedication.

Esther had a plan. No doubt during the fast the plan came together as she followed God’s lead. She had a plan. Make the king notice her, so she doesn’t get killed. Get the king interested in her, so she can please the king. And then get the king to come back for more, so she can accomplish her goal of saving her people.

Esther was indeed prepared and had a plan, but she still trusted in God to strengthen her and see this plan through.

Often times, we too have plans. But do we leave God out of those plans. Or do we consult with God to see what he wants us to do?

It takes courage to live as a Christian in this world today. Sometimes I suspect our plans would go real well with what God wants. Sometimes our plans are not God’s. Sometimes we go places where we really wouldn’t want God to go.

But you know what. God is there. If we are true Christians then we have the Spirit of God living inside of us and wherever we go, we take God with us. So as you make plans, check in with God to see if that is where He wants to go.

It takes courage, because sometimes you will have to say no to your friends or family members. And sometimes you will have to say yes to God and go somewhere or do something that you don’t really want to do on an earthly level, but it is what He wants.

So we need courage and we can only get that courage through God. One author wrote, “Courage is the power to do well when the air is turbulent and the going gets tough. It is having the character to do well when things are tempting, when things are painful.”

It is easy to be a parent when your child is an A+ honor student, but it takes a lot of courage when your child gets mixed up in the wrong crowd and is harming themselves or others.

“Courage is the power to do well in the face of a threat – to your life, to your security, to your future, to the things you hold dear.”

Esther had faith and courage. And God honored that. Everything went as planned for her. She stepped up and did what was right and God honored that. His hand was upon her.

Think about what is keeping you from living courageously? Is it worldly pressures or possessions? Is it lack of strength and faith?

Whatever it is, take it to God. Ask him to strengthen you; to increase your faith, to increase your courage to see you through your difficult situation. And He will do it.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank You for the strength and courage that you have given each one of us. On the outside we may appear calm and collected, but you know our insides as well. You know our thoughts, our anxieties, and our fears.

Help us with those things that we are afraid of. It is something different for each of us. Maybe we are afraid of being jobless, of being sick, of being alone, or of pain in our aging years.

We offer these fears to you and ask you who knows no fear to give us courage to face our challenges and do what it is that you want us to do.

AMEN

Be Responsible

2010-02-07T07:38:00.000-05:00

Scripture Reading - Esther 4:12-17

Be Responsible

Last week in Esther chapter 3 we learned that a man named Haman was made head of security for the King after Mordecai discovered a plot by some officers to kill the King. Everyone was to bow down and pay honor to Haman, but Mordecai would not.

Some of the other security guards saw that Mordecai was not bowing down to Haman and they repeatedly came and asked Mordecai why he would not bow down. Mordecai simply responded that he would not bow because he was a Jew.

Now we don’t know for sure if Mordecai was standing on the principle of the second commandment, which is idol worship, or if he was referring to the long running feud between his ancestors and Haman’s.

Either way, Haman becomes filled with fury. He is extremely upset and mad. But rather than punishing Mordecai for his actions, Haman decides to have the King destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews.

The King signs the decree to destroy all the Jews on a certain day. This is where our scripture picks up this morning in chapter 4. Mordecai heard about the King’s decree and was filled with sorrow.

He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went out to the city gate wailing in grief and sorrow. Putting on sackcloth and ashes was an outward sign of an internal distress, shame, or sadness. Mordecai realized that he had prompted this genocidal retaliation by Haman.

Some of Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs saw Mordecai weeping and wailing so they came to inform her of the situation. Esther immediately sent Mordecai some clothes so he could enter the king’s gate and talk with her directly, but he refused.

Instead Mordecai and Esther communicate through a trusted servant. Mordecai tells Esther to go to the King and plead for the mercy of her people.

At first, Esther reminded Mordecai of Kingly protocol. In other words, you didn’t approach the King unless he summoned you or else you could lose your life. It appears as though for whatever reason, the King had not contacted Esther for about a month.

Esther was obviously concerned for her life by being rejected by the King. Mordecai responds by saying that she too was a Jew and she would not survive the massacre either. Mordecai also believed that if Esther did not step up so to speak, that God would still find a way to deliver them from this trouble.

Mordecai had faith in God. He believed in God’s sovereignty and power to protect His people. He believed that God had a plan and would see that plan through. No doubt, he remembered God’s promise to Abraham.

In Genesis 12:2-3, God tells Abram “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Finally, Mordecai appeals to Esther’s faith by simply asking the question, who knows if this is what God would have you do? Maybe God put you in this position for this reason, so do what you need to do, not only for yourself and your people, but for God.

Esther then agrees to visit the King, but only after she and her servants fast for three days and also Mordecai and the Jews he gathers together fast as well. Now the scripture here does not explicitly state that they prayed during this time, but I think it can be implied. Praying was and is usually a part of fasting.

And so they did according to the plan.

What an interesting turn in our story. Here we see a young girl struggle to do what was right. Think about it, we all have had to make tough decisions, but for Esther it was truly a matter of life and death.

Her decision really shows her character. She was willing to risk her life for her people. She knew the right thing to do, she had a moral responsibility to do what was right. And she did, but only after three days of prayer and fasting, gaining strength from God to do what he wanted her to do.

Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. The story of Esther occurred about 400 to 500 years before Christ and here she is, taking up her cross and carrying out God’s will.

She trusted in God’s plan and she believed and listened to Mordecai once again. I think this goes to show you that we all need that personal role model in our lives. That person that we can trust. We can always trust God and sometimes God uses others to convey His message to us.

She had a problem and consulted with her trusted friend, but more importantly she took the matter to God through prayer and fasting.

How about you? Is that what you do? Fasting doesn’t seem to be a popular method of communing with God these days. Maybe we fast for medical or health reasons but rarely for God these days.

I think part of that is because we all live in a busy, noisy society. But it is important to take our troubles and worries to God.

And I don’t mean just knock on His door and drop them off and go about our business. I mean really focus on talking to and more importantly listening to God.

We need to remember that He has much more knowledge of the situation than we do. In fact, He has the big picture of it all. He also has more power, in fact ultimate power over the situation and He has an infinite amount of resources available to use.

The next time you are struggling with something, take it to the Lord and I mean really take it to Him fully. Focus your life on Him and He will respond. He may not tell you what you want to hear, but trust Him and He will take care of you.

