Ozark Country Parson

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is Father’s Day and I have been thinking about fatherhood and all that is involved.

There are good dads in this world who work very hard to care for their families. There are those who are biological fathers only and have no part in the lives of their children. One-third of America’s children are not living with their natural fathers. I want to thank those men today who step up and become fathers to a child whose father has made mistakes and for what ever reason can’t be a real dad to his child. There are fathers who are lazy and don’t try to take care of their families. Now, I want to say something here that some might think is harsh, but I don’t think very much of a man that will not take care of his family!

This week I have been thinking about my dad. I think it’s sad that many times in life we don’t fully appreciate a person's life until he is gone. Forgive me for making references about my dad for a little while this morning. He has been gone to heaven for some years now but I think of him often. My dad was not perfect and he made lots of mistakes but he was still my Dad.

All of us think about our dads in different ways. Some may think good thoughts about their dad. Some may think bad thoughts. Some may have to pray that God would help them forgive their dad for failing them.
I was blessed with a good dad.

This morning I want to share with you from Psalm 128 that tells what a good dad can be.

A good dad is one who fears the Lord and walks in His way.

Blessed is every one that feareth [shows reverence to] the Lord; that walketh in his ways. Psalm 128:1.

The word blessed sticks out in this chapter.

I don’t know much about my dad’s life before he married my mother. I do know that he came from a very poor family. I do know that he only had a third grade education. I do know that he was raised in the Depression time. I do know that he was not raised in a very spiritual home. I do know that it wasn’t until he and my mother married and had children that he began to fear the Lord in a real sense of the word.

My older brother begin playing with some boys whose dad happened to be the pastor of the Nazarene church in our home town. Our uncle lived next door to the church and that pastor came and asked if the children could come to Sunday School. To make a long story short, it wasn’t long until our whole family was in church. Dad became the Sunday School bus driver. Soon our mother found the Lord as her personal Saviour. It wasn’t until later in life that Dad found the Lord and begin to walk with the Lord. (Never give up praying for a person who needs God.)

Even though Dad didn’t know the Lord as his personal Saviour yet he still taught us children to fear the Lord. When it came to church time we were there! Sunday School, Sunday morning, Sunday night, revival time we were there. Sometimes revival lasted for as much as two weeks, but we were there! We were taught to fear the Lord!

“Blessed is every one who fears the Lord.”

I am glad that God is a longsuffering God. I don’t know why some of us take so long giving our hearts to God, but for whatever reason, we do. It was some years later that Dad began to walk with God and became a man of the word of God. But I do know that because he and our mother feared the Lord, had a lot to do with what I am spiritually today. Thank God for a dad and mother who fear the Lord.

A good dad is one who works hard to take care of his family.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. --Psalm 128:2-4

Dad taught us that hard work never hurt anyone.

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. --I Timothy 5:8.

Now it's hard to talk about one of my parents without including the other. Dad and Mother were good providers for the family. Dad worked at many jobs from ship yards to ice man for our home town. That was before I was born, but during my life as a child he worked in a saw mill. I never remember my dad being without work. He always found something to do. It may not have been work he enjoyed but he always had work, because he wanted to take care of his family. Mother also worked hard to help pay the bills and put food on the table and to buy us children clothes. Two jobs I remember Mother working at are packing strawberries and working in the scrimp factory. They set the example for us.

Dad and Mother taught us children to work. There was always something to do at our house. The girls had jobs and then we boys had jobs. I want you to know that we boys always had the harder jobs, or at least it seemed to me like they were. My sisters would have different thoughts about this.

Let me share with you just a few jobs we boys did: rake the yard, dig up the garden in the spring with a shovel, plant the garden, hoe the garden, milk the cow, and stake the cow out with a chain. One of our biggest jobs was to carry water from the well that had a pitcher pump on it that was about 50 yards from the house. (It seemed to me like it was a mile.) How many of you have had the privilege of drinking from the family water bucket with a dipper? Most days two or three buckets of water would do for the family. But there was more to this water hauling than what we drank. Saturday morning was wash day. Mother had a ringer type washing machine on the back porch. There was a number three wash tub sitting beside the washer. First, we carried water for the washer. Then, we carried water for the tub to rinse the clothes. There were eight people in our family and the washing was for the whole week. We had to fill each one of them many times. After we filled them up, we could go play but we had to be able to hear Mother when she called for more water. Enough about my family.

As I look around this church this morning I see families that I know teach their children the value of hard work. All of you were taught the value of work from childhood just like I was. I feel sorry for children that have everything handed to them. They are missing out on lots of blessings.

A God-fearing, hard-working family is a blessed family.

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. --Psalm 128:1-2.

There are some blessing that I want us to see in this chapter for the person who walks with the Lord..

The Man who fears the Lord and walks in His ways is blessed. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord.” “Count your blessing name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” If we walk with the Lord we can’t help but be blessed.
The man who is blessed is a happy man. “Happy shall you be.” Because we walk with the Lord we will find happiness!
It will be well with that man who does these things. "It shall be well with you." Matthew Henry’s commentary says, “Whatever befalls thee, good shall be brought out of it; it shall be well with thee while you live, ever yet better when thou diest, and better yet for all eternity.” The Word says, “God shall supply all of our needs according to His riches.”
These blessing shall come out of Zion. “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion:” Zion was where the ark of the covenant was. The Ark represented the presence of God.

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion. --Psalm 20:1-2

Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel. --Psalm 128:6.

I am not sure why the Lord let the Psalmist put this verse in but I think maybe he was thinking about us grandparents. Oh, hat joy grandchildren bring to us! When we grow tired we can send them to dad and mom!
If I had known how much fun grandchildren were I think we would have had them first! If you want to hear more about my grandchildren see me after church. It might take awhile!

Hanging on my desk is a reading that Pallie gave me in 1989 that I think every father needs to have:

God said, "Go! Don’t quit! Your work is not in vain.

I’ll always go with you to strengthen and sustain.”

I said, “God, I’m convinced that I don’t walk alone,

but there are days when I lack the courage to go on.”

God said, “Go on! Don’t you quit! Remember, I love you;

Victory is just ahead and I will see you through."

--Terry Tanksley

Happy Father’s Day, dads!

Lessons from the Seaside

2010-06-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

We can learn a lot about our relationship with God by studying the life of Peter. His journey with Jesus is a study in contradictions.

In Matthew 14:28-30 In the midst of a raging storm, he impulsively climbed out of his boat at the invitation of Jesus to walk on water, only to divert his attention and sink like a stone.In Matthew 16:13-19 we read about His affirmation, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” brought him high praise and the prediction he would someday lead the church. But we can read from Matthew 16:21-23 he soon fell from that great height, to receive a sharp rebuke. Then in John 18:10,17, 25-27 after risking his life to defend his Master against a cohort of soldiers, he denied knowing Jesus to the rabble huddled in the courtyard at His trial. But, after Jesus’s death and resurrection, a seaside reunion with the risen Lord changed everything. Peter learned that being a disciple requires one primary qualification: a willingness to follow.

A lesson we learn is the futility of our labors on our own.

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. John 21:3.

The disciples had just had an experience of a lifetime. They had watched their leader die! They were very sad until the truth of His resurrection became truth to them. They were at a point where they didn’t know what to do. These few men who were followers of Jesus didn’t know which way to turn. I think maybe that they had a long discussion about what to do and finally Peter said, “Well. I don’t know what you fellows are going to do but I going fishing. They all said “We are going, too!” This was not anything new to these fellows! That had done this before. They liked to fish. They fished for a living.

Let me share some things that I see in this story:

It was night.

Do you ever feel sometimes in your Christian walk that it’s nighttime? That what you are doing is a waste of time? These men were doing what they knew how to do and it became nighttime. They were working just as hard as they knew how to work.

You might say to me, "Pastor, I pray and I believe God and I go to church. I read the word. I witness and yet I feel like I’m working in the dark. I can’t see any results. I can’t even feel God!" Maybe you have nights like Job did.

So am I made to possess months of vanity [futility] and wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. --Job 7:3-4.

We need to remember that the night will end and the morning will come! Don’t jump out of your boat just because it’s night time, because the morning will come!

They were catching nothing.

Not only was it night but all of their efforts produced nothing! Cast after cast was made, and time after time the net was drawn in and nothing in it but tangle and mud. Maybe this is what the book of Ecclesiastes meant.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. --Ecclessiates 2:1.

Now these fellows were not lazy, they stayed with it until morning.

When I go fishing and I don’t catch anything, I am soon ready to go home. I don’t stay with it very long at all.
Do you ever feel like that what you are doing in the kingdom is useless or vanity? Well, just keep on keeping on because God is watching and He will come through for you.

We need to understand that failure and disappointments happen in the most successful Christain lives. Alexander MacClaren said: “Christain work is often done with no results at all apparent to the doer, but be sure of this, that they who learn and practice the wholesome virtue of persistent adherence to the task that God sets them, will catch some gleams of a presence most real and most blessed, and before they die will know that their labour has not been in vain in the Lord, 'They that sow in tears shall reap in Joy.'”

The morning came.

Morning always follows the night! Isn’t that a revealing statement? On towards daylight as they are pulling the net out of the water for the last time, they hear a voice from the shore, "Have you any meat" This was not just a question, "Have you boys caught anything?" It was a statement that says anything that is big enough to occupy our thoughts and our efforts is large enough to be taken into His thoughts no matter how small! All of our toils and all of our anxieties, touch a chord that vibrates in the deep and tender heart of our Lord! This tells me that our Lord is interested in our poor fishing and our disappointments! This question was not just to find out how they had done fishing but it was meant to evoke the answer of “NO!” The consciousness of my failure is the pre-requisite to my appeal to Him to prosper my work under His direction. In order to find His help there must be a confession of our failure, of our inadequacy and a confession of His great power!

Then came the guidance of the Lord.

I want us to see something very important here and that is that the fisherman still did not know that it was Jesus talking to them. Look at verse 4:

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

Now I have a question for you. What caused the fishermen to do what the Voice said from the shore if they didn’t know who it was? Maybe there was something about the Voice that caused them to obey, maybe they thought that the person on the shore saw something in the water that caused Him to say, “Cast your nets on the other side.” We can’t know for sure but what ever the reason, we know that they obeyed by faith.
We walk by faith and not by sight!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. --Hebrews 11:1.

Faith means believing the invisible word of God! His command is followed by swift, unanswering, unquestioning obedience which turns to great blessings.

They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. --John 21:6.

The next thing I see is the revelation of the Lord.

Right in middle of pulling in the net full of fish, it dawned on John who it was on shore.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord! --John 21:7

The next thing we hear is that tempestuous Peter jumps into the water because he could not wait to visit with the Lord. After a night of toil and having catch nothing, the Lord is revealed to them.

I think that the Lord was there all the time. I think he saw them in the night working hard trying to catch some fish. After all he is Omnipresence. After all he gives us His grace! We need to remember about His grace. Grace is divine favor!

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;

To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,

Our God ever yearns His resources to share;

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;

The Father both thee and thy load will up bear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

--Annie Flint

His grace is always ready for us even when we can’t see Him! I think the Lord sees us when we are trying so hard to serve Him with little results and He is waiting for the right time to reveal Himself to us.

Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. --John 21:7

(Some think that is was about 100 yards to the shore.) Then the other followers bring the boat load of fish to the bank.

Then we hear the words of Jesus, “Come and dine.”

Now think about this: As they came upon Jesus the first thing you see is a fire and upon the fire is a fish.
Somewhere Jesus had gotten a fish and bread somehow he had built a fire.

As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. He said, “Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.” --John 21:9-10

Now, listen! Bring the thing that you have done! Bring the prayers you have prayed! He can use what you have. Remembering that He gave us what we have! You may not feel that what you have is of importance to God but it is!

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. --Mark 17:41-44.

Little is Much When God is In It

In the harvest field now ripened,

There's a work for all to do.

Hark, the voice of God is calling,

To the harvest calling you.

Little is much when God is in it.

Labor not for wealth or fame.

There's a crown and you can win it,

If you go in Jesus' name.

