Peter Restored: John 21:15-25

Peter Restored: John 21:15-25

Continuing in our series of the twelve disciples, today we are going to look briefly at Peter, a man who embodies the reality that God often chooses the weak and flawed to do extraordinary things. Peter's life is a powerful illustration of the sovereignty of God in salvation and service.

Initially, we meet Simon, a common fisherman – rough, uneducated, and likely impulsive. Jesus sees something more in him, renaming him "Peter," which means "rock" (Greek: Petros). This new name wasn't immediately reflective of his character, but rather a prophetic declaration of what God would make him through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Peter, along with James and John, experienced firsthand Jesus' miraculous power – the great catch of fish, healings, and even the raising of Jairus' daughter. These encounters began to shape his understanding of who Jesus truly was.

A pivotal moment is Peter's confession in Matthew 16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus affirms this declaration, stating that this truth is revealed by the Father, not by human reasoning. He then famously says, "On this rock I will build my church," often interpreted as referring to the truth Peter confessed – the deity of Christ – as the unshakeable foundation of the church, not Peter himself. While Peter played a crucial role, the focus remains on Christ and the truth of His identity.

However, Peter's journey wasn't one of constant strength. Peter had many failures, which serve as stark reminders of our own human frailty. We see his impulsive nature in his attempt to walk on water (and subsequent fear and doubt), his cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant, and most significantly, his three denials of Jesus during His trial. These moments underscore the reality that even those closest to Christ can stumble badly.

But the story doesn't end there, which is where our Scripture picks up today. We must never forget the transformative power of God's grace. After the resurrection, Jesus specifically seeks out Peter, restoring him and commissioning him to "feed my sheep." This highlights God's unwavering love and forgiveness, even in the face of significant failure.

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep…..Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

And Peter did!

Following Pentecost, Peter emerges as a bold and powerful preacher, a true "rock" in the early church. His sermons in Acts are filled with conviction and a clear understanding of the gospel. He leads the early church, performing miracles and fearlessly proclaiming the name of Jesus, even in the face of persecution.

A study of Peter's epistles reveals a mature leader, urging believers toward holiness, perseverance, and a proper understanding of Scripture. His letters show his growth in grace and his commitment to sound doctrine, warning against false teachers and encouraging steadfast faith in the face of suffering.

In conclusion, Peter's life is a powerful testament to God's sovereign grace. He was a flawed and impulsive man whom God transformed into a foundational leader of the early church. His story reminds us that God doesn't require perfection, but a willingness to be used, and that even in our greatest failures, God's forgiveness and restoration are available through Jesus Christ. Peter's journey, from fisherman to apostle, underscores the truth that the power is not in the man, but in the God who calls and equips.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for this great confidence that comes to us through Your Word.  What a joy it is as we put ourselves with those disciples on that day who heard these thrilling words of hope 

and promise. You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Keep us faithful and filled with joy as we anticipate the ultimate triumph yet to come. Use us this week to proclaim that Jesus is indeed who He says He is. For Christ's glory we pray.  Amen.

Independence Day

Independence Day is a holiday we celebrate commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States. The thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the monarch of Britain, King George III.

When we think of July fourth today, we think of barbeques, fireworks, spending time with friends and family. But it is also a time to celebrate all the freedoms we are given through Christ.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. – 1 Peter 2:16 [ESV]

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. – Galatians 5:1 [NKJV]

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 

– Galatians 5:13 [NLT]

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

– 2 Corinthians 3:17 [NIV]

Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. – Psalm 118:5 [ESV]

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. – Psalm 33:12 [KJV]

As a nation we are no longer subject to Great Britain, but as a nation are we subject to God? Are we His servants, doing his will? If not, God’s patience will run out and his judgement and wrath will be cast upon our nation.

If you read Romans chapter 1 starting in verse 18, you may think that God’s judgement is already here.

Today, we need to remain hopeful, to live and proclaim the Gospel and stay focused on the freedom we have in Christ.

A Father's Blessing

Message

A FATHER’S BLESSING. Ephesians 3:14-4:3

Today is Father’s Day, a day we celebrate fathers and their impact on their children and families. So I decided to look at some Fathers in the bible and what better place to start than the beginning with Adam who had many sons and daughters. As we know, his first son was Cain and second son was Abel. In Genesis 4:8 we read, “Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” 

Maybe starting with Adam wasn’t the best idea, so I decided to move to the next major father figure in the bible. In Genesis 6:9-10 we read, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

We all know the story, they all get on the boat, survive the flood and live happily ever after, right. Not exactly. Sometime after the flood Noah got drunk and Canaan, Ham’s son, was cursed.