We have a responsibility to ourselves, to others, especially the body of Christ, but most importantly we have a responsibility to God. We need to do what is right and what He wants us to do.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank You for helping us in our times of need. Help us to be responsible and to do the right thing in all situations. Help us to do what you want us to do. We are so thankful that you do not turn our backs on us, even when we fail you.

Give us the knowledge and wisdom to know and do what it is that you would have us to do and give us the courage to do it.

AMEN

Standing Firm

2010-01-31T07:45:00.002-05:00

Scripture Reading Esther 3:1-11

Standing Firm

We come now this morning to the third chapter of Esther. Last time we left off with Esther finding favor with the King. The King and Esther get married. The older cousin and guardian of Esther, Mordecai, is still cautious though and watching out for her.

One day Mordecai was hanging out at the city gate and overhead a plot to kill the King. The men involved in the plot were a couple of the King’s officers. Mordecai tells Esther about the plot and Esther tells the King.

The King investigates the plot and finds it to be true. He has the men plotting the assignation executed and Mordecai has his name written in the Book of the Chronicles for the King. This is an important part of the story to note for later on.

Because of this assassination plot, the King increases his security and puts a guy by the name of Haman (Hay-man) in charge of the security detail. The people were to bow down and pay honor to Haman because of his position.

But Mordecai would not bow to this man. See Mordecai was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and Haman was an Agagite, a descendant of King Agag. The Agagites tried to exterminate the Jews about 1,000 years before the time of Mordecai and Haman, but the feud was still in their blood.

So Mordecai would not bow down and show honor to Haman. Some of the guards tried to warn Mordecai and questioned him as to why he would not bow down. Mordecai replied that he was a Jew and would not bow down, implying he was obeying the 2nd commandment, which forbids idol worship.

After talking with Mordecai several times to no avail, the guards finally bring Haman’s attention to the situation. Haman was filled with anger, fury, resentment, and hatred. Haman doesn’t want just Mordecai punished, but he wants to punish and eliminate the entire Jewish population.

As I mentioned before, God’s name is not mentioned throughout this book, but His hand and presence is shown through out it. The same holds true for Satan. This isn’t simply Haman wanting to kill the Jews, it is Satan’s hand at work to exterminate God’s chosen people.

Haman goes to the King and says “there is a certain group of people that refuse to obey your laws. Issue a decree to have them all killed on a certain day and we will gather their possessions into our treasury.”

The King, as usual, doesn’t ask any questions and makes the order to kill all these people, in one day all around the country. Now, the King didn’t know these people were Jews, nor did he know that his wife, Esther, was a Jew.

The decree was sent out to all of his towns and the people went crazy with confusion. They were confused because they could not understand why the King would show such hatred to a certain group of people.

What can we learn from this Scripture this morning.

Well for one thing, it seems as though political leaders rely on their advisors a little too much. It is good to gather the advice of others, but we need to make sure we have all the facts and ask the right questions before we act. We also need to think for ourselves once in a while.

When we do stand up for what we believe in, we truly need to know just what it is exactly that we are standing and believing in.

Mordecai had his beliefs and he stood for what he believed was right. He was willing to pay whatever price was necessary. When you are standing firm for what is right in God’s eyes, He will stand with you and take care of you and see you through the situation.

The world puts pressure on us to compromise our convictions today. The world says, lets sit down and have a dialogue about this topic and we can come to some type of agreement based upon our discussion.

That is what the world is like, it tries to get us to bend our beliefs and start to think more like the world. Is this what Jesus did? No, not at all!

He didn’t sit down with the Pharisees, Sadducees, or Scribes and hash out an agreement. He stood for what is right. He did not compromise.

Sometimes when we are holding true to our belief we will need to make sacrifices. We may have to give up worldly activities, friends, jobs, or even family members.

Let’s say you have a great job working for a Doctor and one day the doctor says he is going to start to perform abortions. As a Christian you are against abortions, so what do you do? Do you compromise your beliefs and help the Doctor or do you walk away from the job?

It is tough to do what is right sometimes and it may mean making difficult life changing decisions. But as we live for God, we should make the choices and decisions that He would want us to make. It won’t be easy.

You may be harassed or even persecuted for your beliefs, but that should be expected. After all, wasn’t Jesus killed by the world? If it hated Him, won’t the world hate us too if we are here representing Him?

One final though here this morning. None of us is perfect. Sometimes we all give in, we waver a little bit or make compromises. This isn’t because we want to, it is because we are weak.

It is easy to crumble apart and fail when we try to do stand for something on our own. We need to rely on Christ, all things are possible to Him who believes. We need to speak the truth, but speak it in love. And stand firm with God.

Think about the life of Peter. When Jesus was arrested all the disciples scattered. Peter denied the Lord three times. After that, Peter stood firm in His beliefs and he lost his life because of it. Tradition tells us that before he was hung on a cross, he watched his wife be executed and he kept telling her “Remember the Lord, remember the Lord.”

Stand firm in your faith and remember the Lord each day.

Closing Prayer

Lord, Help us to be strong. Thank you for giving us that strength. Give us the courage to be loyal and stand up for what is right in your eyes, even though it may cause us embarrassment or persecution in this world.

We do this not for our own ego, but for your honor and glory. AMEN.

Be Prepared

2010-01-24T07:38:00.002-05:00

Scripture Reading – Esther 2:8-16

Be Prepared

We begin our study of the book of Esther this morning. The story of Esther is about how the world tried to destroy the Jewish race. But God preserved His people. He kept His covenant with Abraham.

It is interesting to note that God’s name is never mentioned in the book of Esther, but you can see His hand at work throughout the lives of Esther and Mordecai.

Chapter One of Esther gives us a brief background about what is happening. The King of Persia, King Ahasuerus or King Xerxes as he was also known, is giving a party, a banquet for some important people in His kingdom. The princess, attendants, army officers, nobles and so on were all there.

After several days of this party, the King tells his servants to go get his wife, the queen. Dress her up nicely and bring her to the party so he can show off her beauty to everyone there.

The queen refuses the request. The King’s advisors tell him to make an edict and declare that the queen is no longer allowed in the King presence because of her disobedience.

Now they weren’t really concerned about the alleged disrespect the Queen showed the King, they were really more concerned about an uprising in their households, having their wives disobey them. Remember, at this point in time, women were treated like possessions.

So, the King listens to his advisors and the Queen is no longer allowed around Him and his edict informs everyone that the men are to be the masters of their household.