Does the place you're called to labor

Seem so small and little known?

It is great if God is in it,

And He'll not forget His own.

When the conflict here is ended

And our race on earth is run,

He will say, if we are faithful,

"Welcome home, my child, well done.

Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. --John 21:13.

God gave them a boat load of fish and now he is using what they had done to bless them with. Jesus not only provided the food but he served them also. There are rewards in serving the Lord.

When we come to the end of our fishing trip, when we work hard for God all our lives, when we come to the shore of heaven , there will be a great feast for us.

And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. --Revelation 19:6-9.

Lessons from Mary and Martha

2010-06-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

If Jesus Came To Your House

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two,

if He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'd do?

Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest,

and all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have him there,

That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare.

But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door,

with arms outstretched to welcome in your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in,

or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard,

and wished you hadn't uttered that last loud nasty word.

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?

Could you let Jesus come right in, or would you rush about?

Oh, I wonder if the Savior came to spend a day with you,

would you just go on doing all the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?

Would life for you continue as it does now day to day?

Would our family conversation keep up it's usual pace,

or would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the books you read,

and let Him know on which the things your mind and spirit feeds?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you planned to go,

or would you maybe change your plans, for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet with all your closest friends,

or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,

or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do,

if Jesus came in person to spend the day with you!

--Louis Blanchard

This morning I want us visit a home that Jesus was a guest in. That is the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha .

³⁸Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
⁴⁰But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
⁴¹And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
⁴²But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
--Luke 10:38-42

Three people jump out at us: the guest, Mary and Martha.

The Guest.
Jesus had been ministering and teaching His disciples and was tired and came to the home of Martha and was invited in. This may not have been the first time and we know it was not the last that Jesus came to her home. This was not just any person that happen alone that she invited in but it was the Son of God! He was the King of Glory.

The late Dr. S. M. Lockeridge, a pastor from San Diego, California, said these words that describe her Guest best to me, in a sermon in Detroit in 1976:

That's My King
My King was born King. The Bible says He's a Seven Way King. He's the King of the Jews - that's an Ethnic King. He's the King of Israel - that's a National King. He's the King of righteousness. He's the King of the ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of glory. He's the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that's my King.

Well, I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him? Don't try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is the only one of whom there are no means of measure that can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of the shore of His supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing.

He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast. He's immortally graceful. He's imperially powerful. He's impartially merciful. That's my King. He's God's Son. He's the sinner's saviour. He's the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He's honest. He's unique. He's unparalleled. He's unprecedented. He's supreme. He's pre-eminent. He's the grandest idea in literature. He's the highest personality in philosophy. He's the supreme problem in higher criticism. He's the fundamental doctrine of historic theology. He's the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That's my King.

He's the miracle of the age. He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He's the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He's available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He's the Almighty God who guides and keeps all his people. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharged debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek. That's my King.

Do you know Him? Well, my King is a King of knowledge. He's the wellspring of wisdom. He's the doorway of deliverance. He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway of righteousness. He's the highway of holiness. He's the gateway of glory. He's the master of the mighty. He's the captain of the conquerors. He's the head of the heroes. He's the leader of the legislatures. He's the overseer of the overcomers. He's the governor of governors. He's the prince of princes. He's the King of kings and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King.

His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you . . . but He's indescribable. That's my King. He's incomprehensible, He's invincible, and He is irresistible.

I'm coming to tell you this, that the heavens of heavens can't contain Him, let alone some man explain Him. You can't get Him out of your mind. You can't get Him off of your hands. You can't outlive Him and you can't live without Him. The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him. Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree about Him. Herod couldn't kill Him. Death couldn't handle Him and the grave couldn't hold Him. That's my King.

He always has been and He always will be. I'm talking about the fact that He had no predecessor and He'll have no successor. There's nobody before Him and there'll be nobody after Him. You can't impeach Him and He's not going to resign. That's my King! That's my King!

Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Well, all the power belongs to my King. We're around here talking about black power and white power and green power, but in the end all that matters is God's power. Thine is the power. Yeah. And the glory. We try to get prestige and honor and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His. Yes. Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever and ever and ever. How long is that? Forever and ever and ever and ever. . .And when you get through with all of the ever's, then . . .Amen!

This is who Martha invited into their home. Jesus will not go where He is not invited! We must invite Him into our spiritual homes, which are our hearts!

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. --Psalm 24:8-10.

John 11:5 tells us that Jesus loved the people of this house very much: “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” He came into this home more than any other home that we can find.

Martha.
It was Martha who invited Jesus to her Home and made Him feel welcome. Christ's visit was a token of His love to this family and also to ours.

Now Martha was very worried about what she was going to serve her guest. Let's be fair with Martha. She was not lazy but rather very busy working to be the perfect hostess. On this day Jesus had come with His disciples, which would have made thirteen of them plus the three in Martha's family. That’s 16 right? There could have been lots more.

Look at verse one with me:

¹After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Now look at verse 17:

¹⁷And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Maybe I have overlooked something, but I can’t find any place where the seventy left Jesus. Maybe Martha was overwhelmed with all the work that needed to be done, even if it was only 13 guests. This scripture in our text said that she became distracted with much serving. She might have been busy giving the servants orders but she could not keep up with all there was to do. The Message Bible said “She was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen”. She was so busy that she didn’t have time for Jesus even though He was the most important guest she could ever have. When we become a child of God do we find other things more important than we do Jesus?

Now we need to understand that what Martha was doing was not wrong in itself but there was something more important at that time. We need to understand that in the world that we live in, there are many things that calls for our attention.

We were in the homes of two of our daughters last week, and I couldn’t help but notice how busy they and their families were. The demand on their time was almost overwhelming. It reminded me of watching the little hamster running on a wheel inside a cage. Always running and never getting done running. I hope as they read this message they will find time to sit down at the feet of Jesus more often and listen for His words as Mary did.

The world we live in forces us to live in a very fast pace, just to keep up. I think that getting so busy with things that we think are important is part of the falling away time that the scripture talks about in II Thessalonians 2:

¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Could it be that the devil knows that he can’t get us to fall any other way, therefore, he will cause us to be so busy that we don’t have time to visit with Jesus?

Well, Martha began to complain to Jesus because she couldn’t get Mary to help her. I can just see her calling to Mary for help. “Mary, come help me.” But, no Mary. “Mary, please come help me with this meal.” But, no Mary! “Mary! Do you hear me?” Mary might have said, “Okay! But wait! I want to hear what He is saying.”

Martha thought she could get help from the Master so she said in verse 40,

“Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”

Jesus had somewhat to say to her. Now Jesus didn’t tell Martha that what she was doing was a sin but rather that what she was doing could wait for the more inportant things that he was saying at that time. Look at verses 41-42 with me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

In other words Mary chose to do with her time the most important things and that was to hear what Jesus was saying, but Martha was so busy working that she was missing out on what the Lord had to say.

Mary.
Mary was being a sponge while Martha was using a sponge!
Mary was sitting while Martha was stewing!
Mary was clinging to every word of Jesus while Martha was cleaning!
Mary was worshiping while Martha was working!
Mary was listening while Martha was losing out on what Jesus had to say!

Mary’s attention to Jesus was two part .
1. She sat and listened to what He had to say.
2. She gave to Him.

Go with me to John’s Gospel chapter 12:1-3:

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

Now whether this was the same visit as recorded in the book of Luke, I am not sure, but in this passage we find the importance of Mary’s gift to Christ.

Beacon Bible Expositions calls this, “The extravagance of love for Christ.” A pound of this ointment was a year's wages! Her worship had turned into action! Some thought it was a waste but in verse 7 Jesus speaks words that shows how important this was.

Then said Jesus, "Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this."

Without sitting at the feet of Jesus from time to time and hearing and doing His will, we can’t serve Him the way we need to. Our works must come after our worship!

I want to share with you the words of a song that tells about the good part in a good way.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

Oh, what words I hear Him say!

Happy place! so near, so precious!

May it find me there each day;

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

I would look upon the past;

For His love has been so gracious,

It has won my heart at last.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

Where can mortal be more blest?

There I lay my sins and sorrows,

And, when weary, find sweet rest;

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

There I love to weep and pray;

While I from His fullness gather

Grace and comfort every day.

Bless me, O my Savior, bless me,

As I sit low at Thy feet;

Oh, look down in love upon me,

Let me see Thy face so sweet;

Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus,

Keep me holy as He is;

May I prove I’ve been with Jesus,

Who is all my righteousness.

Mary has chosen the good part, by sitting at the feet of Jesus. What part will you chose?

Scenes of Spring

2010-05-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

The flowers appear on the earth...

...the time of singing has come...

...and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:12

Photography by Darrell Ezell.

This is the Day

2010-05-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. --Psalm 118:24.

This week I have been thinking about this scripture a lot. “This is the day...” This day is the now! Not yesterday and not tomorrow but today!

Yesterday!
Yesterday has gone and there isn’t anything that we can do about it. We can’t go back and recall anything about it at all. We can’t change it or remake any remarks that we might have made a or any decisions we made. Yesterday is over! Done!

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. Psalm 90: 4

Tomorrow!
We all talk about tomorrow in some manner or the other. “I going to the store tomorrow. I will call you tomorrow." If we knew how much we use the work tomorrow it might surprise us. But the truth of it is we can’t do anything about tomorrow because it is not here yet. We can’t know anything about tomorrow, we can only think what might happen tomorrow. We can only talk about what we might do tomorrow.

Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1.

"One day at a time, sweet Jesus,

That's all I'm asking from you.

Just give me the strength

To do every day what I have to do.

Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus,

And tomorrow may never be mine.

Lord, help me today,

show me the way,,

One day at a time."

We can’t do anything about yesterday, and tomorrow has not come yet so we only have today. I want us to look into this scripture for some thoughts about how to live on this day.

Today!
This psalm shows us that there is a relationship with God that is needed today. Let's look at this psalm and see the relationship that the Psalmist had with God.

Verse 1-4 tell about the mercy of God.

¹O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
²Let Israel [the church] now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
³Let the house of Aaron [the ministry] now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
⁴Let them now that fear [the people] the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

This word “mercy” simply means God's kindness toward us or His favor.

If we look at Psalm 51:1-12 we find these words from David:

¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. ²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
⁹Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

This was the beginning of a great relationship with God. No wonder He said in Psalms 23, “The Lord is my shepherd!”

Now go back to our Scripture in Psalm 118. We will find that the Psalmist finds help in His relationship with the Lord.

⁵I called upon the LORD...
⁶The LORD is on my side...
⁷The LORD taketh my part...

He talks about putting confidence in God rather than man.

⁸It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
⁹It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

We find the Psalmist using the name of the Lord as a help in trouble.

¹⁰All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
¹¹They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
¹²They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

Verses 13-16 talk about the right of the Lord:

¹³Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
¹⁴The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
¹⁶The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

A relationship like the Psalmist had with God in this psalm shows a real relationship. But up until now it seems to be one sided. Let me ask you a question. What part do we have in this relationship?

Let's look at our responsibility to find the Lord as our personal Saviour.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Isaiah 26:1-2.

We have a responsibility to enter the gates of His righteousness.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-3.

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? Hebrews 2:1-4

To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews 4:7.

Not yesterday and not tomorrow but today we need to find His grace in our lives. Without this experience we have no relationship with God.

Another part of our responsibility is to praise and pray to Him. Again, from Psalm 118:

²¹I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
²²The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
²³This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
²⁶Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

We will have a reward because of our relationship with Him.

God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light... Psalm 118:27.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. I Peter 2:9-10.

He used a little stronger words for His relationship with God in Psalm 118:28.

Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Proverbs 4:18.

There is a song that asks a question that all of us should ask about this day.

Do you ever search your heart

As you watch the day depart?

Is there something way down deep

You try to hide?

If this should be the end

And eternity began

When the Book is opened wide,

Would the Lord be satisfied?

Is He satisfied? Is He satisfied?

Is He satisfied with me?

Altogether Lovely

2010-05-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

"He is altogether lovely...

...more than all the world to me...

...fairer than the rose of Sharon...

