Agapomen Allelus

By David Ward

1 John 4:7-21

A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package; what food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a mousetrap! Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning, “There is a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the house.” The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me; I can’t be bothered.”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mouse trap in the house.”

“I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can think of to do about it. Surely someone else will step in to help.”

The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, “Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap; am I in grave danger, Duh?” So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital.  She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.  The farmer’s wife did not get well, in fact, she died, and so many people came for her funeral the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when the least of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

G.K. Chesterton said “All [people] matter. You matter. I matter. It’s the hardest thing in theology to believe.”

To dwell above with saints we love, that will be grace and glory–
To live below with saints we know … that’s another story!

John repeats Jesus’ command to “love one another.” He mentions love 27 times in this passage! How is that possible? How is it possible to love those who aren’t lovable? How is it possible to love those who don’t like you? How is it possible to love those who don’t want to be loved?

God is the source of love-in fact, God is love! (7-8)  God is love.  Here, John makes the third of his great pronouncements about God. “God is spirit,” “God is light,” and now “God is love.”  More than simply “loving,” God’s essence is love.  It means God is personal. It gives warmth to His light. It fills His glory with life which brings it near to our hearts.  Non-Christian thinking of God as an impersonal force rather than a personal Being.  But love is not God.  John’s statements cannot be divorced from the other two tests of eternal life-obedience to God’s commands and correct views about Christ. The Greek grammar prohibits the reversal of “God is love”-i.e. one cannot say, “love is God.”  But God hasn’t kept His love just among the members of the Trinity. No,  God has lavished His love on us (9-11)  The love of God is the love of Christ. When we say that, we’ve said it all.

Jack Kelley, foreign affairs editor for USA Today, tells this story:

We were in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, during a famine. It was so bad we walked into one village and everybody was dead. There is a stench of death that gets into your hair, gets onto your skin, gets onto your clothes, and you can’t wash it off.

We saw this little boy. You could tell he had worms and was malnourished; his stomach was protruding. When a child is extremely malnourished, the hair turns a reddish color, and the skin becomes crinkled as though he’s 100 years old.

Our photographer had a grapefruit, which he gave to the boy. The boy was so weak he didn’t have the strength to hold the grapefruit, so we cut it in half and gave it to him. He picked it up, looked at us as if to say thanks, and began to walk back towards his village.

We walked behind him in a way that he couldn’t see us. When he entered the village, there on the ground was a little boy who I thought was dead. His eyes were completely glazed over. It turned out that this was his younger brother. The older brother kneeled down next to his younger brother, bit off a piece of the grapefruit, and chewed it. Then he opened up his younger brother’s mouth, put the grapefruit in, and worked his brother’s jaw up and down. We learned that the older brother had been doing that for the younger brother for two weeks.

A couple days later the older brother died of malnutrition, and the younger brother lived. I remember driving home that night thinking what Jesus meant when he said, “There is no greater love than to lay down our life for somebody else.”

There once was a carpenter who didn’t overcharge for his work
Once there was a physician who healed the sick for free
Once there was a man who fed people at no charge…
And you know what they did to Him?
They crucified Him!

There will be times as a Christ follower that you’ll feel unappreciated, and taken for granted. You’ll not feel loved as you should be.  When that happens you should love others anyway. BUT HOW?  Because God is love and because God has loved us, we have God’s love to give.

Think of Christmas lights wired in series. First the electricity comes into the wire, then to the bulb and through its filament. Finally it goes back into the line, on to the next bulb, and so on through the entire chain of lights. As it flows out not only into each of those lights but out of each of those lights, the entire circuit is completed, and the string of lights is bright. If there’s a light that’s loose, or a filament that’s broken, then it receives the electricity but doesn’t pass it on to others.

In a sense, God has wired us like these Christmas lights. He has wired us to receive His love, and He has also wired us to pass it along to others. We have God’s love to give.

When we love, we prove that we have God’s love to give (12-21)  We show that we belong to God (12-16)  Where God is, love is. If God dwells in a person, love dwells there, for God is love. By the same logic, if love dwells in a person, God must dwell there (12, 16)  The Holy Spirit proves God lives in us (13)  The testimony of Christ shows God lives in us (14-15)

Jewish legend: Time before time, when the world was young, two brothers shared a field and a mill, each night dividing the grain they had ground together during the day. One brother lived alone; the other had a wife and a large family.

Now, the single brother thought to himself one day, “It isn’t fair that we divide the grain evenly. I have only myself to care for, but my brother has children to feed.” So each night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother’s granary to see that he was never without.

But the married brother said to himself one day, “It isn’t really fair that we divide the grain evenly, because I have children to provide for me in my old age, but my brother has no one. What will he do when he’s old?” So every night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother’s granary. As a result, both of them always found their supply of grain mysteriously replenished each morning.

Then one night they met each other halfway between their two houses. They suddenly realized what had been happening and embraced each other in love. The legend is that God witnessed their meeting and proclaimed, “This is a holy place-a place of love-and here it is that my temple shall be built.” So it was. The First Temple is said to have been constructed on that very site.

We overcome fear of judgment (17-18)  Aristotle: “No one loves the man whom he fears.”  In your relationship with God, when has perfect fear cast out love? When has God’s love cast out fear?  We follow God’s greatest command (19-20)

Saint Jerome recounts that Saint John the Evangelist, living in Ephesus in his extreme old age, would be carried with difficulty into the church by his disciples. He had no strength for lengthy exhortation, but could only say, “agapomen allelus” (“let us love one another”). At length, the disciples and church members who were there, wearied by the repetition, asked, “Master, why do you always say this?” He replied “Because it is the Lord’s command and if that alone is done, it suffices.”

“John, what do you say?” “Agapomen Allelus”  Some baptize only adults while others baptize children–what do you say? (Let us love one another)  Some speak in tongues while others do not–what do you say? (Let us love one another)  Some who drink wine while others abstain–what do you say? (Let us love one another)  Some young leaders have new ideas while others want to preserve our tradition–what do you say? (Let us love one another)  A marriage is failing & people in the church are taking sides–what do you say?   People who come but give no money: what should we do about it?  Someone hurt me and I want to hurt them back–what do you say?

We have God’s love to give.  Having said all this, I think convention would have me say, “All right now. Who are you going to love this week?” Probably I’m supposed to give you some suggestions on how to do that, and you’re supposed to remember them. But there’s this nagging whisper inside of us that says, “I’ve tried that. And I’ll tell you, I can’t do it, and I don’t need the guilt.” So I’ll tell you what. Don’t even bother trying. Don’t even try it, because it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work to love people begrudgingly, to love when we don’t have God’s love inside us. If we’re on empty, we don’t feel like we have God’s love to give. Instead, I suggest you just get loved up by God! Read the NT just looking for God’s great love for you, and memorize some verses that you find. Pray, thanking God for the love He has given you. No measuring up, no pity party-just tell Him, “thank you Lord for loving me.” Simply let God love you. Let His love fill you up so that it spills out to other people in your life. Open it up and let it flow. Let it flow and love one another.

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A Portrait of The Blood- Communion- Lord’s Supper

By Jerry Shirley

Leviticus 17:11

Without blood there cannot be life in the physical body. That is just as true in the Bible. Blood flows through the Bible just as it does through our veins. The blood of Christ keeps Christianity alive. Someone has said, “Cut the Bible anywhere and it will bleed.” The blood is spoken of 427 times in our Bible, so it is easy to see, this is not a minor theme. Without the blood, the Gospel is dead and we are deprived of eternal life.

Jesus said, “For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28  Paul added, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without the shedding of blood is no remission.” He also explained, “We have redemption through the blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:14.  Peter added, “We are not redeemed with silver and gold, and precious stones, but with the precious blood of Christ.” I Peter 1:18  Then John agreed with Peter and Paul, He wrote, “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” I John 1:7

The early church understood the blood…the 22 sermons recorded by the four preachers in the Book of Acts all give the same message, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They understood that His death and the provision of “covering by the blood” was the essential ingredient of the Gospel. [“there, that should cover it!” – The idea of payment to cover as well as hiding it from sight.]

– “His gaze always passes thru rose-colored glasses every time He looks on my heart.” Wayne Watson  Can you see this portrait of the blood? It’s hard to see blood…it’s internal. To make it external hurts…you have to be cut or injured. But the Bible paints in broad strokes the blood on a canvas, and then in minute detail God’s Word breaks it down to the cellular level-the importance of the blood of Christ! We can see this today…but even more important is that God sees the blood applied to our lives, and passes over us!  Let’s put the blood of Christ under the microscope and do some forensic study…then we’ll get the complete picture-a portrait of the blood.

I. In Analysis: The Blood Is Perfect

The virgin birth of Christ established His righteousness.

Judas cried out. “I have betrayed innocent blood.”  Paul explained, “For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  Pilate said, “I find in him no fault at all.” John 18:38  Jesus Himself said, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” John 8:46

He was spoken of as, “Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” Hebrews 7:26  Again, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” I Peter 2:22   John added, “in Him is no sin.” I John 3:5

A natural father would have imparted the sin-nature of Adam to Christ and His death would not have provided redemption. The virgin birth is absolutely essential to the salvation of our souls.

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin and did not have original sin. Matthew quotes Isaiah the prophet saying,
Matthew 1:23

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Jeremiah the prophet had spoken years before on this. He said, “The Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth, a woman shall compass a man.” Jeremiah 31:22  It certainly was a new thing for a woman without a man to give birth to a child. The Adamic nature is passed to the offspring by the blood line of the man. There were no impurities in the blood of Christ. Everything about Christ was perfect including His blood.

II. In Application: The Blood Is Pure

One of reasons we use grape juice in our Communion Service instead of wine is because wine has to go through a process of fermentation. The process of fermentation is actually bacteria working in the juice. It is a rotting process. This could never give a proper picture of the sinless Blood of Christ. For all that is holy, Satan has his counterfeit…and communion is no exception! Pure grape juice is the true symbol of the pure Blood of the Lord Jesus, just as the bread is to be w/out leaven.

When Dr. Curtis Hutson was struggling with cancer, on a number of occasions he went through a treatment called “Keylation.” Keylation is similar to dialysis in that the blood is removed from the body and sent through a machine that cleanses the impurities from it and then pumps it back into the body. This treatment prolonged Dr. Hutson’s life for a good long time.

After his blood had been purged of germs, disease, and bad cells, it was then able to work against the enemy cells that were at war with his system.

The writer of Hebrews stated, “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:13,14

When the pure blood of the Saviour is applied to the sinner, it provides cleansing. John explained, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I John 1:7b.

“What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus
Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.

Peter wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18, 19

And because it is pure, it is purifying!

III. In Action: The Blood Is Perpetual

The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were continuous year after year. The blood of bulls and goats provided forgiveness and pardon temporarily only because it pointed to the sacrifice of Christ and His blood being shed for the covering of our sin.

The writer of Hebrews speaks of Christ as one, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” Hebrews 7:27

Again Paul tells us that it was, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:12

Then again, “But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26

The Bible states, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:12

The death of Christ set into motion a continuous cleansing for those who trust in Him. We are given the gift of eternal life that He purchased with His blood. Thank God we are washed once and for all, forever.

The Bible speaks of the “blood of the everlasting Covenant.” Hebrews 13:20. Our faith in His blood is all it takes to settle it forever and ever.

IV. In Accomplishment: The Blood Is Powerful!

The song writer wrote:
Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There is power in the Blood
Would you over evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the Blood
There is power, power wonder working power
In the Blood of the Lamb
There is power, power wonder working power
In the precious Blood of the Lamb

John wrote, “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.” Revelation 5:9
It takes amazing power to do that! We are told that they overcame the wicked one, Satan, by the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 12:11

It takes a lot of power to do that, too!
False religion has always denied the blood and its power.

Mary Baker Eddy of the Christian Science movement wrote, “The material blood of Jesus is no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon the cursed tree than when it was flowing through His veins.”  R. B. Theime, a Bible teacher in Texas, declared, “The red liquid that ran through the veins and arteries of Jesus’ mortal body is not related to our salvation.”  Of course, these teachers and many like them stand in complete opposition to the Bible that declares, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22

V. In Acquittal: The Blood Is Permanent

Joke-woman at photography studio: “do me justice”/photographer replied, you don’t need justice, you need mercy!

“Acquit” is a heavy word…it means to pay off, to free, to clear, to absolve. It has a far reaching meaning extending from the past all the way to the future.  OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder, and it can never come back on him now in a court of law. Not even “new evidence” can be presented.  You say, yeah, but I don’t believe justice was done. Well, neither do I… but you and I are guilty and we know it…and we don’t want justice, we want mercy! And we need it to be permanent…sins forgiven AND forgotten! “His mercies are new every morning,” the Bible says.  Not only our past sin was covered but also our present and future sins are put under the blood when we trust in Christ as Savior.

Jesus’ blood cleanses from our past sins. Isaiah said, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” Isaiah 44:22  David spoke to this when he stated, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12   He promised not to remember them again. “I will remember them no more against you forever.”  Jesus’ blood covers our present sins, both the sins of omission and the sins of commission. Whether it be things we ought to be doing and are not doing or whether it be things we are doing that we ought not to be doing. These are covered fully by His Blood atonement.

Jesus’ blood continues to atone for future sins. This is not to say we can just go ahead and sin…a truly saved person won’t have that attitude. But we can know that despite our very best efforts, we are sinners, and will yet sin, but we don’t have to get saved again. Do we need to confess it to God and make it right? Of course! As we continue to walk thru this life we’ll need daily foot washings, but praise God that one time “all over bath” secures us from all sin: past, present, and future!  “The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” I John 1:7   Jesus’ blood conquers all sin!

VI. In Appraisal: The Blood Is Precious

We love to sing, “Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.”  Peter used the term precious to describe the Blood of Christ. He said, “But with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:19

Recently I read a story of a very wealthy old man who had an elaborate collection of Van Gogh and Monet paintings. His only son shared his father’s interest in the rare paintings. They traveled around the world buying these painting wherever they could find them.

The son enlisted in the army and was placed in the medical corps. In a severe battle, while carrying a wounded soldier to safety, the son was seriously wounded himself and died. The mother was dead already and the news of the tragedy devastated the old father. He grieved in loneliness for months.

One day a knock came at his door and when he responded he found a young man with a package. The young man explained that he was one of the several soldiers that the son had carried to safety. Knowing of his interest in paintings he had painted a picture of the son and presented it to the father.

The painting was not rare but was very precious to the old man because it was a good resemblance of his son.

The man moved a very valuable painting from the mantle and placed the picture of his son in its place. Hour after hour he sat in a rocker and gazed up at the image of his beloved son.

When death came the art collection was put up for sale by auction. Hundreds of collectors came to bid. The auctioneer announced that the will stated that the picture of his son was to be auctioned first. A moan of disappointment could be heard from the crowd. “Let’s get on with the real paintings,” one was heard to say.

The son’s picture was held up and the auctioneer cried, “Who will give $100.00, $50.00, $25.00. There was no response. A kind old gentleman in the back asked, “Will you take $10.00.” “Sold,” said the auctioneer. “Good”, cried the crowd. “Now we can get on with the auction.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the auction,” announced the auctioneer. The crowd was puzzled and upset. Then the statement was given. The will declared that the son’s picture was to be sold and the person who took it would get all the rest. The old man who paid $10.00 for the picture of the son was suddenly amazed at the fact that he now owned all the valuable paintings.

When a person takes the Son of God, everything God has is included. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. The precious blood has made it all possible.

VII. In Aggression: The Blood Is Protective

In Exodus 12 the blood was sprinkled on the door posts of the Jewish homes just as the Lord had instructed them. When the death angel came on that faithful night with the awful judgment of death to the first born the Jews were protected by the blood.

It was actually their faith that brought protection. They believed the Word the Lord had given to Moses. They believed it enough to act on it. By following the directions just as the Lord instructed they reaped a great benefit.

God had said, “The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13

We still speak of being “under the Blood.” The judgment will not fall on those who have placed their faith in Christ and accepted Him as their Savior.

If you have not gotten under the protection of the Blood of Jesus Christ, I beg you to do so now before the death angel comes to your house.  Do you get the picture today? Can you see Christ’s blood? More importantly, can God see it? If not, all He sees is your sin. Make sure you’re covered…one application will do!

It Is About Grace/Grace Is The Difference

By J. Jeffrey Smead

Matthew 20:1-16

When Edward Everett Hale was Chaplain of the Senate, someone asked him, Do you pray for the senators, Dr. Hale?  He replied, No, I look at the senators and I pray for the country.

We all need to receive the Grace of God.  It Is All About Grace!

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith.  They began eliminating various possibilities.  Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form.  Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death.  The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room.   “What is the rumpus all about?”  He asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that is easy.  It is grace.”

It is all about Grace.

A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City, which was during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of World War II, was called by many New Yorkers The Little Flower because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel.  He was a colorful character who used to ride the New Your City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court in an area that served the poorest ward in the city.  LaGuardia had dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.

Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread.

She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving.  But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges.  It is a real bad neighborhood, your Honor. The shopkeeper told the mayor.   She’s got to be punished to teach others around here a lesson.  LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, I have got to punish you.  The law makes no exceptions ten dollars or ten days in jail.

But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket.  He extracted a bill and tossed it into his hat saying, Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat.  Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.

The following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner.  While some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents gave the mayor a standing ovation.

Here is my question. Did the elderly lady in the story get what she deserved?   Clearly the answer is, of course not. She had stolen a loaf of bread.  Yes, she may have had a reason, but stealing is stealing and regardless of the reason, punishment would seem to be the order of the day.  What we see in the story is called grace.

Grace is when one in superior power shows kindness or mercy to one in a lesser position.  Mayor LaGuardia, rather than demanding punishment of the woman herself, paid the fine and then further helped her cause with the collection of the fifty-cent fines and then gave the money to her.  It was more than she deserved. It was grace.

That is what our lesson this morning is all about.  It is all about Grace!

Today we will look at the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.  In this parable Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner that went out and hired workers for his vineyard.  Some he hired early in the day, telling them that he would pay them the usual daily wage.  He went back at various times of the day and found more workers waiting to be hired.  Each time as he hired those that were there, he told them that he would pay them what was right.  We are not told why some had not found work or if they had shown up at the marketplace late or any other details.  At the end of the day He came to pay the workers.  He began with the ones most recently hired and he paid them the usual daily wage.  That excited the ones who had been there all day.  They thought that surely if he paid the late ones that much he obviously would pay them even more for all their hard work.  Their excitement was short lived.  In fact, they were pretty upset when they got the same pay for working all day as those who only worked an hour.  When the landowner heard them grumbling, he tried to explain that he was not unfair at all.  He gave them what they had agreed upon, it was his money and he could be generous if that is what he chose to do.

We are not told how the workers responded to his comment.  It would seem that the landowner did not know much about business.   For the next time he went out to hire help none would probably go until the last hour of the day.  But what the landowner did know much about, is and was grace.  The workers that came at the end of the day did not get what they deserved they got mercy.  And Mercy is at the heart of grace.

Of course in the parable the landowner is God, the workers are us, and the pay is the kingdom of heaven.  And, as we study this parable, we can quickly see, it is all about grace.

First of all, the parable says that grace is received, not deserved.  For all of us who are people of faith, we know that we do not deserve God’s grace.  Nothing that we can do will put us in a position of deserving God’s grace.  All we can do is receive the gift that God offers to us freely.

David Seamands ends his book Healing Grace with this story.  For more than six hundred years the Hapsburgs exercised political power in Europe.  When Emperor Franz-Josef I of Austria died in 1916, his was the last of the extravagant imperial funerals.  A processional of dignitaries and elegantly dressed court personages escorted the casket, draped in the black and gold imperial colors.  To the accompaniment of a military band’s processional and by the light of torches, the somber group descended the stairs of the Capuchin Monastery in Vienna.  At the bottom was a great iron door leading to the Hapsburg family crypt.   Behind the door was the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna.  The officer in charge followed the prescribed ceremony, established centuries before.  Open! he cried. Who goes there? responded the Cardinal.  We bear the remains of his Imperial and Apostolic Majesty, Franz-Josef I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Defender of the faith the officer continued to list the Emperor’s thirty-seven titles.  We know him not, replied the Cardinal. Who goes there?  The officer spoke again, this time using a much abbreviated and less ostentatious title reserved for times of expediency.  We know him not, the Cardinal said again.  Who goes there?  The officer tried a third time, stripping the emperor of all but the humblest of titles:  We bear the body of Franz-Josef, our brother, a sinner like us all!  At that the doors swung open, and Franz-Josef was admitted.

No matter who we are, what titles we have, or how much we have, none of it can open the way to God’s grace.  Grace is given freely, what is left for us is to openly receive that grace.

Grace is received, not deserved.

Secondly, God’s grace is about mercy, not about fairness.  What would have been fair would be to pay the later workers less than the daily wage or pay those who had worked all day more than the daily wage.  Now, that would be fair.  When we talk about grace, it is about something different than fairness. It is about mercy.

God loves us and mercifully gives us more than we deserve.

Christian financial consultant and author Larry Burkett speaks in his book Business by the Book about going the extra mile, going beyond fairness.  Early in Burkett’s career he leased an office in a building that proved to be a nightmare.  The foundation had not been properly constructed, and the office building was literally sinking several inches a year into the ground.  After more than three years of putting up with assorted problems, including power failures and several weeks without water, Burkett moved his business to another location.  Two months after he left Burkett received a call from his former landlord who demanded that Burkett remodel and repaint his former office space.  Burkett said no, feeling he had already been more than fair with the landlord, but the former landlord continued to call with his demands.  Burkett consulted an attorney who agreed that Burkett had fulfilled his responsibility and should not do anything further.  Burkett went on to say that his son offered him some different counsel.  His son reminded him that the landlord and his wife had lost their only child a few years earlier and still suffered from that tragedy.  Burkett had often commented that he would like to help them heal through their loss.  Burkett’s son suggested that this might be an opportunity to do just that by not doing what was fair, but what was merciful.  Burkett said he considered what his son had said.  He decided to commit several thousand dollars to restore a virtually non-usable building.  And That is going beyond fair, to merciful.

It is exactly what God’s grace is all about
.
Grace is received, not deserved.

Secondly, God’s grace is about mercy, not about fairness.
Thirdly, God’s grace is for the last as well as the first.

It is easy for us to say that we deserve more because we are the people who have been faithful to the call of Christ. Some for many years.  God does not work that way.  Today and everyday God wants a relationship with everyone, from those hired first thing in the morning to those that only managed to put in an hour at the end of the day.  That is what Grace is all about.

I read a story this past week that I believe illustrates this point very well.  A woman told how her father sexually abused her as a small child.  She grew up, overcame the emotional damage that had been done, became a Christian, and eventually married.  Years later, after her own children were fully grown, she received a letter from her father telling her he had become a Christian and had asked God for forgiveness.  He also realized that he had sinned against her and was writing asking for her forgiveness.  Feelings she did not know were there suddenly surfaced. It was not fair she thought bitterly!  He should pay for what he had done. It was all too easy.  And now he was going to be part of the family of God!  She was sure her home church was busy killing the fatted calf for her father and that she would be invited to come to the party!  She was angry. She was hurt. She was resentful.  Then she had a dream. She saw her father standing on an empty stage.  Above him appeared the hands of God holding a white robe.   She recognized it at once, because in the dream she was wearing a robe just like it.  As the robe began to descend toward her father, she woke up with tears streaming down her face.  The only way she could get past it all was to realize that her earthly father was now the same as she. They were the same in God’s sight.  God’s grace was for him just like it was for her.  Realizing that, she was finally able to forgive her father.

God’s grace is a free gift that is available to all of us.
It is a free gift that we receive it is not what we deserve.
It is about mercy, not fairness.
It is for the last as well as the first.
Beloved, It Is All about grace.

Amen & Amen!

Seizing Self-Control

By Brian Bill

Proverbs 25:28

This past Sunday afternoon, three of us jumped on a plane and flew to Michigan to interview an applicant for our Associate Pastor of Student Ministries position. Scott Petersen, who is a member here at PBC and runs the airport in town, made the arrangements to find a good pilot and a plane. Thankfully, Scott agreed to go along as the copilot.

This whole experience forced me to go way out of my comfort zone in two big areas. Number one, we were going to Michigan! And number two; we were flying in a small plane! The one good thing is that it gave me the opportunity to demonstrate some self-control, which is our topic for today. Instead of screaming and hyperventilating as we went through some turbulence on the way there and tried to outrace a nasty storm on the way back, I chose to hang on tight and pray like mad! Scott kept giving me the “thumbs-up” sign while Mark and Milt kept laughing at me! My knuckles were still white the next morning!

That reminds me of a story I heard about a stunt pilot who was selling rides in his single engine airplane. One day he got into an argument with a pastor who insisted on taking his wife along at no extra charge. Not wanting to miss out on a chance to make some cash, the pilot said, “I’ll take you both up for the price of one if you promise not to utter a sound during the entire flight. If you make any noise, the price is doubled.” The deal was made and they climbed aboard the plane.

The pilot quickly proceeded to put the plane through all sorts of stunts and maneuvers designed to make the bravest person tremble. But the passengers didn’t make a sound. Exhausted, the pilot finally landed. As the pastor climbed out, the pilot said, “I made moves up there that frightened even me and yet you never said a word. You must have incredible self-control.” The pastor thanked the pilot and then said, “I must admit that there was one time when you almost had me.” “When was that?” asked the pilot. To which the man replied, “When my wife fell out of the plane!”

Talk about self-control! As we come to the last, but not least, fruit of the Spirit, let’s read Galatians 5:22-23 together: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Defining Self-control

Each of the different characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit focuses on how we respond to God and how we treat other people. Joy and faithfulness are expressed vertically while peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness bear directly on how we interact with others. And, the juiciest fruit, which is at the center of our spiritual fruit salad, is love, which has both a horizontal and vertical dimension.

Nestled among the Spirit’s produce is the seemingly out-of-place fruit of self-control. This characteristic of a Christ-follower seems to focus more on me instead of on my relationships with other people. I can exercise self-control when I’m the only person in the house. In fact, sometimes the hidden, private moments when no one else is looking is precisely when I need self-control the most.

However, if we properly exercise the fruit of self-control, it will benefit those around us. In some ways, we might consider this virtue the most important because without self-control the works of the flesh cannot be overcome and the other elements of the Fruit of the Spirit will not be evident.

When the Greeks wanted to illustrate self-control, they built a statue of a man or a woman in perfect proportion. To them, self-control was the proper ordering and balancing of the individual. Aristotle once said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.” Plato believed that our animal urges must be governed or else they will produce “a feverish state in the soul, a city of pigs” which knows no limits. When we’re not self-controlled, our life is like a pigsty. That’s quite a word picture.

The word translated “self-control” in the NIV is rendered “temperance” in the King James Version. It comes from the word “strength” and means, “one who holds himself in.” To be self-controlled is to not live in bondage to the desires, passions and appetites of the flesh. My body is a good servant but a miserable master.

While “self-control” is a good translation of the Greek word, it’s a bit deceiving because we all know that we can’t control ourselves simply through our own willpower or self-determination. Self-control is more than just self-help. Paul speaks of our dilemma in Romans 7:18: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.”

We can get a fuller meaning of self-control from Paul’s extended discussion of his ministry in 1 Corinthians 9. In this passage, Paul contrasts exercising control over his body with running “aimlessly” in verse 26. He argues that athletes exercise self-control because they have a clearly defined purpose or goal. They cannot afford to be distracted by every passion or desire that comes along. We can therefore define this final fruit of the Spirit as the “control of the self by the Spirit for the sake of the gospel.” What looks like self-control is actually the result of letting someone else take control. Self-control, biblically speaking, means walking by the Spirit, under the Lordship of Christ.

Broken Down Walls

In order to fully understand this fruit, it’s helpful to describe what the absence of self-control looks like. Proverbs 25:28 provides a dramatic description of the individual living out of control, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” When the book of Proverbs was written, one of the main sources of strength and protection for a city consisted in the building and maintaining of walls. A wiped out wall was considered a breach in security. A city with walls in disrepair was a city with a shameful reputation.

That’s one of the reasons Nehemiah was so motivated to begin a building campaign in Nehemiah 1:3. Those who lived in the capital were in “great trouble and disgrace” because the wall of Jerusalem was broken down. It was open to attack and ultimate destruction. The man or woman who lacks self-restraint is like a city that has no effective defense. They are not able to resist those things that can destroy their lives and the lives of others. When occupants of a city for whatever reason neglected their own safety by failing to build and maintain strong walls, they would have been looked upon as a weak and foolish people. Likewise, when we forfeit the fruit of self-control, we are feeble and not very wise.

The Bible offers several vivid examples of people who lived out-of-control lives. One of the most dramatic stories is of Samson, found in Judges 14-16. He is a portrait of self-destruction. As one of Israel’s judges, the Spirit of God empowered him. He was known for his strength and led God’s people for 20 years. One of his primary tasks was to protect his people from the influence of the pagan Philistines. But because he did not have self-control he instead visited Philistine prostitutes and eventually told Delilah about the secret of his power. Lacking sexual self-control, he soon lost his hair, his strength and his life.