At the beginning of chapter 2 we find the King is now a little lonely without his wife, so he asks his advisors what he should do. The brilliant advisors tell him to round up all the beautiful young women, give them beauty treatments for a year and then see which is best.

Of course, the king likes this idea, so he orders it to be done. During the round up, a young women, named Esther, was taken. Esther is described as a beautiful women, having a perfect face and perfect figure. And this is before the year long beauty treatment.

Esther’s parents were killed during a raid some years ago, so she lived with her older cousin Mordecai who took care of her and treated her as a daughter. Mordecai was very well aware of the hatred for Jews, so he told Esther not to make it know that she was a Jew.

As I mentioned Esther was very pretty physically, but she was also a charming young lady with her personality. She trusted others in her life, but most importantly she trusted God.

Esther finds favor with the chief servant, Hegai, who was overseeing this project of the Kings. Hegai treats Esther nicer than the others, he provides better beauty treatment and personal advice to help Esther.

When Esther’s turn came to meet the King, the King also found favor with her and married her.

What an interesting story so far. It sounds like a nice love story or something, but how is it religious? What does it mean to us today?

Looking at Esther’s life, we see that she lost her parents. She had to rely on someone else to provide for her. She saw God’s hand protecting her through Mordecai. When she was taken from Mordecai, she listen to him and she trusted God with her life.

She was nice to her “captives” so to speak and the head servant found favor with her and helped her out. See God prepares us for our future through our current experiences. We don’t always know why things are happening the way that they are, but we can simply trust in God’s plan.

God especially uses our consciences to work in our lives. He uses it to convict us of our sin. It enables us to rely on him for strength and guidance. We don’t know what is coming next in our life.

We simply need to take it as it comes and trust that God indeed does have a plan for us. He is in control and He knows what He is doing.

Looking back at my life, and I know the world doesn’t revolve around me, but looking back just a few years ago. My wife and I were attending a church, that eventually closed. After that we rearranged our schedules and starting attending the Strongstown church were I had attended before my father entered the ministry.

From Strongstown I attended some lay speaking courses and before long I was filling in for my Dad while he was sick. Next thing I know I am preaching regularly to a couple of churches.

This all started because a Church closed and we went to another church. Had that original church not closed, I am not sure if I would have had the opportunities to do what I do today. Don’t get me wrong it was sad that the church closed, but it worked out according to God’s plan for me.

From what I understand the people who attended the church that closed have gone to another church and are actively involved in it as well.

And that is the point of our scripture this morning. Be prepared. God has a plan for you. Read His Word, look at examples of faithful people, Moses, Abraham, Mary, and so on.

Ask God to open your eyes to His plan for your life. Don’t get discouraged when things don’t appear to be going according to your plan. Instead look at God’s plan. Pray that He will open your eyes to see what He sees and for the wisdom and knowledge and trust to accept the things that have been placed into your life.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you play a part, a big part, in each and every one of our lives. We know that you have a plan for us. Help us to be available and prepared for you to use us to accomplish your plan.

Help us to prepare for your plan by studying your word and listening for your call in our lives. We don’t know what is in store for us, but we can trust in you. In Jesus Name we pray and give thanks. AMEN.

Our Relationship With Strangers

2010-01-17T07:25:00.000-05:00

Scripture Reading/Gospel Lesson – Romans 12:14-21

Last week, we looked at how Scripture describes our relationships with other believers. This morning, our Scripture gives us some practical insight into our dealings with strangers. When we reach out and minister to a stranger we don’t know if they are a Christian or not.

First, Paul tells us to bless those who persecute you.

This command goes against our human nature, our worldly feelings. How can this be? How can you bless someone who is attacking you? This makes no sense to us. Yet, this is what Paul, by the Holy Spirit, is urging his readers to do.

And not just Paul, but Christ said the same thing Himself. In Luke chapter 6 He tells us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us pray for those who mistreat us.

He even gives us some practical examples. Turn the other cheek when someone hits you. If someone takes your coat, give them your shirt as well. Give to who ever asks and do not ask for anything back.

We are to treat those who persecute us as our friends. Don’t get me wrong, we are not to be doormats or abused for the sake of being a pacifist. We are indeed to stand up for what is right according to God’s Word.

We should bless those who persecute us. Jesus did. Remember what He did while hanging on the cross? He prayed for those who were killing Him. He said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Stephen did the same thing in Acts at the end of chapter 7 as he was being stoned. He cried out, Lord, Do not hold this sin against them. Oddly enough, the next verse which is Chapter 8 verse 1 is Saul, Paul approving of Stephen’s execution.

The next time someone is attacking you, don’t attack back. Be nice, love them, bless them, pray for them.

Second, Paul tells us to sympathize and empathize with strangers.

We should try to identify with those we come in contact with and do whatever it is we can do to help them. We should put ourselves in their shoes if you will. Everyone has bad days at time. It is possible for those bad days to turn into better days when someone is there to help.

One of the simplest things we can do is to simply be available when others need us. Sometimes there is nothing we can do or say to help a person, but just being there with them makes all the difference in the world to them.
Of course, we can give them physical help if we are able. And we should always be praying for them.

Our Scripture gives us two specific ways to identify with people in verse 15, “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”

They sound so simple, yet we find ways to mess them up. Sometimes when we hear of someone’s good news, do we maybe get a little jealous? What if their happiness is at our expense?

For example, if you and another person were applying for the same job and only one person was going to get it. And that person wasn’t you! Would you rejoice with the other person who got “your” job?

But that is what we are called to do. We are to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. No matter what is happening in our life we are to show our joy when things are going well for someone else.

Sometimes others aren’t rejoicing, instead, they are weeping. We too are commanded to weep with them. Compassion is a necessary characteristic of a Christian. We must be prepared to feel the pain that others are feeling.

Third, in our dealings with strangers, we must be impartial. We are to treat everyone the same, no matter their race, gender, socioeconomic status, or whatever. We are to treat them the same.

This leads into the fourth way in which we deal with strangers: avoiding elitism. Paul instructs us to guard against any temptation to put ourselves above others. We are no better than anyone else.

We are to associate with the rich and the poor, the weak and the strong, the influential people and the needy people of this world. There is no place for elitism in the family of God.

Unfortunately, this attitude does prevail in some churches. When elitism exists among Christians the entire integrity of the ministry suffers. We are to help all people, not just those that can help us out later on.

Last, when dealing with strangers, we need to avoid conceit. We cannot be so conceited in ourselves that we trust only in our own wisdom. We must remember where we get our wisdom from.