So let's move on to the next father, Abram or Abraham as we know him. We know his sons Ishmael and Isaac. Well their descendants are still fighting today, so again maybe not a good example. 

How about Isaac’s sons Esau and Jacob? Jacob tricked Isaac into getting Esau’s birthright blessing. Well then what about Jacob, he had 12 sons, surely one must have turned out alright! Yeah, but the other 11 wanted to kill him and even sold him into slavery.

As we get to the end of Genesis though we find something interesting. Jacob is at the end of his life. Joseph and his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim go to see Jacob. After some brief conversation, we read in Genesis 48:15-16, “Then [Jacob] blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,

the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys.

May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,

and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

 

It is at this point that I realized that the book of Genesis emphasizes the blessing of a father to his sons. The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all gave formal blessings to their children—and, in Jacob’s case, to some grandchildren. Receiving a blessing from one’s father was a high honor, and losing a blessing was tantamount to a curse.

An Old Testament blessing of a father to his sons included words of encouragement, details regarding each son’s inheritance, and prophetic words concerning the future.

That is what I want to focus on today: the blessings of a father. 

Being a father means forming and nurturing another human being. Today we’re exploring a powerful tool to do that. It is the Blessing. A Father’s blessing is speaking the word of God over their child.

There are many great blessings in the Bible, one that jumps out at me is from Proverbs 3: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make straight your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Who doesn’t want that for their child? Above all else: Trust God and let your feet be led in God’s paths.

In Scripture, a blessing is the greatest gift a parent can give their child. It defines who that child will be when they grow up. In the 49th chapter of Genesis, it says, “The blessings of your parents are mighty beyond the blessings of the eternal mountains,  the bounties of the everlasting hills.”  (Genesis 49:26)

People of courage, faith and integrity don’t just come out of nowhere. The Apostle Paul was like a father to the church in Ephesus. When he writes to them, he says, “I pray, according to the riches of God’s glory, that God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through the Holy Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love…” (Ephesians 3:16-17)

Do you hear the power of that prayer? Can you imagine what a difference it could make in our children and grandchildren’s lives if every night as they drift off to sleep, they feel our hand upon their head, and they hear our voice praying that God would strengthen them, that God would dwell within them, that God would fill them beyond all fullness with the love of Christ.

This isn’t a prayer we say just once and call it good. Some blessings take time to take root. 

“I pray that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through the Holy Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love…”    (Ephesians 3:16-17)

Rooted and grounded in love. All it needs is our faithfulness; when we remember we can bless life, we can repair the world. We can nurture their heart, and the depth of their spirit.

This isn’t a prayer that they’ll understand right off. The fruit of a growing soul doesn't appear all at once. This is a prayer that sinks into them, waters their spirit, grows inside of them: a prayer that they will understand in time as it forms their very character and expectation of life.

Can we imagine what a difference it would make in our children, our step-children, our grandchildren’s lives to know that we love them enough to pray for them like that. Not praying that she would just be a good little girl, but that she would be filled with the power and love of God.

Not praying that he will just do well in school, but that he will come to know the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that he may be filled with all the fullness of God.

That’s expansive and powerful. A prayer worth molding your life around. A prayer faithfully reinforced every day and every night. That is a prayer of blessing. That is what Genesis claims is mightier than the eternal mountains, more bountiful than the everlasting hills. It’s your blessing.

In Scripture, the blessing is usually spoken aloud as the parent’s hands are on the head of their child. This is not the time for subtlety, saying, “oh, they’ll pick up my faith from my actions”. No, we say the words out loud, clearly, powerfully, so they can hear every syllable.

And we don’t say it from across the room. No, a blessing is a profoundly intimate, physical type of prayer. We lay our whole hand on the child’s head- both hands- gentle, firm, strong. This is an action of incredible authority. Put your hand on someone’s head, and it says “I have power over you.” It is not an insignificant gesture. It is a gesture of power, and we don’t do it unless we’re doing it appropriately, to strengthen, to bless.

Holding our children and grandchildren, the words we speak are a vision, a glimpse of what God is creating inside them. A woman of courage and compassion. A man of integrity and hope. God’s children and God’s people, formed by our continual prayer of blessing.

Listen to Paul’s blessing again, and as I say it, try to imagine one person you’d like to pray it for: I pray… by riches of God’s glory…  that God will strengthen you… in your inner being… that Christ may dwell in your heart… as you are being rooted… and grounded… in love.     (Ephesians 3:16-17)

This prayer in Ephesians ends with these words:“Now to God, who by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Far more abundantly than all we can ask or imagine… Amen. And what Amen means- it’s a Hebrew word that means, let it be or may it be so.