King Saul was another man with a deficit in self-control. He was so determined to destroy David that his life spun completely out of control in 1 Samuel 21-23. He ignored the important things in his life in order to chase David all over the place. David, on the other hand, demonstrated remarkable self-control when he had the opportunity to kill Saul. Instead of allowing his passions to control him, in 1 Samuel 24:6 David says, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” Tragically, several years later when David is King, his self-control goes out the window when he commits adultery with Bathsheba and murders Uriah.

I find it interesting in the New Testament, that when Paul had the privilege of presenting the gospel to Felix, a Roman governor, he chose to emphasize “righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come” in Acts 24:25. Felix had no self-control, and had indulged in all kinds of cruelty and lust, committing both murder and adultery. Felix was no different than many others in the Roman Empire. Scholars tell us that when ancient Rome was disciplined and controlled, it was a great nation, but when it became saturated in its own sin it lost its glory. Drunkenness, orgies, and an “anything goes” mindset caused Rome to cave inward and implode upon itself. The decline of the Roman Empire went hand-in-hand with self-indulgence. I wonder if America is going down that same road?

Felix responded to Paul’s preaching like many of us do today. The second half of Acts 24:25 reveals that he was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” I doubt that he ever called for a second sermon on self-control. Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, “He is a governor that governs his passions, and he is a servant that serves them.”

Unfortunately, some of us have allowed our walls to be broken down. Instead of governing our desires and appetites, most of us are “bingers” by nature. Some of us binge on food, some on sleep, others on work, and still others on TV, sports, spending or sex. Solomon reminds us of the importance of keeping a watch on how we’re doing in Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

A Self-control Inventory

Are you struggling with self-control in any of these areas that are addressed in the Book of Proverbs?

* Uncontrolled lust. Proverbs 6:26: “For the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.”

* Uncontrolled spending. Proverbs 21:20: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.”

* Uncontrolled ambition. Proverbs 23:4: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.”

* Uncontrolled drinking. Proverbs 23:29-30: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.”

* Uncontrolled anger. Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

The Premiere Passage

Is it possible to display self-control in our self-centered and self-seeking culture? Most all of us need it and want it, but some of us may feel like there’s no hope. Perhaps you’ve tried to control these areas before but have struck out so many times that you just feel like giving up. Before you throw in the towel, please turn to the premiere passage on self-control in the New Testament: Titus 2. The young pastor Titus did not have an easy assignment on the island of Crete.

Crete was filled with saloons and was well known as the first century “party place.” This week’s issue of Newsweek ran an article called, “The Road to Rave.” Young adults are flocking to spots around the world seeking indiscriminate sex and drugs. “BringItOn” is an Internet-based company that caters to twenty-something club goers. It operates under the motto “On the beach ’til 7 p.m. In the clubs ’til 9 a.m.”

Crete was like that. It was a party place populated by people whom Paul describes in Titus 1:12 as “liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” Temptations abounded and tripped up some of the new Christians with whom Titus worked in the Cretan congregation. These new babes in Christ had come out of the raucous world around them. Each of them had friends who were still participating in the drunken love fests for which Crete was famous. This was not an easy place to win converts to Christ nor was it an easy place for believers to maintain their purity and self-control in their lives.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise to find in Paul’s brief letter to Titus numerous admonitions to seize self-control. Instead of acting crazy with no restraint at all, Paul challenges four groups of people to “be in their right minds” by being controlled by the Spirit of God.

1. In Titus 1:8 elders are to be men who are known for their hospitality, good works, holiness, discipline and self-control.
2. In 2:1, Titus is to teach the older men to be self-controlled.
3. In 2:2, older women are to be reverent, truth-tellers and not addicted to alcohol. As they teach what is good, verse 4 challenges them to train younger women to love their husbands and children and to be self-controlled.
4. In 2:6, Titus is to be an example to young men and to encourage them to be self-controlled.

The final verses in this chapter give us the solution to out-of-control lives. It’s not enough to just try to do it on our own. We desperately need God’s power and His grace. Look at Titus 2:11-14: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

The emphasis in this passage and the key to seizing self-control is grace – God’s lavish favor poured out on undeserving sinners. This grace does at least three things.

1. Grace redeems us (11, 14a). There is no way we can save ourselves. God took the initiative and brought salvation to us. Verse 14 explains that Christ “gave Himself for us.” He paid the price to buy us back from the shackles of sin.

2. Grace reforms us (12, 14b). Salvation not only changes our position before God, we’ve also been given a change in attitude, appetite, ambition and action. We’ve been given freedom from the condemnation of sin and we also have freedom from the domination of sin. Warren Wiersbe writes that the “same grace that redeems us also reforms our lives and makes us godly.” God is training us through the Holy Spirit to be the kind of people that bring glory to Him.

Notice in verse 12 that we can say “no” to ungodliness and passions. To be self-controlled is to restrain ourselves by not giving in to our depraved desires. We can say “no” when everything in us is saying “yes” for all the wrong reasons. We deny worldly lusts when we withhold our consent from them and when we refuse the delight they suggest. God will give us the ability to withstand temptations and will provide a way of escape when they become too severe (1 Corinthians 10:13).

His reforming grace also allows us to say “yes” by working on the positive by living “self-controlled, upright and godly lives” in this present age. Since we’ve been redeemed from this world, we don’t have to be conformed to it. In fact, we can be “eager to do what is good” according to verse 14. Here are seven practical ways that we can both say “no” to that which is destructive and say, “yes” to what is helpful.

* Admit you have a problem with self-control.
* Yield to the lordship of Christ. Galatians 5:16: “Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
* Cultivate the disciplines of Bible reading and prayer.
* Invest in spiritual friendships. Ecclesiastes 4:10: “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”
* Curtail bad influences. Avoid those things that tempt us. 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
* Practice good habits. Job 31:1 says that Job made a covenant with his eyes to not gaze lustfully at a woman.
* Welcome gracious correction. Things would have ended differently for Samson if had listened to those who warned him to let God control his sex drive.

3. Grace rewards us (13). We can have self-control because we’ve been redeemed from the way we used to live. We’ve also been reformed on the inside and have the power to actually change. Verse 13 reminds us that the return of Jesus is our only hope and glory. Instead of living for today, we live for what is to come. This is in stark contrast to pleasure seekers who live only for this life and what it offers. Knowing that we’ll see Jesus face-to-face should give us impetus to live Spirit-controlled lives today. While we wait in hopeful expectation we’ll discover a powerful antidote to worldly lusts and passions.

In his excellent book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes: “Our ordinary method of dealing with ingrained sin is to launch a frontal attack. We rely on our willpower and determination. Whatever may be the issue for us – anger, fear, bitterness, gluttony, pride, lust, substance abuse -we determine never to do it again; we pray against it, fight against it, and set our will against it. But the struggle is all in vain, and we find ourselves once again morally bankrupt…”

Let’s face it. We’ve been created with a multitude of moods, passions, and desires. They all need managing. They must be under control or they will end up controlling us. Lewis Smedes says that self-control is like the “conductor of a symphony orchestra.” Under the conductor’s baton the multitude of talented musicians can play the right notes at the right time at the right volume so that everything sounds just right.

Likewise, our appetites and longings have their proper place. Self-control is the Holy Spirit’s baton in our hearts under whose skillful direction everything stays in its proper place and comes in at just the right time. To be self-controlled is to be Spirit-controlled.

Friends, there is no way we can develop self-control on our own. The Christians on Crete faced long odds and we do as well. There are more than enough people pulling us back into unrestrained living. The good news is that you don’t have to give in to them, or into your own desires. As you submit and surrender to the Spirit’s control, you can experience freedom and power that you’ve not seen before.

Conclusion

The key to displaying each of the nine character qualities known as the Fruit of the Spirit is not to try harder but to understand the short phrase that appears right after the spiritual fruit salad in Galatians 5:23: “Against such things there is no law.” This means that these characteristics cannot be legislated or enforced by a set of rules. You can’t make somebody be kind or patient or gentle. Likewise, no law can keep us from displaying luscious fruit in our lives. The only thing that is keeping us from allowing His fruit to ripen is our own selfishness and sinfulness.

I want to close with a very powerful reminder from Jim Cymbala. He writes this in his latest book, Fresh Power: “While Christ’s work on the cross…was the only way to settle the problem of guilt, sin, and condemnation; the coming of the promised Holy Spirit was God’s way of changing human beings from the inside out. The law given to Moses had failed on this very point. It was in itself holy and just, but the problem was the sinful nature within people.

Now the Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of believers would conquer the age-old dilemma of ‘I want to be different but can’t. I know what’s wrong, but I keep doing it anyway.’ This empowerment by the Spirit would be the dynamic source throughout time for all who live and labor for Jesus Christ” (Pages 16-17).

Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to empower us on a daily basis. We don’t have to go up in a plane to seize self-control; we have plenty of opportunities right here on the ground, which is where I want to stay for a while!

As we wrap up this series, I want to give you an opportunity to respond to the Spirit’s promptings. Please close your eyes as I read a few verses from Galatians 5:16, 25: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

* Are you living by the Spirit or are you trying to do it on your own?
* Are you keeping in step with the Spirit or is your life out-of-control?

The Attitude of Worship

By Kerry Bauman

Psalm 27:4

As his parents watched from the patio, a little boy played baseball by himself in the back yard. Of course this amounted to tossing a ball into the air and attempting to hit it with his bat. As he did so he proclaimed to no one in particular, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” Unfortunately, he missed the ball and, since he was the umpire too, regretfully announced, “Strike one.” Undaunted the little fellow picked up the ball, threw it back into the air and said, “I’m the greatest baseball hitter ever!” With even greater intensity he swung the bat but all he caught was air for his efforts. “Strike two,” he said. The boy paused a moment, examined the bat and ball carefully, and then for a third time threw the ball into the air. “I’m the greatest hitter in the history of baseball,” he said. This time he swung for all he was worth, but just like the other two attempts, he missed. “Strike three,” he mumbled. Then the boy sat for a moment considering what had just happened. After a minute or so, he turned to his parents and much to their surprise said, “Wow, I just struck out the greatest hitter in the world! I must be the greatest pitcher of all time.”

Attitude really matters, doesn’t it? It can make the difference between a good day and a bad day, a good marriage and a bad marriage, perhaps even a good life and a bad life. Chuck Swindoll says, “Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it.”

Have you ever considered that your choice of attitude even affects your worship experience? In Psalm 27, David begins by expressing his confidence in God. This declaration of faith is written in the context of an attack from without by his enemies (See Psalm 27:1-3). What might have caused fear and anxiety in someone who did not trust God, results only in the longing of David to be closer to God. “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek,” he says, “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” This is remarkable! David was the king of Israel, the leader of their armies and a preacher of the Word of God. The pressures associated with any one of these responsibilities would be more than most of us are capable of bearing. So how does he hold it together? He does so by maintaining an attitude of worship. Let’s take a few moments and break down what David has to say about this all important pursuit.

The Discipline of Worship. To be a person who is a true worshipper of the Lord Jesus Christ requires a substantial commitment to personal discipline. In a day and age when so many things compete for our worship and devotion, believers are often forced to make choices. David resisted the temptation to be consumed with his many duties in leading a nation and chose instead to make God his number one priority. This single-minded pursuit is what made him such an effective leader. Do you remember the run-in David had with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17? While all the other soldiers could only see their situation from a human, and therefore hopeless, perspective, David, the worshipper of God, did not fall victim to such thinking. He was willing to oppose Goliath not because he was stronger or a more experienced soldier, but because he was highly motivated. David was offended by the arrogance of Goliath and his unwillingness to acknowledge the greatness of the God he worshipped (See 1 Samuel 17:45-47). Goliath could have ridiculed the armies of Israel, David himself, and even his mother, but nothing drew the young man’s ire like the unwillingness of the Philistine to respect and honor his God. We could say that David was obsessed with worship. Application: How important it is that we as a church maintain this important discipline. We must be careful not to lose the perspective that we exist to glorify God. I am concerned that in an effort to be relevant the evangelical movement has become man-centered rather than God-centered. (It is at least possible that we at CLCBC might have fallen prey to this as well). The primary question for evangelicalism has become, “How do we get more people and grow our churches?” We have failed to recognize that the paradigm for success in our churches has been set, not by the immutable and infallible Word of God, but by our culture. Big is good and bigger is better. Those with the largest congregations obviously know what they’re doing and so therefore reserve the right to set the agendas for the rest of the church. What we have failed to understand is that because we have bought into our culture’s definition of success, believers are no longer the ones leading the body of Christ to glorify God. The practice of Christian worship, the purpose for which we exist, is being redesigned to suit the desires of those outside the church. If their attendance is contingent on more singing and less teaching, we capitulate to their desires. If they want the teaching to be more about how to live a good life and less about theology and doctrine, we preach to accommodate. If certain doctrinal positions offend, we avoid them! If the services are too long or at too inconvenient of a time, no problem! We’ll adjust. We would be wise to grasp that what is ultimately being removed is not the barriers that have kept the church from reaching the lost, but the worship of God as He is revealed to us in the Scriptures. We cannot worship what we do not know. And we will not know God if our primary ambition is to worship man. May we avoid the tyranny of our times by disciplining our minds to think as David did: “One thing I ask,” he prayed, “this is what I seek.”

The Destination of Worship. “…That I may dwell in the house of the Lord.” David was not referring here to the tabernacle, the place where God dwelt in the times preceding Solomon, or the temple built during his son’s reign. These places were not dwellings to be lived in, and neither were they eternal (See Psalm 23:6). David was speaking here of an ongoing and intimate relationship with God where we live in His very presence. Worship is meant to bring us to the throne of God that we might grow in our understanding of Him. This is what Jesus referred to as “eternal life” in John 17:2-3. In providing for us life that would never end, God was giving Himself to us. If worship doesn’t bring us into the presence of God through His Son, then one of two things has gone wrong: Either we are worshipping the wrong thing or we’re worshipping for the wrong reason.

1. The object of our worship. The very first commandment given to Israel was to “have no other gods before me (See Exodus 20:3). He alone is to be the One we worship. God is clear on this. Whatever we do, it is to be done to His glory (See 1 Corinthians 10:31). Application: He is so central to our existence that the most routine things can and should be done to His glory! Think about it. It is possible to eat and drink (so says the Apostle Paul) to the glory of God. This is how God intended for us to live. We only get it wrong when we fail to worship God and begin to worship created things (See Romans 1:18-25).

2. The motivation for worship. The Lord did not receive Cain’s sacrifice because it was not right (See Genesis 4:2-7). The verb means ‘to please.’. It was not the sacrifice itself that was wrong, for grain offerings were offered to God in other places in the Scriptures with good results. It was a matter of the heart, and Cain’s was not right with God. It is possible to engage in the worship of God in a way that is not pleasing to our Lord. Certainly this was the problem that Jesus had with the Pharisees and teachers of the Law in Matthew 15. They pretended that their traditions were all about honoring God, but in fact, they were about manipulating others to their own advantage. Thus they rendered the commandments of God null and void causing Jesus to conclude that their worship was meaningless and empty (See Matthew 15:8-9). Had they truly desired to please God, they would have followed the example of Christ in loving others. Application: People seek access to the throne of God for many reasons. Often it is because we want something from Him. There is, however, one motive that seems more right than others–because we want to know Him.

There once was an old woman who unfortunately was gradually losing her memory. Throughout her life, however, this woman had cherished and depended on the Word of God, committing many verses to memory. Her favorite was 2 Timothy 1:12 — “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” Confined to a bed in a nursing home, her family knew that she was would never leave it alive. As they visited, she would quote verses, especially 2 Timothy 1:12. But with the passing of time, even parts of this well-loved verse began to fade. “I know in whom I have believed…he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him…” Then it was…”what I have entrusted to Him…” A few short days before her death all she could remember was…”entrusted to Him.” Finally in her last moments there was only one word left, Him.” She whispered it again and again as she stood on the doorstep of heaven. “Him…Him…Him.” It was all that was left and it was all that was needed.

The Duration of Worship. “…all the days of my life.” David could think of nothing better than to spend the rest of his life dwelling in the very presence of God. Worship is not a momentary experience, it is a life-long pursuit where we give all that we are to honor all that He is. In Psalm 34:1-3, David provides for us a model of what this looks like:

1. We worship God willingly (I will bless the Lord at all times…). Worship is a free-will offering to God!
2. We worship God continually (I will bless the Lord at all times…). There is never an inappropriate time for worship (See 2 Chronicles 20:18-21).
3. We worship God personally (My soul shall make its boast in the Lord…).
4. We worship God corporately (O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.) We are meant to worship God with others.

The Desire of Worship. “…to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” David had two desires in worship: To see something and to seek something.

1. To see the beauty of the Lord. The Hebrew, “to behold the beauty of the Lord,” is a saying expressing the absolute delight which gazing continually at God’s glory brings to us. It is beyond words and must be experienced to be understood.
2. To seek Him in His temple. The idea is to actively and passionately pursue God that we might know Him better and enjoy Him more. It is the desire described in Psalm 42:1 — As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

These two desires, that we could see His beauty and increasingly seek Him out, are meant to have a profound impact on the life of a believer. They are meant to produce a decreasing satisfaction with the things of the world and insatiable thirst for the presence of God. In his book, Sahara Unveiled, William Langewiesche tells the story of an Algerian named Lag Lag and a companion whose truck broke down while crossing the desert. They nearly died during the three weeks they waited before being rescued. As their bodies became dehydrated, they found that they were willing to drink anything in the hopes of quenching their terrible thirst. The sun forced them under the truck into the shade where they dug a shallow trench. Day after day, they lay there. They had food, but did not eat, fearing it would intensify their thirst. Dehydration, not starvation, kills wanderers in the desert. How did they manage to survive? They drank rusty radiator water, which is, in effect, a poison. What makes a man drink water mixed with antifreeze and residue from the engine? The answer is simple: The overwhelming desire to live. What drives Christians to seek out God in His temple and to see His beauty? The answer is just as simple: The unquenchable desire to dwell know God and see Him in all His glory.

Billy Graham’s Steps to Peace With God

By Paul Fritz

John 3:16

Here are four steps to peace with God. Billy Graham discovered the secret to effectiveness in his preaching which we all need. Many often overlook this one element that is so central to the Christian faith – the preaching of Christ crucified on the cross as a substitutionary payment for the forgiveness of sins.

1. RECOGNIZE GOD’S PLAN – Peace and Life

God loves you and wants to give you His plan that begins with the gift of eternal life that is filled with peace, satisfying and good. However, billions of people are not saved because they do not know that they are lost and headed for hell. Only when people recognize that they need to trust Christ alone as their Savior from sin can they recognize God’s plan for their life.

Many go through their entire life not recognizing God’s will for their life and consequently suffer distress, frustration and emptiness then eventually hell and eternal judgment.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

2. REALIZE OUR PROBLEM – Separation from God

People chose to disobey God and go their own way. When sin entered the world, because of man’s disobedience, death passed upon all men, for we have all sinned through the sin of Adam as well as with our own disobedience to God’s holy character.

Realizing that one is separated from God means that one fully comprehends the condition of one who is at enmity with our Creator. Paul wrote about this state in Ephesians 2:1-3 when he wrote,

“You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient… Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”

The Bible says, “For everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence and glory.” (Rom. 3:23)

3. RESPOND TO GOD’S REMEDY – Cross of Christ

Christ died, was buried and resurrected from the dead to provide a sacrificial atonement for the forgiveness of all our past, present and future sins if we will respond to Him with saving faith. It is not enough to just say we believe in Christ. We must place our trust in Christ as the substitutionary payment for the forgiveness of our sins. We must trust Christ to become our personal Savior from sin as the one who became our sin bearer.

The Bible teaches, “But God has demonstrated his own love for us. It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us… and not just for our sins only, but also for the sins of the world.” (Rom 5:8)

Jesus is the medicine we need to respond to if we want to receive the remedy for sin, death, hell and eternal separation from God.

4. RECEIVE GOD’S SON – Savior and Lord

A person crosses the bridge to become a member of God’s eternal family when you ask Christ to come into your life and receive Him by saving faith.

The Bible says, “But to as many as did receive and welcome Him. He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is to those who believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely alone on) His name – the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (John 1:12) Amplified Bible

Only when we personally invite Christ into our life as our Savior and Lord do we become a son or daughter of God. Until that time we are not a part of God’s eternal family.

The Bible teaches, “Who owe their birth neither to bloodlines nor to the will of the flesh (that of physical impulse) nor to the will of man (that of a natural father or mother) but to God. (They are born of God and receive His nature into their soul).” (John 1:13) Amplified Bible

The INVITATION IS TO:

Repent (turn from your sins) and by faith receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life and follow Him in obedience as your Lord and Savior.

PRAYER OF COMMITMENT:

“Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me now. Amen.”

If you want further help in the decision you have made, write to

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. PO Box 779, Minneapolis, MN 55440

The Effects of Sin and Forgiveness

By Fred Sigle

Psalm 32:1-7

Some years ago, two TEENAGERS with a long history of CRIME and DELINQUENCY robbed a YMCA on the lowest East Side of New York City. On the way out they saw a young man at the TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARD. They were FRIGHTENED and ASSUMED that the must be calling the POLICE. They seized and beat him SAVAGELY with BRASS KNUCKLES and a BLACK JACK. Thinking that he was DEAD, they HID him BEHIND a RADIATOR near the SWIMMING POOL and ESCAPED.

Later that evening, a woman who came to SWIM, was walking by the POOL. She SLIPPED in the man’s BLOOD, screamed, and then FOUND Donald Tippet’s BODY. He LIVED, but one EYE was so badly DAMAGED that it could not be SAVED.

Meanwhile, the two TEENAGERS were APPREHENDED and brought to TRIAL. Their PAST RECORDS assured that BOTH would get LONG SENTENCES. However, Donald Tippet did an AMAZING thing-he REQUESTED that the JUDGE allow the two YOUNG MEN to be PAROLED to his CHARGE. He wanted to give them another CHANCE. He believed they could CHANGE.

One of the boys blew his OPPORTUNITY. He COMMITTED another CRIME, was CAUGHT, and to JAIL. The other boy, however, was RESPONSIVE to Tippet’s KINDNESS. He went to COLLEGE and then, eventually, to MEDICAL SCHOOL. He became one of our nation’s leading SURGEONS-an EYE SURGEON.

A REPORTER, writing about Donald Tippet’s AMAZING STORY of FORGIVENESS, said of the SURGEON’S accomplishments: “I wonder if he ever PERFORMS one of those DELICATE EYE OPERATIONS without thinking of that NIGHT in the YMCA and the YOUNG MAN whose CONFIDENCE and FORGIVENESS changed his LIFE!”

B. FORGIVENESS is one of those WORDS that Christians use quite often, but many still have difficulty completely UNDERSTANDING what it means to be FORGIVEN.

1. One reason we haven’t understood FORGIVENESS is because many of us really don’t know what it’s
like to be LOST.

a. Most Christians were BROUGHT UP in the CHURCH.

We had Christian PARENTS. We were REARED in a GODLY HOME. We HEARD the GOSPEL all of our lives. We were at WORSHIP almost every SUNDAY.

By the time we were EIGHT we knew every SONG that the SONG LEADER led by HEART. We could PRAY the same PRAYER that all the men PRAYED because we heard BASICALLY the SAME one Sunday after Sunday. How did we know what it was like to be LOST?

You hear these STORIES from people who became Christians later in life getting up and saying, “I was a DRUG DEALER!” “I am a RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC!”   “I ROBBED a BANK!” “I KILLED a man.” And you think, “Now that GUY was LOST!”

Then you think back on what you’ve DONE. “I TOOK a PAPER CLIP from my 3rd Grade Bible Class Teacher and didn’t tell her.” “One time I SCRAPED the PEAS off my PLATE and FED them to the DOG and told Mom that I ATE them.” “I PUSHED Johnny in the MUD!”

b. Do we really KNOW what it’s like to be LOST?

2. David was a man who understood FORGIVENESS because he KNEW what it was like to SIN.

Here was a man CHOSEN by God to be the KING of Israel. A man “after God’s own HEART.” A man who was LOVED by God and PROTECTED by Him when he was PURSUED by King Saul who was out to KILL him.

What does he doe? He commits ADULTERY, then LIES about it. And then trying to COVER-UP his SIN, he has a man KILLED.

When David writes, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven and whose sins are covered and not counted against him by the Lord,” he’s talking about himself. David knew what it was like to be LOST, but he also knew what it was like to be FORGIVEN.

I. THE EFFECTS OF SIN- Psalm 32:3-4

A. Notice that David “kept SILENT about his SIN”- v. 3a.

1. He committed ADULTERY, he LIED and DECEIVED, he MURDERED, but he didn’t want to THINK ABOUT it and certainly didn’t want to ADMIT it.

This is TRUE of so many of us. When we do allow ourselves to get CAUGHT UP in SIN, we don’t want to ADMIT it-we don’t want to THINK about it. When we CONSCIOUSLY think about our SINS then we are OBLIGATED to do SOMETHING. But if we can SHOVE our SINS back into the RECESSES of our MINDS and not DWELL on them, we think we can LIVE with ourselves a little EASIER.

2. Many Christians have SECRET SINS-SINS that we COMMIT that we don’t want anybody to know about.

Those SINS vary. They can be COMPULSIVE LYING, PORNOGRAPHY, SEXUAL SINS, STEALING on the JOB, CHEATING, DRUNKENNESS, BITTERNESS, and many more.

And like David, we “KEEP SILENT” about our SINS. We don’t want to ADMIT them to God, to others, or even to ourselves.

B. Look how David’s SILENCE had AFFECTED him.

1. David- “My bones wasted away through my GROANING all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer”- vv. 3-4 .

a. Psalm 38:1-8 (READ)

b. David is DESCRIBING how his SINS and the SILENCE of his SINS have AFFECTED him PHYSICALLY.

David’s SIN, because he hadn’t CONFESSED it to God or even ADMITTED to himself, is GNAWING at him. He is literally SICKENED by it.

He CRIES and GROANS all day long. His BODY ACHES-his STOMACH churns, he can’t SLEEP. His POSTURE is BENT OVER-he can no longer WALK among his people with his HEAD HELD HIGH.

David kept his sin SILENT for almost a year. During that time he lived in constant MISERY, agonizing over what he had DONE but still REFUSING to ACKNOWLEDGE it.

2. Have you ever felt like David?

Have you ever allowed yourself to get CAUGHT UP in SIN-REFUSING to ACKNOWLEDGE it, and then have that SIN keep GNAWING at you where you could no longer THINK STRAIGHT? You TOSSED and TURNED all night. You became SICK of your STOMACH-THROWING UP. You MOANED and CRIED because what you did was so WRONG, but you still couldn’t make yourself ADMIT it-not even to yourself.

Maybe what David has DESCRIBED is something that you are EXPERIENCING now because you are presently LIVING in SIN and haven’t done anything about it.

The REFUSAL to ACKNOWLEDGE our SIN can AFFECT us in many ways: DEPRESSION, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, PHYSICAL ILLNESS, PROBLEMS on the JOB and at HOME-it can SAP the VITALITY right out of you.

I’M THANKFUL THAT DAVID DOESN’T STOP HERE!

II. THE CONFESSION OF SIN- v. 5a

A. David finally CONFESSED to God and brought his SINS before Him.

1. It wasn’t until the prophet Nathan came to David with a REVEALING STORY that he CONFESSED his GUILT and said, “I have SINNED against the Lord”- II Samuel 12:13.

For almost a year David had been LIVING in MISERY because he kept SILENT about his SIN. And it wasn’t until he CONFESSED it saying, “Lord, I have SINNED against you,” that the BURDEN of his GUILT was LIFTED. The ACHES of his BODY left him. His CRIES turned to JOY. Once again he could STRAIGHTEN UP and HOLD his HEAD HIGH, because he had been RESTORED to the HOLY POSITION he THREW away when he allowed SIN to TAKE OVER and REFUSED to CONFESS IT.

2. Do you remember a time when you got CAUGHT UP in SIN and you kept SILENT for awhile, but then you finally CONFESSED it? How did you FEEL?

Maybe you had an EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR. It was only one time. You were SEDUCED by this woman at work who FLIRTED with you for weeks. Finally one afternoon you gave in. You went to her APARTMENT and committed ADULTERY with her. Afterwards, you felt so BAD. You think, “I’m an ADULTERER!” You couldn’t even look at yourself in the MIRROR. Then all kinds of THOUGHTS go through your mind: “What if my WIFE finds out? How can I keep it from her?” Then you think, “Will I lose my FAMILY. I can’t bear to LOSE my WIFE and KIDS!” For weeks you AVOID your WIFE. Yet, this SIN keeps HAUNTING you and GNAWING at you. Finally one night you go to your WIFE with TEARS and you tell her what you did. And you say, “Hon, if you want to DIVORCE me, I understand.” And she breaks down and CRIES and then says, “I am so HURT! How could you do this to me?” But then she takes you into her ARMS and says, “I LOVE you and I FORGIVE you.” You can’t BELIEVE it. But it makes you feel SO GOOD to finally get that SIN out in the open.