We do these things not for our own ego. We do them to faithfully serve God. We live our lives with integrity and submit to His will for our lives. Our confidence is not in our abilities, rather our confidence should be in Him.

Of course, throughout our lives we will come into contact with people who hate us, they are our personal enemies.
As I mentioned blessing those you persecute you is challenging, so Paul concludes with a few more tips about dealing with those personal enemies in your life.

First, we do not return evil for evil. We are not to retaliate by revenge. We do not take the law into our own hands.

Instead we are to respect what is right. We should respond to evil with good. When we act graciously to our enemies then all will see the testimony of Jesus in our life.

Paul tells us to live at peace with everyone as far as possible. Remember it takes two to make peace. We are to desire peace and act appropriately. This means we do not hold a grudge or inward bitterness toward them. We must forgive our enemies to pursue peace with them.

We must overcome evil with good. We should rely on God’s power to gets us through any situation that we are in. If we are focused on God and serving Him, then we won’t need to worry about being overwhelmed by the evil of this world.

As we obey God we can actually see a transformation not only in our life, but also in the lives of those around us as well. Try it and see for yourself.

Closing Prayer

Lord we thank you again for our time in your Word this morning. We thank You for giving us the opportunity to come here and worship you.

There are so many strangers out there in this world and we don’t know which ones are your faithful servants, so help us to treat them all with love, respect, and kindness. Not because we want to look good, but because we want to serve You.

AMEN

Our Relationship With Other Believers

2010-01-10T07:19:00.000-05:00

Scripture Reading/Gospel Lesson – Romans 12:10-13

Our Scripture this morning gives us some practical insight into our dealings with other Christians. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives us the main theme of our behavior toward other Christians.

First, displaying Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love is the key indicator by which the church proves to the world that it is genuine and belongs to Christ. John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This type of love is not just a mandatory rule, rather it is an inescapable part of being a Christian. “Whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him” (1 John 5:1). The most basic demonstration of brotherly love is when we love and care for a fellow Christian more than we care for ourselves.

This takes time to develop, but eventually to the spiritually mature Christian it will be a natural response. This is not just a sentimental affection toward another person. This is a deep down concern for their overall physical, mental, and especially spiritual well being.

A Christian loves fellow Christians.

Second, a Christian should give honor to one another.

Humility is a crucial aspect of brotherly love. This is not a fake praise of someone. It simply means to show genuine thankfulness and respect for other members of God’s family.

Empty compliments only show a person’s selfishness and lack of integrity. God wants us to be considerate of our fellow Christian brothers and sisters. We should be quick to acknowledge their accomplishments with genuine honor.

Christians honor God by honoring each other.

Third, Christians do not lag behind in diligence

We need to make the most of whatever time the Lord has given us on earth. Many opportunities for Christian service only come our way once, and we must take advantage of them.

There is no room for laziness in God’s kingdom. Not only does it waste our time and opportunities to serve the Lord, but it also allows evil the chance to encroach in your life.

Think about it, kids usually get into trouble when they have nothing to do right? Anybody here ever serve in the military? I’ll bet your commanding officer always gave you a bunch of stupid, pointless things to do, right? He did this so you didn’t get into trouble.

There is a common expression today of Carpe diem, meaning seize the day. That is the way Jesus lived His life and that too is the way we should live our lives for Christ. Seize the opportunity to serve Christ each and every day.

Christians are not lazy, especially when it comes to doing the work God has given us to do.

Fourth, Christians are fervent in spirit

This simply means we need to maintain our commitment to the Lord’s work. We should be diligent in our efforts for God. We need to do the right things and do the things we do right. That is efficiency and effectiveness.

Christians do what God wants them to do and they do it with passion.

Fifth, Christians serving the Lord

Serving the Lord calls us to examine our priorities. This should be the focus of our lives. The things we do must be consistent with Scripture. Not only that, but they should bring honor to God.

We are to serve God with a sense of priority and integrity. We don’t have to rely on our own strength, rather we can draw on the power of God to do what He wants us to do.

Christians serve the Lord throughout their lives.

Sixth, Christians rejoice in hope

The Christian life will by no means be easy. We will still experience temptations from worldly desires and we will be persecuted and ridiculed for our beliefs. Without hope we would never be able to triumph over them.

The scriptural concept of hope is one in which we can have full confidence. Hope is not based on wishful thinking rather it is an integral part of our salvation. It is certain. God gives us hope each day, the hope of knowing that He is there caring for us and watching over us.

Christians rejoice in the hope that God provides for them.

Seventh, Christian persevere during times of tribulation

The hope we have in God allows us to persevere through whatever situation we may be in.

Eighth, Christians are devoted to prayer

One of the main reasons God allows “bad” things to happen to us is to build our trust in Him rather than relying on ourselves. Our reliance upon Him is built through prayer. Prayer needs to be a part of our daily life. Thanking God for what He has done, what He is currently doing, and what He will do.

Ninth, Christians contribute to the needs of other believers

As we look around and think about our lives we believe we own stuff. We own cars, houses, and other things. They are ours. In reality, God owns it all and He lets us use it. We are to be good stewards of the things He has given to us.

One of the most important ways that we can be a good steward of the things God has given to us is to use them for His glory and honor. We do this by giving to those follow Christians in need.

Lastly, Christian practice hospitality

Paul finishes his list of our duties to fellow believers by saying that we have a responsibility of practicing hospitality toward others, especially Christians. We are to pursue the love of others.

We are to care for them, not just during emergency situations or times of obvious need, rather we are to simply look for things we can do anytime.

Hospitality is a Biblical standard. Our homes and lives should be open to help those in need. All believers should be known by their love and hospitality.

When we are hospitable to others we may never fully realize the ramifications of our kindness. We don’t do this just to feel good about ourselves, we do it because it is the right thing to do and God wants us to do it. We do it for Him.

Jesus tells us that when we are hospitable and ministering to others we are doing the same to Him. Likewise, if we turn our backs on others, then we are turning our backs to Him as well.

If you get a change later on this afternoon or this week, read back through our scripture this morning and think and pray about ways in which you can improve your life as a Christian.

Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for our time in your Word this morning. Help us to be better Christians so that others may truly see Christ in us. AMEN

Making Disciples of All Nations

2010-01-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Scripture Reading: (click link to download audio) Matthew 28:16-20

Making Disciples of All Nations

This central message of Scripture pertains to the central mission of the people of God, a mission that many Christians do not understand nor are they willing to fulfill. It seems obvious that some Christians think little about their mission in this world, except in regard to their own personal needs.