May our desires be wide and true and faithful enough to be worth praying. May our blessings extend beyond even our own understanding. And may our own souls be broadened in the speaking, in the nurturing, in the creation of the world through the blessing of another person.

Let us pray

Dear Heavenly father, may we truely be a blessing to not only our children today, but to all those that we come into contact with this week. May Christ dwell in our hearts. In the Name of the One whose blessing will never let us go. Amen.

Memorial Day

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial means that we are supposed to remember something.

We remember the soldiers who fought and died so that we can live in a free country. Many of them sacrificed their lives so that we could gather together and worship Christ without being afraid of being punished.

In Deuteronomy 4:9, we read

 “Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.” (NASB)

Moses is teaching the people in the wilderness. In the name of God he is creating a community which will become a nation. He gives them laws that embody the virtues of justice. They will have to fight to claim their homeland and to defend it. They will face many challenges to their commitment to God and justice.

Moses warns them, “But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your minds all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

On our national holidays we are reminded of the values and principles that our founders taught us, and we are called to remember and to pass them along. We renew our commitment to liberty and justice for all.

We give thanks for those who have risked their lives and lost their lives defending those principles. We remember them and thank them for their honor and courage.

On this day we remember the men and women who died for our freedom. But we also remember Jesus Christ who died so that we could have freedom from our sins.

A Prayer for Memorial Day

O Lord God of all, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who paid with their lives for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Politics and the Christian

 Politics and the Christian

When you do a search on the word politics or political in the Bible (ESV) you get zero matches. The Bible doesn’t use those words, but the Bible does, however, have some things to say about government and a Christian’s behavior.

There are many verses on government and the life of a believer, but the passage that keeps jumping out at me is Romans 13:1-7 (ESV).

Verse 1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

Isn’t that powerful? God has instituted the governments that exist and we are to obey them (provided, of course, that the government is not issuing orders that are in direct violation of God’s Word).

Think about it, God is telling us (through Paul, the inspired writer of Romans) that we are to obey and respect (verse 7) every position of authority in our lives. This involves the government over its citizens, the Church over its members, parents over their children, and even bosses over their workers.

Governments are here to reward or promote good and restrain and discipline evil. The question is: what is good and what is evil. Christians should be able to answer that with ease.

God expects us to speak out against the evils of society, but we need to do it in a godly and law abiding manner. Two great examples of this life are Daniel and Paul.

As Christians, we are to proclaim the Gospel to the world. We are given that commission in Matthew. Many Christians are politically active and there if nothing wrong with that in itself. The problem arises when a Christian is more concerned with politics than with the Gospel.

We know there are problems with our government and our leaders. They are not perfect. However, we are to hate the sin, not the sinner. Too often, Christians turn people away from the Gospel rather than turn them to it.

Instead of focusing our time and attention on changing or influencing laws, let’s spend our time on changing lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We need to remember to consistently pray for our leaders so that they may have the will of God revealed in their life. Does your life show the transforming power of the Gospel?

Lifting Our Hands in Surrender to God - Exodus 17: 8-15

Lifting Our Hands in Surrender to God - Exodus 17: 8-15

Opening Prayer

Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to gather here this afternoon and learn about how you want us to live. We thank you for the many blessings that you have placed into our lives. May we honor you. AMEN.

Intro

How many of you like Math class? Who is the teacher? Is she nice?

My 5th grade Math teacher was Mr. Duke and he was mean. Or at least I thought that he was at the time. When you got in trouble in his class he gave you two choices, you could get benched for 5 minutes at recess or you could take the book challenge.

Getting benched meant you had to spend so many minutes sitting on the bench instead of playing during recess time.

The book challenge is where you had to hold your arms out for a certain length of time with books stacked on them. If you dropped the books then you got double the benched time for recess.

So it was a risk you had to be willing to take.

Now, you are probably wondering what holding some books in the air has to do with chapel. Any ideas?


Intro to Exodus 17: 8-15

Our bible passage today is about Moses and the Amalekites.

What do we know about Moses so far, that is up to Exodus 17. We know about his birth, he was placed in a basket and hidden in the reeds by the water. Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby Moses and that is how he ends up growing up in the royal household. But Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man so Moses killed the Egyptian and fled to Midian where he married his wife Zipporah and started his family.

While Moses is tending the flock he sees a bush that doesn’t burn up and he hears God call him to free the Israelites from Egypt. This is where God uses Moses’ staff as a sign by turning it into a snake.