...is Jesus, my Savior, to me."

Photography by Darrell Ezell.

Living in Response to God

2010-05-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
--Psalm 32

It would seem natural that we would long to be close to God, our Heavenly Father… for every child wants to know the security of being close to his parents: the familiarity of their faces, the security of their strength, the assurance of their words.

This is a good model for our relationship with God; except to one degree or another the model has been marred a bit. We get wrapped up in our problems rather than our problem solver. We wonder if we really can get close to God.

If we seek, we find a wonderful surprise. If our souls can clear away the debris of life, we find a very present and relentlessly pursuing Father.

Our Father is God whose fatherly love said:
…I’ll create an environment that testifies of my love and care.
…I’ll inspire writers to capture all that is fundamental about myself.
…I’ll come and show you what I’m like in person.
…I’ll even impart my own spirit to be placed in you.

That is a Father who wants relationship. The scripture declares that God’s love longs to listen to our hearts, comfort us, counsel us, and challenge us like a father.

As the Psalmist declared: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18.) “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8.)

Jesus, in presenting the coming role of the Holy Spirit, said, “If anyone loves me they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23)

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you .Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he loves me well be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. --John 14:15-21

Well, do we really loves Jesus? If we really love Jesus then we will do his will!

Then Jesus gives us some promises:

I will give you my Holy Spirit...
He will be with you forever...
He shall dwell with you and shall be in you...
Because I live you shall live...
You shall know that I am in the Father and You in me and I in you...
If you love me My Father will love you, And I will love you, and manifest (Reveal) myself to you!

And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick ? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad . If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Mark 4:21-23

Through the manifesting of Christ to our hearts and our obeying His word we can know Him!

How can we experience this constant companionship? This morning I simply want to focus on some of the challenges faced in any parent-child relationship. It’s helpful for us to realize that God not only relates to us with all the desire of a parent to a child, but also with all the power of a parent to a child.

Think about this truth. Relationship cannot be forced. God will not force Himself on us! In other words, if we don’t want to take the time to get close to God then He won’t force us to.

With that in mind I believe God would remind us of the parent-child truths that relate to our intimacy with Him. As I’ve reflected upon the Scriptures this week, four truths in particular have stood out to me in regard to our lives:

The first factor involved in God’s fatherly interaction is our mindfulness. God will relate to us according to our attentiveness. Every parent knows the importance of getting a child’s attention. So does God. So it is, He states most simply in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” Often times we think of merely the need for a quiet place to be with God, and certainly silence lends itself to stillness. But stillness of soul is more than silence. It refers to quieting the inner activity of our souls. I find this is one of my greatest challenges to enjoying constant closeness with God. Finding a relatively silence place isn’t so difficult, but quieting my soul is. In fact, silence often seems to unveil all the stirrings and voices in my soul.

Have you ever found that to be true? Just as you get quiet, your mind is flooded with competing thoughts and concerns … as you initially try to focus, you find your soul suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder? I might add that I think the things we’re most concerned about may be the hardest because our own thoughts and emotions are so involved; our own desires and reactions fill our attentiveness. At these times, we’re like a wound up child rambling before a parent who waits to really gain our attention. In schools these days if a child has Attention Disorder they give him Ritalen. But God will not use any thing other than His truth. God says “Be still … come let your thoughts and agendas be still before me. Let them rest … get centered … die down.” The full attention of God’s heart is always there for us as our Divine Parent … but we cannot really know His attention until we bring Him ours. What does God have to do to get your attention, not just silence, but the stillness of your soul? It might be sickness. It might be a child's sickness. It might even be the death of a loved one or friend.

The second factor in any parent-child relationship is our maturity, for God relates to us according to our understanding. Again, every parent understands that they can only relate to a child according to their maturity and understanding. Parents begin with “baby talk” and use simple statements that fit within the child’s conceptual realm. Is it communication? Yes … as real as any other. So it is in our relationship to God, as the apostle Paul described:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. --I Corinthians 13:11-13.

Two important implications in this text: The reality of a distinction of knowledge between ourselves and God
We don’t see the whole picture. Everything God has shown us of Himself is real, but much is still beyond us (… just as a parent’s communication is real, true, valid, but doesn’t attempt to be full). As Paul says, “We are fully known, but we do not yet fully know God.” God sees all, but we don't. Oftentimes we use our perception of needs as the reference point of being close with God, rather than God's perception of our needs. No good parent will respond simply according to their child’s limited perception of their needs. Their response will take into account their greater understanding. “ I need more cookies … to not go to school anymore …” If we make our reference point of need the center of our approach to God, we may not sense his involvement. We must not confuse his agreement and acquiescence to our needs with closeness and intimacy.We must surrender to His higher knowledge.

The second thing Paul notes is the we are to progress in our thinking: Paul recognized that in his own lifetime he had naturally come to think differently … what was natural. Our maturity of understanding must naturally progress in our understanding of God.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. --Romans 12:2.

Are you allowing your mind to mature according to all that your Father has made known to you? Are you learning to take on His perspective rather than demanding your own?

Our motivation. We must recognize that God relates to us in ways that reveal our hearts. We should let the word of God motivate us.

… the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. --Hebrews 4:12

When we think of being close to God, we so often think of God answering our questions. What we find in scripture is that God’s most penetrating interaction came when He asked the question.

The first question God is known to have asked is found in the garden. “Where are you?” … Adam and Eve hiding in their shame. Obviously God knew physically where they were. But it was a question of deeper meaning … a question he asks each of us.

God engaged many with revealing questions:

To Cain after killing his brother: “Where is your brother?”
To Moses as he went on trying to convince God he was the wrong man to lead the people: “What is that in your hand?”
To a man paralyzed for 38 years, He asked, “Do you want to be well?”
To His disciples when they shared what others were saying about Him, He asked, “Who do you say I am?”

Today God is still asking questions to reveal the things of our hearts. Many of the real answers for our hearts are found in God’s questions. Are you prepared to find answers in God the Father's questions?

Finally, God relates to us according to our movement. That is, Gold relates to us according to our responsiveness. Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” God is not interested in our academic agreement, only in our active agreement. As James described, “Faith without deeds is dead faith” … belief without action is not meaningful belief. The faith God responds to isn’t an issue of denying our doubts … He honored the one who came saying “We believe, but help us in our unbelief.” It’s not doubt of the mind that’s a problem, but the doubt of the will; the unwillingness to act.

The other night Pallie Sue and I were watching Deal or No Deal. There was a contestant who had been married for 25 years and the contestant's sister said, "They still act like they are on their honeymoon." Many of us are "dating" God but we don’t ever make a commitment to Him! He’s coming back for his bride, not an uncommitted dating relationship.

Are you actively believing what God the Father has shown you?

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? --Mark 3:35-41

The disciples were in the right place when the storm came: close to Jesus! Are you close enough to Jesus, that when the storms come you can reach Him so that he can calm your life?

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. Matthew 20:20.

In this lesson today we are going to see a Mother who wanted the best for her sons, but before I start let me share this with you:

Things Mothers Teach Us
Mothers teach us about foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident."
Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me."
Mothers teach us about maturity: "Eat your vegetables or you’ll never grow up."
Mothers teach us about religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."
Mothers teach us about time travel: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
Mothers teach us about contradictions: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner!"
Mothers teach us about contortionists: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?"
Mothers teach us about perseverance: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
Mothers teach us about genetics: "You’re just like your father."
Mothers teach us about the weather: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."
Mothers teach us about the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

When we are young, very few (if any) hold as much influence over children as mom. This morning we have read a scripture which is frequently used to illustrate seemingly negative things and rightly so. The story is of a mom trying to place her boys into the best seats in the house in the Kingdom. I say “the Kingdom” because this mom didn’t perceive that Jesus’ Kingdom would be in heaven, but still thought He was going to overthrow Roman rule. Let's not be too hard on this Mother because she only wanted what she thought was best for her boys. What Mom wouldn’t?

Before I talk about this Mother I want us to see something about this family: This family made a decision to follow Jesus. I don’t know how, nor do we know where, but if we follow this family’s life we will see that they made a choice to follow the Lord. If we look closer we will find out that this mother was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, so that made her the aunt of Jesus. Zebedee, the father of James and John, was a fishermen and had a thriving business on the Sea of Galilee . It is interesting to me that they were in partnership with two more men that became followers of the Lord, Peter and Andrew. This fishing business was so good that they had to hire other men to work with them. So members of this family that chose to follow the Lord were very successful people. In a perfect world that is the kind of family that God desires. But we don’t live in the perfect world do we? Most of the time in today’s world it’s the lady of the household that has to take the lead in spiritual life of the household.

Let's meet this mother, Salome. She was a mother with a determination. This scripture says that she was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John. Her name, Salome, means “peaceful.” As we already know, she was a follower of the Lord Jesus the Christ! She was at the crucifixion of Jesus. She was among those who brought spices to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. She was with the other women who saw that Jesus was gone from the tomb.

In Matthew 20:18 the Lord took His disciples apart in the way and said, "We are going to Jerusalem and the Son of man shall be betrayed and they shall condemn him to death." This was a very important lesson that His disciples needed to understand. The time had come for Jesus to drive home the truth of His kingdom work. He had taught them and they had not caught on to what he was saying. So Jesus said to them, "Come over here away from the other people and let me tell you again what is about to happen. Now here is what is going to happen..."

"Excuse me, excuse me, please."

Now I don’t know for sure but I think the boys were embarrassed that their mother would do this. Maybe they were they said, “Mother, what are you doing? The Lord is trying to tell us something! Mother, please don’t!"

But their mother was on a mission. So she went right up to the Lord and said, "James and John, come up here so the Lord can see you." And then she turned to the Lord and said, “I have a request. Let my sons sit with you on your throne, one on the right and one on the left.”

This sounds like a school mom when it comes to sports in this day. Have you ever been to a Little League game? Every parent thinks their child is the best. “Put my child in, Coach! He should be the starting. He is really good." You know, even though they may have no talent. It’s one thing when a dad has something to say to the coach but when a mother starts in, boy, you can feel for the coach.

We all want our children to be the best and we want what’s best for them. Mother Zebedee had heard Jesus say something about the kingdom. Jesus had just told them in Matthew 19:27-3: “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

Let's not be too hard on Mother Zebedee. In her mother’s heart she just heard that her boys would be on a throne! So she just wanted her boys to be first. After all, she is just a mother!

What lessons can we learn from her about the destination for her and family?

1. The Approach to Jesus.

First, she obviously knew that to get the best life had to offer that Jesus was the One, so she made it a point to come to Him. We see a mom’s influence is immeasurable. She teaches us to approach Jesus with both our needs and our desires and for a part in the kingdom of God.

Next, she brought her children to the feet of Jesus. Perhaps one of the outstanding positive lessons we can learn from such a questionable story is the importance of having our offspring with us when we approach our Lord. And think about this: her kids were grown! Whether or not her motives were pure matters little for what we can learn from her. She brings herself, her kids, and her requests to Jesus. The Bible tells us to bring our needs, families, and even wants to Jesus. The message of Jesus is always the same. It is, “Come to Me” or “Bring it to me.”

Mothers teach us all kinds of lessons but one of the greatest is to “bring all your cares to Jesus.”

2. The Attitude toward Jesus.

It is very interesting to watch children and discover that they carry the attitude of their parents. If a parent carries prideful, arrogant, or negative attitude, the kid(s) will pick up on that and, as a general, will project the same attitude as their parent. If a parent carries a positive, happy, and caring attitude, then the child will pick up on that. Mother Zebedee had a right desire but she had the wrong attitude when it came to her boys. We could say that she was very selfish. In fact, this attitude carried over to the boys. Look in Mark 10:32-40. We see the same scripture only this time it was the boys who ask.

Notice this mom’s attitude toward Jesus. This has been translated to say, "She knelt down before Jesus." The KJV says she came worshiping Him. Candidly, for all we may see that she did wrong, she taught her adult boys how to show respect to the Lord. The word worship literally means to kiss or lick the hand. This is a far different display of attitude than seems to be the norm today. Somehow, the respect for Jesus seems to be almost lost, even among believers. Do we truly feel the need to kneel before Him? Do we present an attitude of ultimate respect, or treat Him like one of us? A right decision will bring a right determination that will bring us to a right destination.