They attend services and meetings when it is convenient, take what they feel like taking, and have little concern for anything else. They are involved in the church only to the extent that it serves their own desires.

It escapes both their understanding and their concern that the Lord has given His church a supreme mission and that He calls every believer to be an instrument in fulfilling that mission.

If the average church member were surveyed concerning the primary purpose of the church, it is likely that many diverse answers would be given. But I think we would see a theme or a general pattern.

What about you? What do you think the primary mission of the Church is.

A large number would rank fellowship first, the opportunity to associate and interact with fellow Christians who share similar beliefs and values. They highly value the fact that the church provides activities and programs for the whole family and is a place where relationships are nurtured and shared and where inspiration is provided through good preaching and beautiful music.

Some Christians would consider sound biblical teaching to be the church’s principal function, explaining Scripture and strengthening believers in knowledge of and obedience to God’s revealed truth.

That emphasis would include helping believers discover and minister their spiritual gifts in various forms of leadership and service. Like fellowship, that too is a basic function of the church.

Some members would consider praise of God to be the supreme purpose of the church. They emphasize the church as a praising community that exalts the Lord in adoration and reverence. It is true, praise is clearly a central purpose of God’s people, just as it has always been and will always be a central activity of heaven, where both saints and angels will eternally sing praises to God.

All of those emphases are thoroughly biblical and should characterize every church. But neither separately nor together do they represent the central purpose and mission of the church in the world.
The supreme purpose and motive of every individual believer and every body of believers is to glorify God. We are to praise, honor, and glorify God in every aspect of our life.

The mission that flows out of our loving fellowship, our spiritual growth, and our praise is that of being God’s faithful and obedient instruments in His plan to redeem the world. That plan began in eternity past, before the foundation of the world.

The supreme way in which God chose to receive glory was through the redemption of sinful people, and it is through participation in that redemptive plan that believers themselves most glorify God. Through Christ, God was “reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor. 5:19).

It has never been God’s will for any person “to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). He “desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).

God’s heart has always longed to bring sinful, rebellious men back to Himself, to give them new, righteous, and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. He so greatly “loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Paul rejoiced that God’s “grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:15). The apostle told the Corinthian believers and all Christians: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31). Every time an unbeliever is saved by God’s grace, God is glorified.

The great mission of the church is to love, learn, and live as to call men and women to Jesus Christ. As sinners we are forgiven and are transformed from death to life and from darkness to light, God is glorified through that gracious miracle. The glory of God is manifest in His loving provision to redeem lost men. He Himself paid the ultimate price to fulfill His glory.

Therefore, the believe who desires to glorify God, who wants to honor God’s supreme will and purpose, must share God’s love for the lost world and share in His mission to redeem the lost to Himself.

Christ came into the world that He loved and sought to win sinners to Himself for the Father’s glory. As Christ’s representatives, we are likewise sent into the world that He loves to bring the lost to Him and thereby bring glory and honor to God. Our mission is the same mission as that of the Father and of the Son.

While on earth, Jesus glorified the Father by accomplishing His mission of providing eternal life to those who trust in Him, by reconciling lost men to the God they had forsaken. Jesus’ supreme purpose on earth was “to seek and the save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

That is therefore also the supreme mission of Christ’s church. The work of the church is an extension of the work of Christ. “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).

There is only one reason the Lord allows His church to remain on earth: to seek and to save the lost, just as Christ’s only reason for coming to earth was to seek and to save the lost. Therefore, a believer who is not committed to winning the lost for Jesus Christ should reexamine his relationship to the Lord.

Fellowship, teaching, and praise are not the mission of the church but are rather the preparation of the church to fulfill its mission of winning the lost.

Christian fellowship, biblical preaching and teaching, and times of praise to God are good and godly, and in many ways carry their own rewards and blessings. But reaching the lost for Christ is much more difficult and demanding, and the results are often slow in coming and the rewards are sometimes long delayed.

The gospel is frequently resented by those to whom we witness, and sometimes faithful witnessing is ridiculed even by fellow believers. Yet above all others, that ministry can only be accomplished while we are on earth. We will have no opportunity in heaven to call the lost to the Savior.

We are to make ourselves available to God for Him to use to carry out the mission of the Church. This will involve submitting and obeying Him, so that His power may be displayed for His Glory.

Let us all make that our mission for this year. To bring people to Christ, so that God may be glorified through us.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for using us to carry our your will. We thank you for providing us with the strength and opportunities to minister to others. Help us to do that so you may be honored and glorified when sinners are drawn to you and repent of their lifestyle. AMEN.

Mary: A Faithful Worshiper of God

2009-12-27T07:20:00.001-05:00

Scripture Reading (click to download audio) – Luke 1:46-55

Mary: A Faithful Worshiper of God

This morning we are looking at Mary, the mother of our Lord. It seems as though throughout history the world has kind of romanticized Mary. There are paintings of her that exalt her like an angel or something.

There are churches that lift her up as being a co-redeemer with Christ in Heaven. They have termed her Queen of Heaven believing she is a sinless lifelong virgin, and so on.

The problem with these claims is the fact that none of them can be backed up with scripture. Scripture tells us that Mary was pretty much a common young girl, from a working class family. The only thing that we get from Scripture that makes her different is her extraordinary faith.

We read this morning Mary’s hymn of praise, traditionally known as the Magnificat. There is no doubt about it, this is truly a hymn of joy. This is true worship of God. We are going to evaluate Mary’s worship here this morning.

First, the proper attitude of worship is internal. We worship God from the heart, not because we think we need to put on a good show or anything like that. Look at how Mary starts in verse 46 and 47, she says, “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

The soul and spirit refer to internal things. They speak of the mind, the emotions, and the will. These are all feelings of the heart. Worship of God is more than just being impressed by a nice looking church or listening and singing moving, emotional hymns.

Real worship occurs when our internal state is focused on God. We praise Him. We thank Him. We think of Him. We speak of Him. He is our life. That is true worship of God. Having our hearts, our lives focused on Him. Giving Him the honor and glory.

This is an intense focus. Mary had that focus on God. She was not a hypocrite. She didn’t say these things just to sound good. She truly felt them and had a heart filled with joy. Now, this wasn’t just a one time event. Mary continued to praise God throughout her life.

Mary also recognized her humanity. She was a humble person. Often times people let pride get in their way of worshiping God. They are more focused on themselves than on God. That is not true worship.