Or it could be that you’ve done something to bring DISGRACE upon the CHURCH. You know it was WRONG, but you made all kinds of EXCUSES. But finally one Sunday morning after the SERMON you come before the CHURCH and CONFESSED what you’ve done and PLEADED with your brothers and sisters to FORGIVE you. It was TOUGH, but to have the BURDEN of that sin LIFTED felt so GOOD!

III. THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN- vv. 5b-7

A. David CONFESSED his SIN to God and the Father joyfully FORGAVE him.

1. Aren’t you glad that we have such a FORGIVING FATHER?

We BLASPHEME His HOLY NAME, we SPIT in His FACE, we HURT and RIDICULE and DEFAME His CHILDREN, we DESECRATE His CHURCH, and then we come to Him and say, “God, I’m SORRY!” and He says, “FORGIVEN and FORGOTTEN!”

I don’t know about you, but that HUMBLES me. That makes me REALIZE how UNDESERVING and UNWORTHY I am to be called a CHILD of God! I CONFESS to you that I have HURT my Father and have DISAPPOINTED Him time and time again, but He CONTINUES to “SURROUND me with SONGS of DELIVERANCE.” He DELIVERS me from my own SIN and DESTRUCTION!

2. But if God so freely FORGIVES, what is the IMPLICATION?

Does God DELIGHT in SIN? NEVER! Does God SMILE as a result of yours and my TRANSGRESSIONS? NO WAY! Is God AMUSED by our WICKEDNESS and REBELLION? IMPOSSIBLE! So what does God DELIGHT in? Being able to “EXTEND MERCY” pleases God- Micah 7:18.

3. God is ECSTATIC to be able to extend FORGIVENESS to His WAYWARD CHILDREN!

You don’t have to APPROACH God SHIELDING your head just in case He DESTROYS you with a MIGHTY BACKHAND. The BROKEN SPIRIT, the BROKEN and CONTRITE HEART provokes in God an inexpressible JOY!

B. When we talk about God’s FORGIVENESS there are some who are AFRAID that such TALK will encourage people to be CASUAL about SIN.

1. Paul- “. . . it is the KINDNESS of God that leads you toward REPENTANCE”- Romans 2:4.

2. Does FORGIVENESS make light of SIN?

If it does, the Lord God is RESPONSIBLE because He offers it ABUNDANTLY. God BOUGHT the RIGHT to be DELIGHTED as He FORGIVES us our SINS. It COST Him His Son on the CROSS!

I don’t know about you, but when I WRONG someone and I know I DESERVE some PUNISHMENT, whether it’s a GOOD TONGUE LASHING or to be FIRED from a JOB, but the person FORGIVES me and gives me another CHANCE, I don’t think I would say, “Boy, I FOOLED that guy! I can do anything WRONG and get away with it!”

Some people might take ADVANTAGE of the situation. I, and I believe you will think, I didn’t DESERVE his FORGIVENESS. I am going to DO better and TRY harder not to HURT that guy again!”

C. How does it make you FEEL when you know that you did something WRONG, but instead of PUNISHMENT you RECEIVE MERCY?

Here you are at the mall just hanging out with your friends. Suddenly it dawns on you that your Mom LOANED you the CAR, and you were supposed to pick her up 3 hours ago at the BEAUTY SHOP and you FORGOT all about it. Your Dad’s BOSS is coming over for DINNER tonight and it’s 5:30 and DINNER is at 6:00. Your Mom said, “Don’t be LATE, because I’ve got to get HOME and CLEAN the HOUSE and COOK DINNER.”

You run to the nearest PHONE and call the BEAUTY SHOP. “This is TODD, is my Mom still there?” The Beauty operator says, “No, Todd, she WAITED around for awhile and then LEFT. She said she was going to WALK home, but shortly after she left it started to RAIN.” You think, “Oh, no! She’s going to KILL me!” So you call home and your little brother answers the PHONE. “Is Mom there?” “YES!” “Is she UPSET?” And your little brother says, “JUST KEEP RUNNING! DON’T COME HOME!”

As you’re DRIVING home you think, “What am I going to say? Mom, AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS HIGHJACKED us at the mall. No, no! She’ll never BELIEVE that! Mom, I fell down, HIT my HEAD and lost my MEMORY! I got LOST! I ran out of GAS!” And you finally decide that all you can do is go in and say, “Mom, I FORGOT all about PICKING you UP and I’m SORRY! KILL ME! Put me out of my MISERY-PLEASE!”

Pulling into the DRIVEWAY you feel this SHARP PAIN in the PIT of your STOMACH. You walk into the house and your MOTHER is standing there. Her new PERM is totally SOAKED flat. Her SHOES are off and you can see her feet RED and WRINKLED from walking in the RAIN. She’s got a BUTCHER KNIFE in one hand and a STEW FORK in the other-and she has this UNUSUAL GRIN! Then she says, “Over TWO HOURS I waited for you and then had to WALK home THREE MILES-and it RAINED!” And you think, “This is it!  She’s really going to KILL me this time!”

Then your Mom puts down the KNIFE and FORK and says, “Your Dad’s BOSS will be her in a few minutes. Get CLEANED up for DINNER. And by the way, I made your favorite DESSERT-STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE. Give me a BIG KISS and we’ll FORGET the whole thing.” And you think, “The RAIN must have given her a FEVER! She’s DELIRIOUS! I can’t BELIEVE this, but I like it. She has actually FORGIVEN me!”

Are you going to say to your mother, “KISS YOU! I’ll SHAKE your HAND, but I’m not going to KISS YOU!” You’ll be KISSING all over her FACE-you’ll be KISSING her FEET! “Oh, Mom. I love you! I love you!” You’ll be in there CLEANING out the BATHROOM! You’ll be so SWEET and KIND to your MOTHER. You know why? Because she’s been so GOOD to you, and you knew for a MOMENT you DESERVED to be PUNISHED but she had completely FORGIVEN you.

Isn’t that the way it should be toward God? We SIN against our Father and then come to Him and say, “I’m SORRY!” And God holds out his ARMS and says, “Come here and let me KISS YOU.” If that doesn’t HUMBLE you and causes you to SERVE God better in your LIFE, then there is NOTHING that is going to PRICK your HEART!

IS THERE A SIN IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU’VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH LATELY?

Pursuing Wisdom

By Daniel Villa

Proverbs 1:1-7

All of us carry with us the collective wisdom passed on to us by the people who’ve been most significant in our lives. We’ve picked this wisdom up from parents, friends, teachers, leaders, relatives, barbers, and just about everybody … all the people who shaped and molded us as we were growing up. Some of this wisdom is very helpful. But some of is just plain wrong. I now realize that some of the wisdom I picked up growing up was plain wrong. For instance, one of my family’s mottos growing up was, “Look out for number one.” By saying we need to look out for number one, we meant that in the end, each person has to look out for his or her own needs first. Looking out for number one means I make sure my needs are met, and then I’ll start thinking about your needs. I tried to live by that wisdom through my high school years. But when I got married I figured out that this was pretty bad advice. I soon learned that two people who live by that motto can’t sustain a long term relationship of mutual commitment. By the time I started having kids, I realized that it was impossible to live a wise life by embracing that motto.

Another one of our family mottos was, (this one I learned from my older brother) “Kung May Gusot, May Lusot.” (If There’s a Problem, Find a Way-Out). Early in life, we learned to lie; to come up reasons to justify misdemeanors – from simple ones to terrible ones. I remember at one time being caught stealing. It was the first time I joined some kids in stealing. We were all up on a macopa tree when the owner suddenly showed up with a long bolo in hand. All the other boys jump out of the tree – 24 feet high. I was left alone, scared, but still managed to run after being recognized by the owner who was a member of the Wesleyan church – good man. I learned that day, that finding an easy way out did not really work. I learned that denying your mistake does not pay.

I had a meeting with a brother this week talking about my future involvement in a project intended to help Foreign Domestic Workers when someone called up seeking for help. She was just terminated. Her offense: using her mobile after work. She was caught by her employer making a call inside her room. It could not have been that bad had she not been warned earlier, and signed an agreement that she would not be making telephone calls while in that house 2 weeks earlier. She did not listen and thought she would not be caught. But she was. And now she’s out of job.

What kind of wisdom did people pass on to you? What mottos from coaches, parents, and teachers have shaped and molded you into what you are today? Some of it was probably pretty good, and some of it was probably wrong. Part of being an adult is sorting through that stuff, keeping the truly wise, and rejecting the unwise.

Today we start a new series called WISE LIVING. In this series we’re going to look at God’s wisdom from the Bible’s book of Proverbs. Each week we’re going to look at what the Bible’s book of Proverbs says about one subject. For example, next week we’ll be talking about God’s wisdom about Planning. Then the week after, we’ll talk about God’s wisdom about Taking Initiative. In all, we’ll be looking at about four to thirty different topics. (Depending on Response).

But today we’re going to start by talking about God’s wisdom for our lives in general. Today we’re going to find out what true wisdom is, what the proverbs are, and then some prerequisites to living wisely.

1. What is “Wisdom”? (Marunong)

What exactly is “wisdom”? The dictionary defines “wisdom” as the ability to discern what is true or right. So our English word “wisdom” has both moral implications–discerning what’s right–and intellectual implications–discerning what’s true.

Wisdom is the God-given ability to perceive the true nature of a matter and to implement the will of God in that matter. Dr. Larry Lea

Wisdom is what is true and right combined with good judgment. Bill Hybels

The Hebrew word translated “wisdom” in the Bible is a bit more colorful than our English word. The Hebrew word translated “wisdom” is hochma, and it usually refers to some kind of skill or ability. It was originally used to described the work of weavers who weave the elaborate garments of Aaron, the high priest. Since the high priest and his clothing typified the ultimate high priest, Jesus Christ, it was imperative that the weavers follow God’s exact specifications for the priests’ garments.

“Exodus 28:3
“3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.” (KJV)

The weavers’ ability to follow God’s design for manufacturing the garments was labeled “wisdom.” From that point on, the Israelites equated wisdom with a skill for living, and wisdom has since been defined as “the skill to live life according to God’s plan.” The wise person is one who patterns his finances, his goals, his relationships, and every aspect of his life according to the specifications revealed in God’s Word.

So the Hebrew word distinguishes wisdom from knowledge, because a person can have a mind full of facts, yet lack authentic wisdom. Often the authors of the Bible use this word hochma to describe people who are skilled in a trade or a craft, like wood working, metal working, embroidery, or weaving (New International Dictionary of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology, Vol. 2, p.133). This same word is used for people who are particularly skillful in tasks like trading, leadership, and even sailing.

Now with that background to the word hochma, look at Proverbs 3:19-20. These two verses represent many verses in Proverbs that describe the relationship between wisdom and God’s creation. Using construction terminology, the author of Proverbs pictures God as being like an architect and wisdom as being like the builder. As the architect, God designs the blueprint for the universe, but then its wisdom who actually builds off that blue print.

Wisdom is what we need to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. God has a design for each of us. We need wisdom to fulfill that design.

2. What Are “Proverbs”?

Now the book of Proverbs are part of the Bible’s wisdom literature. So we come to the question, “What exactly are ‘proverbs'”?

Proverbs are short, memorable sayings whose meanings are relevant to many different situations.

If you remember the movie Forrest Gump, the “gumpisms” in that movie were proverbs. The saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” is a proverb. “Stupid is as stupid does” is a proverb.

Every society has its own set of proverbs that represent the collective wisdom of that society. Let me give you some other examples that come from our culture.

“Look before you leap.”
“Easy come, easy go.”
“A penny saved is a penny earned.”
“Live one day at a time.”

The Bible’s book of Proverbs represents the collective wisdom of ancient Israel. And because as Christians we believe the whole Bible is inspired by God, the collective wisdom of Proverbs represents God’s angle on wisdom. Most of the proverbs comes from king Solomon, the guy who was the king of Israel during her golden reign. But Proverbs also has wise sayings from other people as well.

It’s likely that the book of Proverbs started as a book to help parents instruct their kids in life skills. In fact, the first nine chapters of Proverbs are a father instructing his son in how to live wisely in the world. So Proverbs was originally a parenting strategy as moms and dads tried to equip their children to live God centered, successful lives according to the grain of God’s creation.

But it’s also likely that Proverbs later became a textbook in ancient Israel to prepare people to serve as leaders. In this sense, it was a textbook for equipping emerging leaders who could serve as advisors in government posts. By the time of King Solomon, there were several counselors or sages who were known for their common sense and wisdom.

Now it’s important to understand how to apply the wise sayings from Proverbs to our lives. The sayings we find in the book of Proverbs are generalizations about what’s true most of the time. They’re guidelines for wise living, but we should resist turn them into rigid, absolute promises. These sayings tell us what usually works in most circumstances. But the proverbs don’t work in every, single circumstance. In fact books of Job and Ecclesiastes in the Bible both deal with those situations when these wise sayings don’t seem to work.

So we shouldn’t read Proverbs as if these wise sayings are absolute promises or laws. For example, one proverb tells us, “A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). That’s true most times, but it’s a generalization. It’s not always true, but all things being equal, it’s true in more circumstances than it’s not true. So it makes sense to give a gentle answer when someone’s really mad, but this proverb is not a guarantee that a gentle answer will always defuse anger.

Let me give you another example: One of the proverbs tells us, “The years of the wicked will be short” (Proverbs 10:27). That’s true more often than not, but it’s not true in every single case. In most cases, a lifestyle of wickedness cuts a person’s lifespan short. But, as Ecclesiastes observes, this isn’t true in every single case.

So these are generalizations, observations about how life works in most cases. This is very important to understand, especially when it comes to verses about parenting and marriage. So Proverbs are wise sayings that are relevant to many different situations.

3. How Does One Pursue Wisdom?

How does one acquire wisdom. The place to begin is the fear of the Lord. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” In this verse, the words, “knowledge,” “wisdom” and “discipline” are all being used as synonyms, to describe the same thing. Most Bible teachers view this verse as the motto or theme of the entire book of Proverbs. Every wise saying we find in Proverbs goes back to this foundational principle.

The fear of the Lord has two sides: One side is to hate evil, to hate sin, and to avoid sin at all cost. The other side is delight in doing God’s will. Psalm 112:2 “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.”

To fear God means to view God with deep and healthy respect as shown in one’s hatred of evil, and love for what God wants.

Let me give you another requirement for receiving wisdom – You must passionately pursue it.Look at Proverbs 4:7-8. This is actually part of a poem about the importance of wisdom. Notice the commands “get wisdom,” “get understanding,” “esteem wisdom,” and “embrace wisdom.” The pursuit of wisdom is one of the most important things in life we can do. It’s more important than making a lot of money. If we honor wisdom, like a king, wisdom will lift us up. If we embrace wisdom, like a lover wisdom will bring true satisfaction to our lives.

Now how do we passionately pursue this kind of wisdom? Well we start by boldly asking God for wisdom. In the New Testament from the Bible we learn that if we lack in wisdom, we should ask God for it, and he’ll give it to us if we ask him in faith (James 1:5). So we start our pursuit by admitting that we lack wisdom and asking God for it. Often we lack wisdom because we’re not humble enough to ask God for it.

We can also pursue wisdom by reading the Bible, especially the wisdom literature of the Bible. For several years I used to read a chapter of Proverbs a day, with the chapter corresponding to the day of the month. So on the first of the month I’d read chapter one, on the second I’d read chapter two, and so forth.

Another way we pursue wisdom is by developing the art of observation. Most of the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs didn’t come by direct revelation from God. God didn’t reveal these wise sayings through dreams or visions or an audible voice. Instead God revealed these wise sayings through people’s observational skills, what you might call sanctified common sense. Most often proverbs worked this way. A person is walking along the road and he notices the yard of a lazy person. He notices that the yard is overgrown with weeds, that the walls around the yard are broken down and in need of repair. Then the observer tells us, “I saw and I considered it, I looked and I received instruction: a little sleep, a little slumber, and poverty will come upon you like a robber” (24:30-34). That’s how most of the Proverbs came, from careful observation combined with reflection. So observe the world around you, watch how people respond, what kind of consequences come from certain actions.

A final way we can pursue wisdom is by reading. Historians of ancient history have observed that many of the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs are identical to the wise sayings archeologists have uncovered from other ancient societies, like Egypt and Mesopotamia. It’s likely that during Solomon’s reign, when Israel became an international superpower, that Israel’s leaders encountered the wise sayings of the Egyptians and other nations. They accepted those wise sayings that they felt were consistent with fear of Yahweh, and eventually these wise sayings were incorporated into our own Bibles. They rejected those wise sayings that were inconsistent with the fear of Yahweh. We can do the same thing these wise men and women did by reading widely, looking for wisdom wherever we might find it. Whether it’s Newsweek or Reader’s Digest, reading biographies and or the latest non fiction bestseller, we can learn from people, even of those people aren’t Christians. So the second prerequisite is to passionately pursue wisdom.

Third, to gain wisdom one must follow an accurate moral code. Now look at vv. 18 and 19 of this same chapter. The “path of the righteous” is a common theme in Proverbs. This phrase pictures life as being like a journey with lots of different roads we can take. The “path of the righteous” isn’t righteous because of character of the people who choose this path. The “path of the righteous” is righteous because it’s consistent with God’s righteous character, so walking this righteous path makes a person righteous, rather than the person making the path righteous. Verse 18 envisions this the path of righteousness as starting with just a glimmer of light, like what you see just before sunrise early in the morning. But the further you walk on this path, the brighter the sunshine becomes, until it’s blazing like high noon.

In contrast “the path of the wicked” is a place of utter darkness. Like the path of the righteous, this path isn’t wicked because of the kind of people who choose it, but its wicked because it’s inconsistent with the righteous character of God. This is the path I lived for the first 19 years of my life, as I lived in rebellion towards God and refused to acknowledge God’s ways. Often, you don’t realize the darkness on this path because it’s the only path you’ve ever walked. Yet as you walk this dark path you wonder why you keep stumbling and falling. You wonder why life doesn’t work for you, why your relationships keep falling apart, why circumstances never seem to go your way. You chalk it up to bad luck, when in reality its because you’re living against the grain of God’s world, you’ve chosen the hard path, the path of wickedness.

God’s word serves us like a compass when you’re out in the middle of a forest lost not knowing where to go. A moral code provides us with a direction, a sense of what’s right and what’s wrong, of what’s good and what’s evil. You see, when we live by an accurate moral code, we live with what God has set, and life works for us. When we live by an inaccurate moral code, we live against what God has set for His creation. An inaccurate moral code is like a broken compass, and we end up getting even more and more lost.

Now how do we find this compass, this accurate moral code? Well a good place to start is the Ten Commandments in the Bible. The Ten Commandments provide us with a basic framework for ethical absolutes in our lives. Really, the Ten Commandments are kind of a bottom line of ethics. The rest of the Bible fills in the gaps, showing us how to live a moral and just life before God.

Not that we live up to that moral compass, but having the compass functioning correctly, we can quickly see when we drift off the path.

Let me give you the final requirement for acquiring wisdom: To live wisely, we need to build a life plan that is consistent with God’s plan.

Look at Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

This wise saying presents a contrast between the many intentions, goals and aspirations that characterize the human heart with the single plan of God. Although we might strategize and scheme to accomplish our own goals, ultimately God’s plan is the only plan that will be established. The implication of this proverb is that we ought to try to make our plans consistent with God’s plan.

A wise person aligns his or her life to God’s purpose. To do otherwise would be foolish since he or she knows that God’s purpose would prevail and would be what is meaningful in the end.

This is the reason why we must ultimately reject so many of the self-help books around. Most of these books focus on self-fulfillment instead of being God-centered. Many of these books have good insights in them, but the one thing that’s lacking in all of them is a passion for God’s plan.

When you think about success in you life, what kind of picture comes to your mind? Do you picture success as the Great Filipino Dream (Indian, Chinese), as owning your own home, having successful kids who finish college, being upwardly mobile, and having lots of money? Nothing’s wrong with any of these things in and of themselves, but none of these things ask, “What is God’s plan in my world and how can my life plan fit with God’s plan?”

God’s plan for the world is to share the good news of his love as it’s revealed through Jesus Christ around the world. It’s to show people that God is real through words and actions that reflect the good news of Jesus Christ. God’s plan is being part of a church community where we’re truly going into Christlikeness, where we’re learning and giving, where we’re serving and sharing with others. It’s helping our children not just be successful, but become passionate followers of Jesus who are equipped to live life in a culture that’s often hostile to their faith. It’s alleviating human suffering in our culture by embodying Christ’s tenderness and compassion. It’s speaking out against evil and hatred where we see it, showing that many of the ideas in our culture contradict the grain of God’s creation. It’s helping people understand the truths of God found in the Bible.

To live wisely, we need to redefine what we mean by success. We need to abandon our quest for self-fulfillment, and abandon ourselves to Christ fulfillment. We need to find out how God has uniquely wired us and how this uniqueness can be used by God to help other people. We need to break out of our consumer mentality that we bring to church with us, and begin viewing ourselves as followers of Jesus, men and women who passionately pursue Jesus and God’s purposes in our lives.

We need to build a life plan that’s consistent with God’s plan.

Conclusion

Today God is inviting us to pursue wisdom. We begin this pursuit by entering a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Once that relationship is established, it’s a journey that calls you to passionately pursue wisdom, to embrace an accurate moral code and to build a life plan consistent with God’s plan.

Faith…Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking

By Jerry Vargo

Years ago, Timex had a slogan about their watches:

“Timex…takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”

The idea was simply that no matter what you did to a Timex watch, it would keep working. If I remember correctly, they even had a commercial that showed a barren wasteland after a nuclear explosion. Lying on the ground was a Timex watch…ticking away!

A. Faith is a lot like that…it takes a licking and keeps on ticking! So many things try to disrupt our faith. But it seems that we as the church just keep ticking away.

B. Satan hates our faith. Why? Because foundational to his fall from heaven is the idea that he lost faith in his creator.

What amazes me is this: He pushes us…and often tries our faith…and most often pushes us right into the arms of God. He can’t seem to be able to control himself…and the result is that we grow in faith.

C. This is the catch: Even though our faith is shaken at times, even though our faith is disrupted…we must understand that behind it all…God is at work.

D. Now, before I get to the heart of this message, let me say this about faith …Foundational to faith is belief, trust, and most importantly…relationship.

E. So how do we grow in true faith? How do we increase our trust in God?

II. Body.

A. One of the answers to this question is that we must add something to our faith. I don’t care how good a Timex watch is…it is worthless if we don’t add batteries!

B. Go to 2 Peter 1:1-9. Time won’t allow me to expound upon every verse here, but take notice of four things in verses1-4.

1. Peter was writing to those who had obtained faith – vs. 1
2. Grace and peace is multiplied when we know God – vs. 2
3. God’s power has given us everything we need pertaining to life – vs. 3
4. He has given us great and precious promises to help us partake of His nature and to help us overcome worldly lusts – vs. 4.

C. Now, because of these things, God tells us in verse 5 to apply diligence to our walk with Him.

D. He starts a parade. Faith leads the band…and love brings up the rear. And it is here that I want to focus today…on verses 5-7.

E. In the same way, faith without certain spiritual batteries is dead. Faith without the spiritual batteries listed in these verses is dead.

F. We could summarize verses 1-9 like this…Jerry Vargo translation:

“You have faith! Your knowledge of God increases grace and peace. The power of God helps you to live your life in victory. His promises help you to become like Him and to steer clear of worldly ways. Now, because of these things…be diligent! Since you have faith…add the following ingredients…

Moral Excellence,
Knowledge,
Self-control,
Perseverance,
Godliness,
Brotherly kindness,
Love.

If these seven things are in you and they are increasing…you will be fruitful…not barren. If you lack these qualities, you’re blind and you have left your first love…forgetting the forgiveness that you received at the beginning of your walk with God.”

G. I want to structure the remainder of this message in a very simple format:

Since you have faith…add…

1. Moral Excellence.

A. Since you have a relationship with God…be a person of character.

B. Character is the reality of who you really are and what you really do.

C. Many of you have heard the old quote that goes like this:

“Your ideal is what you wish you were.
Your reputation is what people say you are.
Your character is what you really are.”

Or…

“If we sow a thought, we reap an act.
If we sow an act, we reap a habit.
If we sow a habit, we reap character.
If we sow character, we reap a destiny.”

2. Knowledge.

A. It is notable that character precedes knowledge. The Bible says, “…the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” – 2 Corinthians 3:6

B. This is not to say that knowledge isn’t good. But, knowledge without character doesn’t impress God.

C. Here’s the rub…Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

D. If you want to “keep on ticking” for God…you must add knowledge of God to your faith.

E. Please don’t tell me that you want to grow in God…love God…serve God…and then not show up or avail yourself to every training opportunity that you can possibly attend in this church. This includes:

Men’s Ministry
Wednesday Bible Study
Sunday Services
Youth meetings!

3. Self-control.

A. Since you have faith…add self-control.

B. You might say, “Pastor Jerry, I just can’t control myself.” Can I just say to you…WHATEVER! When did we begin to swallow that lie from the enemy?

C. Galatians 5:22-23 says:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

D. Next time your tempted to lose control…remember that through God you have the power to walk in self-control…it is in you already. Access it and add it to your faith.

4. Perseverance.

A. Since you have faith…persevere. It is our faith and our trust in God that helps us to endure under trial.

Charlie Brown is at bat. STRIKE THREE. He has struck out again and slumps over to the bench. “Rats! I’ll never be a big-league player. I just don’t have it! All my life I’ve dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I know I’ll never make it.” Lucy turns to console him. “Charlie Brown, you’re thinking too far ahead. What you need to do is set yourself more immediate goals.” He looks up. “Immediate goals?” Lucy says, “Yes. Start with this next inning when you go out to pitch. See if you can walk out on the mound without falling down!”

B. Point of the story? Do the next thing…persevere through the next storm. Hang in there and don’t worry about all that is to come…God’s grace is sufficient.

5. Godliness.

A. Godliness is a spirit of reverence and respect to God in all matters. It understands that He is a Holy God.

B. We must add Holiness to our faith. Not outward compliance to certain rules, but inward purity of heart.

C. We must reverence God enough to become Holy. As a matter of fact Leviticus 11:44 says, “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy.”

D. Holiness is not an old-fashioned idea…it is commanded.

6. Brotherly Kindness.

A. Because you have a relationship with God, because you have faith…exercise brotherly kindness to others.

B. Or, continue to walk in love toward the brethren. We so often judge one another and act in ways inconsistent with the Christian life.

C. We often abuse one another knowing that they have to forgive. Let’s be like the Thessalonians Church:

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more…”

7. Love.

A. This love is the highest form of love. It is agape love. Love that doesn’t add requirements to it.

– I’ll love you if…
– I’ll love you when…

B. This is unconditional love. And we must add it to our faith. Faith and love go hand in hand:

1 Thessalonians 5:7
“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love…”

1 Corinthians 13:1-2
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

III. Conclusion.

A. We need to add these seven things to our faith if we are to take a licking and keep on ticking. I close with the following thoughts that I wrote:

Character without faith is cheap veneer.
Knowledge without faith is useless information.
Self-control without faith is straining unnecessarily.
Perseverance without faith is empty at the end.
Godliness without faith is mere religion.
Brotherly kindness without faith is self-serving.
Love without faith is not true love.

When Heaven Is Silent

By Chris Talton

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

We love stories about answered prayer. We get a thrill hearing accounts of God’s miraculous interventions in people’s lives, even as God intervened in Ryan Williams’ life. It motivates us to be more diligent about prayer, so we pray. We’re specific, confident, and bold. We’re absolutely convinced God will answer. We feel a level of faith and enthusiasm that we’ve never experienced before. We ask, seek and knock…but God is silent. The thing that we wanted does not materialize. Our zeal is crushed and we wonder what happened.

We ask ourselves and God: “Is it worth it?” “Did I do something wrong?” “Does God even hear me?” “Does He care?”

Many of you who have children have probably seen the movie “The Santa Clause” where Tim Allen, after causing Santa to fall off of his roof and die, becomes the new Santa Claus. In that movie, Tim’s ex-wife and her new husband both confess that they no longer believe in Santa Claus. And they tell when it was in their lives that they stopped believing in him and what caused it. It was when requests that they had made of Santa were denied. The woman had requested a special doll, and the step-dad had requested a weanie-whistle. When they didn’t get what they wanted, they responded by simply closing themselves off to the reality of Santa Claus.

Some people respond that way to God when they don’t receive what they ask for. Cable television mogul Ted Turner, who is now one of the loudest voices criticizing Christianity, said he had a strict Christian upbringing. He even considered becoming a missionary at one point in his life. The Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted him as saying that he was saved seven or eight times in his life. But he said he became disenchanted with Christianity when despite his prayers that she would get well, his sister still died.