3. The Appeal for Jesus.

Matthew 20:21 gives us several visuals which we need to take to heart. Notice that when she comes to Jesus He asks her,“What do you want?” Think about how wonderful this is. The Son of God, the Messiah, the Deliverer, the Sacrifice for our sins, is concerned about what “we want.” To me this is nothing shy of amazing!
Jesus was truly interested in what this mom wanted.

Here’s the point; He didn’t have to ask her because, in His divinity, He knew what the request would be.
Yet, He asked. What a great reminder that when we come to Jesus, He is interested in our needs, wants, and desires; additionally, He wants us to tell Him our heart (whether good or bad)

For this mom, perhaps she was attempting to get her boys a “leg up” or maybe she was attempting to make sure they would be taken care of after she and dad were gone, but don’t miss this; she was honest with the Lord Jesus. God desires for us to be transparent with Him. This mom was transparent with the Lord.

4.The Awareness about Jesus

When Jesus speaks in Matthew 20:22, Mom is silenced. Why? Could it be that maybe, for the first time, she realized the seriousness of her boys walking with Christ. Maybe for the first time she caught on to the cost as she was looking into the eyes of the Lord ... and heard that those seats required the ultimate commitment.
Perhaps, when she heard His words, she wished she could take back her request. Think about this conversation. Jesus said, “You don’t know what you’re asking and how difficult this journey will be mom” and mom went silent.

When I close my eyes and see this picture, I see a mom who was attempting to get the cushy jobs for her boys and found herself in amazement at what she had done. Perhaps when Jesus turned to the boys and asked them, “Are you up for this job?” she had already changed her mind because, for the first time, she became aware of who Jesus was and what it was that He required.

I wonder how many times, people think they know what it means to follow Jesus and then through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, they become aware that what they thought was not entirely accurate. Some people think that following Jesus is only about a one-time decision that is made and left at the altar. Others think it’s only about being baptized. Others think other “things” (i.e. church membership, church jobs, etc). To become aware of what it is actually required of one who follows Jesus can range from surprise to shock.

5. The Acceptance of Jesus

As we read verse 23 and get the divine design for the Kingdom, we notice one important thing: Mom didn’t argue, discuss, or try to debate with the Lord Jesus, she accepted His words as truth. What a legacy! To have a face to face with the Lord of Glory is to walk away a changed person. While the scripture doesn’t track in details the wife of Zebedee, the mother of James and John, this lady known as Salomé, we do see her at the cross and at the tomb of Jesus along with her boys! For me, this is conclusive that her encounter with Jesus led to her acceptance of Jesus and that of her Sons.

Of all a mother can do, giving her life totally and completed to our Lord Christ will have the greatest impact on her children. Here’s why: A mom sold out to the Lord Jesus is a mom who will display a life that demonstrates everything good and right. Because of this she will instill in her children a need to love the Lord, to walk in His way, and fulfill His calling. This brings me to a scripture that I read sometime when I think about my mothers. For you see I have had two wonderful mothers: my own mother and my mother-in-law and I loved them both very much.

“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellent them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:28-31

Happy Mother’s Day, Mother!

Springtime in the Ozarks

2010-05-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Pictures taken by Darrell Ezell.

Is Jesus Showing Through?

2009-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18

Paul, in this chapter, compares the ministry of the law with the ministry of the Spirit. The Law of Moses brought spiritual death because written only on stone, it did not change the human heart. It only showed where the heart was wrong and thus brought God's condemnation. The Spirit, however, changes the heart and brings true righteousness. He brings it more glorious because it reveals God more fully, and enables us to be like Him.

In Exodus 34:29-35 we read where Moses came down from the mountain after getting the Ten Commandments from the Lord that his face shined so bright that the people were afraid of him.
So he put a veil over his face. This symbolized the inability of the Israelites to perceive the full truth of God's revelation.

Look now at verse 16 of 2 Corinthians 3 (from the Message Bible):

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are--face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is living personally present, a living Spirit , that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We are free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our face shining with the brightness of His face. And so we are transfigured much like Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him.

One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, there's something about the preacher's message this morning that I don't understand."

The mother said, "Oh? What is it?"

The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said God is so big that He could hold the world in His hand. Is that true?"

The mother replied, "Yes, that's true, honey."

"But Mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside of us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Is that true, too?"

Again, the mother assured the little girl that what the preacher had said was true.

With a puzzled look on her face the little girl then asked, "If God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"

That's the point isn't it? If we're Christians, when people see us, Jesus ought to show through - in our homes, our offices, our community, and in every aspect of our lives.

Listen again to these words by the apostle Paul found in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

"And we, who reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness."

Now I want to call your attention to two ideas mentioned in that verse.

We who are Christians are supposed to reflect Jesus. In other words, when people see us they should be able to see Jesus in us - in what we say and in what we do.
With each passing day we ought to be more and more transformed to be like Him. And again, that is to be evident in what we do and in what we say.

So, let me ask you: How would things be different if Jesus came and took your place? Would anything have been different this morning as you got ready to come to church? What if He took over your job at work? Or what if He took my place in the pulpit?

Whether we realize it or not, that is exactly what He wants - to make Himself known to others through our lives. You see, as Christians, our goal should be to introduce Jesus to others - to make Jesus known. We should want everyone who doesn't know Him now to come to love Him, to discover the hope, the joy, the power He can bring into their lives. It is not so much about what we see in the Mirror but what do other see when they see us.

We are to look like Jesus.

Now, if that is ever going to happen, people must be able to see Jesus. But the eyes of so many people today have been clouded by the master of this age. Their vision has been polluted by the trappings of this world and the moral decay that surrounds us.

So how are they ever going to see Jesus? Well, if they're going to see Jesus, they'll have to see Jesus in us. That's why Paul is challenging us to reflect Jesus in our lives by being transformed into His likeness. We must look like Jesus. But what does it mean to look like Jesus? Well, I'm confident you realize that I'm not talking about growing beards or wearing a certain kind of clothing. Instead, it means to be like Him, to imitate the character and nature and attitudes of Jesus.

In fact, in Ephesians 5:1-2 that is exactly what the apostle Paul urged the early Christians to do:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Be imitators of Jesus? What a bold challenge to undertake!

By the way, when people look at Jesus what do they see? Well, they see a Jesus who is generous with His time, His love, and His power. They see one who is genuine in His care and compassion, and in His commitment to the will of God, and to others.But let's pause for a moment and consider: What do people see when they look at us? Do they see us being generous in the same ways that Jesus was? Do they see us being genuine about our faith and our commitments? People also looked at Jesus and saw Him to be incredibly receptive. He would welcome anyone who approached Him: the intelligent and the illiterate, the child-like and the childish, the prosperous and the impoverished, the dedicated and the desperate, the seeker and the sick. He had such an open door to His heart that He is called, not a "teacher of sinners," or a "changer of sinners," but a "friend of sinners." What better friend could anyone ever find than Jesus? And what kind of friend do sinners find in us?

Again, do we look like Jesus? Do our lives, our hearts, our nature reflect His glory? Are we imitating Him? We must make Jesus known by looking like Him.

We are to sound like Jesus.

Secondly, if our goal is to introduce people to Jesus, then we must begin to sound like Jesus.

When people heard Jesus speak and teach they were amazed. Look at this passage from the gospel of Luke 4:36-37, just following a scene where Jesus had driven a demon out of a man in the synagogue:

All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power He gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" And the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding area.

People were talking. A modern translation, The Message, phrases it this way: "Jesus was the talk of the town."

Anytime Jesus walked into the synagogue, the market, or into someone's home, people talked. His comments, His teachings, His rebukes, His words of love had people talking. Oh, there were people who didn't like to hear Jesus, but they belonged to the rulers who were desperately trying to maintain their control over the people's lives and loyalty.

And there are people today who don't want others listening to Jesus because when they do, questions are raised, and hearts and lives are changed.

In 1 Peter 2:23 the apostle Peter tells us,

When they hurled insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats.

So our task is to help make Jesus known by sounding like Him.

In 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 the apostle Paul says,

When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we answer kindly.

Our vocabulary, our conversations, our prayers, our stories - must all echo His love, compassion and care. Our message must be a testimony of hope and change that encourages those who know us to want to know Jesus, too. But God has planted among such people voices to proclaim messages of spiritual recovery and healing. Who are these voices? We are. And they will only hear His words if we somehow begin to sound like Jesus. If they're ever going to hear the love story of Jesus, they must hear it from us.

We are to act like Jesus.

Last of all, if we're ever going to introduce people to Him, then we must also act like Jesus.

In John 13, we see our Lord wrapping Himself in a towel, washing the feet of His disciples, demonstrating the heart and actions of a servant. Listen to what Jesus says in verses 12-17 as phrased in The Message:

After He had finished washing their feet, He took his robe, put it back on, and went back to His place at the table. Then He said, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do. I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."

"If you understand what I'm telling you," Jesus says, "then act like it."

This scripture isn't about foot washing but rather about being a servant.

The person who trusts in Jesus will do what He is doing and even greater things, because Jesus goes to the Father for us to make it possible! We're called to act as He did - to give people God's promises, teach them about God's kingdom, serve people's needs, love people with our hearts and hands. We are to bring people into God's presence - to help them find healing and to point them to God's sacrifice on the cross, and to help them find salvation in Him.

I read an interesting story about a young boy living in Paris at the end of the World War II. He had been orphaned by the cruelty committed by the German forces. Now all alone, he was having to scrounge around the ruined city as best as he could to find food, clothes and shelter. But nearly everyone was experiencing desperate times, and he found that people either ignored him or had nothing to give to him.

Years before, he had heard someone talk about God and Jesus. But with the hell on earth that the war had brought into his life had not thought about God. One cold morning, he was wandering down the street, staring into the windows of shops and cafés. He stopped outside the window of a small bakery. The smell of the fresh bread made his stomach ache with pain. He was so absorbed by the smell and sights of the bakery that he didn't realize an American soldier had come up and was watching him. The boy hardly noticed it when the G.I. walked past him into the store. He did, however, notice the large bag the baker was filling for the G.I. with rolls, breads, and pastries. And the boy could hardly breathe when the soldier exited the shop, knelt down and handed him the bag.He looked at the G.I. with astonishment and gratefulness. Finally, he asked the question that was running through his mind: "Mister, are you Jesus?"

To be mistaken for Jesus! !hat an bold idea - to have our actions so remind others of what Jesus is about and what Jesus would do.

Shouldn't that be our goal? Shouldn't others see Christ in our lives?

Now we are not Jesus but shouldn't we be working to be more like Him?

Let me say this in closing. The closer we walk to Jesus the more like Him we will become!

Our Value to God

2009-05-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

We have been made by God and that makes us special. We have been created in His image. His desire is that all of us become His sons and daughters and join Him in heaven for eternity. In God’s eyes we all have importance. In God’s eyes we are precious and valuable.

This week in my devotions, God opened Psalm 139 up for me and I want to share with you some thoughts that I received.

God knows all there is about me.

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
--Psalm 139:1-4, KJV

Now I want to compare this scripture with the Message Bible.

God, investigate my life, get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back ; I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.
--Psalm 139:1-4, The Message

God is eternal, holy, all-loving, all-wise, omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omni-present (everywhere at the same time). Yet he knows Darrell Allen Ezell.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. --Genesis 1:27

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. --Ephesians 2:10

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. --Luke 12:7

God you search me and you know me. --Psalm 139: 1

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. --Psalm 139:14

I came across these facts not long ago and I am not sure who complied them but it speaks to that fact that the God who created us knows us.