Mary is focused not on herself, but on God. In verse 48, Mary did acknowledge herself. And when she did she realized her spiritual unworthiness. This doesn’t mean she was ungodly or unrighteous. She was simply acknowledging that her blessings came from God, not from anything that she did.

Mary worshiped God because He is the only true object of our worship. Nothing else, nothing more, nothing less. Mary worshiped God because she knew He was her Savior who would redeem her from her sin.

In verse 48-49, Mary recognized what God was doing for her. She says, “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.”

She was so thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to raise the child that would be the Savior.

Mary also recognized what God will do for others. Verse 50 says, “And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him.”

She knew she was not the only person to be blessed by the birth of Christ. She knew everyone who came to Christ would find salvation. God’s saving mercy is granted to those true genuine believers who come to the Lord in love and fear.

Finally, in verses 51 through 55 Mary worships God because of what He has done in the past. She was simply listing, speaking, and remembering the things that God has done for her people in the past.

Think about what God has done for us. Not just us individually, but us collectively as a nation. We have the freedoms we have today, because people stood up for what was right. There have been many soldiers that fought and died to preserve our freedoms.

We should never take any blessing for granted, but accept it as a gift from God. Thank Him and worship Him appropriately. The trouble with thanking God for our blessings is not figuring out what the blessings are, but finding the time to thank Him for all of them.

It is obvious that Mary was extremely thankful to God for all that He had done, was doing, and will do, not only for her but for all of humanity. Mary is a wonderful example of a true worshiper of God.

There will be many times when we don’t understand what He is doing or why He is doing it. It is during those times, that we need to remember the things God has done for us and others and trust in His plan for what is happening now and in the future.

Mary is also a good example of that trust. She had confidence in God’s actions. She knew that what God would do with her and through her would work out just as He had planned. She knew God was righteous, faithful, and true. She believed and trusted.

How can we be like Mary? When we get into those situations that seem to make us say, “Why me, God?” remember Mary’s response. She worshiped God for what he had done, what he was doing and what He would do in the future.

Mary’s worship was from the heart. Is yours? She worshiped God for who He was and what He had done. Not because she wanted to get something from Him. She had the right heart attitude.

As we prepare to start a new year, do you have the right heart attitude. Are you prepared to truly worship God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do?

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for providing us with the example of Mary. She was indeed your humble servant. Thank you for blessing her with the care of your son. Thank you for providing her with the right attitude toward you and the work that you would have her do.

Help us to manifest that same attitude in our lives today as well. Help us to humbly serve you with out lives. Give us the strength and courage that we need to carry out your will here on earth.

AMEN

The Birth of Christ

2009-12-24T07:15:00.001-05:00

Scripture Reading (click to download audio) – Luke 2:1-20

Our Scripture this evening is very well known to each one of us. God sets his plan in motion by using the human government to accomplish His will. Caesar orders a census and Joseph and Mary must travel to Bethlehem. This of course is where it was prophesied many years before that the Messiah would be born. God controls all history.

They arrive at the village and look for a place to stay. But the village is full and there was no room for them at the inn. Mary gives birth and lays the child in the manger. Mary and Joseph were obeying God’s plan for their lives.

This once again shows that even when we are doing exactly what God wants, it doesn’t mean we will be given an easy or even comfortable life here on earth. But we are promised that God will take care of us and there is a purpose to God’s plan.

Meanwhile, out in the nearby field there were some shepherds watching over their flock. Suddenly, an angel appears to these shepherds and announces the birth of Christ.

Shepherds were the outcasts of society. Because of their occupation, they were unclean people, both in a religiously ritual way and probably in a sanitary way as well. But we see the birth announced to these people first.

This is God’s way of telling us that his mercy, love, and salvation is available to all. Suddenly, a host of angels appear, singing praise to God. They sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Peace on earth does not mean some type of universal peace among nations, rather it is peace among God’s people. He is pleased with them, not because of anything they have done, but because He sent His son into the world to save the world from their sins.

Our peace comes from Jesus Christ, not from anything we do. God is pleased with us because of Jesus Christ, not from any good work we attempt.

After seeing and hearing the angels, the shepherds head to Bethlehem. Sure enough they find the child laying in a manger, just as the angel described. They spread the word around town and everyone was amazed.

These Shepherds were really the first evangelists. They heard the word and believed. Then they spread the word.

Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. She has a lot to think about and trying to put it all into perspective would be very challenging. At this point in time, Mary probably has the most complete picture of the entire story.

From the angel Gabriel she was told that this Child will be great. He will be the Son of the Most High and would sit on the throne of David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end. He is the holy One, the Son of God.

She remembers, Elizabeth’s words calling her the “Mother of my Lord.” She thinks back to Joseph telling her about his dream. That this Child would be conceived by the holy spirit and would save the people from their sins. His name will be called Immanuel, for God is with us.

And now the Shepherds come and call him their Savior. What wonderful things to think about.

Christmas is the time that we too think about the birth of Christ. But we must not stop at his birth. This baby grows, lives, dies, rises, and ascends to Heaven for us. One day He will come back, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

He will rule the world and judge all people according to their decisions about Him. The Good News about Jesus is that He is available to all who come to Him. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you can have Jesus in your life.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for coming to earth as a child and living like we live only without sin. Help us to be more like you in our lives. We thank you for that sacrifice that you made for us. Strengthen us, so we may carry out your will here on earth.

Lord, I ask that if there is anyone here who hasn’t been living the life that you want, that you would convict them of it tonight and change their hearts so that they may faithfully serve you with their lives.

Prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for our Communion together with you this evening. AMEN.

John The Baptist – The Greatest Man

2009-12-21T14:41:00.006-05:00

Scripture Reading/Gospel Lesson – Luke 1:68-79

John The Baptist – The Greatest Man

We continue our look at John the Baptist this morning. He is the greatest man who ever lived. In Matthew 11:11, Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.”

But what makes him so great? We will be looking at some of John’s personal characteristics this morning to see what made him so great.

First of all, his ability to overcome his weaknesses.

Many people have trouble in life. Everyone runs into trouble and faces difficult circumstances. Some people give up or succumb to the temptation. However, overcoming those problems is what separates a great person from an indifferent person.

Great people fight through their obstacles in life to do what is right and honorable to God. That sounds like John doesn’t it?

Remember John was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He had been set apart and chosen by God to announce the arrival of the Messiah. He saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His Baptism. He heard God the Father declare Jesus to be His beloved Son.