God’s “no” is not just limited to those who are living sinful lives. No matter how spiritual you may be, there are going to be times that God says “No” to your prayers. It doesn’t matter how much you have sacrificed or endured for the cause of Christ. Ask Paul. He had endured a lot. [list some of the sufferings that he had endured] It doesn’t matter either how much you have accomplished for the cause of Christ. There will be times that it feels like God has turned a deaf ear to your requests. Again, Paul is an example of one who had accomplished a great deal for God. He had started many new churches, written down portions of the Bible, and trained young pastors and missionaries. But even for him, there were times that heaven was silent. If it happened to Paul, it will certainly happen to you. How are you going to respond when it happens in your life? How are you going to make it through? I want to give you 6 Christ-honoring responses that you can make a part of your life when you face one of those times when God says “No” to your heart-felt desire.

1. Treat trials as a gift from God. “given to me”

You can treat them as a…

– Nuisance to be ignored “just go away”; “problems solve themselves”;
That noise in the car, or the numbness in your left arm, or the bills that you receive and immediately throw into file 13.
You don’t pray about them because you refuse to even acknowledge their existence.

– Punishment to be endured – “I deserve everything that I’m getting. Just better grin and bear it. It will be gone before too long.”

– Problem to be solved –

– Battle to be waged – are you going to fight against God?
Or as a …

– Gift to be accepted; acceptance is the issue; “the point of prayer is to get God’s will accomplished on earth not man’s will accomplished in heaven.”
Gifts bring joy. James 1:2 – “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing this, that the trying of your faith produces patience.
Gifts come from people who love you.

Gifts, at least the best ones, come from people who know you. I’ve received a lot of gifts over the years – toys and clothes and books. I remember a jar of pickles.

2. Remember what God has already said. “surpassing great revelations”

– When God doesn’t seem to be saying anything, rest your confidence on what God has already said.

– “When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.” “The Solid Rock”

– Think about some of the surpassing great revelations that God has given to you. Go back to the book of Psalms. Listen as the writers struggle with their own questions about unanswered prayer and a God that seems far away. Listen to them complain over the fact that at the time when they most needed to see God’s face, that His face seemed to be hidden. And then listen to them find confidence in the promises of God that will never change no matter how our world may be changing all around us.

3. Continue praying to God. “three times I pleaded”

– Paul’s prayer was persistent and it was passionate.

– When Paul talked about praying 3 times, that doesn’t mean that he casually prayed over this need 3 times and then quit. It doesn’t mean that he added an addendum at the end of his breakfast, lunch, and dinner prayers: “Thanks for this food, God. And oh yeah, if you would be so kind, please take away this problem that I’ve got.” No, Paul pleaded with God! The word that is translated “pleaded” is the same word that is used to describe the way that Jairus asked for the healing of his daughter who was dying (Mk 5:23). It was how a leper sought cleansing from his leprosy (Mk. 1:40). And it was how a servant begged his master for mercy over a bill that he owed so that he would not be thrown into prison and separated from his family (Mt 18:29). How would you pray if your daughter was dying? How would you pray if your limbs were being destroyed with leprosy? How would you pray if you were getting ready to be separated from your family that you loved because of a debt that you owed?

– The first response that many people give when God doesn’t come through for them is that they give up on God or they give up on prayer. And that’s before they ever get to the pleading level. They may have hinted, suggested, or even asked, but they haven’t pleaded. It may very well be that God is just waiting until you are flat on your face before Him laying it all on the line, humiliating yourself in His eyes before He will give you the answer to your prayer. “God resists the proud but gives grace unto the humble.”

– The only reason that Paul quit praying this particular request was because God gave Him an answer. It just so happened that that answer was “no”. Paul accepted that answer and continued on with his life.

– P.U.S.H. – Pray Until Something Happens. Don’t give up praying until something happens either to change your situation or to change you. A little boy told his teacher one day that he had lost his marble. He asked if he could have prayer that God would enable him to find it. She was a Christian, and so she agreed. The next day, she hesitantly asked the little boy if he had found his marble. He answered, “No ma’am, but he took away my desire for it.”

4. Listen for God’s voice. “My grace is sufficient”

– In the first few days after the downing of the twin towers, specially trained crews brought in listening devices so that they could hear the sound of people trapped inside the rubble. They were so sensitive that they could pick up a sound of someone crying out for help or even the sound of a human heartbeat.

– The concern of these people was not for revenge or for re-building of the towers or even for the country to be united in patriotism. Their only concern was to hear that voice.

– So many noises were going on all around them that it was difficult to hear the one thing that they needed to hear. There was heavy equipment for moving steel girders, debris still falling, sirens, and F-16’s flying overhead. God sometimes has to remove all the other noises from our lives in order for us to be able to hear his voice.

– We allow so many things to compete for our attention in our lives. We are so busy. There’s no time and no motivation to just sit down and listen. Sometimes, the only time that we’re willing to listen to what God has to say – the only way that He can get us still long enough to get our attention – is by knocking the breath out of us. He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It may be that we have to be on our faces in sorrow and suffering before we are willing to listen. God can speak through our tears. Listen for His voice.

– Don’t limit where the voice of God might be found. Elijah didn’t hear it where he expected. He didn’t hear it in the great wind or the fire or in the earthquake. He heard it in a gentle whisper – a still, small voice. (1 Kings 19:11,12) God used a little boy by the name of Samuel to cause Eli to hear His voice. If you’re waiting for the miraculous for God to communicate His message to you, you’re going to have a long wait. God uses everyday occurrences to show us His desires.

– In the middle of a crisis, you may hear all kinds of voices telling you what you need to do. God may be saying something to you, but in all the confusion, you can’t sort it out. You can’t understand God’s message. One of the principles of biblical interpretation – or even a principle of life really – is that you interpret difficult or unclear passages by clear passages. As you face your struggle, you may feel like you need to go a particular direction, but you are unsure. What should you do? Go to the Bible. Judge what you are feeling by what has already been revealed to you in the Bible. What God says to you in your spirit will never conflict with what God has already said in His Word.

5. Trust in God’s power. “power is made perfect”
– Trust in God’s power, not your own.

– Paul’s question in the midst of all of this and his reason for even asking God to take this problem away was because he thought that he could be a more effective servant for God, He could accomplish more for God if God would just heal him. It would make him more powerful.

– But I guess that’s part of the issue. God wanted Paul to be in a position where he was forced to realize and remember that anything of any substance that was accomplished was because of God’s power not because of Paul’s power. Paul was in a position where the temptation would have been great for him to start to take credit for some of the things that God had accomplished through his life. And Paul even recognized that the reason that he was given this “thorn in the flesh” was in order to keep him humble. He needed to remember that he was not battery operated – not self-sufficient. He had to be plugged into the power source at all times.

– Trust in God’s power when you have none.

– Right now, there are thousands of families all around the world who are desperately hurting because they lost a husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, a dad or a mom in the terrorist action of Sept. 11. Some of those families are Christian families. They are wondering whether or not they will have the strength to carry on without their loved ones. I think particularly of mothers who have been left behind to care for young children – some of which have yet to be born. I have an inkling of an idea of what that is like. That’s what my mother had to deal with when my dad died at the age of 33. She had 3 young children to raise all by herself. There were days that I’m sure she asked herself, “How am I ever going to be able to do this, God?” And that’s when God steps in and says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

– There are physical conditions that people face that cause them to ask, “How am I ever going to make it through this? How am I ever going to be of use to God, to my family or to anyone else in the condition that I am in now?” And God answers, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

– When you have nagging problems that just won’t go away – a pain that will not subside, a child that will not obey, a co-worker that will not respect you, a loss that you just can’t seem to recover from – and you wonder, “God, is your power strong enough to enable me to handle this?”, he responds with, “My strength is greatest when you are weakest. I can get you through anything.”

– When God chooses not to use His power to alleviate the pain, trust in God’s power to see you through the pain.

6. Serve God right where you are. “I delight in weaknesses”

– You want God to change your situation, but did you ever think that God has put you in that situation to use you right in the middle of it? Don’t ask God to change things until you’ve looked for and found how you can minister in or be changed by the circumstance that you face. God doesn’t do anything without a reason.

– Joni Earekson Tada had her life forever changed one day. She was diving with some friends and misjudged the depth of the water. She hit her head when she went in and broke her neck. She was just a teenager. And now, she was destined to live her life as a quadrapalegic. She could have given up. She got mad at God and the world for a while. But then God did a great work in her life. She took up art. She began to draw and paint. How could she do that, you ask? She does it by placing the pencil or paintbrush in her mouth and using it to produce great artwork. She has broadened her ministry now. She has produced music and has written books. Did she pray for God to heal her? I’m sure that she did. God said, “No”. Instead, He is using her “disability” to bring glory to Himself and encouragement to other people.

Some of you may be familiar with the name Kay Arthur. She has written several Christian books, and she has her own radio program. She tells about one day, she was getting out of the car, her arms loaded down with books, and not wanting to go into her house. She was a young widow with two children, and it had been a bad day. She was hurting.

As she stared at the grass, her mind went back to a time in her childhood when she had been running through the grass toward her dad, terrified and screaming. He had scooped her up in his arms and given her comfort. She wished that she could be a little girl again. She wished that she had someone to hold her right then.

As she turned to go into her house, she suddenly saw herself in her mind’s eye, a little girl in pigtails, flying down a vast marble corridor. Oil paintings bigger than life hung on the walls. She could hear her little shoes on the marble floor and see the tears that ran down her cheeks.

It was a long corridor. At he end, two huge gold doors glistened in the sunlight which filtered through beveled cathedral windows. On either side of the imposing door stood two magnificently dressed guards holding huge spears and blocking the entrance into the room beyond.

Undaunted, the little girl ran straight toward the doors, still crying, “Abba!” She never broke her stride for as she neared the doors, the guards flung them opened and heralded her arrival: “The daughter of the King! The daughter of the King!”

Court was in session. The cherubim and seraphim cried, “Holy, holy, holy!” and the elders sat on their thrones, dressed in white, wearing crowns of gold, and talking with the King of kings. But none of this slowed his daughter!

Oblivious to everything going on about her, she ran past the seven burning lamps of fire and up the steps leading to the throne, and she catapulted herself into the King’s arms. She was home and wrapped in the arms of his everlasting love. He reached up and, with one finger, gently wiped away her tears. Then He smoothed the sticky hair on her face back into her braids and said, “Now, now, tell your Father all about it.”

Kay Arthur walked into the house, left her books on the table, walked through her house, and knelt by her bedside. Then she proceeded to tell her Father all about it. Nelson’s complete book of … p. 131

God will not grant our every request. He will not take away every pain. But He will always be there to gently wrap us in His arms of love, wipe our tears and give us the strength and motivation to live another day.

How are you going to respond to God when He says “NO”? Are you going to push Him away, or are you going to pull Him tighter than you ever have before and let Him wrap His loving arms around you?

The Gospel of Jesus:  Swordfight in the Desert

By Jerry Shirley

Matthew 4:1-11

A three-year-old entered the kitchen when his mother was busy elsewhere in the house. She had told him not to get into the cookies. But in her absence he pulled a kitchen chair over to the counter and climbed up on it. Then he took the lid off the cookie jar and had just gotten a cookie into his mouth when his mother entered the room and demanded to know what he was doing. The three-year-old looked at her with big, innocent eyes and said, “I just climbed up here to smell the cookies, and my tooth got caught on one of them.”

Today we look at the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. Last Sunday I preached about the baptism of Jesus Christ. One prominent point of my message was the fact that at His baptism, it was shown that Jesus would save His people by suffering and dying. At one point in my message I also pointed out that for Him to die for our sins, He must be spotless and without sin. We know this from the Old Testament, where sacrifices had to be spotless in order to be acceptable by God. So at the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus is required to face the strongest temptations the devil could bring against Him. We can see this from v.1, where we see that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. The language of Mk. 1:12 is even stronger, “Immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness.” Why did the Holy Spirit insist that Jesus go into the wilderness? It was for the express purpose of being tested by the devil.

As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?”  “No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove that the bridge won’t break.” In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren’t designed by God to see if Christ would sin, but to prove that He wouldn’t.

I believe Matthew’s main purpose for this account was to affirm yet again that Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God, the promised Messiah. But I believe this text of Scripture also has a practical application. Jesus exposed Satan and his tactics, and He defeated Satan. Because of His victory, we can have victory over the tempter.

All too often temptations come our way, and we are defeated by them. The devil gets the victory over our lives. Did you yield to temptation last night? How about this morning? Well God wants you to be able to share in the victory of Christ over temptation. So be sure to listen carefully this morning, and I will share with you some ways you can have victory over temptation.

Now beginning in v.3 Satan assails the Son of God with 3 powerful temptations. Let’s examine each of these temptations together. In vv.3-4 we see:

I. CHRIST WAS VICTORIOUS OVER PASSION.

Let me give you a little background to this temptation. Now Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights. He no doubt was preparing Himself spiritually for the ministry He was about to begin. Now with that background, I want to share with you a few principles that I gleaned from the first temptation:

The devil’s main purpose was to overthrow the Messiah at the outset. He knew that Jesus had come to bring salvation, and he knew that if he could get Jesus to sin, that would ruin the whole plan of salvation.

Satan waited until the conditions were right before he began his onslaught of temptation. Notice in v.1 it says that Jesus was “led up…into the wilderness…” The Judean wilderness stretches between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. It is an area of yellow sand, crumbling limestone, and contorted strata. It glows and shimmers with heat like some vast furnace. The conditions of the wilderness made the deprivation of hunger even greater. Christ also faced loneliness and isolation. So after spending 40 days in such a place, it is something of an understatement when Matthew says that Jesus “hungered.” He was famished. It is said that during a prolonged fast, the feeling of hunger goes away after three or four days, only to return with renewed force. Hunger is the God-given desire to meet our natural need for food. And this sudden onslaught of recurring hunger became the opportunity for the first temptation.

And when you are hungry, the opportunity is certainly present for temptation. For example, you may be tempted to satisfy your needs in ways that God has prohibited. Yes we need food, but we do not meet the need for food by stealing. Yes we need food, but we should not abuse God’s provision with gluttony. So we need to watch out. There are certain times when we are more prone to temptation. Satan may tempt you at a time of bodily weakness. He may tempt you in a time of spiritual weakness. After you have missed church for several weeks, or after you have gone several days without praying and reading your Bible, you will be vulnerable to the temptations of Satan. By the way, another prime temptation is when you seem to be strong and self-confident
(1 Cor. 10:12).

Temptation Is Tailored to the Individual – Satan’s basis for temptation was unique to Jesus because Jesus was a unique person. Notice in v.3 that Satan said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Only recently at the baptism of Jesus, God the Father had confirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. So Satan uses that as the springboard of this temptation. “Son of God, hungry? How ridiculous! And if you are a Son, then God is supposed to be your Father. He must not care about you. You have to take matters into your own hands!” He was tempting Christ to act independently of the Holy Spirit who had led Him into the wilderness. He was seeking to destroy the Son’s confidence in his Father’s will and power to sustain him. Satan is always trying to get people to doubt the love and care of God.

So Satan tempted Him to use His power to produce instant food. That is something we are quite used to today. Put food in a microwave for a minute or two, and you have a hot meal. Or pull into the closest fast food place, and you can get a meal pretty quickly. And in the case of Jesus, He could turn desert stones into bread. After all, John had said that God could turn stones into sons of Abraham, and if Jesus is God’s Son, then surely He could turn stones into bread, a lesser miracle.

Later He would demonstrate that He could change water into wine, and multiply a few loaves and fishes and feed thousands. Oh, He had the power. And why not use it? The desire for food was innocent but strong, the need was imperative, and he had the power to secure instant relief.

So, the bait is skillfully wound over the barbed hook. How will Jesus respond?  Temptation Can Be Resisted by Scripture – We are going to see that Jesus appealed to Scripture in all 3 temptations. That is the weapon Satan fears more than anything else in this world. This was a fight and Jesus pulls out the two edged Sword!

Ephes. 6:11-17
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [17] And take the…sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And all His quotations that day were from Deuteronomy 6 and 8. Could it be that the Lord’s meditation that morning had been in this portion of God’s Word?  Now the primary application is that we also should learn the Word of God, and use Scripture to resist temptation. The devil hates Scripture and attacks it. So you need to know and memorize the Word of God.

Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Jesus quotes from Deut. 8:3
…that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.

In the context it shows how the Lord had fed the Israelites in the wilderness with manna, unknown to them, that he might teach them that not by bread alone does man live, but by everything proceeding out of the mouth of the Lord.  As a Son Jesus was obeying the Father by being in the wilderness, and as a Father, God will provide the food He needed. Jesus would trust in the provision of God just the same way we have to trust in the provision of God. God had provided food for His prophet Elijah (I Kings 19:5-7). Jesus later promised in Matthew 6:33

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

So He will wait for the Father’s provision. Christ has won round 1.  Now Satan tries his next temptation, and in vv.5-7 we see:

II. CHRIST WAS VICTORIOUS OVER PRESUMPTION

Satan took Jesus to the temple. From that high point, Satan proceeded to tempt Jesus.

v. 6 This may have been a follow-up to the response of Jesus to the first temptation. Satan was saying something like: “So, you trust your Father? Well let’s see how much you trust God. If you will not work a miracle for yourself, then let God work one for you. And since you seem to know Scripture, let me give you one,” and he proceeded to quote from Psalm 91:11-12, which he alleges will give Him promise of safety. However, Satan misquoted Scripture.  Satan was urging the Lord to be presumptuous, not trusting. Furthermore, he was tempting Christ to prove the reality of God’s love and care. We are often tempted to demand a visible proof of God’s presence and care. For example, someone may say, “God, if you don’t heal me, I won’t believe in you.” [Give me a job / make that girl like me] That is not faith, but is putting God to the test.

Satan was hoping that he would leap and God would not honor Jesus’ distrust, and the Messiah would fall upon the rocks below and die. That would end God’s plan of salvation.

Jesus’ Response – The Lord knew His Bible better than to be taken in by Satan’s imitation sword.

v. 7 It would appear that such an act would be the highest act of faith. But it is not. There are 2 problems with testing God:

1. If you have to have a miracle in order to believe what God has already said, then you lack true faith. True faith does not put God to the test. Jesus quotes Deut. 6:16

Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

That incident is found in Ex. 17:1-7. There they complained against Moses and God because there was no water. They demanded water and said, “Is the LORD among us or not?” If He is, then prove it by giving us water.” Instead of waiting on God’s provision, they put Him to the test. Putting God to the test is when you insist that God do something to prove Himself to you. True faith does not demand signs from heaven or miracles, but simply believes the Word of God.

Now the second thing that was wrong with Satan’s temptation was the fact that it was contrary to the following principle:

2. Faith Is Based on the Word of God – Now if God had commanded Jesus to cast Himself down, to do it would have been right. As He had not, to do it was not faith, but self-will.

Suppose you drive 90 miles per hour up the Boulevard, running through every red light, and you say, “I have faith that God will protect me.” And then you crash and kill yourself and others. Someone may say you died in faith, but I would say you died putting God to the test. Such faith is not true faith because it was contrary to the Word of God, which says we are to obey the laws of the government. Do not do foolish things and demand that God deliver you from the result of foolish actions. Sometimes in His mercy & grace He will, but you can’t expect it or demand it.

After all, the Bible says, “You reap what you sow.”

Perfect trust is submissive to God’s will. We can claim God’s protection only if we are in the center of God’s will.

So round 2 is over. Jesus has won another victory over Satan & his temptation. Now the devil drops his mask and, having failed miserably in the first two attempts to conquer his enemy, stakes everything in one final, desperate attempt to achieve his purpose. And in this final temptation we will see that:

III. CHRIST WAS VICTORIOUS OVER POWER

Everyone likes to have power. Satan would also offer Him position and prestige. Once again, let’s consider:

v.8 Satan begins this temptation by showing Christ all the kingdoms of the world. For Satan to show Christ all the kingdoms of the world would have required a miracle, even from a high mountain. Furthermore, Luke adds that he did this “in a moment.”

He was saying, “All of it can be Yours-Satan boasted that he has control over the kingdoms of the world. That was partly true, but it was a great lie also. There is indication that he has temporary control now [god of this world / holds title deed for now acc’d to Revelation], but he could not grant permanent control. Remember, dear friend, that every thing the devil can offer you is only temporary. It will not bring any lasting satisfaction.

Now Satan’s offer was tempting in at least 2 respects:

1. Satan Appealed to Personal Ambition – How appealing it would be to many of us to be king of the world.
2. Satan Appealed to Instant Gratification – Satan knew that according to Psa. 2:8, the Son is promised a kingdom.
Psalm 2:8

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

The devil knew Jesus was promised the kingdom, but he offered Jesus a shortcut to His kingdom. For Jesus that kingdom would be received only after a 3 1/2 year ministry and after suffering and dying on a cross. Satan tempts Him to accept a kingdom now. All He would have to do is bow down and worship Satan just once (aorist tense). All he wanted was just one brief bend of the knee. Then He could enjoy all the glory and power now, and without enduring any suffering.

Oh, how Satan effectively uses that kind of temptation today. Satan is always offering instant gratification. The Bible admits there is temporary pleasure in sin. Too many are like Esau, who traded the value of his birthright for the temporary pleasure of a mess of pottage. Youth seem vulnerable to this temptation. For example, Satan will say, “Why wait until marriage to experience the pleasure of sexual intimacy. I will give it to you now. And many young people fall for such temptations of Satan!

But we need to follow the example of Christ. He maintained loyalty to God, and endured the cross and suffering, for He knew that beyond the cross, was a crown of glory.
Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Satan has always had a problem of wanting to take the place of God. He wants people to worship and honor him. Here is a desperate attempt to receive such honor.

v.10 Jesus’ reply was simply, “God forbids it,” and he quoted Scripture to prove that God forbids that we worship anyone but Him. Ex. 20:3 gives one of the 10 Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Christ put God and obedience to God above everything. Your life will be a lot less complicated if you will just trust God enough to say that His way is best, and live in obedience to Him.

The final round of the conflict is over. Jesus was victorious over the most powerful temptations Satan could throw at Him. And because Jesus resisted all of the temptations of Satan, He could issue the command, “Be gone, Satan.” And v.11 shows the result of Christ’s supremacy over him. Matthew says, “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.” And the good news is that 1 John 4:4 indicates we can have that same supremacy.
1 John 4:4

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
James 4:7

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

If you are a Christian, Satan has no authority over you. You can’t say, “The devil made me do it.”
1 Cor. 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
2 Peter 2:9

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

There is never a necessity for the believer to sin. When you are tempted, remember that.

And notice that after the conflict came glad refreshment. [v. 11]

When the angels came, they probably brought bodily nourishment. Perhaps they cooked Him some heavenly hash, and for dessert he had angel’s food cake!

Just say “no” to temptation, and the Lord will reward you with joy and peace, a clear conscience, your needs met, and ultimately, a heavenly reward. The Lord’s way is always the best way.

Conclusion – The battle is over. Christ won the victory. He was now ready to begin His ministry. He has proven perfect obedience. Now He has the right to call on others to obey God. Let us give Him our obedience and loyalty as Lord of our lives. And the Gospel writer has added yet more evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. And as the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, He will offer up Himself as a sacrifice for sin. If you have not yet believed in Jesus as your Savior, why not do so today? Don’t let the devil continue his victory over your life. Repent of your sins, and trust in Christ instead.

Christians: The Devil attacked Jesus the same ways he will attack you–physically, then mentally, and finally, spiritually. He uses the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The lure of the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lies of the devil tempt us.

Against the world, the weapon is to FAITH:
1 John 5:4

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

The more you love Jesus, the less appeal the temptations of the world will have.

When a hawk is attacked by crows, he does not make a counterattack, but soars higher and higher in ever widening circles until his tormentors leave him alone.

Against the flesh, the weapon is FLIGHT.
2 Tim. 2:22

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Against the devil, the weapon is FIGHT!

So carry your Sword, not just to church, but in your heart!

Hearing God: Motives

By Richard Tow

Numbers 22:1-35

What does God want me to do? Have you ever wrestled with that question? Most of us have. Most of us will at some time in the future. It’s not always easy to know God’s will in a particular situation.

Last week we talked about hearing God. In that message we identified three dynamics that should be considered when determining God’s will for a given situation. Can you remember what those three factors were? (1) the subjective leading of the Holy Spirit. It might be a dream or a vision but usually it is that intuitive prompting of the Lord in your spirit (2) the word of God-principles already revealed in Scripture about the will of God for our lives-revelations about the character of God, His purposes, and His ways (3) circumstances-God in His providence going before us and preparing the way so that He sets before us an open door. There is safety in considering all three as we endeavor to hear God about a decision in life.[2]

This morning we want to continue the subject: Hearing God. Today I want to talk about something even more fundamental than those three dynamics. What is the most basic issue in my ability to hear God’s voice? When I’m confused and don’t know what to do I cannot afford to ignore this one issue. The most crucial issue any of us face in hearing God is the motive of our own hearts. We can know our Bible backwards and forwards. We can be so spiritual that we speak with the tongues of men and angels. But if the primary pursuit of our hearts is not right we will have trouble hearing the voice of God. We will have trouble getting clear direction for our lives. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”[3] I don’t believe that promise is just for heaven. I believe that when our hearts are pure we are in a position to see what God is doing-where He is going in our lives and follow Him.

Duplicity of heart-James calls it double mindedness.[4] On the one hand, I want God and His blessings. I certainly don’t want to spend eternity in hell. But beyond that I want God to bless my life in the here and now. On the other hand, I want my own way and sometimes I can be stubborn about having it. Here is the paramount danger we face: that we would be asking God to tell us what to do; but at the same time deep down insisting upon certain things we are unwilling to surrender to God. “God, give me a ministry. Use me for your glory.” God lays something before and that’s not what we want to do. So we keep praying and praying and praying even though the answer has come. We just didn’t like the answer He gave so we are in reality trying to get Him to give us another answer. And when we are in that position the heavens can become very silent. Did you do the last thing God told you to do? Are you willing to hear and obey any answer He may give?

One of the best examples of this problem is found in Numbers 22.

Israel has journeyed toward Canaan land and come to the plains of Moab. Balak, the king of Moab is concerned about the situation. He wants rid of these people but he has also heard how they have been defeating those who rose up against them. In fact, the Amorites had just tried to take them on and got wiped out.[5] So Balak comes up with a plan. He will hire a prophet to pronounce a curse on these people and then he can defeat them in battle.

He sends messengers to a man who is perfect for the job. The prophet’s name is Balaam. Balaam’s home town is probably in Northern Syria [6] about four hundred miles from Moab.[7] So this man obviously has quite a reputation as a prophet.[8] He’s not just a local want-a-be prophet. He is widely recognized as a man who can operate powerfully in the spiritual realm. At the end of verse 6 Balak has said to Balaam, “For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”

One thing about Balaam is certain-he is very spiritual. He hears God speak to him. He has dreams and visions. His problem is not a lack of spirituality. He uses the name Yahweh, which is a strong indication that he knows the true God of Israel. There are interesting paradoxes in this man and some have tried to deal with them by simply labeling him as an evil “baru”-a pagan diviner. But the flow of the story tells us it’s not that simple.[9] In fact, when we do that we miss a significant message about guidance. Balaam hears God speak to him. He gives some of the most powerful prophecies in all the Bible. We see his moral struggles in Chapters 22-25 and then in Chapter 31 and comments in the New Testament we see his ultimate choice.

Now let’s watch Balaam as he seeks to know God’s will in this situation. Follow with me as we read Numbers 22:7-13.

“The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.”  (Notice the Moabites and Midianites have joined together in this endeavor.  Midian was one of the children Abraham had with his second wife Keturah.[10]   “And Moab was the child Lot had by his oldest daughter.”[11]   Notice they brought with them the fee for divination. This plays prominently in the story.)

8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me.” So the Moabite princes stayed with him. 9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11’A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'” 12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” 13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”

Balaam seems to get off to a good start here in verse 8. He knows enough to seek God for direction. Sometimes we fail to get guidance simply because we don’t ask for it. One of the big mistakes Joshua made as a leader was to make a treaty with the Gibeonites without going to God in prayer about the matter. As it turned out the Gibeonites were not being totally honest and Joshua and the leaders in Israel. Leaning on his own understanding Joshua got deceived and missed God.[12] But Balaam does not make that mistake. He insists upon asking God before he gives them an answer. And notice that it is Yahweh (the true God of Israel) that he is going to in prayer.[13]

The answer God gives him is loud and clear. “Do not go with them.” That’s simple enough. That’s not hard to understand. “You must not put a curse on those people…” What part of “no” do you not understand, Balaam? God even goes a step further and tells him why-“because they are blessed.” At that point Balaam has clear guidance from the Lord.

But now watch how he begins to get confused about what God wants him to do. The next morning he gets up and tells Balak’s princes to “Go back to your own country…” Now hear his reason “for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” He has just left the door open for temptation and confusion. He should have told them that these people are blessed of God and they need to abandon their efforts to curse them and he would have nothing to do with it. Instead he sounds like a spoiled teenager who wants to go somewhere with his friends but Dad & Mom won’t let him-for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.