Moses heads back to Egypt and meets up with his older brother Aaron. Moses goes to Pharaoh and tells Pharaoh to let his people go. Pharaoh of course refuses and God brings about all of those ten plagues on the Egyptians (blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of the first borns).

This is where the passover and festival of unleavened bread were instituted. Then Moses led his people out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea so they could escape safely. God provides food and water for the Israelites. Moses strikes the rock and water comes out of it.

Let’s get into the bible here and read Exodus 17:8-15.


Exodus 17:8-15 New International Version

The Amalekites Defeated

8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.



Story Summary

This story comes as Moses and the Israelites are in the desert. They have been unhappy with their situation. That sounds like us sometimes, doesn’t it. Maybe we grumble about our situation, much like the Israelites. But God has provided manna and quail for food and water from the rock and God provides for us today as well.

The staff that Moses is carrying is the staff that God turned into a snake and God said to “take this wooden staff in your hand. You will be able to do miraculous signs with it.”

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites. Amalek was the grandson of Esau, Jacob's twin brother. The Amalekites were semi-nomadic people meaning they moved around when they felt like it and were known as warriors, but not noble warriors. They never fought a fair fight.

Moses called on Joshua to choose some men to go fight. This, by the way, is the first time we see Joshua in the Bible. Moses said he would stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hands.

As long as Moses held up his hands, holding the staff of God, the Israelites were winning. When he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When his hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under Moses to sit on. Aaron and Hur held his hands up.

Joshua and the Israelites overtook the Amalekites.

This is actually a fairly short story. It is easy to overlook the significance of what this story reveals to us. I believe that the Word of God has only one meaning, but many applications. Moses stood in complete surrender to the Lord. His upheld hands stood as an appeal to God for help. Without his surrender, the Israelites would not have won against the Amalekites.



Questions

Did you ever wonder why some people hold their arms in the air when singing to God? Why do you think they do that? (It is a way to show you are surrendering to God.)

Have you ever helped someone do something very important? Maybe it was as simple as holding a flashlight while they worked. Holding a flashlight for someone is not a very exciting job. In fact it is rather boring, but it is very important. Without light the person working won’t be able to see what they are doing.

Moses was a strong leader and a man of faith. In fact we read about Moses as an example of faith in Hebrews 11:24-28.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

But as we saw in our story he needed help. He got tired. Aaron and Hur helped Moses hold up his hands. Aaron, the high priest, was Moses' older brother and Hur, probably a nobleman, was a friend. Because of that help, the Israelites won an important battle.

It is important for us to remember that we all need help sometimes. We can get that help from our family and our friends.



New Testament Examples

Who can think of some examples of friendship in the New Testament.

Jesus - Peter, James, and John


Jesus - Mary, Martha and Lazarus

Jesus had a close friendship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to a point where they spoke plainly to him, and he resurrected Lazarus from the dead. True friends are able to speak their minds honestly to one another, whether right or wrong. Meanwhile, friends do what they can to tell each other the truth and help one another.


Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila

Friends introduce friends to other friends. In this case, Paul is introducing friends to one another and asking that his greetings be sent to those close to him.



Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus

Paul talks about the loyalty of friends and the willingness of those close to us to look out for one another. In this case, Timothy and Epaphroditus are the types of friends that take care of those close to them.


Comprehension Questions

Does anyone have any questions about the story?


Who led the fight against the Amalekites? (Joshua)
Who were the Amalekites descendants of? (Esau)
What did Moses do during the fight? (hold his hands up, holding the staff of God)
What do you remember about Moses' staff from a previous story? (God turned Moses' staff into a snake to prove that he sent Moses - see Exodus 4)
What happened when Moses lowered his hands? (Amalekites were winning)
Who supported Moses' hands when he got tired? (Aaron and Hur)
What did Moses do after they defeated the Amalekites? (built an altar to God)


Closing

Moses had to completely surrender himself to God’s plan for the battle. We too need to surrender ourselves to God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5


Prayer

Lord, we thank you for giving us an example of a faithful servant in Moses. We know he wasn’t perfect as none of us are, but help us to surrender our lives to you as he did. We thank you for our friends and family who are there to help us when we are tired and weak. But most of all, we thank you for your perfect son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins. It is in His name that we pray and give thanks. AMEN.

The End

“The End” - Mark 13:1-13 - Audio - Video

Last week, Pastor Bill talked about Salvation from Hebrews. He said it means to be redeemed, to be delivered from the consequences of our sin through faith in Jesus Christ.