Yet, John had doubts about Jesus. Those doubts troubled him. He wanted to know the truth about Jesus. He wasn’t trying to protect his ministry or his popularity. He simply wanted to know the truth.

So he sent some messengers to Jesus to find out the truth. I am sure John would have gone himself, but he was in prison at the time. John overcame his human weakness to seek the truth and when he heard the truth, that Jesus is who He says He is, then John took a back seat in his ministry.

How do you deal with your weaknesses? We all have them. John didn’t ignore them. He confronted them head on. We should do the same. God will give you the strength you need, just ask Him for it.

Second, John held strongly to his convictions.

John also held very strong convictions in his life. John stood up to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and even to Herod himself, which landed him in prison. He didn’t back down from his beliefs.

In fact, John was so strong in his convictions that some people thought he was the Messiah (Luke 3:15). John was popular and sometimes people compromise to maintain their popularity. But not John.

He had many opportunities to gain the approval of the important figures in society. But rather than compromising with the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to listen and even be baptized by him, John called them a “brood of vipers.”

He confronted their sin and hypocrisy. John knew what was right and wrong. He stood for those things that were right. Again he did this not for himself, but for the glory of God.

How about you? Do you hold to your convictions? Or do you compromise with the world? Do you stand for what is right or do your simply ignore the wrongs of society?

Thirdly, he denied himself.

John’s life could never be described as an easy life. He wore camel hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. He must have been a pretty rough, tough looking person.

He was an important messenger of God, but he didn’t live like, dress like, or talk like the other religious leaders. He wore practical clothing, but probably not comfortable clothing and defiantly not stylish clothing.

The same holds true for his food. It provided him with the physical nourishment that he needed, but it wouldn’t have been enjoyable like a nice delicious steak or Caesar salad.

The lifestyle John lived was in direct contrast to the religious leaders. They were self-satisfied, self-indulgent, and self-righteous people. John was so consumed with the calling God had placed upon him, that he denied himself and was not attracted to the enticements of the world.

His devotion to his ministry overruled all of his personal comforts and interests. Doesn’t Jesus tell us to do the same? Aren’t we to deny ourselves and follow Him? Now I am not saying we need to live like hermits, misers, or monks, but we do need to focus our life on God.

John was filled with and controlled by the Spirit of God. He was obedient to God’s word. He was self-controlled. He was humble. He courageously and faithfully proclaimed God’s word. He was faithful in leading people to Christ.

What a wonderful example for us to follow today as well. That is a pattern for all those who seek greatness, Godly greatness.

As we know, John’s message was that of repentance. “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is not just a change of mind, but a radical change of life. Jesus spoke of the same thing.

Repentance means turning from your sin and in faith turning to God for salvation. John taught this and he lived it.

Christmas is only a week and a half away. Are you living the life John lived? Do you overcome your weaknesses? Do you have strong convictions about right and wrong and hold to them? Do you deny yourself for God?

Those are some things to think about as we continue to prepare our lives for not only the celebration of the birth of our Lord, but His return as well.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for giving us an example of faith to follow in John the Baptist. Help us to live as he did.

Strengthen us to overcome our weaknesses and empower us to stand for what is right, true, and honorable in your sight. Most of all help us to deny ourselves and our worldly desires to serve you with our lives.

AMEN

John the Baptist - Preparing the Way

2009-12-07T12:11:00.004-05:00

Luke 3:7-14
Length: 10:35

This is a message given on December 6, 2009 at the Bowdertown United Methodist Church.

John the Baptist – Preparing the Way
With the ministry of John the Baptist, the Messianic prophecies start to take shape. The mystery of God starts to be revealed, that is the Good News of Jesus Christ. As I am sure we all know, it was John’s duty to introduce the Messiah, to prepare the way for Christ.

He did this along the banks of the Jordan river. People from all over the area came to hear John’s preaching. John had a simple, yet profound message. The Kingdom of God is coming. In order to prepare for the Kingdom, people must repent and be baptized.

This is the same Christian baptism that we celebrate today. However, when we are baptized we look back at the cross whereas, the Old Testament saints looked forward to the cross. But we are all saved by faith, by trusting and believing in God’s promise to us.

In our Scripture, we see a quote from Isaiah here pointing to John. The idea describes the preparation made for the coming of a king or some other dignitary. When a king or some other important dignitary was coming to visit your town, the road crew would go out and fix up the road.

In a spiritual sense, John was calling the people of Israel to prepare, to clean up, their hearts for the coming of their Messiah. John did this through his preaching and teaching. He introduced many Messianic concepts as well as a baptism of repentance, which would prepare the hearts and minds of the people to follow Jesus.

John was a rough looking guy. He wore a camel haired coat with a leather belt. He ate wild honey and locusts. We would probably refer to him as a hermit or mountain man today.

John’s preaching was both practical and penetrating He was preaching to the Jews, in particular to the scribes and Pharisees. People from all over were coming to be baptized, even some of the scribes and Pharisees.

Unfortunately, their motives were wrong. What they needed was a repentance that produced fruit As we have looked at before, the word repentance means a change of mind. It is a change of your thoughts and your behaviors.

Just as faith without works is dead, so is repentance without the corresponding change in your actions. This does not mean we are sinless, it simply means that our direction in life is moving toward God in a Holy manner.

John warns them not to simply trust in their heritage. We are justified before God not because of our parents but because of our relationship with Him. Repentance is all the more important when you consider the imminent judgment against nonbelievers.

As we saw last week, the next big thing God does will be His second coming. John mentions the judgment here to the Jews as well. He says God’s ax is ready to chop down any tree that does not produce fruit.

What then should we do? Three groups come and ask John that same question. There is the Jewish crowd, the tax collectors and the soldiers.

First, John talks to the Jewish crowd. He says if you have more than you need, then share it with others. He is talking about the basic necessities of life: food and clothing. We are not to build our earthly treasures to hoard for our own selfish desires. Rather, we are to share with others the things that they need.

Second, John addresses the tax collectors. No one really liked the tax collectors, so it is likely that people wouldn’t accept basic necessities from them. Tax collectors were considered traitors and were looked upon as being no better than prostitutes and murderers.

The tax collectors were hired by Rome to collect a certain about of taxes for Rome. Anything they collected above that amount they were able to keep for themselves. So the more taxes they collected the more they were able to keep and make a profit. No wonder they were despised.