What happens next? Verse 15 when Balak hears his answer he does not hear an unequivocal no. He hears “I want to” but God won’t let me. So he sends a greater temptation: more numerous and more distinguished princes and the promise of a handsome reward for coming.

In verse 18 he seems to make a good stand. But he makes his next mistake in verse 19 when he asks them to stay while he seeks guidance from the LORD. He does not need to seek guidance from the LORD. He already has guidance. All he needs to do is obey it. Look at his last comment in verse 19 “I will find out what else the LORD will tell me.” Now we are getting indications that Balaam’s prayers for guidance may have ulterior motives. I suspect at this point his prayer is more an effort to persuade God to see it his way than to simply hear and obey.

What is motivating this man? Is his one motivation to do the will of the Father?[14] No, if that were the case he would simply do it.

Peter comments on this issue of motivation in his epistle. 2 Peter 2:15-16

“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey-a beast without speech-who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” The way of Balaam-he loved the wages of wickedness. Balaam wanted the money and prestige. Balaam wanted God to say one thing. When God said something different then he just kept coming back hoping to get the answer he wanted.

And to our amazement (at least to some degree) he gets that! In verse 20 God tells him that he can go with them. This is why Jesus taught us to pray “Your kingdom come Your will be done…” We should pray with an attitude that is upfront submitted to the will of the Father. But that’s not Balaam’s attitude. He has prayed and prayed until he got what he wanted. He wants to go with these guys and God lets him. Now what has he done to himself. He has put himself in the arena of temptation. Had he just obeyed God from the beginning he could have avoided the temptations that Balak is going to throw at him. And we know he ultimately succumbs to those temptations.

When we are insisting on having our own way sometimes God corrects us by letting us have what we’ve demanded.[15] While in the wilderness Israel had complained about the manna God was miraculously providing for them. They were asking and asking for meat instead. Listen to what God says to them in Numbers 18b-20a “Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month–until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it-”

What is it about our nature that leans in this direction-wanting to have what we can not have? “The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence” they say. This is a big trap when it comes to guidance. If I am insisting on the desires of my flesh-coveting things God is not giving me-thinking that by praying long enough and hard enough I can persuade God to see it my way-if that is what’s going on in my heart I am going to have all kinds of problems hearing God.[16] Why-because even when He does speak to me I’m not satisfied with that. I am only satisfied when He tells me what I want to hear.[17]

We read verses 21-35 at the beginning of the service. Here is Balaam proceeding with what he has determined to be God’s will for the situation. No doubt he is excited about the guidance he has gotten from God. He wants to go to Balak and God has said that he could. He has prayed and gotten an answer from God-finally, the one he wanted to hear. He is up the next morning and on his way. But then everything starts to go wrong.[18] His good old reliable Toyota-I mean donkey-gives all kind of trouble. He gets so mad he beats the donkey and then has a very strange conversation with the beast. In verse 31 Balaam’s spiritual eyes are opened and he sees what the donkey has been seeing-the angel of the LORD obstructing his path. What had blinded Balaam to the will of God? His own carnal desires-his pursuit of his own will caused him to not be able to clearly discern God’s will. He says lots of fine, religious things. He is even used by God to speak blessing on Israel and prophesy her future. By the end of chapter 24 we might think he somehow came out alight after all.

But that is not the end of the story. Balaam wanted that money. His basic motivation was covered somewhat by a religious veneer. But chapter 25 tells how Israel was seduced into sexual immorality and idolatry which did bring a curse upon them. A plague broke out that killed 24,000 Israelites. Do you know who hatched that plan? Jesus made reference to it in Rev 2:14 “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.”[19]

Balaam got what he wanted after all. He used his spiritual knowledge in a diabolical way. Only one thing could bring judgment on Israel-sin. Even though Balaam could not get his money by speaking a curse on Israel he could get it by showing Balak how to lead them into sin.

Here is an extremely spiritual man who prophesies of the coming Messiah and says wonderful things by the Spirit in his oracles-yet he misses the will of God for his life. At times he seems to be repentant; but the repentance proves to be superficial and he reverts back to pursuing his own lust.[20] In Numbers 23:10 he says “Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!” We know that is not what happened. Numbers 31:8 tells us he was killed as part of the judgment on Midian.

How do we Deal with this aspect of guidance in our lives?

As I reflect back over my life I am certain that motive has been the most important factor in hearing God-in knowing and doing the will of God. The times I missed it big were the times that I was pursuing something my flesh wanted rather than sincerely seeking to do the will of the Father whatever it might be. At other times when my motive was right I may have not heard all that perfectly; but God got me where I needed to be. Prov 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Back in the mid-80’s I was discussing the possibility of coming on staff at a church that ran four or five thousand people. It looked like an exciting opportunity. But I was having a hard time hearing God on the matter. While praying about the decision I was reading from the book of Jeremiah in my devotions. And I came across these words in Jer 45:5 “And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them…” (NKJV) God used that to awaken me to why I wanted the job.[21] He used it to show me that below all my nice religious talk I was really pursuing this for my own self-promotion. By exposing my motive He gave me my answer.

There are powerful examples in Scripture of people who did not allow their own desires to derail God’s will for their lives. Think about Abraham in Genesis 22. God tells him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. I’m quite sure that was not what Abraham wanted to hear. Yet he immediately begins to obey. It would have been very easy to rationalize away that directive. He could have even decided that it was contrary to the promises of God in his life and rejected the message. What enabled Abraham to overcome his own emotions and obey? Faith in God-he trusted God to make a way even if it meant resurrecting Isaac from the dead.[22]

The best example is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he is facing the unthinkable-bearing the sins of the world. His struggle was not the fear of death. His struggle was the awful thought of carrying the sins of the world-the pure, spotless Lamb of God bearing your sin and my sin-bearing the punishment we all deserved. How does he deal with the struggle? Matt 26:39 “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'” It is quite alight to make your petitions unto God (“if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me”). But that must always be tempered with an absolute commitment to the will of the Father (“Yet not as I will, but as you will.”) There is a time to be insistent in prayer. But that insistence is in executing the known will of God not in somehow getting your own way in prayer.

If you’re having trouble hearing God-if there’s confusion about what the will of God is for a matter-take time to deal with the motives of your own heart.[23] We need the help of the Holy Spirit in doing that-but He has come as the Divine Helper and He will help us.[24] “It is God who works in you both to will and do His good pleasure.”[25] If you’re not sure that you’re willing, then just be honest about that and ask God to make you willing-ask Him to change your heart so that His will becomes what is important. I close with this precious promise from Ps 25:9 “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Hear His voice this morning. If you have never surrendered your life to Christ-now is the time to do that. He opens His arms and calls you to come to Him today.

Trust, But Still Do Your Homework

By Steven Simala Grant

Joshua 2:1-24

There is an old Persian proverb, which says: “Trust in God, but tie your camel.” It acknowledges the tension we often come up against when we talk about trust – what is God’s part and what is our part? When does trust mean that we do nothing except let go and sit and wait for God? When does trust mean that we get active and make some plans and start to do things and allow God to empower and guide while we are in motion? I can tell convincing stories from both perspectives:

“Let Go”: A tourist came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, lost his footing and plunged over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself. After he went out of sight and just before he fell into space, he encountered a scrubby bush which he desperately grabbed with both hands. Filled with terror, he called out toward heaven, “Is there anyone up there?” A calm, powerful voice came out of the sky, “Yes, there is.” The tourist pleaded, “Can you help me? Can you help me?” The calm voice replied, “Yes, I probably can. What is your problem?” “I fell over the cliff and am dangling in space holding to a bush that is about to let go. Please help me.” “The voice from above said, “I’ll try. Do you believe?” “Yes, yes, I believe.”‘ “Do you have faith?” “Yes, yes. I have strong faith.” The calm voice said, “Well, in that case, simply let loose of the bush and everything will turn out fine.” There was a tense pause, then the tourist yelled, “Is there anyone else up there?”

“Get Going”: “A church member was having trouble with the concept of tithing. One day he revealed his doubts to his minister: “Pastor, I just don’t see how I can give 10 percent of my income to the church when I can’t even keep on top of our bills.”

The pastor replied, “John, if I promise to make up the difference in your bills if you should fall short, do you think you could try tithing for just one month?”

After a moment’s pause, John responded, “Sure, if you promise to make up any shortage, I guess I could try tithing for one month.”

“Now, what do you think of that,” mused the pastor. “You say you’d be willing to put your trust in a mere man like myself’ who possesses so little materially, but you couldn’t trust your Heavenly Father who owns the whole universe!” The next Sunday, John gave his tithe, and has been doing so faithfully ever since.

In the first story, trust meant letting go. In the second, it meant doing something and trusting God to take care of the rest. On the one hand, you’ve heard the saying, “You can’t steer a boat that isn’t moving.” On the other hand, “Let go and Let God.” Do you see the tension? Does trusting mean that we do nothing and wait on God, or does it mean that we seek God actively as we get moving along?

Last week we looked at Joshua 1, and we recognized God’s promises of Victory and of His Presence with us. We saw that as we obey, and as we meditate on God’s Word, we come to experience the fulfillment of those promises. I see so much of the theme of trust in Joshua – last week discovering that the basis of our trust is in the promise of God’s presence and victory. That is what we rest on, that is why we let go and let God be in Control, that is the source of our strength and courage. This week, as we look at chapter 2, we see that letting go and letting God be in control does NOT mean that we sit around and do nothing, but rather that we act on the promises of God, that we live them out – in fact I could go further and say that we only really experience the depth of God’s promises – in dangerous, uncomfortable, unsafe situations.

Let’s read the story of Joshua 2.

1. Living the Promises:

I love what we see happening in this story. In the previous chapter, God has promised Joshua and the Israelites the land – He promised them victory “everywhere you set your foot.” (1:3). So now, in this next chapter, Joshua gets busy. He secretly sends a couple of people to spy out the land, and especially the city of Jericho. Let’s pause there for a second – my Bible doesn’t say anything about God telling Joshua to send in the spies. And if you remember back to Moses time, he sent in some spies and it all didn’t turn out to well. Didn’t God just promise to give Joshua the whole land? – then why the need to send in the spies? Does that display a lack of trust on Joshua’s part – a sort of taking-matters-into-his-own-hands kind of thing? Why didn’t he just trust God, rest on the promises, and march across the river and claim the land?

The questions become even more relevant if we sneak a peak ahead into chapters 5-6, where we have the story of the fall of Jericho. Remember how the city falls into the hands of the Israelites? They take the city simply by marching around it for seven days, and then God miraculously tears down the walls at the shout (yes, simply the shout) of the Israelite army. God had a plan for the fall of Jericho, He knew how it was going to happen. So why bother with this whole spy thing? They obviously weren’t going to need detailed reconnaissance on the military readiness of the people of Jericho. Why send the spies if God was going to do a miracle? Even worse, isn’t this whole spy thing contrary to the very nature of what it means to trust God – isn’t it an example of Joshua acting in his strength rather than in God’s?

To answer those questions, we need to know what the response of God was to Joshua’s actions. Was Joshua rebuked? Punished for not believing? Chastised for not simply trusting? No, not at all. In fact, and this is fascinating, God says nothing in this chapter. He has lots to say in chapter 1, and more to say in chapter 3 and 4 and 5 and 6. In all those places, we read “And the Lord said to Joshua…”; but here it just says “Joshua secretly sent two spies…” Obviously God was not upset at Joshua, or there definitely would have been consequences (as we will see in chapter 7). And in fact, there is a wonderful result to this spy story – meeting Rahab and having her become a celebrated woman of faith – seeing all her family saved. So obviously God blessed Joshua’s actions, obviously God worked through Joshua’s actions, even though God had a different plan for taking the city.

Here is the lesson I see here for you and me. Sometimes it is ok for us to get busy and do the things that make the most sense. Let me repeat that: sometimes it is ok for us to get busy and do the things that make the most sense. I have known people who wanted to walk with God and be so dependent on Him that they would literally wake up in the morning and pray about which pair of socks to put on. Honestly! They wanted to be obedient to God, they wanted God to be in control, and so would even pray about things like that and attempt to discern “God’s Will” for which pair of socks to put on.

I believe that God gave us the ability to make decisions. We often take that and run with it and try to make all the decisions ourselves, without involving God in our daily lives, and that is wrong. But it is also wrong to never make decisions. That leads to disobedience: for example, if God tells us to go one direction, and we sit around waiting for Him to tell us whether to walk or run or take a bus, and end up staying in the same place, we have disobeyed God’s call to go. Sometimes all He tells us is to go, and He leaves the method of travel up to us to decide.

Here is what I am trying to say: trusting God means BOTH that we wait on Him for guidance and direction and leadership – AND it also means that we get going in the direction He points us in. Let me give you an example: whenever I sit down at my computer to work on a sermon, I first read the Scripture passage again – even if I am just coming back from a 15 minute break. Then I pray. I ask God to speak to me, to show me what He wants to reveal to me and to us through His Word. Sometimes I sit there in prayer waiting for all these great revelations to come flooding into my mind. But most of the time that doesn’t happen! (Some of you are agreeing a little too quickly there…). Most of the time, the ideas and revelations start to flow as I write. See the process? God speaks as I move, as I act. He often just brings it point by point. So you see that trusting in God means waiting for His direction, and then starting to head in that direction trusting Him for the power and abilities to get there.

That is what I see here in Joshua 2. Even though God had a different plan for taking Jericho, Joshua was not wrong in sending in the spies. That wasn’t an indication of a lack of trust or a lack of faith – it was the right thing to do! God surprised them with a different ending, but God also honored Joshua for doing the smart thing by sending in the spies to get a handle on what was happening in Jericho at that time.

Sometimes in life we get stuck. We get in a rut, we feel like we’re spinning our wheels, we’re discouraged and down and going nowhere. Maybe that is how you feel about your life today – like you are kind of stuck. If so, think about this – are you stuck because you don’t know where to go, or are you stuck because you do know where to go but are waiting for something else to happen before heading that direction? If you don’t know where to go, then you need to pray and seek God for guidance, and wait – and let go – and listen. And on the other hand, if you are stuck but you do know which way you should be headed, get going. Make the necessary decisions, stop waiting for each piece of the puzzle to fall into place before taking the first step, and just get moving. God will lead.

The Israelites had been stuck at this place before, 40 years earlier. They knew which way to go under Moses, but got scared and retreated. This time around, they still know which way to go (and by the way, it is the same direction…), but this time they get a little extra encouragement from the report of the spies: “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.” (vs. 24). That was the added bit of confidence that they needed.

And maybe that is the added bit of encouragement that you need today. God has it under control. He knows the hurdles and the pitfalls and the obstacles, and He is bigger than all of them. If you are going in the direction He wants you to go in, trust Him to take care of the journey. You will find Him sufficient; You will find Him abundantly able to meet the needs along the road.

That is the big message I see in this passage: trusting God means waiting on Him for direction, AND it also means using the minds and gifts that He has given us to head in that direction. As long as we head in that direction in His strength and not in our own, as long as we continue to trust Him along the way and even let Him make mid-course corrections, we can be confident that we are trusting Him and walking in His power and not our own.

There is one other thing I want to point out in this passage.

2. God Goes Ahead of Us

Joshua does the smart thing and sends the spies in. They go to “the house of a prostitute,” most likely because that was a place where foreigners wouldn’t arise a lot of suspicion and where they would be able to get a handle on what the people were thinking. What they find there is miraculous…

Somehow, word gets to the king and he sends in the henchmen. So much for “secret, undercover agents…” But here is where the story gets interesting – Rahab the prostitute hides them, lies for them, sends the king’s men off on a wild goose chase, protects them, gives them the information they need, and then provides their escape route. And in return, she and her family have their lives spared and Rahab takes a prominent place in the history of Israel and in Christianity because of her faith.

Here is what this tells me: God goes ahead of us. And not only does He go ahead of us, preparing the way, preparing the hearts of people, revealing His fame and His glory – but He goes ahead of us and we find Him in strange and unexpected places. These spies found God at work in a brothel, in the faith of a prostitute.

I apply this to sharing our faith. We often look at the prospect of sharing our faith with some trepidation – like we are making a furtive foray into enemy territory, crossing the lines into the “unknown,” taking a big risk. We head into those situations feeling like it is our job to take God to people who don’t know Him. There is this big, dark land, and we have the Light and we must take it into this dangerous place. This spy story reminds us that God is already there ahead of us. We aren’t going in carrying Him along with us, as if He wasn’t there already. On the contrary, we take opportunities to share our faith with the realization that the Holy Spirit is already there, already working, already prodding and pursuing. We are wisest and most effective when we recognize that God is there already, and encourage what He is doing in people’s lives. Sharing our faith isn’t only about bringing people to salvation – that is the final step in the evangelism process (though of course not the final step in that person’s growth in faith…). There are lots of steps before that, lots of contacts and words and deeds and expressions of love, and lots of things that God is doing to reveal Himself and draw people to Himself.

God is there ahead of us, and often we’ll find Him in unexpected places. Be open to those! Look for those opportunities to join God at work in establishing His Kingdom. And take the opportunities He provides.

Let me tell you a story. About a month ago, Joanne (my wife) was taking our son for a walk. She ran into a couple of elderly ladies who were also out for a walk. They said hello to Thomas, and then commented to Joanne that he sure looked like a healthy little boy. Joanne thanked them, and then smiled and said, “actually, he’s been fairly sick,” and she told them a bit about Thomas’ struggles. They chatted a bit, and then one of these ladies asked, “Would it be ok if we prayed for your son?” It turned out that these ladies were part of McKernan Baptist Church, and there on the sidewalk they ministered to both Joanne and Thomas.

See how we find God in unexpected places? Joanne was just out for a simple walk, and ended up being encouraged by two Godly women. And from the other side, I love the faith and courage of these women seizing the opportunity to share their faith with a mom they had just bumped into who obviously had a need. God goes ahead of us, He prepares the way, He has all sorts of things prepared for us, as Ephesians 2:10 reminds us: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Matthew Henry, a famous Bible commentator, wrote: “Faith in God’s promise ought not to supersede but encourage our diligence in the use of proper means. Joshua is sure he has God with him, and yet sends men before him. We do not trust God, but tempt him, if our expectations slacken our endeavors.”

Where has God been calling you to go – what has He been telling you that you need to be obedient to? If you are feeling stuck, if you are uncertain about which direction to head or how to get started, then I want to first encourage you with the fact that God goes ahead of you – He has prepared the road and He knows where the journey is going to take you. And He knows what you need to get started.

The promise of God is that He has prepared for us a great Kingdom, which He desires us to experience in this life as well as in the next. It is a Kingdom of joy, of freedom, and of power. God has invited us to experience this Kingdom through His Spirit. I encourage you to take some steps, to do the things that make sense, in pursuing a more full experience of God’s Kingdom in your life, so that you can also see God’s Kingdom come to those around you.

Making a Meaningful Life

By Dennis Davidson

Proverbs 1:1-7

To improve efficiency, a company hired a consultant, who called a meeting of all shop personnel. Stressing the need to listen to experts, he said, “Imagine you’re on the Titanic, and it’s sinking. You climb into a lifeboat. Which direction would you row?” Then he asked, “What if you had the ship’s navigator with you? Now which way would you go? You’d row the way the navigator told you to, right?”

There were murmurs of agreement until a guy in the back piped up, “Well, I don’t know. He’s already hit one iceberg!”

You need discernment concerning whom you’ll take advise. The book of Proverbs urges us to get advice from the wise (1:2-7). Wisdom in the Bible is “skill for living.” Some people know how to make a living but don’t know how to make a life, which is a shame for it is better to make a good life that a good living.

The book of Proverbs is about godly wisdom, how to get it and how to use it. It’s about priorities and principles, not get rich-quick schemes or success formulas. It tells you, not how to make a living, but how to be skillful in the lost art of making a life.

The first seven verses of chapter one reveal the purpose of the book. It was written to teach wisdom by applying wisdom to life instead of simply theorizing about it. The entire book was intended to be of great practical benefit to the obedient listener. It’s wise practical teaching leads the understanding man who fears the Lord to wisdom (CIM).

I. THE TITLE, 1:1 -The Preacher-Teacher of Proverbs.
II. THE THEME, 1:2 – Attaining Wisdom
III. THE PURPOSE, 1:3-6 – Imparting Wisdom to Men.
IV. THE FOUNDATION, 1:7 – The Fear of the Lord.

We learned last week that Solomon was an insightful teacher of wisdom. Now let’s learn what makes a genuine student of wisdom. The preamble in 1: 1-7 prepares you for reading the book as a whole. It sets forth its theme (v. 2, attaining wisdom), its purpose (vv. 3-5), the basic contrasts between wisdom and folly (v. 7), and wisdom’s cornerstone or theological foundation (v. 7). [How to Read the Bible by Gordon Fee. Grand Rapids. Zondervan.2002. 145]

II. THE THEME, 1:2 – Attaining Wisdom

Verse 2 states that the personal attainment of wisdom is the theme of this book. “To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding,

Wisdom is a word of enormous importance in Proverbs. [Wise & wisdom are used at least 125 times.] A purpose of the Proverbs is that the reader might “know wisdom” and allow it to govern his or her life. The word here is chokma and is the most frequent word for wisdom in Proverbs. It meant skill (Ex. 28:1-3; 31:25; 1 Chron. 22:18), here skill in living. Originally the term was used to describe people skilled in working with their hands, craftsman. [It was used in reference to the detailed work of Bezalel and Aholiab in constructing the tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-11). God gave them and others skill for artwork, building, weaving, and carving.] It came to mean the use of life knowledge in practical and skillful ways. God crafts wisdom into a life so that one learns how to live skillfully, or successfully before Him. The emphasis is not on theoretical information but on a proper discernment for decisions between choices, to know good from evil, and right from wrong. People with wisdom have the skill to face life honestly and courageously and manage it successfully so that God’s purposes are fulfilled in their life. Wisdom orders and directs life for proper purpose. It brings us into harmony with the priorities and principles of God.

A purpose of Proverbs is to know or attain wisdom “and instruction.” Instruction is the teaching of priorities and principles. It is the corrective teaching which results in values or morals but it is more than intellectual enlightenment. It refers to training and discipline for life skills. Instruction (Heb. musar) refers to the fact that training is needed so that one might keep themselves walking God’s way, under His restraint and control and in His direction. Instruction is ordering life according to divine principles so that we can live skillfully.

Another purpose of Proverbs is listed as “to discern the sayings of understanding.” “To discern” is to have insight into (1 Kings 3 :9), to separate, to make distinct. These Proverbs give us insight into the sayings of understanding. These sayings are the pulling together of the observable knowledge from life or lives. The focus is not merely on what goes on in life but the ability to understand it then apply that understanding to your life so that life can be corrected or trained skillfully. There will be much in-depth thought required to see the implications of many of the wise saying of Proverbs. But this attempt to absorb them is a healthy mental exercise which will sharpen the mind.

III. THE PURPOSE, 1:3-6 – Imparting Wisdom to Men.

Verse 3 continues with the purpose with the book but also tell us what we will take in or learn from Proverbs. “To receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity;”
The result of true wisdom is the enacting of wise behavior, righteousness and equity. The wisdom purposed in Proverbs is more than enlightenment of human reason through means of comprehending reality as it is. It is for “wise behavior” (haskel, Heb. “good sense and practical judgment;” 1 Sam. 25:3), or for moral achievement. It is worth remembering that man may “take in” (receive) knowledge till he is ignorant. No matter how enriched one is with science and philosophy, he is a fool if he does not practice righteousness, justice, and equity.

Righteousness is from tsedeg and implies right believing, right thinking, and right action. Justice is the understanding and application of right and wrong. Equity is to know what is fair and balanced. The great philosopher Locke said the goal of education “is not to perfect a learner in all or any of the sciences, but to give his mind that disposition and those habits that may enable him to obtain any part of knowledge he will apply himself to or stand in need of in the future course of life.”

Management expert PETER DRUCKER once wrote that too often people focus on efficiency (doing things right), instead of on effectiveness (doing the right thing). “There are few things less pleasing to the Lord and less productive,” Drucker says, “than an engineering department that rapidly turns out beautiful blueprints for the wrong product. Working on the right things is what makes. . . work effective.” Those are wise words for anyone seeking business success, and for those trying to live a good life.

Are you busy trying to get everything done in life? It would be wise to first see if you are living the right kind of life. How can we be sure we are doing the right thing-that which is truly valuable–instead of doing the wrong thing in an efficient way? Solomon wrote his Proverbs so that his sons would “receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity.” Or, as one translation puts it, to acquire “a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair” (NIV).

Through His Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God will teach us what is right and enable us to do it. Our most important task is doing what is grounded in “justice, judgment and equity!

Verses 4 and 5 introduce various recipients who will find help in the Proverbs: the naive, the young, the wise man and the man of understanding. Verse 4 tell us what can happen through a study of this book. “To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion.”

Prudence is what is offered to the naive. Prudence is the ability to escape the wiles of another (Gen. 3: 1)or the traps of life by knowing which course of action is best. This is a great blessing especially for the naive (simple, KJV, nethi, Heb.). The word naive literally is open-hearted and describes one who is wide open, gullible, easily susceptible to good or bad influences. Prudence is a safe guard against being mislead.

Proverbs offers “to the youth knowledge and discretion.” A youth (naar, Heb.) is one who is immature and has not yet experienced the world. His mind fluctuates at the opinionated winds of those about him, unless he settles his purpose and fixes his priorities, to obtain wisdom. The young because of their hot blood and inexperience especially need the preventive medicine injected into these Proverbs.
Not only does a youth need to grasp the knowledge of the wise, he or she needs discretion. Discretion (Heb., mezimmah, “meaning to press together”) is mental concentration which produces discerning thoughtfulness in decision making.

How unfortunate it is that those most in need of these Proverbs avoid them and often will only learn their truth after repeated failures and bitter experiences. We can either be instructed and guided by experiencing life, or we can learn by studying the Word. We can learn in the storm or we can learn in the sanctuary. We can learn in the crisis or we can learn in the classroom. Most of us have had to experience learning in both places. Proverbs wants to teach us in the classroom. [Jon Courson. Application Com. OT. Vol. 2.Nelson. Nashville. 2006. p 179.]

Verse 5 teaches us that we will need to apply our selves in order to hear, learn and acquire understanding and wisdom. “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,”

A person disagreed with something I said and asked for an explanation. After I explained it to her in greater detail she responded. “Thank you for your answer. It was something I didn’t know. What I learned in childhood I just took for granted. But now I realize how good it is to learn something new.” At 89 that wise lady was still learning.

“A wise man” is described here as one that is still learning. The Hebrew word learning means “taking in.” But before learning occurs a wise man is attentive, he will hear. The mental and spiritual ears of some are so heavy that they do not hear the voice of wisdom. The ears of others are so full of the rush of the world that truth even when it cracks like thunder rolls beyond their grasp unheard.
So a wise man is described as an improving man, one increasing in learning by knowing truth and God better. He discards what is less adequate for what is more accurate. “It’s what we learn after we know it all that counts.”

A wise man is also a “man of understanding” (tachbuloth), literally knows the ropes. He knows who to tie himself to in order to better guide himself through life. A wise man is one who grasps divine truth through wise counsel. Wise counsel literally is steering (like the tackle for directing a ship) and suggests moving one’s life in the right direction. He has the discernment to steer a right course through life.

When was the last time you admitted your were wrong? Why is that so hard to do? What have you learned recently from another believer? The best way to make room for wisdom is to get rid of know-it-all pride. The most annoying type of person is the know-it-all, a person who has a dogmatic opinion on most everything. They are closed to learning because they think they already know. Don’t be a know-it-all. Learn from the wisdom of God and from those who walk in God’s Word. Only God truly knows it all. [Application Bible. Zondervan. ]

[STILL LEARNING] Many years ago an OLD MAN TOOK A CLASS at the University of Berlin. It was an unusual sight to see this small, white-haired gentleman sitting among 19-and 20-year old students. But what made this most unusual was that the old man was Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the renowned German naturalist and scientist. In fact, during a lecture on physical geography, the professor, who was an-eminent scholar himself, quoted as his authority something von Humboldt had written.

When Alexander von Humboldt was asked why he, with all his learning, was taking that class, he replied, “To help me review what I had neglected in my youth.” With such a hunger for knowledge, he was not too proud to take notes and learn right along with his younger classmates.

The desire to learn about our physical world is commendable. But nothing is more important than to increase our knowledge of God’s Word. We will never get to the place where we can say, “I know it all. No one can teach me anything that I haven’t heard before.”

A wise person never stops learning about God and His world.
Increase your knowledge of God’s Word, For in it you will find
The wisdom that you need for life, Which comes from God’s own mind.
The more we learn the more we realize how much we need to learn. The book of Proverbs is not only for the naive-but also for the wise. It is for anyone who realizes that he has further to go.

The following are some things you should know about PERSONAL GROWTH.
(1) Growth isn’t automatic. You’re only young once, but you can be immature indefinitely.