In a square inch of skin, you would find: 20 blood vessels; 65 muscles; 78 nerves; 78 sensors for heat, 13 for cold, 160 for pressure;650 sweat glands; 1300 nerve endings; and 19,500,000 cells. The skin serves several purposes including providing a protective shield against bacteria and viruses and the absorbing of bumps and bruising that might otherwise damage your bones and internal organs.… and in that inch of skin, your sweat glands in your body do double duty, helping to eliminate wastes and cool your body.
Then, there’s your brain. Your brain does all this and uses less power than a 100-watt bulb. Your brain is serviced by about 45 miles of nerves that send impulses through your body as rapidly as 325 miles per hour.
Your nervous system is so sensitive you are able to feel on your fingertips (or face) a pressure that depresses your skin a bare- roughly the weight of a bee’s wing falling on your cheek.
Then, there are your ears: A piano has 88 keys, but each of your ears has a keyboard with 1500 keys. They are so finely tuned that you can hear the blood running through your vessels.
Your eyes are capable of seeing a small candle flame from 30 miles away on a clear, dark night. And can distinguish among more than 300,000 different color variations.

Yet I don’t think that’s what the Psalmist was talking about when he said “Lord you know me!” Not only does God know about our physical but more important He knows the soul. His point is not that God knows all the mysteries of history and the riddles of the universe. Rather, David’s point is that God knows me. He knows everything about me. He know the inner me! Because God knows the inner me he knows the needs that my soul cries out for, and He responds to us.

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. --Isaiah 55:2-3

God holds us in His hands.

God not only leads us but He makes a hedge about us and He holds us in the palm of His hand.

Thou hast beset (hedged) me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell (grave), behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. --Psalm 139:5-10

He holds us with His righteousness.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. --Isaiah 41:10

His banner over us is love.

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. --Song of Solomon 2:4

Think about sitting in the hand of God and being hedged in on all sides and being covered with His love. No wonder the Psalmist said in verse six, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

God shows us His creating power.

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. --Psalm 139:13-16

This does have something to say about the value of life before birth. But especially here David is saying, "Even before my mom gave birth to me, you were present, your Spirit was there. You were knitting me together, it wasn’t just some outgrowth of evolution. But you were right there in the womb. I couldn’t get away from you even before I was born."

Have you ever wondered why God created you? Well, I have. But I want you to know that God never wondered why He created you at all.

Rick Warren says in his book The Purpose Driven Life, “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were made by God and for God, until you understand, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny.”

From before you are born, even after you die God has plans for you. Now that is powerful!

God probes us with His thoughts.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. --Psalm 139:17-18

I got to thinking about the thoughts God has about me. I wonder what they are? Perhaps He thinks about how much He loves me and wants what is best for me. How he wants me to live for Him and how He can help me to live for Him.

The thoughts that God has concerning me I believe are precious and great, says the Psalmist.

Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. --Psalm 40:5

We are never out of God’s consciousness. He never forgets us!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. --Jeremiah 29:11-13

The Psalmist, realizing that God’s thoughts were always toward Him, began to ask God to probe His heart.

Search (probe) me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. --Psalm 139:23-24

Look at verses 19-22. Here the Psalmist is asking God to slay the wicked and to tells the Lord how much He hates them. But then we see in verses 23-24, he turns his thoughts towards himself. As if to say, “It not the wicked that I should be thinking about but my own heart.”

If God’s thoughts are toward me and He knows all that there is to know about me then I want to know what He knows about my heart so I can ask God to led me in the way everlasting.

Now, it is one thing to ask God to search us, but what we do with what He shows us is another.
When God probes us and begins to reveal things to us how do we react? If we respond to God’s leadership as we should, then we can sing the song Haldor Lillenas wrote:

What a blessed peace we know
as we travel here below,
while we are walking
in the beautiful light of God.
Brighter, fairer grows the way,
as we journey day by day,
while we are walking
in the beautiful light of God.

I won’t take time to read all of it but it has a wonderful message for those who respond to God’s probing thoughts that He has toward us.

Avis Christiansen wrote a song I think we can understand if we are living within the truths of this Psalm:

It Is Glory Just to Walk with Him

It is glory just to walk with Him
Whose blood has ransomed me;
It is rapture for my soul each day.
It is joy divine to feel Him near
where’er my path may be.
Bless the Lord, it’s glory all the way!

It is glory just to walk with Him,
It is glory just to walk with Him,
He will guide my steps aright
Through the vale and o’er the height,
It is glory just to walk with Him.

It is glory when the shadows fall
to know that He is near.
O what joy to simply trust and pray!
It is glory to abide in Him
when skies above are clear.
Yes, with Him, it’s glory all the way!

’Twill be glory when I walk with Him
on Heaven’s golden shore,
Never from His side again to stray.
’Twill be glory, wondrous glory
with the Savior evermore,
Everlasting glory all the way!

Ways to Love Your Mother

2009-05-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Confirmed Shouter

Ever since President Nixon’s inaugural plea to "speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices" I’ve had misgivings about my big mouth. I’ve always admired parents who discipline their children in hushed whispers.

"Arthur, you are a naughty boy for turning on all the gas jets. Now I want you to drag your little sister out into the fresh air, give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and apologize. Don’t make Mama have to raise her voice."

I’m a shouter. Once on a vacation, when one of the kids turned on the car heater while going through Georgia, my mother told me they felt the vibrations as far north as Port Huron, Michigan.

No one is born a shrew. I used to watch women getting flushed and angry while they chewed out their children and I’d say to myself, "My goodness, that woman is going to have a heart attack. No one should discipline a child in anger." (I was five at the time and being flogged with a yardstick by my mother.)

Having children of my own knock a hole in that theory.

To begin with, there were only 32 hours out of every week when I wasn’t angry, and then I was sleeping.

Also, I discovered children never took a "No" seriously unless the dishes rattled when you said it. And the real clincher came when I discovered I had runners.

"Runners" are kids who, when they commit some sin, take off for the fields, trees, basements, neighbors, attics or sewers. Did you ever try to whisper to someone you couldn’t see? I took to shouting.

We once had a neighbor who was born out of her time.

I lived next to her for four years, and not once did that disgusting old dame raise her voice. Of course, you can imagine what that made me sound like. (The Shore Patrol breaking up a floating crap game.)

Anyway, one day the boys were throwing a ball against her house and she appeared like an apparition at the door, gestured to them and said softly, "Boys, would you all come here for a moment?"

I watched her gesturing, talking and smiling. When she finished, the boys disbanded. I pounced on my son. "What did that mealy-mouthed little frail thing have to say to you boys?" "She said if we broke her windows, she’d break our faces!"

From that day forward I forgave her for her quietness. What she lacked in volume, she made up in content. What class!

--from Forever Erma by Erma Bombeck, March 5, 1969

Well, that’s a story of one mother. But let’s look at another mother.

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, "Woman, behold thy son!" Then saith he to the disciple, "Behold thy mother!"And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. John 19:26-27

Mary witnessed the crucifixion from the foot of the cross. Can you even imagine how she must’ve felt?

Jesus turned to John and said, "Take care of her," and looked at his mother and said, "Let him stand in my place as your son." John lived a very long life, and I believe he took care of Mary until she went to heaven.

Jesus was on the cross, bearing the weight of the sins of the whole world on His shoulders, yet He saw to it to make sure His mother was taken care of after He was gone! As God, Jesus was dealing with eternal matters, but as a man, He was showing all of us today how important it is to take care of and love our mothers!

You cannot be willfully wrong with your mother and be right with God.

If your mother is still alive, regardless of your and her ages, you can love her.

Here are some ways to love your mother.

1. Love her verbally. Some men have the philosophy—I don’t have to say, "I love you. You already know it. I have told you before, if I change my mind I’ll let you know!" Or, "I show love, not just say it…" and that may be true, but a woman needs to hear those words, “I Love You!”
Children and spouses need to hear it…and saying it makes you more of a man, not less!

Dear Abby,

I enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor. Thirty-six days later, I was on my way to the Philippines. En route, the Philippines fell to the Japanese, and we were routed to Australia. Eleven days after we landed, I met the most beautiful girl in the world.

On our first date, I told her I was going to marry her. I did, 18 months later, while on a 10-day R-and-R leave from New Guinea.

After more than 57 years of marriage and two children, my beloved "Mary" died five days before Christmas. Although we agreed that our ashes were to be scattered over the mountains, I found I could not part with hers.

While Mary was alive, she would frequently say, "You don’t know how much I love you." I’d reply, "Likewise." I never said, "I love you." Now her ashes are on my dresser, where I tell her several times a day how much I love her, but it’s too late. Although I wrote poetry to her, I could not bring myself to say the three words I knew she wanted most to hear.

As my dearest was dying and we thought she was comatose, I told her, "There aren’t enough words to tell you how much I love you." A few hours later, she whispered, "Not enough words" and died.

The reason I’m writing is to urge men to express their feelings while their loved ones are alive. I don’t know why, but many men are reluctant to express the depth of their feelings.

Our spouses need to hear it. Our children…our mothers also!

Some men would say, “I’m just not turned that way”…then turn around! “I’m just not comfortable”…then be uncomfortable!

2. Love her physically. When’s the last time you gave your mother a big hug without her asking for it…or a kiss on the cheek, or a neck rub, or just sat on the couch and held her hand for a change? (I bet those whose mothers are gone would like to trade places with you.)

She’s the first person whoever touched you…she wrapped you up in her womb for months, and you came out and first priority was to hold you. She cuddled you, stroked your head, rubbed your feet, held your little cheeks against her, gave you a finger to grasp…in love she did all these things, including grooming you with a licked thumb!

When you were little, she could say, “Give me sugar,” and you’d pucker up and she’d accept your wet, sloppy kiss and she even said thank you! You gave her bear hugs so tight she didn’t have to hold on to you…you’d just cling to her as she walked around! She changed your diapers, potty trained you, and held the Kleenex for you to blow your nose! She wiped food off of your face years longer than she should have had to! She constantly touched you! And she may have to hand you off to another, and her life may endured some heavy changes, but she deserves your touch and should never have to give that up completely! It would mean more to her than flowers or candy, or eating out.

Go to a nursing home and there’s not a single instance in which some of those precious old ladies won’t try to reach out and touch someone, a total stranger even! You can tell. They are starved for that simple, innocent brand of physical love.

3. Love her patiently. Mothers have an incredible job with no pay. No position in the business world compares to the physical, emotional, and spiritual commitment she has in motherhood.

No Occupation
She rises up at break of day
and through her tasks she races.
She cooks the meals as best she may
and scrubs the children’s faces
While schoolbooks, lunches, homework too,
all need consideration . . .
And yet the census man insists
She has -- “No Occupation.”

When breakfast dishes all are done
She bakes a pudding, maybe.
She cleans the rooms up, one by one,
With one eye watching Baby.
The mending pile she then attacks
by way of variation.
And yet the census man insists
She has — “No Occupation.”

She irons for a little while,
then presses pants for Daddy.
She welcomes with a cheery smile
returning Boy or Girl.
A hearty dinner next she cooks
(no time for relaxation),
And yet the census man insists
She has—“No Occupation.”

Don’t ever make the mistake of asking a lady, "Do you work, or stay at home?" Many ladies today have to work on top of the full time job they already have.

Love her patiently. Because she’s tender to your needs is no reason to take advantage of her, it’s reason to be patient and to love her all the more! It is unfair for you to be more kind, considerate, patient with your friends and your friend’s mothers than your own mother! If some treated their friends like they treat their mom they wouldn’t have friends. Their mom deserves better. She’s not a rug to wipe every negative thought on! She is not “The Old Lady!”

For us adults with living mothers: Love her patiently.

Dr. Dobson read on Focus on the Family radio:

A letter from an 80 year old woman on her birthday:

To all my children:

I suppose my upcoming birthday started my thoughts along these lines...This is a good time to tell you that what I truly want are things I can never get enough of, yet they are free. I want the intangibles.

I would like for you to come and sit with me, and for you to be relaxed. We can talk, or we can be silent. I would just like for us to be together.

I need your patience when I don’t hear what you say the first time. I know how tiresome it is to always be repeating, but sometimes I must ask you to repeat. I need your patience when I think too much about the past, with my slowness and my set ways. I want you to be tolerant with what the years have done to me physically.