To continue on that subject today there is a past, present, and future aspect to our Salvation. The past happened when Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sin. The present occurs now, we are no longer under the power of sin. We have an advocate to strengthen us through our trials and temptations. And finally, the future. One day we will be removed from the presence of sin when we are in our eternal home.

Today’s Scripture from the book of Mark continues to look at the future and is directed to the disciples. This is a passage that's not easy to fully understand or interpret. Such passages have been the basis for a lot of books, sermons, and teachings on the end times. We need to approach them with caution, not making them say things we want them to say and mean. Of course, this is always true with the Bible, or should be for us.

Jesus and his disciples are leaving the temple or passing by it at least. Someone comments to Jesus about the beauty of the temple. Built by Herod the Great, it was magnificent. It had marble pillars some forty feet tall. It had elaborate stone work, engraved by the most skilled stone cutters and craftsmen. Gold all around it. In the entrance to the Temple was carved an intricate cluster of grapes, symbolizing Israel as the people of God. They were awe-struck by it, but not Jesus. He had already wept over the city (see Luke 19:41-44).

He somberly says, "The days are coming when this temple will not be left standing, not one stone on top of another." We know that day did come in AD 70 when Rome destroyed the temple and most of Jerusalem.

Jesus saw where the misplaced religious zeal and nationalism would lead his people. Even their views of the Messiah were greatly shaped by such concerns, for they wanted a military messiah, one to overthrow the Romans and set up Israel as the great kingdom it had been under David - and greater than that!

A magnificent temple, filled each day with many people and impressive rituals would not save them. The One who could save them was in their midst but only to be himself a temple they would seek to destroy. The irony here is that you may recall that one of the chief charges brought against Jesus when he was brought to trial is that he predicted the
destruction of the temple, taking it to mean by some that he and his followers would do it.

The disciples, always ready to ask the wrong questions at the wrong times, want to know more about all of this, especially when it will happen (vs 3-4).

Jesus begins by warning them that many will try to lead them astray when they ask and seek answers to such questions. Teachers and false messiahs will come in his name (claiming to be sent by him to try to get their support and following) claiming that they have superior knowledge of the end times, even to the point of saying that it is near
or here's a sign that surely means it is near. Jesus simply and bluntly says, "Do not go after them." In other words, don't listen to them. They don't know what they're talking about.

So Jesus warns about those persons who claim to know far more than they possibly can about such things. Uncertain times cause some people to look for messiahs, for persons to reassure them, to lead them. But then he goes on to say that there are some things that must happen before that time comes. It will not come right after the fall of the temple that he has just predicted. Neither will it come when they are hearing about wars and rumors of wars. They are not to let such idle talk and speculations terrify them. The end is still not yet (vs 7).

Jesus says before the end there would be great conflicts between nations (vs 8) and would even influence the natural world. But still this was not the end.

He warns them that far from being taken up to Heaven in the rapture, they will suffer. They will be arrested, persecuted, and tried (just like what was about to happen to him). Still this was not the end. Such times, Jesus says, you are not to seek to be delivered from but see as opportunities to speak on behalf of God's kingdom and will (recall how Jesus used his own trial to do that).

He seeks to reassure them that when those days come God will be with them, God will give them the courage and the words they need to make a good defense and witness. (Just recall some of the stories in Acts about how the disciples did just this when brought before the authorities, who were often astounded that these were just unlearned
individuals and how bold they were).

Jesus warns them that they would be hated because of their faith, because they go and live by his name. But in the end they were in God's hands and the authorities, as powerful as they were, could not finally harm even one hair on their heads (as elsewhere Jesus had assured them that God had numbered every hair on their head - see Luke 12:7). They
could kill the body, as they would with Jesus, but that was not the end of him, was it? They tumbled his temple but in three days God raised it up!

Note how Jesus ends: "By standing firm you will gain life." Continue to work, to serve, to be faithful. Do not become distracted by those who would mislead you, even coming to you in my name. Keep focused on the work at hand.

The FUTURE is a major theme in our scripture today and the emphasis is on faithfulness in the midst of present troubles, not letting speculations about the future or the troubles of the present distract from the responsibilities of the present.

This still applies to us today. So often we get caught up in the minor troubles and annoyances in our lives, that we forget why we are here, which is to simply glorify God with all that we say and do. We have God’s Word, we know what the future holds. We simply need to continue in faithfulness.

Just talking about the future or prophesying the future is not living our lives out in faith. Trusting in a God who holds the future in his hands is how we live by faith. Jesus told us to BE READY. Jesus wants us to live out our faith.