Each year the lobster is forced to shed its shell; it’s a pity we aren’t! Come on, if you don’t make personal growth your responsibility it’ll never happen. The road to anything worthwhile is always uphill, so the sooner you start climbing the closer to reaching your God-given potential you’ll be.

(2) Growth today brings success tomorrow. What you sow today determines what you reap tomorrow. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Once stretched by a new idea, a man’s mind never regains its original dimensions.” So what are you doing today to become wiser, more truly successful tomorrow?

(3) Growth is your responsibility. When you were a child your parents were responsible for your growth, now you are. Robert Browning wrote, “Why stay we on earth except to grow?” Good question! Yet few of us dedicate ourselves to the process. Why? Because growth requires change and most of us are uncomfortable with change. Gail Sheehy writes, “If we don’t change we won’t grow, and if we don’t grow we’re not really living. Growth demands the temporary surrender of security. It means a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, relationships that have lost their meaning. Taking a new step is what we fear most, yet our real fear should be the opposite.” Other than going to Hell, can you think of anything worse than living a life devoid of spiritual growth and improvement?

In verse 6 Solomon propose a challenge to the reader of the book. “To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.”

A genuine learner is described as an interpreter. The deep things of God need to be interpreted (1 Cor. 2:9,10). A proverb is a description by way of a comparison. The words of the wise are thought provoking words and riddles are thought provoking questions which need interpretation.

The goal of learning should be to better know God and out of that knowledge to love Him, and to become like Him that we may possess true virtue and wisdom.

IV. THE FOUNDATION, 1:7 – The Fear of the Lord.

Verse 7 conveys the book’s theological foundation and that the basic contrast between wisdom and folly. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Here is the foundational truth on which the book rests. Without this basic preparation or characteristic the reader disqualifies himself from obtaining true knowledge and wisdom. The knowledge needed for wisdom begins with “the fear of the Lord.” The single essential to finding eternal knowledge is the fear of the Lord.

In God’s eyes natural man is a sinner living in rebellion against His revealed will and thus meriting eternal separation. Those that know this fear will not remain strangers to the Word of God nor the Family of God. They will fling themselves upon God’s mercy, begging for His forgiveness and cleansing, trusting only in Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice and ransom payment on the cross for their sin and sinfulness.

“Fear” is respect for legitimate authority. God is the absolute final authority of everything and everyone. Wisdom begins with a submissive reverence to God Almighty, recognizing who He is. Once His greatness and holiness is reverend, lives will be lived in obedience to His revealed will. To too many people God is an after-thought, not the first thought. Therefore most do what is right in their eyes, with little of no concern for God’s will or way or word.

This fear of the Lord is where knowledge begins. Satan has intellectual knowledge but true knowledge, spiritual knowledge, the knowledge of self, the universe, eternity, Christ and man comes from God. For knowledge to become an eternal building block in one’s life it must be based on this reverent acknowledgment and submission to Almighty God.

Today it seems that the fear of man is what is prevalent. There are many people who profess a belief in God but demonstrate by attitude and lifestyle a total disregard for His wishes and complete disdain for His Word. They show by their unwise behavior that the God they believe in has not been discovered through fear. God demands His due recognition of His sole right to be Lord of life, every life. With telling forth rightness’ Solomon describes those who deny God in speech, attitude and action.

“Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” A fool (nahal) is not one who lacks intelligence, but one who is obstinate (13:16; 17: 10) and stubborn (1:7; 17:28; 20: 3; 22: 15). The root of his foolishness is not intelligence but spiritual perspective. He begins his downward journey by rejecting the fear of the Lord and determines to go his own way (v. 31) shutting God out of his life.

So fools are those who despise wisdom’s instruction. They are morally bankrupt, fleshly, and practically ignore of the greatest truths in the universe. They trifle with the serious and gamble away the joys of eternity for the lusts of time. Though their intelligence may be great their logic is faulty and inconsistent.

[A FOOLS LOGIC] This fact was vividly impressed on me while I was watching a television special several years ago on the subject of the “textbook controversy.” Those who defend the use of dirty, blasphemous material in the schools claim that our youth need to be exposed to the whole spectrum of thought, including that of morally and religiously twisted groups. But these proponents of “open-mindedness” are opposed to the writings of Biblebelieving Christians, and want them out of the class room and off public property. Furthermore, to support their use of objectionable textbooks, these people say that even the Bible contains passages that appear obscene. Yet they fail to recognize that the literature they defend encourages unbelief, lawlessness, and immorality. The Bible, on the other hand, promotes a fear of God and a respect for human dignity and the property of others.

These advocates of a “well-rounded education” also fail to see the disastrous results of their godless philosophies. Drug abuse, prostitution, shoplifting, and crimes of violence are increasing at an alarming pace. If moral standards are not taught, or if they are said to be relative, such conditions will continue to exist.

Don’t believe the faulty logic of fools. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge!” Education may make you smart, but only God makes you good.

A man may fill his mind with facts until it overflows, But without wisdom he’s a fool unless the Lord he knows.

Foolishness is a liar. It promises pleasure, peace, and prosperity. But, as its victims discover, it delivers the opposite. After the pleasure is a gaping void and inescapable pain.

Wisdom, however, delivers more than we could hope for. She says from the beginning her way is hard. She demands our respect and requires discipline on our part. But in return she gives her children freedom, security, and joy. These jewels of wisdom are thrown away on him who has no heart for them. Achieving wisdom may seem difficult. But the end result is worth it. The fear of the Lord is the starting point and essence of wisdom.

IN CONCLUSION

In this age of information, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. Wisdom means far more than simply knowing a lot. God’s wisdom guide us in how to live our life right. It grows out of a daily walk with the Lord. The foundation for this knowledge of true wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Wisdom begins by honoring and respecting God, by living in awe of His power, and in obedience to His Word. Faith in God’s revealed wisdom should be the controlling principle for your understanding of the world, your attitudes, and your actions. Trust in God and He will make you truly wise.

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN was a U.S. Congressman, 3-time Democratic presidential nominee, and Secretary of State who served this country for three decades. He is probably best remembered for the famous Scopes Trial in 1925 at Dayton TN. This man’s far reaching influence has been attributed to his wisdom. Perhaps the secret of his wisdom was his acceptance of the advice given to him by his father. Just before William was leaving for college, his preacher father challenged him to read through the Book of Proverbs once a month for a year. The young man did so during his freshman year. Years later he looked back at his father’s request as one of the most important factors in his life.

Man’s advice may or may not be good. It depends on where the man has derived his wisdom. The wisdom of God will give one the ability to make an eternally significant impact with your life. If we are to gleam the wisdom of Proverbs we must bow in awe and respect for God’s authority and respond to Him in faith and obedience.

Father, remove from me, from us, what does not reflect Your character and replace it with Yourself. Amen. May the Word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom.

[The goal of learning should be to better know God & out of that knowledge to love Him, & to become like Him that we may possess true virtue & wisdom. The Book of Proverbs is not only for the naive but also for the wise. It is for anyone who realizes that He has further to go. So let us study this book which is rich in wisdom for the age in which we live.]

Integrity- Counting the Cost

By Don Jones

Daniel 3:1-30

To say that they went from the frying pan into the fire would be incorrect. They simply went into the fire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to stick to their convictions regardless of the punishment. In this case, the punishment was death. Daniel is conspicuously absent from this account in Scripture.

Robert Shank says, “its one thing to debate the elevation of moral high ground: it’s quite another to face death while defending it. As long as acceptance is assured by opposing viewpoints, the resolve of the person with integrity remains untested. But, when principle has a price tag, the depth of commitment is discovered.

That day came for Daniel’s friends. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were spotted as non-participants in the unacceptable behavior that had become the legislated requirement of their society. When given the chance to bend and live, they chose to be heroes for what seemed to be a martyr’s cause. But, the conclusion is never written in advance in the accounts where God is the key player.”

Jesus told us to count the cost when looking to follow Him. What can happen when we are willing to follow God no matter what the cost? Let’s look at this miraculous account to see how our God breaks into human history to reveal himself in the midst of the fire.

The Crisis

Once again, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found themselves in a crisis situation. The king decided to build a monument to his kingdom. It was a tremendous undertaking and the result was phenomenal. I can’t imagine how this was accomplished with ancient technology but it was. He was absolute ruler and had the resources, so the golden image was built. Verses 1-2 says,

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up.

After the dedication ceremony, a decree went forth in the land. They were to bow down before the golden image and worship it whenever the musical instrument sounded. It seemed like a fair law, it applied to everyone, no exceptions. Verse 4-6 says,

Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

The Cost

The cost of not obeying the decree was also made very clear. If you do not obey, you will die. You will be thrown into the blazing furnace (archeologists have found the plain and the pedestal). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were once again being called upon to compromise their beliefs and values. The cost had gone up. When they wouldn’t follow the diet in chapter one they might have been thrown out of the king’s service but now, it was very clear that non-compliance meant death.

Unfortunately, for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, obeying Nebuchadnezzar’s decree meant breaking the Law of God. They knew that God’s law was clear on the subject of idol worship. Exodus 20:3 says,

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

I am not sure if we will ever be called upon to die in a fiery furnace for following Christ. My guess would be, we will not. I am pretty sure that we will never be called upon to die a martyr’s death. But we are called on constantly to live out His life in front of others and be identified as a follower of Jesus. Our lives are to be lived with love, charity, forgiveness, kindness, and selflessness that there can be no mistake we are his child. Are there pressures and situations that make living life for Christ difficult and sometimes costly? Yes, but those are the times that we really will be identified as disciples of Jesus.

The Choice

These men of God must have had some enemies. Scripture tells us that the other astrologers went to the king to tattle on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I am not sure if they were angry with the Jews in general, or if they were angry with these friends of Daniel. Remember, Daniel had been put in charge of the astrologers at the end of Chapter two. Perhaps this was their way of getting back at Daniel and the king who dared put Jews in charge of Babylonians. Whatever the reason, Nebuchadnezzar was made aware of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s transgressions and scripture says he was “furious with rage”.

Amazingly, the king gave them a second chance. Maybe he knew the other astrologers were scheming or perhaps he was a “fair” king and wanted to give them a “fair” trial before sentencing. For whatever reason, the king gave them a clear choice. Verses 13b-15 says,

So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on the face of the earth in terms of “earthly” power. He had conquered nation after nation with his mighty armies. He had unquestioned authority over the lives of his people and those he had conquered. His boast was that even God could not save them from his judgment. How little he knew about God’s mighty power.

The Confidence

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told the king that their God was bigger than his punishment and was bigger than him. They were unwilling to compromise their beliefs even in the face of death. On top of that, they had an unyielding confidence that God would deliver them no matter what life or the king threw at them. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego challenged the assumption of the king concerning their God and said in verse 17,

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.

In essence, they told the king, “Bring it on”. How this must have angered the king. These men were, in his eyes, about to meet a horrible death and yet they were unafraid of the punishment and the king. The king was again as scripture says, “furious”. So, into the fire they went.

The Companion

The men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fire were consumed immediately because the fire was so intense. But to everyone’s amazement Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were still alive. Miraculously, there were untied and instead of three men in the fire, there were four men walking around in the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar in verse 25 says,

Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.

It has been said that it is in the midst of the fire that the personal presence of our Lord is experienced in mighty and miraculous ways. Many commentators believe, as do I, that this “person” is the pre-incarnate Christ. Whoever he was, he was definitely the presence, power, and protection of almighty God. In essence, God was with them in the furnace protecting them. I sometimes wonder if the Lord has to “turn up the heat” in our live so others can see His work.

The Commitment

What Nebuchadnezzar saw was the power of God first hand in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He called them out of the fire, no doubt from a safe distance and went to examine them. They were not even singed from the fire and even more miraculous, they didn’t smell of the fire either. If you are like me, even grilling in the back yard causes my clothes to smell, not so with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were the same coming out as when they went in.

Nebuchadnezzar began praising God. He even issued another decree concerning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Verses 29 says,

Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

I do not believe that the king had a salvation experience at this point, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were protected and promoted much like Daniel was after his ordeal.

Do you have this same type of unyielding faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Lord?

Several years ago I received a call from a man who I thought had great faith. He had been a faithful member of the church. He gave testimony about his relationship with Jesus Christ. He was supportive in thick and thin. He was even a deacon and served faithfully in ministering to other members in the church. During one of our many visits he even told me of God’s deliverance during the Battle of the Bulge. He was a machine gunner in the 101st and survived that horrible ordeal. He testified it was by God’s saving power.

Unfortunately, like so many others, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He took the news hard. He called to say he was angry and disillusioned. He was angry at God that he was going to die of cancer and be the shell of the man he once was. No matter how many people tried to talk to him he would not let go of his anger toward God. He died 5 weeks later still angry and bitter. Many commented how his faith failed at this time of trial. It was an unfortunate legacy to leave. The trial by fire consumed him and his testimony. Few, if any, saw the person of Christ in his life at that point.

Another man I know had similar news. Like the first man he served in WWII in Patton’s 3rd Armored. He too experienced the horrors of war and knew it was by God’s power he survived. He had lived his life for Christ in much the same way as the first man. Aggressive cancer had spread in his body as well. He was turning into a shell of the man he once was.

Unlike the other man, this man told how God had blessed him and how he was finally going to be in the perfect presence of Christ. Many commented that his last days were spent like the rest, peaceful in the midst of the fire, knowing that it was all in God’s hands and that he was in Christ. His trial by fire was met with the same courage as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

How would you meet the fire? Do you have the commitment now that will carry you later? It begins by experiencing the risen Christ in your own life today.

Breaking Free From the Past

By Brian Bill

Colossians 3:1-11

In an old Candid Camera episode, an actor is on a busy sidewalk and begins looking at the ground. He walks around a bit and continues to look down. People are passing by him and a few give him strange looks. After a couple minutes, he decides to get down on his hands and knees and begins feeling around with his hands. People begin to slow down and watch what he’s doing. Finally, one person stops and starts looking at the ground. Then another one begins searching the sidewalk.

In a few minutes, the camera shows about a dozen people looking down, some even on their hands and knees! At that point, the actor, who got all this started in the first place, quietly gets up and walks away. No one else notices that he has left. They’re so intent in their search that they never even bothered to ask what it was they were looking for.

This is a good picture of how many people live in our society today. They’re searching for something because they know there’s got to be more to life. But, they’ll never find it if they don’t know what it is that they’re missing. We’re going to discover this morning from Colossians 3:1-11 that if you want to break free from your past, then where you put your eyes is very important. Instead of looking down, Paul challenges us to:

Look up (1-4)
Look out (5-9a)
Look in (9b-10)
Look around (11)
As we come to Colossians 3, we move from doctrine to conduct. This is very similar to the outline of the Book of Romans, where the first eleven chapters contain rich truths and the final chapters focus on how to live them out. The same is true of the Book of Ephesians. What we believe determines in large part how we behave.

Specifically, in Colossians, we’ve learned that if we get Christ right we get everything else right. Jesus is supreme over His creation, His church, and now we’ll see in chapters 3 and 4 that He is supreme over the Christian. There are practical implications that should be evident if one surrenders to the supremacy of Jesus. As such, we move from principle to practice, from the indicative to the imperative, from the “is” to the “ought.” It does little good if we can declare and defend the truth but fail to demonstrate it in our lives. Let’s pray that we’re not like those described in Titus 1:16: “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him.”

Warren Wiersbe reminds us that the pagan religions of Paul’s day taught little or nothing about personal morality: “A worshipper could bow before an idol, put his offering on the altar, and go back to the same old life of sin. What a person believed had no direct relationship with how he behaved.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, page 133). Christianity is much different. Duty is always connected to doctrine.

Paul has been arguing that we are set free from the powers around us, now he tells us that we have been set free for living a life above moral reproach. God’s plan is to first make us new; then He challenges us to live as new people. In short, we don’t have to be like we’ve always been. We can break free from the past, if we know where to look.

Look Up!

Instead of gazing at the ground, we must first look up! We see this in Colossians 3:1-4:

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

This opening phrase parallels Colossians 2:20: “Since you died with Christ…” As we learned last week, since we died with Christ, we don’t have to follow the rules of a hollow and deceptive philosophy. Colossians 3:1 establishes the truth that since we’ve been raised with Christ, we have a new status and therefore a new way of life. We now have a power source for living. Believers have died with Christ, been buried with Him, have been raised with Him, and as Ephesians 2:6 states, we have been seated with Him in the heavenly places. This is our position, but we must appropriate these truths on a daily basis in order to break free from the past.

That’s why Paul writes, “set your hearts on things above.” I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “He’s so heavenly minded that he’s no earthly good.” While I guess that’s possible, it’s more likely that people today are so worldly minded that they’re no heavenly or earthly good. If we truly set our hearts on things above, we will experience power and freedom here on earth. The word “set” means to seek something out with a desire to possess it. The word is in the present tense, which implies that we’re to continue to seek the things above. It’s not just a one-time decision, but is to be a daily activity.

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If our focus is on things that will ultimately rust, tarnish, break down, or burn up, our energy and emotions will be misplaced. If we seek out Christ and allow Him to become our ultimate treasure, our hearts will follow.

Knowing that “Christ is seated at the right hand of God” provides a much-needed reminder that Jesus is supreme and in control. This phrase echoes Psalm 110:1, which is the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'” Jesus is exalted and sits at the right hand of the Father, which shows that His redemptive work is now complete. The false teachers stressed “heavenly things” also, but Paul was appealing to the highest power of all, Jesus Christ.

The first imperative is to “set our hearts on things above.” The second is to “set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.” This literally translates, “Keep on thinking, as a matter of habit, on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Our feet must be on earth, but our minds must be in heaven. Thoughts can influence actions, so if we place our thoughts above and not on the earth, our behavior will reflect those things that matter to God. This requires tenacious effort on our part because we tend to look down by nature, instead of looking up. But if we fix our gaze on things above, God will change our desires. If we change our mind, God will change our heart.

We need to put our brain in gear by focusing on those things that are spelled out in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” By seeking what Christ desires, we have the power to break our obsession with pleasure and the accumulation of things.

In verses 3-4, we’re given five reasons to look up.

1. We’ve died (3a). This looks back to the cross where we died positionally in Christ. As a result, we have no obligation to live like we used to live. Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Because we’ve died with Christ, we should have as little desire for improper worldly pleasures as a dead person would have. We don’t just receive a cosmetic makeover or simply add a Christian veneer that only laminates our life. Our old nature is not renewed or even reformed; instead, it is put to death.

2. Our life is hidden with Christ (3b). To have our lives hidden with the One who is seated at the right hand of God gives us both security and satisfaction. The image here is treasure that is stored away in a secure place. Like a seed buried in the earth, our real lives are hidden from the world, only to be revealed when Christ returns. Our new life is a mystery or secret to those who don’t understand spiritual matters. 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

3. Christ is our life (4a). In a very real sense for the believer, Christ is what life is all about. Without Him we would be dead in our sins. In John 14:6, Jesus said about himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” By realizing that Christ is our life, we can have a new attitude about anything that happens to us. If He is truly our life, we have nothing to fear.

4. Christ will come again (4b). Since Jesus is coming again, it only makes sense that we should be looking up on a continuous basis. The phrase, “when” is better translated, “whenever Christ appears.” The fact of His return is certain but the time is indefinite. Since we don’t know the when, we must keep watching.

5. We will appear with Him in Glory (4c). The verb, “appear” means “to make visible what is invisible.” When Christ returns, the real position of the believer, which has been hidden to the world, will be made known. When Jesus is revealed in His glory, we shall be totally transformed according to 1 John 3:2: “…But we know that when he appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”.

Paul is urging us to look up and remember who we are now, who we once were, and who we will be when Christ returns. Where are you looking this morning? What does your mind focus on? What gets the attention of your heart? Friends, we must make a conscious, deliberate, and daily decision to look up and set our minds and hearts on heavenly things. Our outlook determines our outcome. Keeping our minds and hearts in the right place will often determine where we end up. That leads to the second point.

Look Out!

Not only must we look up, we must also look out. We see this in verses 5-9a: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other…”

Colossians 3:5, in the New Living Translation reads like this: “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.” Because we have died and been raised with Christ, we have the spiritual power to slay those desires that want to control us. We have died to sin, but we must render sinful desires as powerless. While we can’t totally eradicate the sinful nature, we can treat it as a morally impotent force. The new life calls for more than jettisoning a few vices and beefing up our spiritual life by going to church once in a while. We’ll talk more about this in verse 10, but what gets renewed is the “new self,” not the earthly nature. Positionally, we’ve died with Christ. Now we need to live it out practically.

Last week we learned that in order to pull the weeds of legalism, we must refuse to judge by externals, we must reject false authority, and we need to repudiate religious rules. But that doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want as believers. Grace trumps legalism but Paul makes it very clear in Romans 6:1-2 that we are no longer to let sin rule over us: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

I admire the moral fiber and tenacity of Phinehas in Numbers 25. He’s one of my heroes. As we say today, the dude rocks! He was not afraid to deal with sin. Israel was just about to enter the Promised Land after 40 years of hanging out in the desert. Now you would expect to find them really pumped up and excited about being so close. Instead of thanking God, the men of Israel are sleeping with foreign women and worshiping false gods. Needless to say God’s anger burned against the Israelites and so he sent a plague among the people.

In the midst of God’s judgment, one guy was so brash that he didn’t even try to hide his sin. He marched right in front of the people with a Midianite maiden and took her into his tent to sleep with her. Picture the scene. The people of God are weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting because of their sin and the plague that is wiping them out, and this bonehead walks right by them flaunting his sin. By the way, have you ever noticed how sexual sin can cause a normally sane person to do some pretty stupid stuff?

Well, this is where Phinehas enters the scene. When he saw what was going on, he jumped up, grabbed his spear, ran to the man’s tent and drove the spear through both the man and the woman as they lay together. The plague immediately stopped, but not before 24,000 people were killed. I love what God says in Numbers 25:11: “Phinehas …has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor…” Because Phinehas was looking up, he was also looking out.

Paul wants us to look out so he lists some sensual sins in verse 5. We must slay these with the passion of a Phinehas. Anytime we see these desires begin to awaken in our lives we need to grab our spear and thrust it right through them. We need to be zealous for God’s honor by putting them to death. Notice that we’re not just to put them aside. We’re not to wound them or even ask them to leave. We’re not to experiment or play around with them, rationalize them or even explain them away. Instead, we’re to kill them. We’re to thrust our spears right through them.

Some of you are not going to like hearing about these sins. Maybe you came to church today to be encouraged with a positive message. Listen carefully. Negative warnings and commands grow out of the positive truths of Christian doctrine. Here’s another way to look at it. God loves you too much to allow you to mess up your life with sensual sins. He’s not a killjoy. He made you and knows what is best for you. That’s why He wants you to live in purity and enjoy sexual expression within the bounds of monogamous marriage.

Did you know that Paul talks about sexual sin more than any other sin? I think there are at least three reasons for this.

1. Sexual sin is different than any other sin. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” The emphasis we hear today is on “safe sex,” but let me tell you that there is no prophylactic for the soul. Sexual sin will take you further than you want to go and cost you more than you want to pay. We need to understand that sexual expression is not just something we do; it reflects who we are.

2. Sexual sin was and is everywhere. Sex outside of marriage was accepted as the norm in Paul’s day and was actually part of many pagan religious rituals. I don’t need to tell you how pervasive sex is today because you see it everywhere.

3. Sexual sin destroys people. Satan knows that he can trip up almost anyone by using sex. David was wiped out for a period of time because of his sin with Bathsheba. Marriages are destroyed on a regular basis because of infidelity. Sex was Samson and Solomon’s downfall.

Paul lists the sins that we’re to put to death.

Sexual immorality. This is a general term and refers to any from of illicit sexual behavior. We derive our word “pornography” from this Greek word.
Impurity. This is marked by a mind that is filled with sensually suggestive thoughts that reads sex into even the most wholesome of situations.
Lust. Lust seeks quick fulfillment and always wants more. Love takes work and deepens over time. Lust focuses only on the senses, but love uses the senses to cherish the other and to nourish the soul.
Evil desires. Our physical desires are divinely given but they become evil when they are motivated by the sinful nature and are executed for evil ends. Since desires lead to deeds, we must purify our minds and hearts.
Greed, which is idolatry. This is the sin of always wanting more. In this context, it may apply to the greed for satisfying evil desires and for sexual immorality. The person who is never satisfied with what he has is usually envious of what others have. This leads to idolatry, when things and people end up taking the place of God.
In verse 6, Paul states that because of these things, the wrath of God is coming. In this context, first of all, it could refer to the judgment of God that we bring on ourselves according to the principle found in Galatians 6:7: “A man sows what he reaps” and what we see in Romans 1:24 where we read that “God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…” Secondly, this wrath is “coming.” Presently, it abides on all who have not trusted Christ and are designated as “children of wrath” in Ephesians 2:3. If a person does not come to saving faith before they die, they will experience the righteous wrath of a holy God.

Friend, if you’re involved in immorality, you need to follow two dictums:

Don’t do it! Stop right now. Confess it to God and to whomever you are wronging.

Don’t view it! Be careful about what you put into your mind. Get rid of pornography. Get a web blocker. Watch what you watch on TV and in movies.
The Bible is clear in its teaching on this topic and can be summarized this way: Abstinence for the single, and monogamy for the married.

God’s wrath is balanced within His holiness by mercy, compassion and love. He is repulsed by sin and yet is committed to us in love. Jesus will give you grace but He also tells the truth about your sin because He is the perfect embodiment of both grace and truth. Just as He told the woman caught in adultery to “go now and leave your life of sin,” so too, He calls us to look out and stop what we’re doing so that we can follow Him completely.

Verse 7 reminds us that this kind of behavior belongs to our old life and should not be part of our present pattern of living: “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.” We need to put the past behind us and refuse to resort to a lifestyle that no longer reflects our true identity. In verse 8-9a, we’re told to rid ourselves of social sins. By the way, we often dismiss these sins as the “little ones” that we can overlook. Paul doesn’t. If you thought you cruised safely through the first list, you better fasten your seat belts.

The image here is that of taking off old smelly clothes. When my dad would take care of us kids growing up, he prided himself on never having to change a dirty diaper. When asked how he accomplished this feat, he would grin and say, “Oh, it’s actually pretty easy. I would just put on a clean one right over the dirty one!” That probably explains why I am the way I am today.

Before we can put on the new, we must first take off the old. The verb “rid” calls for immediate, decisive resolution. Before new garments of righteousness can be put on, the old rags of sin must be discarded.

Anger is a continuous attitude of hatred that remains bottled up within.
Rage is what comes bursting out, often uncontrollably.
Malice is an attitude of ill will towards a person. It’s often a hidden hatred of the heart that takes revenge in secret.
Slander is when we destroy another person’s good reputation by lies, gossip and the spreading of rumors.
Filthy language is crude talk or abrasive words and is often filled with swearing and sexual innuendo.
Lying to one another disrupts unity by destroying trust. It tears down relationships and can lead to serious conflicts.
These behaviors have no place in any Christian or in any church. They are part of the old life, the “dirty diaper,” if you will. We must resolutely “rid” ourselves of the repulsive sins of sex and speech so that we can “put on” the attitudes and actions of Christ.

Look In

After looking up and looking out, if we’re serious about breaking free from the past, we must also look in. We do this by recognizing the truth about what happened at conversion. Look at the last part of verse 9 and verse 10: “…Since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

We’ll pick this up in greater detail next week but I want you to notice that “you have taken off your old self” and “you have put on the new self.” This is not a command to keep but a truth to claim. It’s already been done. We are exhorted to stop doing certain things because we can stop. We are different therefore we can act differently. As we look in, we realize that we are no longer what we once were.

The new self has been put on and yet it is “being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” We are created in the image of God but because of our sin, that image has been defaced. God’s purpose is to restore His image in us. Warren Wiersbe puts it this way: “We were formed in God’s image, and deformed from God’s image by sin. But through Jesus Christ, we can be transformed into God’s image once again.” This is where we take the responsibility to renew our minds according to Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Look Around

That leads to the fourth aspect of breaking free from the past: we must look around and see others as Christ does. Notice verse 11: “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” The word “here” indicates that in Christ there should be no barriers of nationality, race, education, social standing, wealth, gender, religion, or power. The gospel breaks down walls of ancient prejudice. Paul lists four groupings that need to dissolve in the church.

Racial distinctions. The spread of the Greek culture could make a Greek person feel proud and privileged and therefore look down on Jews. A Jewish person would regard Gentiles as heathen and immoral, and outside of God’s grace.
Religious distinctions. The false teachers taught that circumcision was important to the spiritual life but Paul made it clear that this act of surgery gave one no advantages in Christ.
Cultural distinctions. The Greeks considered any non-Greek to be a barbarian and the Scythians were the lowest barbarians of all and were considered little better than beasts.
Economic distinctions. There was a huge cultural and economic chasm between slaves and those who were free.
All of these human barriers belong to the “old man” and not the new one. Friends, since Christ dwell in all believers, regardless of background or social status, we must make sure we are not allowing any division or prejudice to take root in our lives. The stigma of being different must be loved away as we strive for unity within diversity. Christ is all and is in all.