Please be understanding about my personal care habits. I spill things. I lose things. I get unduly excited when I try to figure out my bank statements. I can’t remember what time to take my medication, or if I took it already. I take too many naps. Sometimes sleep helps to pass the day.

Well, there you have it: Time, Patience, and Understanding. Those are priceless gifts that I want.

Finally, in his letter, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I know I can, too! It’s a wonderful feeling to know His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me. I guess being old isn’t so bad after all!

Love, Mom

4. Love her attentively. Mothers listen as you pour out your heart…she has a sympathetic ear, and always has…and even as an adult you’ve gone to her when you want someone who will really listen and understand…and she’ll always be on your side. It’s no wonder we like to talk to mom…she listens…but now she has issues, and now it’s your turn to be her “rock”…and take time to listen…it’s payback time! “But, she’s always complaining”…yes, just like you did! Talks about herself, asks same question over and over…

(Click on the comic strip to enlarge to read.)

Some of you may feel like Calvin’s mother this morning, wondering if anybody’s going to say, "Thank you, Mom, for all the good stuff you do."

Being a mother is a tough job and we recognize and honor that today. She needs a sincere thank you, and not just today, but from a genuinely thankful heart when least expected!

5. Love her generously. There’s nothing too good for her, we could never repay her, but we ought to die trying before she does!

She didn’t spend on herself unless all your needs were met…she could easily do without, and now it’s time for her to have something she wants!

A math teacher asked a question and said, “State your answer as a fraction. If there’s 10 at the table and one apple pie, how much does each one get? “One ninth.” said one student.

“Don’t you know your fractions?” ask the teacher.

“You don’t know my mother! If there’s that many at the table and only one pie, she don’t want any!”

6. Love her honorably.

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12

This is binding as long as your mother lives. If the husband is the head of the home, then the mother is the heart...don’t break her heart.

By the way, it’s the only one of the 10 commandments which includes a built-in promise of blessing!

I like reading this every Mother’s Day.

When God Created Mothers

When the good Lord created mothers, He was into His sixth day of overtime, when an angel appeared and said, "You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 180 moveable parts ... all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that disappears when she stands up; a kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointing love affair, and six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pair of hands? No way!"

"It’s not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord. "It’s the three pair of eyes that mothers have to have. One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks ’What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t, but what she needs to know, and of course the ones in front that look at a child when he goofs up and say, ’I understand and I love you,’ without so much as uttering a word.

"I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already, I have one who heals herself when she is sick ...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger ...and get a nine year old to stand under a shower. Not only can she think, she can reason and compromise."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the mother. "There’s a leak," she pronounced, "I told you that you were trying to put too much in this model."

"That’s not a leak," said the Lord, "it’s a tear."

"What is it for?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride."

"You’re a genius!" shouted the angel.

With a somber look on his face, the Lord said, "I didn’t put it there."

By Erma Bombeck

How about a hand now for the crowning jewel of God’s creation: our mothers!

The Listening God

2009-04-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

This morning we’re going to look at a passage of Scripture found in the last book in the Old Testament, the book of Malachi.

At the time of the writing of Malachi, the nation of Israel had strayed far from God. Evil abounded in the land. Unbelief prevailed. The majority of people went their own sinful ways, giving little thought to the will or ways of God. They laughed at the prophets and showed utter contempt for God and His Law.

As a nation we have strayed from God until our president said, “America is not a Christian nation.”

Many in our nation agree with Him. Just because other religions have come to this great land of ours does not mean that we are no longer a Christian nation!

With that in mind, listen as God speaks to Israel through the prophet.

"You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord. Yet you ask, “What have we said against you?” You have said, “It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape." Malachi. 3:13-15

To put it very bluntly, the people were saying that God was inconsequential, insignificant, and irrelevant. In other words, they thought that God was absolutely powerless to do anything about anything, anymore. So, as a nation, they were ignoring Him. He was unimportant to them. What a pitiful environment in which to live!

But, do you remember? Back in the beginning of their nation, as their forefathers were settling into the Promised Land, Joshua, their leader, had challenged them,

“…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” Joshua 24:15-18

And the people had responded,

“Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God Himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the Lord drove out before us all the nations…who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God.”

And that generation of Israelites was faithful to its vow, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord … because He is our God.” They didn’t forget Him, or ignore Him!

There is no question that their forefathers, the founders of the nation of Israel, had a deep and abiding faith and trust in God.

But by the time of Malachi it was painfully obvious that the nation of Israel, as a whole, had turned almost completely away from God.

Listen again to what God was saying to them:

"You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord. … "You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’"

This sounds a lot like Israel in Jeremiah’s day.

“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turns from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight that it obeys not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. And they said. There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will everyone do the imagination of his evil heart.” Jeremiah 18:7-12

Let us read a verse from Psalms 9:17:

“The wicked will be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

Does this sound familiar? Is our nation going through the same pattern of behavior? I wonder.
When our national leaders do not honor God, what will our nation become?

But there is hope. Let’s go on in our scripture, for in the next few verses of Malachi there are some things that are rather intriguing.

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.
"They will be my treasured possession," says the Lord Almighty, "in the day when I act. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Malachi 3:16-18

What does this scripture say?

First of all, it tells us that in the midst of a faithless nation, God still had a faithful remnant! Even though a great majority of the people had turned their backs upon Him, God still had people who honored and worshiped Him, and sought to do His will.

I would like to tell our president that there are some of us whom we still call ourselves Christian!
There are not many of us, in comparison to the nation as a whole, but Christians have committed themselves to remain faithful to God, no matter what anyone else says or does. And while surrounded by the spiritual darkness of their day, they drew closer and closer together to talk with each other and to support and encourage one another in serving God.

Second, it says that God heard them. Well, of course He did. Doesn’t the Bible teach that He hears our prayers? We can pray, each of us, and know that He has promised to hear and answer our prayers. So, of course, He heard them.

Now this verse didn’t say anything about prayer, but what it did say was that the people talked and God heard.

Even though they were only a small group in the whole nation, God was paying attention to them.

They talked about Him, worshiped Him, and discussed His wonderful ways. And as they did, God was listening to their conversations. He eavesdropped. He tuned into their frequency.

Kings were making laws, but God was listening to His people.

Generals were giving orders, but God was listening to a handful of folks talking about Him. Judges were speaking in court, but God was listening to His remnant.

Politicians were making speeches, but God’s ears were tuned to His faithful followers.
And I believe that God is still doing the same today!

Third, Malachi tells us that the Lord enjoyed what He heard so much that He had it all written down in a book – “A scroll of remembrance…” it is called.

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies’ turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.” Psalm 56:8-11

Do you get the picture? Here is God, summoning an angel, I suppose, to take notes – to write down what was said and who said it so that it would be remembered forever!

Think of that! God really does see and hear what we’re doing and saying - and not just when we’re in church or praying to Him. There’s a record being kept of it, too.

Fourth, notice what God says in verse 17. "They will be my Jewels (treasured possession).” God had made them a promise in Exodus 19:5.

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine”

From Malachi the Hebrew word translated is “treasured possession.”

And it is often translated as “jewels” or “treasure.” So God is saying that these faithful people are His jewels, His very own treasure. He goes on to say that in the day when He acts, He is going to remember them and protect them.

God makes His meaning clear by saying:

“And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Malachi 3:16-18

In the light of that verse I want to be sure I’m part of God’s jewels – His treasure. Do you?

But, even though we call ourselves Christians, how can we make sure that we’re a part of God’s faithful remnant today?

Maybe we can find out by looking once again at what this scripture tells us about them and what they were doing.

They remained true to God.

First of all, it tells us they “feared the Lord” – they held Him in awe and because of that they remained true to Him. It was a time when it wasn’t easy to stay faithful to God. Corruption was everywhere. Hypocrisy abounded. Evil ruled the day.

And we could very easily say the same thing today. You see. It’s never been easy to follow God’s ways. But God has always had a remnant.

This remnant said, “Even though everybody else curses God, we will praise His name.” They stood for righteousness in a wicked nation. They endured the ridicule of family and friends. And God looked down on this small group of faithful ones and said, "They will be my treasured possession."

God’s Jewels remain faithful in every situation.

They talked about God.

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it.”

Not only was this remnant faithful, but when they got together in their meetings, they didn’t spend time gossiping, criticizing, or talking about the weather or sports or current events. They could have, but the times were too dark. They talked about the Lord. They testified about God’s blessings and presence. They spoke of answers to prayer.

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” Psalm 66:16-19

Have you ever noticed how eager someone in love seems to be to talk about the person or thing he or she loves?

But here it says that God’s special treasure, His Jewels, are those who love to get together to share with each about the things of God.

How much does your Christianity mean to you? Is it real? Has it made a difference in your life?

When people have expressed their love and committed their lives to each other in marriage they want to be together, to share all they are with each other.

And in the same way, those who commit their lives to Christ, who become a part of His bride, the church, want to be together and share all they are with each other, too.

They honored His name.

“Those who feared the Lord.”

Finally, look at the latter part of verse 16. Not only were they in awe of the Lord, and eager to share their faith in Him with each other, they honored Him by their words and their lives. They remembered the mighty acts of God. They believed what the prophets had said and written about Him.

The Psalmist said,

Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit at the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1

In a speech in Dallas, Texas, the beloved Corrie Ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place, said that many times people would approach her and say, “Corrie, what a great faith you have.” She smiled as she told how she would reply to them. “No, it’s what a great God I have.”

And whether it was in the nation of Israel in Malachi’s day, or in the United States of America today, it is still true. We still serve a great God.

I want to close with a promise from chapter four of Malachi.

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven. All the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”
“But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. Ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.”

The Folded Napkin

2009-04-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
John 20:1-7

Let me give you the story of His burial and resurrection in a nutshell.

In Bible days, when someone died, it was the duty of a family member to close the eyes and kiss the cheek of the dead. When Christ died, this became the duty of two men: Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus. They went to Pontius Pilate and begged the body of the Lord Jesus. Then they had to take Him down from the cross, which was not an easy chore.

First, they had to rig a ladder, and climb up the side of the cross. Then they had to pull His hands off over the nails. There was no way they could get those spikes out of the wood, not from that angle, not with His hands in between the wood and the nail head. Once the hands were loosed, they allowed the body of Jesus to sag into a sheet, and would then remove His feet from the nail in the same manner.

They took the body of Jesus to a new tomb that Joseph had prepared for himself. They washed His body, and wrapped it in white linen, folding His arms over His chest. They closed His eyes, kissed His cheek, and placed a napkin over His face.They walked away from that tomb, and no doubt, they walked in silence…so all that could be heard were the sounds of their sadness, muffled crying, and sniffing. Surely it must have felt like a huge ball of lead in the pits of their stomachs, as they were thinking, “It’s all over, the end of the dream… and it only lasted for three short years.”

Three days passed like an eternity. I believe with all my heart that the birds refused to sing, and the sun refused to shine.

For three days, all the demons of hell rejoiced. Satan and the forces of darkness thought they had won a great victory.

For three days, the Jewish leaders, as well as the Roman government, congratulated themselves on their brilliant scheme.

But! But!

On the third day something wonderful and miraculous happened, as God the Father said to an angel in heaven, “Go get Him!” When the angel’s feet hit the ground, the stone rolled away, and “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph over His foes.”

In our text, Mary came first to the empty tomb. She saw the stone rolled away and it frightened her. She ran to get Peter and John. They ran together to the tomb as fast as they could. John out ran Peter. When he got there, he looked inside, and saw those grave clothes lying there in disarray. Then Peter arrived and, just as we would expect of him, went right in. He also saw the linen clothes lying there, but there was something unusual in that scene.

Something caught their eye that was very interesting. The Gospel of John tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

I found out something interesting about the folded napkin in my studies the other day I want to share with you.

"In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. The servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I’m done.' However, if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it aside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, 'I’m coming back!'"

Peter and John had walked with Christ for three years. They had watched as He opened blind eyes and deaf ears. They watched as He literally raised people from the dead. Then they watched Him die…and as they watched, all their hopes, all their dreams were shattered!