Faith does not believe that God will make our lives comfortable and affluent. Faith knows that whatever situations we face God will be with us through those situations. Faith is not worrying about the future. Faith is believing and trusting God’s plan and carrying out His will for your life.
So when our circumstances shift from comfort to discomfort; when our world moves from certainty to uncertainty; and when perhaps even friends and family turn against us, these are not reasons to reject God or to cease to believe in him. They are the opposite. They are times to remind ourselves that Jesus predicted these events. They are times to stand firm.

Another theme running through the whole chapter is that of being alert and watchful. Verse 5 “watch out”, verses 9 and 23, “be on your guard”, verse 33, “be on guard, be alert”, and verses 35 and 37, “keep watch”.

Will Jesus return? Is He coming back? He said he will! He is coming back. Before that day, he’s told us what to expect. Jesus calls us to be alert, and not to worry even if circumstances are awful.
We need Jesus to stay on the right path and to live a full life! Let me give you an example.

Many years ago, the actor Charlton Heston had to learn how to drive a chariot with four horses for his part in the movie Ben Hur. He explained to an interviewer that after many weeks of chariot lessons he told the director, “I think I can drive the chariot all right but I’m not at all sure I can actually win the race.” The director, responded,” You just stay in the race and I’ll make sure you win.”

Today, Jesus asks us to stay in the race of life no matter what happens to us. And Jesus Christ promises us that as long as we are with Him …we will win the race of life. So the challenge for us this week is simply this. The disciples learned to live their faith one day at a time. Let us follow their example and the example of countless Christians who have gone before us—trusting, loving, serving—never knowing if this is our last day or not, but being assure that no matter what God is with us.

Applying what we’ve learned:

1. God has a glorious Kingdom waiting for us. He will be back to take us to the place he has prepared and to judge those whom have not accepted His gift of salvation. If you haven’t accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, do it today. Don’t wait.

2. Whatever our current situation is, we are to remember why we are here. We are to glorify God. We are to go into all the world and spread the Gospel message. The best tool for spreading the Gospel is your life. Does it honor and Glorify God? Can people tell you are a Christian by the way you talk and act?

3. Remember, no matter how bad things get for us, and we know persecution will come to Christians before Christ returns, we are not to give up hope. Christ died for our sins and will be back for us.

4. Keep on living the spirit-filled life. We cannot simply sit around and wait for the rapture. We were put here to do a job, so lets do it to honor and glorify God.

Closing Prayer
Merciful God, we come before you this day as those who are often afraid to confess all the many ways in which we have disappointed and betrayed You. You have given us continual opportunities to serve and love others, but we have withdrawn into lives of selfishness and greed. We have turned our backs on others in need. We have denied the gifts you have given us. Your voice calls to us to come home, to come to you unafraid, to receive forgiveness and healing. Open our hearts this day to receive these magnificent blessings. Help us understand the many ways in which you love us, and help us share that love with all those whom we meet. For we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday’s?

Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday’s?

With “Black Friday” a few days away, many people are preparing for Christmas. Some will wish you a Merry Christmas, others simply say Happy Holiday’s.

So as not to offend anyone, some companies do not allow their employees to wish people a Merry Christmas, but are allowed to say Happy Holiday’s. Often times, this offends the Christian’s that want to keep Christ in Christmas.

But what does it really mean when you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday’s?

Literally Christmas means Christ’s Mass. Merry comes from the word Murg which means brief or short. Merry as defined today means joyful or cheerful. So have a cheerful Christ’s Mass.

How about Happy Holiday’s?

Happy comes from the word Hap, which means, by chance, fortune, or good luck. Holiday literally means Holy Day.

So whether you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday doesn’t really matter. Both have religious significance.

Thanksgiving is a Holy Day where we should give thanks to God for the things He has given us, is doing for us, and will do for us.

Christmas is a Holy Day where we should give thanks to God for the salvation He has given to us through His Son Jesus Christ.

New Years is a Holy Day where we should give thanks to God for another year of life and ask Him for continued blessings and His presence in our lives for the new year.

So the next time someone says Happy Holiday’s to you, rather than saying Merry Christmas, simply say, “Thank You, and I hope you too have happy holy day’s ahead as well.”

Forgiveness

Click here for the audio message of Philemon 17-20

Forgiveness

Philemon was a prominent member of the Colossian church. The church met in his house, so he was probably wealthy. This letter was for him, his family and the church. Paul writes about forgiveness even though the word is never actually used.