Stop looking down. And stop searching for something that will never satisfy. Instead, seek Christ by looking up…and live Christ by looking out, looking in, and looking around.

The Gospel as God Gave it!

By Greg Nance

Galatians 1:1-24

What is it that really gets you going? What gets your emotions stirred and fills you with a fight or flight mode so that you MUST do something?

If you saw someone you love about to be injured or killed would you not warn them?
Would you not take immediate action or cry out to them to help them?
And what if they didn’t listen to your warning… what if they were under the charms of a deadly enemy who had caused them to doubt your sincerity and your love for them, or disregard your authority and wisdom? Would you not fight for their attention and defend your loyalty? Does this happen? In Churches, in marriages, in families, in communities… Yes!

In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, The villain, Iago, uses deception and cleverly devised lies to destroy Othello’s trust in his loving wife, Desdemonia. Iago also turns Othello against his own best friend by cunningly planting false evidence to convince Othello that his best friend is having an affair with his wife. In the end Othello, filled with jealousy and rage kills his innocent wife only to discover that he has been deceived by Iago, so he also kills himself.

As the play develops, the audience watches the terrible and tragic deception build to a horrible climactic and miserable end. You just want to grab Othello and point out how foolish he is to turn away from his loyal friend and innocent, loving wife and instead of listening to them, to listen to a lying enemy who hates him, and has dressed up falsehoods and disguised them as convincing truths.

In much the same way there is an enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One who is cunning and determined to undermine our faith. He is the mastermind behind such popular books as, The Da Vinci Code, a book that cleverly presents false evidences against the faithfulness of the Gospel accounts of the life, teachings, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also, such so called science that explains our very existence by an explosion that happened eons ago and somehow cooled off and organized itself into us here today! People actually believe this! It’s popular, and it is cleverly disguised as factual and convincingly presented and defended as truth! Who is behind this? This enemy of God has an entire arsenal of weapons that he uses against our faith but all his things have this in common: they are all contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in scripture. They either add to or take from the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ as fully sufficient for our salvation.

When we turn in our Bibles to the letter of Galatians, we find there one of the most intensely emotional defenses of the gospel in all the New Testament. The liar is doing his work. The truth of the gospel is being distorted, made different, but dangerously believable. By the writing of this little letter, many churches have been infected by a false gospel and are deserting Him who called them by the grace of Christ. We are not told precisely what this false teaching is. We are only told that it has deadly consequences and that it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ that was preached to them by Paul and received by them when they heard it. But there are plenty of hints.

Let’s just look at the first chapter of Galatians now and listen as Paul responds to this situation. Hear his concerns. Consider his appeal to them. Ask yourself this question, “How seriously do I take my faith in the true gospel of Jesus Christ, that his sacrifice for me is God’s power to save me completely, and the blessing of his grace?”

Notice first verses 1-2

Who made Paul an apostle?

Notice now verses 11-12

Where did Paul get his gospel message?

Notice that these are Paul’s claims! “Jesus Christ is my source of authority and the source of my message.” What would you say if I told you that God spoke with me this morning and told me I had authority and was to tell you how to live your life? Some of you would think I was kidding, or using an illustration. Others of you would know that I had finally gone over the edge. Claiming the things Paul does is also quite incredible. How does he back those claims up? Here in Galatians, he backs it up by telling his story. Exhibit “A” for evidence is Paul’s own course of life.

This is not a letter that centers around moral issues or marriage problems or church matters like what we read about in most of 1 Corinthians. Although at the beginning of 1 Corinthians and specifically in chapter 15 Paul reminds them of the gospel.

He states what exactly is the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
And that Jesus appeared alive to the apostles and to hundreds at a time.

Now in this letter to the Galatians we see the intense concern of Paul that this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and its application be carefully guarded from any changes.

It is one thing to change the way we do things at our church services. Our culture, style, personality, and a host of other variables we are free to express. It is quite another thing, though, to change the gospel. The gospel is the one centrally important matter that absolutely must not ever be tampered with or changed! The church can survive many difficult shifts and changes. But listen to me now… Change the gospel and the Church dies! Change the gospel and the Church falls under God’s curse! Change the gospel and the church is severed from Christ and falls from grace! We must never change the gospel! It is not ours to adapt or arrange as we would. It is God’s! It is from God. It is for us. It is not man’s, but it is to man. The gospel! Eternal, perfect, powerful to save!

Look again at Galatians; Paul states it again in the first five verses of Galatians one. All the elements are there. Jesus Christ, raised from the dead by God the Father. It involves grace and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

There it is! The same basic elements are here again: Jesus Christ, death, burial and resurrection from the dead. Here is our deliverance from this present evil age! Jesus Christ, our sin offering is complete! And this gospel makes us complete through our acceptance of it in obedient faith. We are not saved by our obedient faith, we are saved by the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. Our obedient faith adds NOTHING to the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Question: Is this enough, or do we need more?

Someone has come to the churches of Galatia and convinced them that Jesus death, burial and resurrection are not enough to save them. Someone is telling them that to really be saved they also need to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. In other words, the gospel of Jesus death, burial and resurrection are not enough to save.

That’s not what they heard from Paul. That’s not what he preached and it’s not what they received.

In order to deceive the churches of Galatia into deserting God who called them through grace, these false teachers have to first undermine Paul’s authority as an apostle and then they will undermine his teaching of the gospel. The false teachers can say, “Paul isn’t really an apostle, in fact, he actually got his message from the apostles in Jerusalem, but he didn’t quite get it all right. He learned it from those men there. Didn’t he tell you that? What he said about Jesus being the Christ is true, but he may have missed some things. Didn’t he tell you that in order to be saved, you also need to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses? Oh? He didn’t tell you that? Well, that’s because he isn’t really an apostle and he didn’t get the gospel message exactly right. It’s a good thing we are here to help straighten this out for you.”

When we look at what Paul writes to the Galatians, there are hints that let us know this is what happened. Notice first Paul’s repetitive claim to have received his apostleship and gospel from Jesus Christ and not from any man. Why would he say these things? Because someone is accusing him of not being a true apostle but of having a gospel that is from men.

How does he answer this? Let’s read the first chapter together. Are you there? Galatians chapter 1 verse 1. (read)

Let me sum this up and then draw some applications from it for us today and the lesson is yours.

There are three main sections of this chapter.

1-5: He begins immediately in the first five verses reaffirming the central elements of the gospel as grace and peace from God. He claims that Jesus Christ and God the Father sent him as an apostle.

6-12: He then immediately jumps on their departure from the gospel to a different gospel. He makes it extremely clear that God’s curse rests on any who change the gospel. Again, he claims unequivocally that the source of the gospel he preached is Jesus Christ himself and no man.

13-24: Then he begins to present the evidence that his apostleship and gospel are directly from Jesus Christ.

What evidence does he submit? His own testimony of a changed life and proof that he could not have learned it at the feet of the apostles, for several reasons. Besides, he hardly knew them or the churches there in Judea. If he could have gotten his hands on them before he met Jesus Christ, it would certainly not have been for instruction about the gospel.

He says, “Look at me!” You know what kind of man I was. Do you think I would sit and listen to an apostle tell me about Jesus Christ? I tried to kill those who believed! I was a true certified legalistic Pharisee 100% into Judaism to the core! I was advancing up the ladder of religious success! No, it took a lot more than any apostle to get my attention. I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ himself. He called me to preach Him to Gentiles! Do you think I wanted to do that? I didn’t get this call or information from anyone in Jerusalem, apostles or otherwise! In fact, after I encountered Jesus Christ, I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. It was three years before I went back to Jerusalem, and then to meet Cephas. 15 days is all I stayed with him, James, the Lord’s brother, is the only other apostle I met. I’m not lying here! This is the truth before God! The people in the churches of Judea never saw me, they just heard about what God had done to me. The persecutor is now preaching the faith he tried to destroy! Glory to God!

Listen…

Of the many lessons here, let’s take these two home with us:

1. We need to hear, heed, and hold the pure, God given gospel of Jesus Christ, as is, no improvements necessary! The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We don’t add to it. We don’t spruce it up. We don’t need to candy coat it or put our spin on it. We need to hear it preached and receive it in faith, make our stand on it in baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and be saved by it.
The Gospel! What is it?
Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. Say that with me: Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures.

He was buried. Say that with me: He was buried.

He was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. Say that with me: He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

Is there anything about that you think needs changing? Is that the gospel? Do you trust God’s power to save you through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for your sins? Is the Lamb of God able to take away the sins of the world?

2. We don’t change the gospel, the gospel changes us! The gospel has the power to save you and the evidence of that salvation is in the life you live. What is it in your life that demonstrates the grace of God in you? God not only calls you through the gospel, he reveals his Son in you. Jesus Christ makes changes in your life through the working of the Holy Spirit. We will learn more about his in chapter 5. How is Jesus being revealed in you to others?

Is there anyone here today who needs to receive God’s grace and peace through the Jesus Christ? He’s here today, watching and waiting to receive you! Come, now.

Mothers Who Love

By Brian Bill

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

On this day that we honor mothers, its good for us to think about how much you really do. Being a mother is not a walk in the park…

By the time a child reaches 18, a mother has had to handle some extra 18,000 hours of child-generated work. In fact, women who never have children enjoy the equivalent of an extra three months a year in leisure time!

A Junior High science teacher lectured on the properties of magnets for an entire class. The next day he gave his students a quiz. The first question read like this: “My name begins with an “M,” has six letters, and I pick things up. What am I?” Half the kids in the class wrote, “Mother.”

That reminds me of the father who was trying to explain the concept of marriage to his 4-year-old daughter. He got out their wedding album, thinking visual images would help, and explained the entire wedding service to her. When he was finished, he asked if she had any questions. She pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked, “Daddy, is that when mommy came to work for us?

My dad and I were talking this week about how influential mothers are. While we were talking I remembered hearing this quote: “If daddy ain’t happy, who cares? If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” He laughed and said, “That’s true in our house.” I think it’s probably true in ours as well.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, “Men are what their mothers make them” and an old Spanish proverb says, “An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.”

There are some great portraits of motherhood in Scripture.

I love the picture of the mother of Moses who cared so much for her son that she broke the law in order to teach him the faith of his people.
We see the sacrificial love of the mother who appeared before King Solomon and told him that she was willing to have her son taken away by another woman rather than see any harm come to him.
Or, the mother of James and John who loved her boys so much that she wanted them to sit by the Lord’s side in the heavenly kingdom.
And, the mother of King Lemuel, who gave some advice to her son about godly living and how to pick a good wife, in Proverbs 31.
Some of you have specifically asked me to not preach on Proverbs 31 because you’ve heard a number of Mother’s Day sermons on this text already. I’ve taken your advice for this year ­ but I can’t make any promises about next year!

I’m aware that Mother’s Day is a difficult time for some of you.

Maybe you want to be a mother but you can’t be for some reason
Perhaps some of you have not had the best mother in the world
Some of you have had a mother who has died
Some of you mothers have lost a child to death
Some of you mothers feel the pain of a wayward child this morning
And, some of you are flying solo as you work hard to nurture your child’s faith
This morning I want to begin by giving you my thesis: A mother can make a significant spiritual impact on her children with or without the help of a father.

A Grandmother, a Mother, and a Boy
I’d like to introduce you to a young woman named Eunice. She was raised in a religious home and was greatly impacted by her mother Lois. She loved to learn the stories from the Bible when she was young and enjoyed going to services where she could learn about God. As she approached her teenage years, she was still focused on spiritual matters but she became attracted to a young man who was not into religion at all. Against the best wishes of her godly mother, the teaching of her faith, and the tug of her conscience, she married the man. Don’t get me wrong ­ he was a nice guy but thought spiritual matters were for weak people.

After a couple years of marriage, Eunice and her husband had a baby boy who they named Timothy. In the meantime, Eunice’s dad had died so they asked her mother Lois to come and live with them. Little Timmy was a delight to everyone. Both his mother and grandmother spent hours with him, teaching him the stories of the Old Testament, praying with him and for him, and training him in the things of God. While they didn’t have any Veggie Tale videos or an AWANA club nearby, they created a spiritual environment where tiny Tim could flourish.

Then, one day, a preacher named Paul came to their town of Lystra and spoke about a man named Jesus. Both Lois and Eunice listened intently. They saw in Jesus the fulfillment of all the promises in the Old Testament and placed their trust in Him and were converted. These new believers in turn focused on teaching Timothy all about who Jesus was. We know from reading the book of Acts that Paul himself took a personal interest in Tim the teenager and, partnering with his mother and grandmother, led him to saving faith.

Later, Paul and Timothy partner together in ministry as the gospel continues to spread throughout the area. Many years later, while Paul is in prison, awaiting his execution, he writes two letters to young Timothy. These letters contain some teaching about how Timothy should behave as a church leader and are also filled with some reminiscing and nostalgia on Paul’s part. As Paul writes these letters, that we know as 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, he reflects on the mothers who made an impact in Tim’s life.

With that as background, I’m going to draw from three different passages of Scripture ­ two of which are found in Paul’s second letter to Timothy — to show how a mother ­ and a grandmother — can make a significant spiritual impact on her children with or without the help of a father.

1 ­ Instill a Respect for Scripture
The first way a mother can do this is by instilling within her children a respect for Scripture.

In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul reminds Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Then in verse 14, Paul urges Timothy to hang tough when the tough times come: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.” Timothy not only learned things cognitively, he made a practice of owning what he studied by becoming convinced of its truthfulness. He didn’t just fill his head with truth but internalized it and then lived it out. I think Timothy did this because he saw it modeled in his mother, in his grandmother, and in Paul himself.

2 Timothy 3:15 shows us what this truth was: “And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” In the manner of devout Israelites, grandmother Lois and mother Eunice taught the Holy Scriptures to Timothy from the very beginning. The word “infancy” in some passages refers to a newborn baby or a toddler. Lois and Eunice teamed up to provide high-powered Bible Study Fellowship classes for young Timothy ­ even before he could crawl! They read to him, they talked about Samson and Samuel, David and Ruth, Abraham and Noah. They did everything they could to provide Timothy with the opportunity to learn all he could about the Bible.

In essence, they lived out the commands of Deuteronomy 6:4-7: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

These two mothers had God’s Word in their hearts. Because they had internalized the truth into their own lives, they could impress it upon young Timothy by talking about it throughout the day, showing Tim how the Scriptures should impact every area of life.

Mothers, it is never too early to start teaching the Bible to your children ­ and, it’s never too late to start if you haven’t already. There is nothing that can replace your role in your child’s life. God wants to use you to instill within your children a respect for the Bible.

Thankfully, you do not have to do this all by yourself. We have a well thought-out, Bible-based Sunday School program for your children, 5-Day Clubs this summer, an AWANA program that is based on Scripture memorization, a Bible-centered Christian school, and a youth ministry that teaches the Word of God in a way that teenagers can understand and embrace. These programs are all designed to assist you in helping your children learn the Word of God. I love what Pastor Geoff said during a recent parent’s meeting: “My job is to supplement what parents are doing in the home.” I’ve heard Al say the same thing about the philosophy of Pontiac Christian School. These tools are available to help you make a spiritual impact in the life of your kids.

Four scholars were arguing over Bible translations. One said he preferred the King James Version because of its beauty and eloquent old English. Another said he liked the New American Standard Version for its literalism and how it moves the reader from passage to passage with confident feelings of accuracy from the original text. The third scholar was sold on the New Living Translation for its use of contemporary phrases and idioms that capture the meaning of difficult ideas. After being quiet for a moment, the fourth scholar admitted: “I have personally preferred my mother’s translation.” When the other scholars started laughing, he said, “Yes, she translated the Scriptures. My mom translated each page of the Bible into life. It is the most convincing translation I have ever read.”

Mothers, what kind of Bible is your child reading when her or she observes your life? Are you looking for ways to instill a respect for the Word of God into the lives of your children? Remember, you can make a significant spiritual impact on your children with or without the help of a father.

2 ­ Instill an Authentic Faith
The second way to make an impact in the lives of your children is by instilling within them an authentic faith. We see this in 2 Timothy 1:5: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

Even though Lois and Eunice were believers, Timothy needed to come to a point in which he put his faith in Christ. Faith is not hereditary, it is learned. At the same time, when mothers model genuine faith, an environment is set up whereby children will be motivated to want that same kind of faith.

The word, “sincere” related to faith means that it was “unhypocritical.” It was real, without any pretense or false facade. Faith had come and taken up residence in his mother’s heart and in his grandmother’s heart ­ and was now alive in his own life. These two mothers were completely sold out to Christ. They were drop-dead serious about their faith. They were fully devoted and completely committed. And Timothy knew it. No one knows better than a child whether a parent’s faith is genuine.

Notice the chain here: Lois to Eunice to Timothy. Again, we don’t read of a grandfather or a father anywhere in this equation. That’s not to say that a father is not important ­ he is. What I’m saying is this: a mother can make a significant spiritual impact on her children with or without the help of a father.

Moms, if you want to instill authentic faith in your children then you better take your own faith seriously. If you’re just going through the motions spiritually your kids will eventually see it, and tragically, may do the same thing when they are older. As you demonstrate your faith consistently by reading the Bible, praying, attending worship, bringing your kids to programs that help them grow spiritually, and by participating in the life and mission of the church, you will send a strong message to your children.

I heard recently about a pastor who had a long conversation with someone about becoming a member of his church. When he was done the young man said he was ready to join. The pastor was curious so he asked him, “What did I say that convinced you to join the church?” The man answered, “It was nothing I ever heard you say. It was the way my mother lived.”

As I think about the kind of faith that was passed from a mother to a mother to a son, I’m convinced that a mother like this has to be more interested in having her children know the Bible than be able to speak another language before they are 5-years-old. She is also more interested in:

Her children’s souls than in their bodies or in their clothes
Her children’s eternal life than their success in this life
Her children’s relationship with Jesus than their popularity in the world
Her children’s standing before God than their social status
Her children’s spirituality than their intellectual, musical, or athletic accomplishments
While it isn’t in the text, a mother who passes along a faith that is authentic is without a doubt a praying woman. Any home in which faith is passed on from generation to generation has to be a home of prayer. One cannot imagine Lois not praying for Eunice or Eunice not praying for Timothy. We read in Acts 12:12 that the mother of John Mark opened her home for a prayer meeting while Peter was imprisoned. In Acts 1:14, Mary, the mother of Jesus “joined together constantly in prayer” with the disciples. That’s the hallmark of a godly mother.

Timothy’s family environment was fertile to his faith development. Both his mother and his grandmother held their faith deeply and shared it freely. How fertile is the environment in your family for the reproduction and the nurturing of authentic faith in the lives of your children and grandchildren? Mothers, are you passing along a legacy of authentic faith to your kids?

3 ­ Instill a Desire to Minister
The third way to impact your children is to instill within them a desire to minister. After Paul preached in Lystra, and Timothy was converted, he returned a short while later. Let’s pick up the story in Acts 16:1-3: “He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey…”

I see three qualities in Timothy that were no doubt passed down from his mother, and his grandmother:

1. First of all, he was a strong believer. He is referred to as a disciple. Luke, the author of Acts, could have referred to him as a believer or a Christian, but he chose to call him a disciple. A disciple is a learner and a follower. A disciple was one who was serious about Christ, not just one who was going through the motions. As we’ve already established, his mother modeled this type of authentic, no holds-barred kind of faith.

2. Second, he had a good reputation. The believers in the area spoke well of him. People knew him as a man of integrity and as a man of the Word. He was rock solid. Again, this had a lot to do with his mother and grandmother.

3. Third, he was available. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey. As you continue to read the Book of Acts, you’ll see that Timothy was eager to minister. He knew it meant leaving home and he knew it meant facing hardship. Friends, there is no way this kind of commitment to ministry develops if it has not been encouraged at home.

When Paul stopped in Lystra for this second time, he enlisted Timothy to be his special assistant to replace John Mark. Paul refers to Timothy as his “beloved son” in 1 Corinthians 4:17 and in 1 Timothy 1:2, he calls him his “own son in the faith.” In Philippians 2:20, Paul can’t think of anyone like Timothy when he writes: “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.” Paul thought very highly of Timothy and couldn’t wait to unleash him for ministry.

Mothers, part of your job is to instill a respect for the Bible, another responsibility is to instill an authentic faith. But these two elements are only preliminary for the most important job you have ­ that of instilling within your children a desire to minister. Our kids are to learn the Bible and grow in their faith so that they can become difference-makers in their world. So they can share their faith with others. So they can minister in the church and in their school. So they can serve those who are hurting. So they can serve as missionaries. So they can identify their spiritual gifts and use them on a regular basis. The truth of the matter is this: we are saved in order to serve. We are to be disciples so that we can disciple others. We are equipped so that we can evangelize. We are sanctified so that we can be sent to a lost and dying world.

Jeff Williams, a new member here at PBC, spoke at the Senior Banquet several weeks ago. He did a masterful job of challenging the high school seniors. This was his main point: “Seniors, you’ve been served by your parents, by your teachers, and by your pastors. It’s now time to take up the towel and serve others. It’s time to take up the towel.” He then handed each parent a towel who in turn passed it along to their teenager, symbolizing that it’s now time for them to minister to others.

The mother of our children has reminded me that our primary job as parents is to disciple our girls so that they grow up to be young women of God who will serve Him wholeheartedly for the rest of their lives. I’m thankful for Beth’s strategic and deliberate parenting and am amazed by her consistent love and care for our daughters. Happy Mother’s Day, honey.

Susannah Wesley, mother of 17, two of which were John and Charles Wesley, spent one hour each day praying for her children. In addition, she took each child aside for a full hour each week to discuss spiritual matters. No wonder her children were used of God to bring blessing to all of England and much of America. I came across some parenting guidelines that helped her as a mother:

Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul.
Teach the child to pray as soon as he can speak.
Give the child nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely.
To prevent lying, punish no fault, which is freely confessed, but never allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed.
Commend and reward good behavior.
Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.

Summary
Let’s see if I can bring all this together. Mothers, you can make a significant spiritual impact in your family with or without the help of a father. You can do that by instilling:

-A Respect for Scripture
-An Authentic Faith
-A Desire for Ministry

I want to close this morning by reading a poem entitled, “My Mother.”

My Mother
Your love, I know-I’ve seen your tears;
You’ve given to me my life.
You’ve walked through hours and days and years
Of heartache, toil and strife.

To see that I could have the best
That you could give to me,
You gave up needs and often rest-
You viewed eternity.

To do His will my highest call
And by your special care
I stood and walked and did not fall,
You held me up in prayer.

Though strands of gray may brush your hair,
And miles divide our way,
I know that by your quiet prayer
You’ve helped me day by day.

You’ve shown me how to give, to share
To put my own needs last.
You’ve helped me see and be aware
That life is so soon past.

To spite your love I would not dare,
For there’s not another
Who spreads her gentle love and care
Like you-My Loving Mother.

Closing
I want to applaud you mothers who take the task seriously of making a spiritual impact in the lives of your children. As Proverbs 31:28 says, “Her children arise and call her blessed…” We stand up this morning and call you blessed ­ thanks for pouring your lives into ours.

Proverbs 31:30 says that, “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” We praise God for those mothers who worship and adore the Lord and who pass this legacy on to their children.

Thank you. Happy Mother’s Day.

Deflating Our Worries

By Kelly Benton

Matthew 11:28-30

I want to start this morning’s message off by passing out a visual aid to you. Balloons!

In a moment I am going to read a list of stressful situation. Each time you hear a situation similar to one you experienced in the past week, blow a deep breath into your balloon. Don’t let any of the air out until I tell you.

Some of your balloons may pop before I am finished reading the list and that’s okay. Here’s the list.

1.Got into an argument with a family member.
2.Got an unexpected bill. Worried about finances.
3.Car broke down.
4.Failed at something.
5.Broke a Commandment.
6.Felt afraid.
7. Felt hurt by someone’s actions.
8.Felt like giving up on someone or something.
9.Worried about something.
10.Worried that I was worrying too much.

Okay, those of you that still has your balloon in contact. Hold them up and remember to not let any air out until I tell you. Look around, notice the different sizes. These balloons represent our stress levels. We all get stress from various sources don’t we? But there is always one place we can go to find relief when we feel stressed: directly into the arms of God. Listen to what our Scripture says:

Matthew 11: 28-30 28″Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Okay let you balloons go!!!!!!!!!

Worry is the number joy stealer in life, it is a thief. Worry diminishes the benefits, the hopes and dreams of many people because it robs us of clear thinking and faith walking.

Maybe even now as we worship together, many of us are unable to concentrate and fully give ourselves to God this morning because our minds are drifting to the problems and worries that we have.

How can we let go of the worry in our lives and start living? How can we let go and allow it to fly away like our balloons?

First of all, I believe we must recognize that ……

I.  Worry attacks both the strong and the weak.

Did you know that worry is a product of the human condition we call sin?

What we need to realize that no matter how strong our faith is in Jesus, worry is out to get us!

Just because we are believers in Jesus does not guarantee a worry free life. When sin entered the world it did more than just separate us from God – sin stole our confidence. It made us question God’s intentions for us.

Even now when things do not go as we had hoped or planed, how do we speak to God? We ask Him why. Why have you not given me a job? Why have you not restored my marriage? Why have you not rescued me from my financial distress? Why have you not taken my illness from me? Why God? Why?

These are questions of confidence. The average person’s worry is focused on 40% of things that will never happen… 30% of things about the past that can’t be changed… 12% of things relating to the criticism by others, mostly untrue… 10% about health, which gets worse with stress and 8% about real problems that will be faced.

Worry is the product of the human condition and everybody worries to some degree. The challenge God gives us is to Come to Him, all you
who are weary and burdened, and He will give us rest.

Worry also breeds in an environment of insecurity and uncertainty.

It is like the germs that are all around us. The body’s immune system is constantly trying to fight them off – so too our faith must fight and wage war on worry.

Germs require favorable conditions in order to breed and grow. Eliminate those conditions and you control the spread of germs. If we eliminate the environment of insecurity and uncertainty in our life then we too can control the spread of worry in our life.

We may not be able to completely eliminate it – to eradicate it but we can sure mow it down to size!

Remember who you are in Jesus! You are a child of the King; Blood bought and nothing can take you away from Him.

Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat. Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s trouble.

Speak the name of Jesus over your areas of insecurity. Take your authority over the realm of uncertainty and remember “greater things you shall do in Jesus name because you believe!”

II.But worry also indicates a lack of trust.

We question our faith because we are fed a lie!
In Genesis 3 the serpent tempts Eve with a lie. Eve says in verse 3, “God has said, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'” But the serpent responds in verse 4, “you will not surely die!”

Is God for us or is He not? The Scriptures are full of the promises of God’s presence for us.

In Daniel 3, as Shadreck, Meshach and Abed-nego are about to be cast into the fire for not renouncing their God, they respond to the king in verse 16: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

When Jesus spoke to the people about worrying about various different things he wanted to prove that God was trustworthy to take care of their problems. He spoke at length how they could trust in God rather than worry.

The greatest problem with worry and anxiety is a lack of trust in the Lord. When we worry we are essentially spending time wondering how we can fix a problem or what we can do about something, when the reality is we are looking to the wrong place.

God needs to be the very foundation of our lives. He and He alone is the only thing that will never fails us. All around our world we see let downs and failure. God will never let us down and He will never fail us.

God promises to take care of the needs that we have. We need to understand that when we worry we are failing to trust in a dependable and a good God for our basic needs. What a bad witness to the world it is when Christian people worry.

Sometimes we convince ourselves that we trust in the Lord with our whole heart, but when push comes to shove we don’t really trust Him. It is easy for us to say at times, “I fully depend on God.” However, it becomes a little bit more difficult when times are slightly rough. It becomes a little more difficult when we do not know how we’re going to pay our bills. So what do we do, we worry about it. we take it into our own hands.

There is nothing wrong with taking action and trying to be proactive about a problem that you have in life, but the question is when money gets tight do we trust that the Lord will provide our needs. Do we trust him enough to keep on giving a portion of our incomes? It is easy for me to trust the Lord when things are going great, but what about when work isn’t going so well, or when my health begins to fail, or my children are giving me some problems, or I am involved in some conflict with someone else? What do we do? Do we trust the promises that God gives us in His Word or do we worry about it constantly to no avail?

Worry constantly drains the energy God gives us to face daily problems and to fulfill our many responsibilities.

Therefore worry is a sinful waste. It feeds the lie that makes us question ourselves and God’s greater purposes for us.

Worry also causes us to question our faith because we want a “sign.”

An empty tomb was a sign that Jesus is risen! But signs are not to be the basis of our relationship with God – faith is. We believe God because He is God – not because I need a sign.

Worry demands some kind of tangible evidence from God that He is here for us, or that we are to do this or do that. But Jesus says in John 15:4, Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

III.Worry hinders action!

Worry free living is the goal – but in the meantime we need to keep moving!