All they could think was, “It’s over. It’s all over! All hope is gone!”

For three long days they were in the depths of despair. The lights of their souls had gone dim. Peter even said, “I am going fishing. I am going back to what I used to do.”

After three days, they saw an empty tomb. Not only did they see an empty tomb, but also they saw a folded napkin in that empty tomb!

I wonder if when they saw that folded napkin God spoke to them in their being and said, “He’s not finished yet…He’s coming back!” I thank God today for that. I want to declare to you, “He has not finished yet! The tomb is empty. Our Savior is alive and the napkin is still folded!”

1. He has not finished with His plan for the soul of man.

The folded napkin says that He has not finished saving souls. The Bible says that Jesus came into this world for one reason: to save sinners.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

In God’s eyes, there is no difference…there are no big sinners and little sinners, just sinners.

The napkin is still folded…He is still saving souls! It is not too late to get your heart right with God!

2. The napkin is still folded…He has not finished reclaiming backsliders.

A few days before Christ died, He took His disciples aside and told them what was about to happen. He said, “I am going to be betrayed, arrested, beaten, and crucified.” Then He looked at the disciples and said, “All of you are going to desert me when the heat is on.”

The Apostle Peter rose up in typical style and said, “Not me, Lord. Though all shall be offended, yet will I never be offended.”

In other words, “Lord, I do not know about the rest of these bums, but you can count on me!” Then he said, “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.”

Can’t you just see Jesus shaking his head, saying, “Peter, you are going deny me three times by tomorrow morning!”

Then the Roman soldiers came to arrest the Lord Jesus…with swords and shields and spears. Courage welled up in Peter’s heart He took out his sword and even took a swing at them. He lopped off the ear of one of them. Jesus picked up that ear, and supernaturally reattached it to the man’s head. Now if I had seen that miracle, I think I would have wanted to change sides!

They arrested Jesus and subjected Him to sheer torture. In addition, while this was happening, Peter’s courage turned to butter.

A young woman approached and said, “I know you, you were with Him”. And this same man who had just stood up to the entire Roman army, now backed down and said, “I don’t know the man!”

Another came up and said the same, and again he denied Christ. Yet another said, “your accent betrays you, you are a Galilean, you are one of His disciples.” He not only denied Christ that third time, but for emphasis threw in a few cuss words. "I don’t know the man, leave me alone!"

The rooster immediately crowed and Peter remembered the words of Jesus. He looked off into the distance. There stood Christ, and their eyes caught. When he saw the sadness and sorrow in the eyes of Jesus, it broke his heart.

For three days he lived in shame, guilt, and misery, realizing he had denied the Lord.

Look at Mark’s account of the Easter story.

And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. Mark 16: 1-7

Can’t you see it in your mind’s eye…these ladies running to the disciples to tell them the good news. "He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s risen from the dead!!"

Can’t you see Peter, in the corner of the room, shocked, saying, “What? What did you say? It’s true?”

“Yes, He said to meet Him at Galilee!”

Peter, who had been in the depths of depression for three days, stunned at the reality of the Resurrection, and almost encouraged, was once again plagued in his mind at his pitiful denial of Christ, and was dragged right back down into his pit of despair, and thought.

Peter was thinking, “Surely He doesn’t mean for me to come. I denied Him three times, I cussed and swore…surely, surely He doesn’t mean me!”

And the ladies said, “Oh, Peter, by the way…He mentioned you by name!!! Yes, he mentioned you by name!”

“He did? What did He say?”

He said, “Go tell the disciples…and Peter.”

Why did Jesus want to see Peter…to rebuke him? No, he wanted to restore him! And one of the sweetest scenes you’ll ever see in scripture is Peter and Jesus, coming together, and

Jesus hugging him and saying, “Peter, do you love me?” Not, “Peter, are you going to cuss any more?” No! He said, “Do you love me?”

That’s the real issue. If you’re here today and you know you’re a backslider, let me ask you, “Was there a time when you were right with Him?”

You see, the real question is not, “Are you going live in sin anymore?” The real question today is "Do you love Him?" He loves you!

The napkin is still folded: He’s still saving souls. And He’s still reclaiming backsliders. Jesus will not rub them in, He’ll rub them out!

3. The napkin is still folded because he is still giving the Holy Spirit to them that believe!

One of the last messages that Jesus gave His Disciples was to tarry until they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

I still believe that Jesus still wants to pour out His Holy Spirit on believers today.

I still believe in the Old Testament scripture that tells us that God said that He would pour out His Spirit.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Joel 2:28-32

I still believe that Jesus wants to sanctify and live within the believer.

For this is the will of God even your sanctification. I Thessalonians 4:3

The napkin is still folded!!!!

4. When will He be finished with the napkin?

I want to close with this question! “When will Christ be finished and be done with the napkin?”

I need to remind you there’s coming a day when another supper will take place. It is called the marriage supper of the Lamb. I have a feeling that at the marriage supper of the Lamb, that at the end of the meal, Jesus will stand at the head of the table. He’s going to wipe His fingers, His mouth and clean His beard. He’s going take His napkin, and cast it aside. When that happens, it is over!

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Revelation 19:7-9

The last soul that is going to be saved has been saved.

The last backslider that is going to come home has.

The last person will have been sanctified.

How many of you know what the last word of the Bible is?

There is coming a day when the last amen will be said.

I beg of you, do not wait ‘til it’s too late. Right now, the napkin is still folded!

Remember the prodigal son. When he came home, his father welcomed him home with open arms!

Today, Jesus is calling you home. The napkin is still folded!

Jesus is Still in Control

2009-03-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I want to talk about the story of Jesus’ arrest.

We see him fully in control of his destiny. We see him full of majesty and authority even while being arrested as a common criminal.

When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?”
They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.”
Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” John 18:1-11

John does not want us to get the wrong idea about Jesus’ arrest. This arrest was like no other arrest you have ever heard about. In this situation the person being arrested is in charge.

The mob that arrests Jesus think they are in charge but John lets us know in no uncertain terms that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, is voluntarily laying down his life in our behalf.

Do you remember John’s objective in writing this gospel?

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

Christ was not the victim of an angry mob even though every person in that mob stands morally accountable for his choices, just as we will be held accountable for our choices. Every person in the mob was exercising free will and exercising their wills against the Lord of Glory. God gives people the will to choose. But none of that thwarted the sovereign purpose and plan of God.

Remember how Peter addressed the people of Jerusalem about 50 days later on the day of Pentecost?

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross." Acts 2:22-23

Wicked, accountable hands were at work on the night of our text.

But we will see that “This man,” our Lord and Savior, is being arrested “by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.”

I want to share with you six demonstrations of Jesus’ lordship in our text that assure us beyond any doubt that he was in control of the situation, that he gave his life for us voluntarily so that we might have life.

1. His decision to go into Gethsemane.

Immediately after his prayer in John 17 Jesus led his disciples across the Kidron valley into the Garden of Gethsemane. This is particularly significant because this was where Judas would expect to find him. Jesus knew that his hour had come. He was positioning himself to be arrested.

Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. John 1:2

Judas knew the place and Jesus knew that Judas knew the place. When Judas was leading the mob to arrest Jesus he probably went first to the upper room. Not finding Jesus there he led them to the Garden.

From the another gospel we know that Jesus prayed in great agony there in the garden. In fact, the emotional and spiritual pressure was so great that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. There he was in a deep spiritual struggle dealing with the ordeal that lay ahead. He had asked Peter, James, and John to pray with him. They tried but failed. They would start to pray but then fall asleep.

Jesus had gone a little space from them and prayed “Father, if You are willing take this cup from me; yet not by will but Yours be done.” Three times when he would come back to them they would be asleep. Luke, the physician, makes an interesting observation about their sleep. He says that they were “sleeping from sorrow”

The emotional strain of everything that was going on had exhausted them and caused them to seek escape through sleep. I have never experienced what they experienced that night. But I have been in some situations where I found myself sleeping for sorrow—just trying to escape from it all by sleeping and hoping everything would be different when I woke up.

Sleep is not the answer. Escape is not the answer. But prayer is the answer.

When Jesus came to them the third time the crowd arrived in the Garden. The lights from the lanterns and torches could be seen in the distance. Perhaps the rumble of their footsteps and the clanging of their swords could be heard as well.

Jesus was not caught off guard, not surprised by Judas’ deception, fully knowledgeable of what was happening and submitting himself fully to the Father’s will.

He was in this place where he knew they could find him. And when the crowd arrives he went out to meet them.

2. His demeanor in the face of this hostile crowd was full of majesty.
He was not a nervous, scared criminal who had finally gotten caught. He was not a helpless victim of a lynch mob. Rather He was still the Lord of Glory and King of Kings even in this most humbling of circumstances. He saw and knew they were coming and he didn’t run away!

The mob expected the usual human reaction of fight or flight. They had prepared for either response. They came with swords in case there is a fight. Pilate sent a detachment of soldiers with the Pharisees and temple police.

The word translated “detachment” in John 18:3 is a military word used for a Roman cohort, which was one tenth of a legion or 600 men.

Pilate did not want a riot on his hands during this feast and you can be sure he sent what he considered to be overwhelming force. This was a huge mob and they were out for blood.
During the Passover feast there was a full moon and lots of light at night. But the crowd had come with lanterns and torches in case Jesus tried to hide himself in the trees and bushes. They approached Jesus with certain assumptions that prove totally false. When they encountered Jesus he was not hiding in some hole the way Saddam Hussein was captured. He boldly went out to meet them.

Had we been there I think we would have recognized something very intimidating about that demon-inspired mob. Satan had entered into Judas and Judas was leading the crowd. There was the normal intimidation of Pilate’s soldiers and the temple police; but beyond that was the spiritual darkness at work.

The mob was energized by demonic activity. What a horrible thing to have to face. But Jesus had already won the spiritual victory in prayer.

Now the manifestation of that victory is a foregone conclusion. Here is one lesson we must not overlook.

Even Jesus, the Son of God, prepared himself through prayer. He did not neglect his source of strength. Therefore, he was ready for the test when it came. Contrary to the crowd's expectations, Jesus walked up to them with composure and calm and asked them the question, “Who is it you want?”

Their reply was very specific, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

They did not recognize him as the Messiah or the Christ but only as a common peasant from the little town of Nazareth.

They were approaching him as they would any other man. But they were about to discover that he was more than a man. He is Lord. And his Lordship was demonstrated powerfully by what happened next.

3. His demonstration of power.

When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. John 18:6

There is no question in my mind as to what happened in that verse. When Jesus spoke the words, “I am he,” the crowd was knocked down by the power of the Spirit. The original language clearly indicates they fell to the ground.

If Jesus had that kind of authority and power—the ability to speak the word and knock them to the ground, he clearly did not have to surrender to them.

John tells us about this so that we will know beyond any doubt that Jesus was in control. No man took his life. He willingly laid it down as a sacrifice in your behalf and in my behalf.

4. His desire for the disciples' release.

Look at His focus during this exchange in verses 4 thru 8. Think about all the questions Jesus might have asked. Think about all the arguments He might have brought in His own defense. He does not defend Himself. But He does defend His disciples.

What was the design of His question to the mob? “Who do you want?” Wasn’t it obvious that they wanted Jesus? But Jesus was getting at something that was in His mind at the time. He was forcing them to focus on Him rather than His disciples. He was leading the conversation to this conclusion in verse 8, “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”

That is a revelation of His heart toward you and me. He is always looking out for us. There in His darkest hour He was making sure his disciples were okay. There was Jesus in the most extreme circumstances. If ever there were a time to justify a little selfishness it would be right there. But He continued to love His own to the end even though they were failing Him in many ways.

We saw earlier that we can trust Him in any situation because he is powerful. He is always in control and therefore in a position to help.

But here we see that we can always trust Him because He is always looking out for our best interest. As the Good Shepherd He even puts our welfare above His own and takes the blow in our behalf.

John adds this comment in verse 9, “This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: ‘I have lost none of those you gave me’.”

Usually when we read that kind of terminology we expect to find the quote somewhere in the Old Testament.