So what is the story here. Well, we don’t know all of the details for sure, but we can piece some things together. First, we know that Philemon received Christ through Paul’s ministry. We know that Philemon was wealthy enough to have the church meet in his house, meaning it was probably a larger house than most people had.

We also know that Philemon had a least one slave named Onesimus. Onesimus was apparently not a believer because he stole from Philemon, probably money, and ran away to hide out in Rome.

At the time, there were many slaves in the Roman Empire. Some estimates claim maybe about 1/3 of the population were slaves. Slaves in Rome were an accepted part of daily life. There were so many slaves around that nobody really knew who the slaves were because they all blended into society.

These slaves could be doctors, musicians, teachers, artists, librarians, accountants or pretty much any job they could do. Slaves were not considered people, but were tools of their masters. They could still be bought, sold, or whatever. Of course, their masters had control and power over the slaves and no doubt there were severe abuses that took place.

However, the Romans began to realize that a contented slave worked harder and was more productive, so many masters treated their slaves decently. When accused of a crime, slaves were even given the right to a trial. Being a slave in Rome could in some ways be better than a freeman living in poverty.

Anyways, back to our story of Onesimus, Philemon’s slave. He fled to Rome to blend in with the population. While in Rome though, he somehow ran in to Paul and also received Christ into his life.

Paul grew to love Onesimus and wanted to keep him for use in the ministry, but he knew the right thing to do was to send the slave back to his master. Remember, James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” That’s a tough portion of scripture for me and it was tough for Paul too.

Even though Onesimus was of great use to Paul in his ministry he knew what he had to do. By stealing and running away from Philemon, Onesimus had broken the law and defrauded his master. Paul knew those issues had to be dealt with, so he sent Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter.

As a side note, the New Testament never directly attacks slavery. Rather it simply recognizes it as a fact of life. Christianity does, however, undermine the evils that can occur with slavery by changing the hearts of both slave and master.

Had Paul or any other writer of the New Testament attacked slavery then the Gospel message, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the idea of repentance and a changed heart, would be hopelessly lost and confused with a message of social reform. Unfortunately, that is what many people are trying to do today.

So Paul writes this letter to his friend, his brother in Christ, Philemon, to accept his slave back and to treat him as a brother in Christ. Paul starts by appealing to the strong love and faith that Philemon has.

Paul knows that Philemon loves God, loves others, and loves himself. So if that is true, then here is your slave back. Yes, he did wrong and he realizes it but he has come to Christ and repented of his sin. Please accept him back not just as your slave, but as your brother.

Paul also says, hey you know I am an authority figure over you, I can simply command you to take back your slave, but I know I don’t need to do that because of who you are. I know that you too will do the right thing.

Paul also realizes that there was a physical or probably a monetary loss for Philemon, so Paul says send me the bill. I will repay it. Of course, Paul throws that little reminder in there that Philemon literally owes Paul his life because Paul is the one who brought him to Christ.

That is a debt that none of us can repay. The person that brings us to Christ should have a special place in our lives and Paul knew that. How can we repay that? We cannot. All we can do is to do the same for someone else and introduce them to Christ.

How this story ends we don’t know. But I like to believe that Onesimus returned to Philemon and was welcomed with open arms, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Someone who received the full forgiveness of their sins.

Today we live in a world where people are so focused on themselves and are not concerned with others or forgiveness. For a Christian, unwillingness to forgive is unthinkable. We are to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Failure to forgive others has its consequences.

It keeps that pain alive. It robs us of the joy of living, the joy of our salvation. It also produces bitterness. The longer you dwell on that pain the more bitter you become. Bitterness is sin and it can infect your entire body. Your speech becomes negative, your thoughts are turned toward revenge and you shut out any type of kindness or love toward others.

When this happens, of course, the door is open for Satan to jump into the situation. Once this happens, look out. Our fellowship with other Christians and even God will be hindered.

Forgiveness restores the believer to the place of maximum blessing from God. It restores the purity and joy of fellowship with God. Forgiveness is an important theme throughout Scripture, but here we see it in action in the lives of a slave and his master. What a wonderful lesson for us all to learn.

Is this a lesson that you need to implement in your life. If so, why not today? Is there someone that you need to forgive? Do you still hold a grudge about something?

Let the pain go. Bring back the joy of living and the joy of your salvation. Forgive them as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Closing Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for this lesson in your word this morning. We thank you for the forgiveness that you have given to us. Help us to forgive others so that the pain will be healed and our bitterness is replaced with love, joy, and peace.