What is John response to the tax collectors? “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” In other words, taxes are a part of life and people are to pay them, but the tax collectors should not abuse their positions of authority.

Finally, John addresses the soldiers that were there. He tells them not to rob anyone and to be content with their wages.

The things that John tells the people of his day, still apply to us today as well. We are to show compassion, especially to the disadvantaged. We do this not because we want to look like or feel like good people nor do we do it simply because that is what we are supposed to do. We do this because the Kingdom of God is at hand. We do this for God!

God is about to show up and we better be prepared. We need to clean up our act so that when He does appear we will avoid the judgment that is cast upon the unbelieving world.

John lived a life away from distractions so he could hear God’s instructions. The purpose of his ministry was to prepare the people to accept Jesus as God’s son. When John called people to repent, he started a new way of relating to God individually.

Is change needed in your life so you can hear and understand God’s call to you? You have to admit your need for forgiveness before you can accept it. To prepare to receive Christ, repent. Denounce the world’s way of living and follow Christ.

Remember, to share what you have with others, and not just physical needs, but spiritual needs as well. Whatever job you do, give it your best and honest effort. And be content.

God has no use for people who call themselves Christians, yet don’t do anything for Christ. If others can’t see Christ in you, then maybe Christ isn’t in you.

Let’s make sure people see Christ in us, especially this Christmas.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you again for our time in your word this morning. Help us to bring others to Christ as John prepared the Jews so long ago. Give us the courage and strength that we need to be your followers in this world today. Be with us this morning as we commune together. AMEN.

Be Prepared

2009-12-01T07:58:00.004-05:00

Luke 21:25-36
Length: 18:55

This is a message given on November 29, 2009 at the Bowdertown United Methodist Church.

Be Prepared

Our Scripture lesson this morning is an unusual one to start the season of Advent. Usually at this time of year we focus on the birth of Christ and the Bible does indeed give us many details about His birth.

But we must remember that Advent means the coming or arrival especially of something important. Certainly, the birth of our Lord and Savior was important, but it already happened. We don’t have to wait for it or hope that it will happen.

So instead we as Christians await the second coming of our Lord and Savior. In fact, the bible tells the story of Jesus’ second coming in just as much detail as His birth. The most clear and dramatic revelation comes from Jesus’ own mouth to His disciples.

With the return of Christ there will be signs throughout the universe. When the world sees these signs it will be in great panic. For the true believer in Jesus Christ we are to lift our heads. The things that will occur during the final days are of great expectation, joy, and triumph for us.

Why should it be a joyful time for us? Because our redemption is near. The final fullness of our redemption. This is when the redeemed, the true believers, are reunited with Christ forever. What a day that will be.

We don’t know when Jesus will return. There have been many claims about His exact return, but we really don’t know when. We do know He is coming soon. His return will be the next big thing that God does. He will return the same way He left, He will come in the clouds with great power and glory.

His return will surprise the world. It will destroy even the most intimate of relationships among people. So we had better be ready. Many people are afraid the world will be destroyed by nuclear war, disease, or climate change.

Indeed our world is unstable because we as people and governments make it that way. God’s word provides the stability that we can trust in. People spend so much time and energy focusing on worldly activities that they forget the eternal truth of God’s world.

We need to pray for the strength to keep alert. Rather than giving us the precise time of Christ’s return we are told to simply be ready.

How can we be ready? We are told to be faithful, watchful, be a good steward of the things we are given, expect His return, and be prepared for it. That is what we need to focus our lives on. That is what we need to do. There is no better time than today.

The first time Christ came to earth the wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What can we bring to Him today? The start of our Advent season is a great time to place the emphasis in our life on the things that God wants us to do.

We should not be misled or get confused by people claiming to know more than the Bible tells us or people speculating as to what will happen when.

We should be out in the world telling people about what we do know. We should be telling them about Christ, no matter what the consequences are. We must stand firm in our faith and not be surprised when we are persecuted for them.

We must live as though we believe the Bible as God’s Holy Word.

We are obviously in the middle of the largest, longest, most elaborate and most expensive celebration in the United States, Christmas. Nothing even comes close to it. In fact, you could collect all other holidays celebrated here, put them together and they wouldn’t even come close Christmas. More activity goes on, more events, more spending, more celebrating, more parties, more everything than with any other event.

The story of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is probably the most well-known ancient story in the United States. It is amazing what the birth of Jesus about two thousand years ago has set in motion in terms of our society. And it seems to get bigger every year. It certainly starts earlier every year.

I gage the Christmas shopping season by Wal*Mart. October 21st is when I noticed the first Christmas wrapping paper on the store shelves. Egg Nog, which for some reason is only produced around Christmas, used to be available shortly before Thanksgiving. This year I bought the first carton on October 7th. The Christmas shopping season really does come earlier and earlier each year.

Though the main event historically is the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, that no longer is the simple reality of Christmas. The birth has been severely obscured and confused and clouded by unrelated worldly activities like shopping and partying. And mix in a few winter items and somehow you get a rather confused scenario.

But still, the reason for all of this at the heart is the birth of the Son of God. The world has literally created its biggest party around that event. Make no mistake about it there will not be a party the next time He comes.

In fact, the Bible says all enterprise business will cease when He comes. It will be the end of everything. The Bible says no more music, no more singing, no more joy, no more celebration the next time He comes.

The world is eager to embrace a baby in a manger, but not at all interested in embracing a sovereign Lord coming in power and glory out of the sky to judge the world. And yet, when our Lord was ready to leave this earth, He said, “I will come again.” Physically, literally, historically just as He came the first time. The first time He came as a baby to save sinners. The second time He comes in full deity and glory to judge sinners and to establish His Kingdom.

That is the message we need to take with us this Christmas. Be prepared.

Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You again for the wonderful truth of Your Second Coming. We can’t even think of the manger in Bethlehem and the baby without thinking about the King, the Lord of glory, the one who will come as judge, they are one and the same.

There’s no point in knowing only the beginning of the story and not the end of it, the end is everything. We thank You, Lord, that You’ve told us not only the beginning with regard to the story of Jesus, but the end as well.

Prepare us for Your return. Prepare us all to give you the gifts that You deserve when You come.

And I pray, Lord, that for those who do not know Christ, those that do not know salvation, that they might even now be rescued before this judgment comes. Save people from their indifference and from their worldly lifestyles.

Help them, Lord, to come to the only refuge, the only place where they can come and escape even to the Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again for our salvation. Bring many sinners to Christ, we pray for Your glory, Amen