I have found that worry takes up a lot of time. Perhaps it is something we all do, but it is costly of our time. Many of us stay up late at night as we lay in bed worrying about different things. I believe many of us spend more time worrying about problems than we do working to fix problems.
Worry takes up so much time that sometimes it can hinder us from doing what needs to be done. People can get so bogged down with worry that they are good for nothing. Let us not get hindered from fixing our problems or doing what needs to be done because of our worries.
There was a patient in the mental hospital, holding his ear close to the wall, listening intently. The nurse finally approaches him and says “What are you doing.” “Shhh!” he says. And he keeps listening. And finally the patient beckons the nurse over and says, “Listen.” The nurse presses hers ear to the wall for a long time. And she finally says, “I can’t hear a thing,” And the patient says, “Yea, and it’s been like that all day!”

Well, worry is a little bit like that mental patient sitting and listening to the wall. Worry consumes a lot of our time, but accomplishes very little in the long run. Worry is a waste of time. It doesn’t accomplish anything. This is exactly what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

The reality is, and we understand it from our experiences that no matter how much we worry about something it does not change things. I have never seen anyone solve a problem or accomplish anything due to worrying about it.
One man said, “Don’t tell me that worrying does not help. The things I worry about never happen.”
Worry and anxiety are a waste of your time. Often times the things we spend time worrying about are beyond our control anyways and it does not accomplish anything good. Let us let go of worry and anxiety because in reality worrying does not accomplish anything.

Conclusion: This morning I think that all of us worry to some degree. Some of us may hide it better than others – we may pretend that we have it all under control, but none-the-less, worry is present.

But the greater need is for those of us who are gripped by worry – whose lives are lived in constant anguish and fear because we allow worry to control us and to rob us of living.

We laugh and make fun of ourselves at times because we are worriers, but in reality we are hurting and we are in desperate need of help. We want to be released from this bondage that chains us to our fears and insecurities – released to enjoy life rather than fear it.

One man was always worrying. He worried about his children, his job, his wife, his health. One day a friend of this man noted that he was extremely calm and peaceful. “Why are you so calm?, he asked. “You always worry about every-thing. What happened?” The former worrier replied, “I just hired a man to do the worrying for me.” “Well, how much are you paying him?” His friend inquired. “A thousand dollars a week,” the man replied. “A thousand a week? You can’t afford a thousand dollars a week.” The worrier responded, “That’s his problem, let him worry about it!”

The good news today is that we do have someone to take our worries and our cares for us and we don’t have to pay Him a dime. Not only is He capable of working out the problems that we worry about, but He asks us to lay our burdens, anxieties, fears and worries upon him.

(I Peter 5:7) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Let’s allow Him to deflate our worries today. What worries do you need to give to Jesus this morning?

The Virtue Of Humbleness!

By George R. Dillahunty

Job 42:3 (King James Version)

“Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understand not things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.”

Apart from selfless love, there is no virtue more Christian than humility – than being humble! Everything Jesus, the Christ, accomplished for us – for you and for me – as the Son of Almighty God – flowed from His humility – His humbleness!

The Apostle Paul tells the church at Philippi and us, in Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT): “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. (v. 6) Though He was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God. (v. 7) He made Himself appear as nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. (v. 8) And in human form, He obediently humbled Himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. (v. 9) Because of this, God raised Him up to the heights of Heaven and gave Him a Name that is above every other name. (v. 10) So that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, (v. 11) and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Pride is a rock that is not easily broken! Someone once described the process of sefl-examination as being compared to that of peeling an onion – in that the exposure of each new layer brings a fresh set of tears! One of the benefits of suffering is that it uncovers and unwraps layers of inner pride, independence, arrogance, self-will, self-centeredness; and, selfishness that can be exposed in no other way!

It is only through hopeless brokeness that the amazingly beautiful and liberating virtue called “humilty” bursts forth! Just think about what Jesus, the Christ, did: He willingly let go of more than anyone can possibly imagine! He endured the humility of no longer having access to infinite riches; but, instead, became totally dependent on others! No one ever experienced the level of humility that Jesus, the Christ, willingly endured! He experienced what it means to leave a glorious dwelling in a breathtakingly beautiful place in order to take up residence in a borrowed stable! He voluntarily experienced the frustration of no longer being able to walk or to feed Himself, because 2,000-plus years ago, He chose to become a helpless baby lying in a manger!

Instead of being treated as Almighty God, He became a member of a despised nation of slaves – the people of Israel – with a young virgin Jewish girl for a mother and a Jewish carpenter for a step-father! He was no longer served by legions of Angels; but, instead, became the servant of all! Rather than closely associating with mighty Angels, His new companions were those who were hurting – those who were helpess – and, those who were broken! Instead of being worshipped as Almighty God, He was called a “child born out of wedlock” – a liar – and, a lunatic! Beyond all of that, He was beaten – He was spit upon – He was scourged – and, He was executed in the cruelest way!

Because Jesus, the Christ, humbled Himself, justice was treated unjustly – love was betrayed – love was abandoned – and, love was rejected! Truth was mocked – the King of kings became a slave – Almighty God became human – in the form of a man – and, the “Ancient of Days” became an infant! Oh Yes, my brothers and sisters, Jesus, the Christ – did indeed – know all about the virtue of humility!

I don’t know what flavor of humility it is that adversity is forcing down your throat; but, I do know that Jesus, the Christ, had already drunk from the very same cup – at the very same well! Jesus, the Christ, was humbled in every way that a person can be humbled – and, bercause of that we call Him Lord – we call Him Master of all – and, we call Him King of kings! There is nothing that makes us more Christ-like than pure humility – and, nothing is honored more by Almighty God as true humility!

The Biblical character, Job, was the richest – most highly esteemed man around – that is, until adversity struck! His entire life’s work was gone in a flash – his income – his job – his children – his retirement were all wiped out in rapid succession – even his wife turned against him! His prestige was stripped from him – and, instead of being honored by those he had never met, he was mocked by strangers! Instead of being envied or feared, he was scorned!

Job believed, however, that he could endure all of that, if only Almighty God would give him an audience – if only he could defend himself before the Almighty! Yet, when the audience was finally granted, it did not turn out as Job had hoped that it would! Instead of impressing Almighty God with the justice of his cause, Job was left dumbfounded by the immense Power and Sovereign authority of the Creator and God of the Universe! Job felt ignorant for even imagining that he could somehow straighten Almighty God out and show Him a thing or two! Nevertheless, something good came out of all that bad!

One sweet fruit of Job’s heinous suffering was the flower of deeper humility thst blossomed more brightly in Job’s life! His testimony was that the experience left him a changed man – instead of being the one with all the answers, Job had nothing to say! Adversity has a way of reminding us that we are not the center of the Universe! Pain has the power to point out our broken vulnerability – our often overlooked mortality – and, our immense dependency! It forces us to depend upon others – and, to turn to Almighty God! When suffering has thrown us flat on our backs – and, we have nowhere to look but up – it is only then that we truly see Almighty God! Pain points out our insufficiency – our inability to cope with our circumstances ourselves – and, it often brutally reminds us of our insecurity!

I am a softy when it comes to “feel-good” movies – those that champion the underdog – films like “Pay It Forward” and “Rudy!” In the motion picture “Rudy,” a story about a too short, too slow, too dumb young man whose greatest desire was to play football at the University of Notre Dame! After doing all that he could possibly do to prepare for his “debut” on the Notre Dame football team; and, receiving yet another setback, Rudy went to see his priest The old priest gave him some really good advice! He told him, “After a lifetime of theological studies, I have discovered but two (2) indisputable Truths – there is a God and I am not He!”

None of us are Almighty God; yet, we get upset when life does not come under our control and play out according to our expectations and planning! Suffering is never included in our plans; and, facing suffering humbles us! Humility is an accurate assessment of oneself and of Almighty God! It is only through setbacks – through suffering – and, through sorrows that we really and truly understand who we are – who we are not – and, even more importantly, Who Almighty God is! This sense of deeper humility is one of the great benefits of affliction and adversity!

The late great Anglican clergyman, hymnist and former slave-ship Captain, Rev. John Newton (1725 – 1809), once wrote, “I compare the troubles we have to undergo in the course of the year to a great bundle of fagots [or, sticks], far too large for us to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole [bundle] at once. He mercifully unties the bundle, and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry today, and then another, which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. This we might easily manage, if we would only take the burden appointed for us each day; but we choose to increase our troubles by carrying yesterday’s stick over again today, and adding tomorrow’s burden to our load, before we are required to bear it!”

Humility is a magnet that draws Almighty God closer to us! When difficulties knock us down, Almighty God will reach down and pick us back up! When troubles draw near, Almighty God draws nearer! True heartbroken humility attracts Almighty God – Who is hopelessly in love with the hopeless! As I begin to close, this morning, know that Almighty God is no fan of self-sufficient pride! He opposes the proud – He stiff-arms the self-sufficient! After all, my brothers and sisters, He is in point of fact, Almighty God! There is nothing that we can do – there is nothing that we can say – there is nothing that we think – there is nothing that we have – and, there is nothing that we are – that impresses Almighty God!

Almighty God has seen everything – He has seen it all – He owns everything – and, He can do everything! Almighty God created the Universe out of nothing – He created mankind – both male and female – from the dust of the earth! In the light of Who He is, human pride – human arrogance – and, human boasting are ridiculous and odious! Almighty God pushes those kind of people out of the way – or, He graciously allows them to be broken! Because affliction and adversity deepens our humility, we are drawn nearer to Almighty God – nearer than we would be otherwise!

As I take my seat, now, know that sometimes Almighty God allows bad things to happen to good people in order to bring them to a deeper level of humility! Humility is a virtue that opens the door to many true blessings – and, it is a place where Almighty God can meet us! It is time, my brothers and sisters, to allow the suffering that we are experiencing to produce a deeper level of humility within us! If we will draw nearer to Almighty God, He will draw nearer to us!

The Virtue Of Humbleness!

May Almighty God richly and abundantly bless each and every one of you!

What are you like, God?

By Jeff Strite

Isaiah 6:1-7

The question we’re dealing with this morning is: God, what are you like?

A couple of years back, an advertising firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida launched a billboard campaign, sponsored by an anonymous client. The campaign depicted several different “messages from God” and all were signed “God.”
1. Let’s Meet at My House Sunday Before the Game.
2. C’mon Over and Bring the Kids
3. Need a Marriage Counselor? I’m Available.
4. We Need To Talk
5. Loved the Wedding, Invite Me to the Marriage
6. That “Love Thy Neighbor Thing.” I Meant It
7. I Love You… I Love You… I Love You.
8. Will The Road You’re On Get You To My Place
9. Follow Me
10. Tell The Kids I Love Them
11. Need Directions?
12. Big Bang Theory? You’ve Got To Be Kidding!

I personally thought these were pretty clever. But sometime after these billboards had made national news, I found myself listening to a radio preacher out of Indianapolis who had problems with these billboards – particularly the ones that sounded ominous and judgmental like the following:
13. My Way Is The Highway
14. Some Things Are Written In Stone
15. You Think It’s Hot Here?
16. Keep Using My Name In Vain and I’ll Make Rush Hour Longer
17. What Part of “Thou Shalt Not…” Didn’t You Understand?
18. Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be a Test

What troubled this “preacher” was that these particular billboards spoke of a God who stood in judgment. He much preferred a God who was always loving and tender… in fact, he seemed to be offended by the notion that God would judge anyone.

This wasn’t the first time I’d encountered this attitude. Years ago (when I’d just graduated from Bible college) I began a Bible study in my home. Several men attended, included a man from another church in town – one that was known for its liberal teachings.
We were studying the story of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied about a contribution to church, and immediately upon lying… they died. Although the text didn’t explicitly state that God killed them – that was obviously the implication.
Well, that really offended this man from this other church. He became agitated and tried to prove God hadn’t done anything to cause their deaths.
As we were discussing this, he shared what he truly believed about God – or at least what he had been taught:
1. He said there were 2 Gods in the Bible – the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New – and that they were as different from one another as night is from day.
a. He believed that the God of Old Testament was a God of judgment and anger
b. BUT the God of the NT was a God of compassion and love…
2. And he indicated he could never love or honor a God like the one in the Old Testament

Of course… that’s all pure heresy.
The Bible is fairly clear on the fact that God of the Old Testament IS the God of the New Testament. The only thing that really changed was the relationship that same God had with His people. Under the Old Testament, God’s relationship was centered on the Law of Moses. In the New, it was centered on the Grace of Christ.

But I understand why this would trouble both him and that preacher on the radio. There’s something about the God of Scripture that can be fairly… intimidating.

Exodus, for example, tells of the time when God gave His 10 commandments to His people.
Before Moses went up to receive the tablets, God thundered down the 10 commandments from mountain. And “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.'” (Exodus 20:18-19)

Later in Israel’s history, the prophet Elijah met God on that same mountain:
“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”1 Kings 19:11-13

And now, here in Isaiah, we find that this great prophet just SEES God and he trembles with fear:
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5

So, when I considered the question for this Sunday – What is God like? – these were the images that came into my mind.

Now, these images have never really bothered me. I literally grew up in the church and have been constantly exposed to these stories… so for me they are fairly clear cut and expected. But there are people who are troubled by that kind of a God. Why?

Well, the idea of being in the presence of such a fearsome God is frightening to some because they know that God is holy and they are not.

That’s what Isaiah reflected in his comment “…I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips…”

Isaiah found himself in presence of a Holy and righteous God and was forced to acknowledge his own uncleanness. When he experienced God’s presence, he humbled himself and acknowledged God’s rights and authority in his life.

But there are who come face to face with God’s Righteousness and Holiness… and they reject it. They are offended by being faced with a God who is bigger than they are.
Why?
Because they want to be the ones in charge of their lives. But if God is bigger and more powerful than they are, He (not they) has the authority to set the rules.

Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner did a comedy skit years ago called ” The 2013 Year Old Man”. In the skit, Reiner interviewed Brooks, who was the old man in the skit.
At one point, Reiner asked the old man, “Did you always believe in the Lord?”
Brooks replied: “No. We had a guy in our village named Phil and for a time we worshiped him.”
Reiner: “You worshiped a guy named Phil? Why?”
Brooks: “Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!”
Reiner: “Did you have prayers?”
Brooks: “Yes, would you like to hear one? O Phil, please don’t be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.”
Reiner: “So when did you start worshiping the Lord?”
Brooks: “Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Phil. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, ‘There’s somthin’ bigger than
Phil!'”

The question of who is in charge in our lives sometimes comes down to who we recognize as being bigger.

When the Israelites gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, God deliberately and decisively established made it clear that He was in charge. He drove home – in no uncertain terms – that He was bigger than they were.

1st we’re told that “…the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.'”
(Exodus 19:10-12)

That alone would have intimidated me.

Then we’re told – “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.” (Exodus 19:16-19)

Now, God didn’t speak this way when He was addressing Moses… or any of a number of other great Old Testament men or women. But on this occasion, God deliberately orchestrated a sound and light display to establish that He was in charge.
He was declaring that He had the right to declare what the rules were to be because He was bigger than they were.
He had the authority to say what was right and what was wrong.

In that mountaintop Experience at Sinai: God was basically saying: “I am God… and you aren’t”

But there are people who don’t WANT God to be in charge. As I was working on this sermon, I began to reflect on that man in Bible study years ago. Remember, this was an involved and extended discussion, but at one point in that conversation, he made a comment that came from way out in left field. At the time, it was so unusual a comment that it threw me off my guard because I couldn’t understand what it had to do with our discussion. But now that I’ve had time to think about it… it suddenly makes sense.

Speaking to me, this man said “I saw you last week driving over the speed limit”

OK… I had no doubt that he may actually have seen me doing just that. And there was no excuse for my going over the speed limit. But I couldn’t figure out what that had to do with our discussion.

Now, however, I realize what was going on.
This man felt threatened God’s sovereignty – of God’s right to be in judgment over us.
He felt the need to establish his own righteousness.
The only way to do that was to challenge God’s authority, and that didn’t seem quite right. So he settled for the next best thing: find some fault in me.

Now frankly, finding faults in my life (and in yours) is not that hard to do.
If someone were to look hard enough into your life or mine they would find all kinds of shortcoming and weaknesses… because we all fail somewhere along the line.
None of us deserve to stand in God’s presence.
If we had been with Isaiah when He saw the Lord high and lifted up in the Temple we would literally fall on our knees and cover our heads and pray that God didn’t destroy us.

Compared to God, we have no righteousness or holiness to be proud of.
Because I know that is true, one of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psalm 103:8-18. Turn there with me now:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children-
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

He remembers that we but dust.
He knows that we’re frail and we’re weak.

One of the stories that impresses me in the Old Testament is in I Kings. In that book, we’re told about one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament: Elijah. Elijah was such a great prophet that to this day, Jewish people divide the Scriptures into the Law – represented by Moses – and the Prophets – represented by Elijah.
Part of the reason Elijah is so highly regarded is because he courageously confronted one of the most wicked kings and queens in the history of Israel: King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.
He stood on Mount Carmel and challenged the false prophets of the wicked Jezebel to a contest and he whips ’em good.

But as soon as Jezebel hears about Elijah’s victory, she threatens his life…and Elijah literally falls apart. He becomes overcome with fear and he runs away.
Finally (in exhaustion) stopping under a broom tree humiliated by his fear and overcome with self-loathing and grief Elijah asks God to let him die.

In that fateful moment, Elijah comes to grips with his own humanity, frailty, weakness, and he can’t handle it.

So what does God do to help him?
God sends him to Mt. Sinai where the Israelites had seen that terrifying light show years before. And God does just about the same thing with Elijah He had done with those Israelites… but with a twist:

“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”1 Kings 19:11-13

Did you catch that…
God treats Elijah to a gale-force wind – but God’s isn’t in the wind
Then God shakes the ground with a terrifying earthquake – but God isn’t in the earthquake.
Then God sends a devastating fire – but God isn’t in the fire.

Last of all, Elijah hears a “gentle whisper”

Do know what God was telling Elijah?
· I have the power to destroy anything on the face of this earth
· And there is nothing that can stand against me
· I am mighty and holy and righteous
That’s what the wind/ earthquake/ & fire were all about.

But in that gentle whisper, God was telling Elijah was this:
o I am very powerful… but
o I care for you.
o I know you’re frail
o I know you’re weak
But I love you, and I care for you.
And I am big enough and powerful enough to protect you and care for you in your weakness.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13-14

A little girl listened attentively as her father read the family devotions. She seemed awed by her parents’ talk of God’s limitless power and mercy. “Daddy,” she asked, placing her little hands on his knees, “how big is God.” Her father thought for a moment and answered, “Honey, He is always just a little bigger than you need.”

My point is this: God IS bigger than we are. He is big enough to stand in judgment of us… but He is also big enough to protect us and care for us in our frailty and humanity. He is big enough to love us even when we are not everything we should or want to be.

When You’re Down

By Melvin Newland

John 14:1-6

Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes wrong? It doesn’t make any difference how hard you try, it just seems that everything backfires on you? The harder you try, the worse it gets. I’m convinced that all of us have had days like that.

I heard a story that illustrates this point very well. It is about a lady at the airport who bought a Kit Kat candy bar to eat while she was waiting for her plane.

In the crowded waiting area she spied an empty seat at the end of a row. Rushing to get it, she quickly propped her hang up bag against the end of the row, sat down, & placed her purse & several small items on the table between her & a rather large man seated there, & then turned back to straighten her hang up bag.

With everything finally in order, she was ready to eat her Kit Kat candy bar. But to her surprise, as she started to reach for it, she saw the man in the next seat unwrapping her Kit Kat candy bar, & she watched in utter amazement as he broke off a section & ate it.

She thought, “Well, my goodness, I’ve never seen such gall.” She glared at him, & he looked at her, but no words were exchanged.

She was so furious at what he had done that she decided that if he was going to be that brazen about it, she could be brazen, too. So she reached over to him, broke off a piece & ate it herself. Then he broke off another piece & ate it.

It became almost a duel between the two of them to see who would get the most. Quickly the candy bar was consumed, & she sat there just boiling that someone would be so rude & so presumptuous as to eat half of her candy bar.

Well, after a few minutes of silence, the man got up & left & then came back with another Kit Kat candy bar. He unwrapped it, broke off a piece & started eating. She thought, “Well, since he ate half of mine, I’m going to eat half of his.” So she reached over & broke off another piece & ate it.

Once again the same scenario was repeated until the whole candy bar was gone. She sat there thinking, “This is the most ridiculous thing that has happened to me in my whole life.” She continued to glare at him, & he looked at her, with neither one saying a word.

Just then, over the intercom came the announcement that her plane was ready for boarding. So she opened her purse to get her boarding pass &, to her utter embarrassment, there was her Kit Kat candy bar. She had eaten half of 2 of his candy bars, & her candy bar was still in her purse!

There are times, I suppose, when things really start to go wrong. Your whole world seems to be crumbling around you & you wonder what is going on.

That is probably about the way the apostles are feeling as we come to the 14th chapter of John. Their week had begun gloriously with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, & people waving palm branches & shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)

Even the Pharisees & the chief priests who had been plotting against Jesus had cried out in despair, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!” (John 12:19)

But Jesus had not come to establish an earthly kingdom, & He refused the crown. Disappointed & thwarted in their dreams of a Jewish kingdom with Jesus as their miracle working king, the fickle crowd began to change. And soon the priests were once again seeking someone to betray Jesus into their hands.

So as the 14th chapter of John opens, we see Jesus & His apostles in the upper room where they have eaten the Passover meal together. Jesus knew exactly what the next few hours would bring.

He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew about the illegal trials of the night, & how troubled the apostles would be. He knew of the cross & the borrowed tomb. And He tried to prepare the apostles for all that. So He begins to comfort them.

Is there anyone who needs comfort here this morning? I know that there are. We lose loved ones. People lose jobs. Some have physical problems. Others are lonely & depressed. We experience all kinds of troubles.

But Jesus says that part of the solution to a troubled heart is trust, & He tells His apostles to trust in 3 things. “First of all, trust in My presence. Secondly, trust in My promises. Thirdly, simply trust in Me.”

TRUST IN MY PRESENCE

First of all, Jesus tells them, “You can trust in My presence.” In Vs. 1 Jesus begins by saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”

What is Jesus saying there? Is He saying, “You trust in God, now it’s time to trust also in me?” Or is He saying, “I know you trust in God, & you also trust in me. Now remember, when you can no longer see me, don’t stop trusting in me.”

You see, we have always found it easier to trust in things that we can see & touch. We have a little bit of Thomas in us, don’t we? Remember, Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands & put my finger where the nails were, & put my hand into His side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25).

So Jesus shows him & he believes. “Then Jesus told him, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen & yet have believed” (John 20:29).

The Bible teaches us that the things we can see are only temporary. The automobile in which you rode to church today is temporary. This building, the pews on which you are sitting, all are temporary. All are subject to decay.

The story is told about a busy mother who put her two boys to bed. After tucking them in & listening to their prayers, she bid them “good night” & heaved a sigh of relief saying, “Now I can have some time to myself.”

So she went into the bathroom, took a nice warm shower, & washed her hair.  Stepping out of the shower, she put on her old robe, wrapped her head in a towel, applied a thick layer of white moisturizer to her face, & then headed for the den.

But just then she heard sounds of a pillow fight going on in the boy’s bedroom. Irritated, she threw open their door, & said, “You kids get right back in bed & don’t make another sound.” Then she turned off the light & slammed the door. The two boys turned to each other & said, “Who was that?”

We look in the mirror & see our aging bodies, & realize that they are temporary, too. All the things you can see & touch are only here for a little while & then are gone. But the things you can’t see last forever.

This is a hard lesson for us to learn, isn’t it? Yet it is an important lesson, because when we face troubles & difficulties in life, we need to remember as Christians that Jesus has promised, “I will be with you always. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Trust in My presence.”

TRUST IN MY PROMISES

Then Jesus tells them, “You can trust in My promises.” In vs’s 2 & 3 Jesus says, “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come back & take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

God gave many promises both in the Old & New Testaments. He promised the children of Israel a land where there would be milk & honey. It took a while for the promise to be fulfilled, but finally it was fulfilled.

He promised a Messiah, & that took a long time. But it, too, was fulfilled. Jesus the Savior was born.

Now God promises that He is coming back for us. Someday we’ll be with Him forever & ever. Sometimes we grow impatient, but the scripture says, “You can trust the promises of God. This promise will be fulfilled, too.”

The Bible uses a lot of different words to describe heaven. In one place it is called “a country” indicating the vastness of heaven. In another it is called “a city” indicating a large number of inhabitants.

It is called “a kingdom” indicating that there is a governmental structure to it all. It is called “paradise” indicating its beauty & desirability. But here it is called, “My Father’s house,” & that is another way of saying, “It is home.”

Home is a place where you can be yourself. Home is where you can take off your necktie & kick off your shoes. Home is where you can say what you are thinking. Home is where you’re always accepted & loved. You’re not just a guest. You are a resident. You live there. That is home.

Jesus is saying, “I’m going to take you to My Father’s house, & it will be your home, too. You’ll be a part of the family. You’ll be home where you belong.”

He says, “In My Father’s house are many rooms.” The KJ version says, “many mansions.” We like that word. But “mansion” is not the best translation of the Greek word Jesus used. Probably the best is “dwelling place” or “rooms.”

You see, the word that Jesus used comes from the eastern custom that when a son grows up & gets married, he brings his bride back home again. And the father adds another room onto His house for them.

Then when another son grows up & gets married, they add another room. The house just keeps getting bigger & bigger, as the family stays together.

“In My Father’s house,” Jesus said, “are many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you… I will come back and take you to be with me….” We’re almost there, people. Don’t become discouraged or fainthearted.

Marian Anderson, the great singer, was once asked, “What is the most memorable moment of your life?”

When she answered, she didn’t mention the time she sang before the president. She didn’t mention the time that she was invited to sing before the king & queen of England. She didn’t mention when she sang before 76,000 people on Easter morning in Washington, D.C.

She said, “The most memorable moment of my life was when I came home to my mother & said, `Mama, you don’t have to take in laundry anymore.’ That’s the most memorable moment of my life.”

Stop & think about heaven. Much of me is already there. My name is written there. My citizenship is there. My God is there. My Savior is there. My inheritance is there. My parents are there. So much of me is already there.

Soon His promise will be fulfilled, & we’ll be in our Father’s house. We’ll get new bodies, & we won’t have to worry about getting old & sick & all the other things that plague us here. “Trust My promises,” He says.

TRUST IN ME!

Thirdly, Jesus is saying, “Trust in Me.” In vs’s 4-6 Jesus says, “`You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to Him, `Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, `I am the way & the truth & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”

What a wonderful promise! He is saying, “I’m not just going to show you the way, or tell you the way, or write out the instructions on how to get there. I’m going to come & take you by the hand to My Father’s house. Then you’ll be home.”

Do you have burdens this morning that you think you cannot bear? Are you troubled? Are you worried or anxious? Do you feel empty inside? Do you feel lonely? Do you feel lost? Confused?

A few years ago Dave Galloway told of a soldier who returned from Viet Nam. His parents were socialites, very well to do. It was near Christmas, and they were getting ready to go out to the first of the round of parties of the Christmas season.

Just then the phone rang, & it was their son on the phone. “Mom,” he said, “I’m back in the States.” She said, “That’s wonderful! Where are you? Will you be home for Christmas? Can you get here in time for the parties? Everybody will just love to see you.”

He answered, “Yes, I can be home for Christmas, but I want to ask you something first.” “What is it?” she asked. “Well, I have a friend with me from Viet Nam. Can he come?”

“Oh, of course,” she answered. “Bring him along. He’ll enjoy the parties, too.” “Wait a moment, mom,” he said, “I need to explain something about him. He was terribly wounded, & lost both legs & one arm. His face is disfigured, too.”

There was silence on the phone for awhile. Then the mother said, “That’s all right. Bring him home for a few days.” “No, mom, you don’t understand. He has nowhere to live. He has no one else. I want to bring him home & to let our home be his home.”

The mother was quiet again. Then she said, “Son, that just wouldn’t do. What you’re asking would be very unfair to us. Why, it would disrupt all our lives. I’m sure there are government agencies that would be more than glad to take charge of him. Look, just you hurry home for Christmas now, & then maybe you can visit him once in a while.”

“Darling, I’m sorry, but we’ve got to rush or we’ll be late for the party. Call us again as soon as you know when you’ll be home. Goodbye.”

When the parents returned home from the party that night, there was an urgent message from the California police asking them to call.

They telephoned, & the officer said, “I’m very sorry to have to call you, but we have just found a young soldier dead in a motel room. His face is disfigured, & he has lost both legs & one arm. From the documents on him it would appear that he is your son.”

Whatever your burdens are this morning, the solution to a troubled heart is still the same, to trust, to trust in His presence. “I’ll never leave you,” He said. “I’ll always be beside you. Don’t forget My presence.”

Secondly, “Trust My promises. When everything seems dark & gloomy, when everything seems to be falling apart, remember My promises.”

“Then trust in Me. You won’t get lost. You won’t go astray. I’m the way, & I’ll take you by the hand & lead you to My Father’s house.”

Jesus invites us this morning, & He waits for you to respond to His invitation.