We ask this in your son’s name, AMEN

Happiness

Happiness - Mark 12:28-34

All of us have some needs in life beyond the basics of food, clothing, shelter, and security. We see this in our Scripture this morning. All people need some type of self-worth, intimacy with others, and of course intimacy with God. All other laws of Scripture really hang on this great commandment.

In other words, if we are loving God and loving others, everything else falls into place and life works out for us and not only for us but for the glory of God. If we obey the great commandment, then we are really obeying all other commandments. Love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself.

So how do we do this? How does this give us a happy, fulfilling, meaningful life. This morning I would like to look at several key ideas that should make your life better.

First of all, commit your daily life to be a walk with Christ. Use every day and every opportunity that comes your way to glorifying God. Start each day with a prayer of thanksgiving. Ask God for the opportunity to bring Him glory today. Pray for self-control and the strength to get through whatever situations arise throughout the day.

Spend time each day not only talking to God, but reading and meditating on His Word to us and of course apply what you have discovered.

It seems as though our brains are programmed from childhood to be selfish and sinful. It seems as though we automatically lean toward doing the wrong thing. The more we do the wrong thing, the easier it is to deny that we are doing anything wrong in the first place.

The prophet Jeremiah saw this. He said, (Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it.” We need to reprogram our brains with God’s Word, with godly things. If we are going to live a happy, content life then we need to align our thoughts with God’s Word, not the ways of the world.

We need to get rid of the garbage that is bouncing around in our brain and replace it with the faithful Word of God. Some of that garbage comes from others. Ephesians 4:26 tells us to get rid of our grudges daily. We all get angry sometimes, but we need to deal with our anger in appropriate ways.

I am convinced that another key of a happy, meaningful life is taking time and building your relationship with your spouse and children. Sure other close relatives, like parents, siblings, and so on have a high priority, but your spouse and children should always be at the top.

Sometimes conflicts arise when we are with family. It is important to address the issue and do whatever you can to resolve the conflict. Don’t ever seek vengeance on family members. Instead, create an atmosphere of healing love and leave the rest up to God.

No doubt family relationships are important, but so are friends. Fellowshipping with other Christians is important to your overall well being and spiritual growth. In Proverbs 13:20 Solomon writes, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

You can’t usually choose your family, but you can select your friends. Choose wisely. You will find that your friends will have an influence on you. If they are fellow Christians progressing on their spiritual journey then you feel that effect on your life as well. If on the other hand, they are Christians in name only, then you too will feel that effect on your life.

Now, that isn’t to say that we shouldn’t be friends with non-Christians because we should. In fact, our life should be a witness to those nonbelievers. We just need to make sure their worldliness doesn’t rub off on us. In fact, we need to rub off our Christ-likeness on them.

The idea is to obviously love others and be friendly and peaceful with all, but try to cultivate those deep relationships with other Christians that are also maturing in their faith. We all need friends. You know how you get friends? You go out and be friendly! We have to earn our friends.

Today, I think it is tough to have time for family and friends because our lives are so cluttered with stuff. They’re filled with activities and other things that just suck up our time. I find this especially true with families. It is like Mom and Dad are simply chauffeurs for their children taking them from one event to another, but never actually spending any time with them.

Many people’s lives seem to be very haphazard today. I think we all need a daily routine. One that includes a nice balance of the topics I have mentioned here this morning, but one that is also personally satisfying to you. It is the idea of being convinced that this is what God wants for your life and you find joy, peace, and satisfaction serving your Lord through your daily routine activities of life.

Your daily routine should include time for God, time for yourself, time for your family, time for your job, and of course time to glorify God through your life.

Finally, you want to be happy, you want to feel like you have a meaningful life, then each week do something nice for someone. It doesn’t matter who and it doesn’t matter what, just do something nice.

It can be a physical activity like raking leaves or cutting the grass. It can simply be a visit to someone who doesn’t get out much or maybe a phone call or card. It doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming, just do something nice for someone.

Ask God at the beginning of the week to show you someone who needs something this week and see it through. Do something nice for someone else. Not to get a pat on the back, but because this is what God wants from us.

I truly believe that if you love God, love others, and love yourself you will find doing all of the ideas mentioned here to give you that happy, meaningful, fulfilled life. Of course, for anyone who truly knows Jesus Christ and receives Him as Lord and Savior of their lives will indeed have a happy, eternal life with Him.

Closing prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. Help us this week to focus our life on living out your will. Help us to love you, to love others, and to love ourselves. Make your desires our desires so that you will be honored and glorified through us.

AMEN

I Can’t Handle This

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

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

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

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

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.