But that is not the case here. Jesus is referring to Jesus’ words in John 17:9 where Jesus prayed, “None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”

Let's take a second and look at Judas.

Judas stands in cold contrast to Jesus in our text. There he was with the enemy. Not long ago he was in this garden praying with Jesus. Not long ago he sat next to Jesus at the communion table. He had lived so close to the Lord of Life. He had worked miracles in the name of Jesus. He had so seemed to be part of the twelve that no one but Jesus suspected him as a traitor.

Charles Spurgeon said,“Judas proves the futility of knowledge apart from sincerity and that familiarity with the sacred can still produce a traitor.”

Judas never surrendered his heart to Christ though he followed him along with the other eleven.
Here is an amazing thing in our story. Judas and the entire mob that came with him did not alter their intentions even when confronted with the majesty of Christ. They had to be surprised at His noble demeanor.

5. His glory was demonstrated when they are knocked down by the power of God.

Surely when they saw the miracle of Jesus’ healing Malchus’ ear—surely then they would have repented and abandoned their mission. No, they continue headstrong in their iniquity.

If God would just show His power surely people would repent and turn to Him. Some will respond that way, but the demonstration of power does not guarantee repentance. Repentance is a choice made in the heart of an individual.

Don’t say, “I would serve God if He would show Himself real.” He has done that a thousand times over. Accept the facts that are already before you. Turn to Him and serve Him.

John shows us this same thing in the book of Revelation. There God deals directly with sinners but they still refuse to repent.

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. Revelation 16:8-11

Their response to the judgments of God was to gnaw their tongues in agony and curse God. With amazement John adds, “but they refused to repent…”

In our text this headstrong crowd refused to repent. They had no doubt come with intentions to deal with this problem once and for all. They intended to take Jesus and everyone who stood with Him. But Jesus submitted Himself to their arrest only after He gained the freedom of His followers. This is even more remarkable considering Peter’s behavior in the rest of this story.

6. His dramatic of healing to Malchus.

Have you ever tried to help Jesus in the wrong way? Peter was trying to help Jesus, but he was not moving in the spirit but in the flesh. And even though his intentions were right, he was actually doing more harm than good. He was going about a good thing in the wrong way and the result is that some sinner’s ear gets cut off.

Have you ever cut a sinner’s ear off? Have you ever approached him in some way that actually made it harder for him to hear the gospel than before he encountered you?

I have known Christians who mean well but because they got ahead of God they caused damage to another person.

Here He healed the man’s ear and tells Peter to put up his sword. As if to say, "I am still in charge, Peter!"

Why did Peter make such a mistake?

Lack of spiritual preparation. He was sleeping when he should have been praying. Had not Jesus said to him and the others, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” We must put on our spiritual armor before the evil day is upon us. Sometimes we’re like the five foolish virgins who think they can take care of everything last minute. But Peter failed to prepare himself for the challenges he would face.
He relied on carnal weapon to win a spiritual battle. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” Are you trying to solve your problem through carnal means? Maybe a more spiritual approach would yield better results.
Peter was looking at secondary causes rather than seeing the situation as Jesus saw it. Look at the contrast between Peter’s perspective and that of Jesus. Peter saw this mob as the problem so he just attacked it. But Jesus looked beyond secondary causes and linked up with the Father’s will.

“Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” John 18:11

If we’re not careful we will be expending all our energy dealing with secondary causes rather than discovering the Father’s will and cooperating with it. It’s a tiresome thing to deal with secondary causes because the problem seldom gets solved that way.

Have you tried to solve your problems by attacking them the way Peter does here? Are you vigorously hacking away at something and getting unsatisfactory results? If what you are doing is not working, then pray as Jesus prayed until you can see what God is doing and how He wants you to respond.

The healing of Malchus’ ear is actually recorded in Luke 22:51 where we are told that Jesus touched his ear and healed him. This is Jesus’ last miracle before his crucifixion. It is another demonstration of Jesus’ power and authority at the time of his arrest.

John makes some things abundantly clear in this story:

Jesus was not taken against his will. He willingly offered himself as the sacrifice for sin.

He was not a victim of an angry mob. He was totally in control of the whole situation. And if he was in control during those darkest hours—the time when the powers of darkness were most at work, you can know that he is in control of whatever may be happening in your life.

Circumstances may seem like they are out of control. On the surface the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus looked like an unfortunate miscarriage of justice. But in reality the sovereign plan of God was being marvelously fulfilled. In this story we are assured of Jesus’ control over the events and circumstances of our lives. Here we find courage to trust Him even when we don’t understand all that is happening.

How many of you know that Jesus is still in control?

God Lives Under the Bed

2009-03-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

God lives under the bed
I ran across this story and I had to stop and pray for the Lord to help my faith . I am not sure who wrote it but I hope it will help your faith.
Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. One night he was praying out loud in his bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, Under the bed..." I laughed & tiptoed to my room. My brother Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world in which Kevin lives. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled due to problem in labor. Apart from his size (he’s 6-foot-2) there are few ways in which he’s an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and always will. He’ll probably always believe God lives under his bed, Santa Claus fills the space under the Christmas tree and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to the workshop for the disabled, home to walk the dog & eat his favorite macaroni/cheese dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the routine is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washer like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner. He stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day’s laundry chores. And oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of the passengers. "That one’s goin’ to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power. He doesn’t care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he’s working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He’s not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride, unconcerned with appearances, Kevin’s not afraid to cry when he’s hurt, angry or sorry. He’s always transparent, always sincere. He trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap, I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances – they all become disabilities…when I do not trust them to God’s care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he’s spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. And Kevin won’t be surprised at all!

Passing the Test

2009-03-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the scene. It is His last evening with His apostles before His crucifixion. And they are all together in the upper room. The evening began with Jesus washing their feet, teaching them humility. Then they began to eat, and while they were eating, Jesus says that one of them will betray Him. In the midst of the resulting questions and turmoil, Judas quietly leaves.

Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
John 13:31-38

So when we begin verse 31 of John 13, Judas is gone leaving only Jesus and the other 11 apostles. (It was discovered that he had a sickness that he didn’t want to face up to.) It is almost as if there is a breath of fresh air in that upper room.

The servant of evil has left!

Now Jesus begins to talk about what it means to be His disciple.

I wonder how we would score if there were a test available that could clearly reveal just how faithful and devout a Christian we are - that really measured the level of our spirituality?

You see, on the surface it appears that most of the time we feel that things are going well and we’re doing a pretty good job of being a Christian. In fact, I’m convinced that most people, if asked, "How are you doing?" would answer, "I’m doing fine."

I’m afraid that we tend to be like the fellow in the old story who showed up for a court hearing concerning an accident in which he had been involved. His arm was in a cast, there were bandages all over him, and the exposed parts of his body were clearly bruised, scratched and cut. He was a real mess.

Looking rather surprised, the judge asked about his injuries. He replied, "Judge, I’m in a terrible condition. I have cuts and stitches all over me, and I’m feeling awful."

The judge said, "I don’t understand this. The accident report filed by the Officer says that at the time of the accident you told him you were just fine."

"Well Judge," the man replied, "let me explain. I was driving my pickup and pulling a trailer. In the back of the pickup was my old dog Shep, and my mule was in the trailer. All of a sudden an 18-wheeler sideswiped me, knocking me off the road. My pickup and trailer rolled over and over, and we ended up at the bottom of a big embankment. The next thing I remember, a police officer was picking his way through the wreckage. I saw him stop and examine my mule, then he pulled out his pistol and shot the mule between the eyes. Next, he got to where Shep was lying, and after examining him, he shot old Shep, too. Then he walked over to me and asked, 'How are you?' And I said, 'I’m just fine.'"

Even though we generally say, "I’m doing fine," in reality, when it comes to our spiritual lives, things may not be going very well. We may not be growing spiritually. We may be sick and not even know it.

How many people have ever heard the words from a doctor, “If you would have come to me sooner we could have caught this cancer."

We consider ourselves "just fine" spiritually. But what if we had a test that could really measure the level of our commitment to Christ, and of our discipleship? Well, maybe we do.

It seems that in John 13:31-38 Jesus provides us with the marks of true discipleship, and measuring stick to show us how well we are doing spiritually. And he shares three marks of what it takes to follow Him.

1. When we have a desire to glorify God.

“Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.” John 13:31-32

From the Greek: To glorify : To give honour or to magnify.

Jesus said, "I’m going to be glorified," and it is evident that He was talking about His own crucifixion. But how can any glory come out of that? How can glory come out of the Son of God hanging on an old rugged, bloody cross? How can glory come out of suffering and pain and death?

There is just one way. On the cross Jesus defeated Satan. On the cross He became the sacrifice to redeem us from all the sins that separate us from God. On the cross He built a bridge between man and God so that we could be together again.

It was the revelation of His heart. All his life He had been trying to tell the world how much He loved it. He had shown them by His deeds and His words. But now His love would be demonstrated through His death.

How did Jesus glorify God ? Well again, the answer is found in the cross.

On the cross Jesus revealed what God is like.
On the cross we see the love and mercy of God, the grace and justice of God.
On the cross we see the righteousness, the holiness, and the power of God.

It is all displayed there on the cross. His action spoke loader than His words.

So how can we glorify God in our lives? Whenever we show the world the love and mercy and grace of God in our lives, then God is being glorified through us.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Psalms 115:1

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: I Corinthians 1:31-32

Some years ago a men’s retreat was held in Texas. As the men arrived at camp the first man they met was a small, frail-looking man. The first impression of this man was not anything special, because he was an old man and didn’t seem very important. But many times the first impressions are not always accurate.

There were about 30 men who were together all Friday night and Saturday. They talked and prayed together, and shared their testimonies.

If we had been there an amazing thing would have became very apparent as the men shared their stories. As each one told about coming to know and accept Christ as Savior, almost without exception, every one, some place in his story, his testimony, mentioned this small, frail-looking man. Some time along the way this little man had influenced each one of them, and they had come to Christ at least partially because of him. And God was glorified as a result. This man's actions spoke louder than His words.

So how are we doing? Are we busy trying to glorify ourselves, or are we trying to glorify God? That is the first test.

2. When we have unfailing love for one another we glorify God.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34

God’s Word says that the world will know we are Christians by our love, not by our Scripture memorization, or the amount of money we have given. Christ wants His followers to be known for their love by how they minister to one another.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him.
And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. I John 3:14-24

3. We glorify God when we have an unswerving loyalty to Jesus.

Simon Peter asked Him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." Peter asked, "Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!" John 13:36-38

How loyal are we? Do we have an unswerving loyalty that will always be there?

Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:21-22

It seems as if Simon Peter was always being tempted by Satan, and Jesus was always praying for Peter to be able to resist the temptations.

Why? What was the matter with Simon Peter?

It was Simon Peter who wanted to walk on water. "Need somebody to walk on water, Lord? I’ll do it."

It was Simon Peter who wanted to build tabernacles on the Mount of Transfiguration.

It was Simon Peter who was always speaking, always charging ahead, always demonstrating his loyalty, at least with words.

But there is a great difference between proclaiming your loyalty and practicing it.

Peter was always proclaiming his loyalty, but not always willing to practice it. "You’re going to die, Lord?" he asks. "Well, if you die, I’ll die with you."

It is easy to say, "I would die for the Lord." But when they are getting out the nails to drive through your hands and feet, it’s a whole different situation.

"Are you really willing to die for Me, Peter? Let me show you how loyal you really are.
Before the morning comes, you will deny Me not once, but 3 different times."

"Going to be loyal to Me?" the Lord asks. "Okay, Peter, watch and pray with Me. I’m going to go a little further into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray."

But Peter went to sleep.

"Going to be loyal to Me, Peter? Then how close will you follow Me?"

Luke tells us that when the soldiers took Jesus out of the Garden of Gethsemane that Peter followed at a distance.

When you follow Jesus at a distance you usually end up in the wrong crowd.

That is exactly what happened to Peter. He ended up in the High Priest’s courtyard with those who started asking him, "You’re one of the Nazarene’s followers, aren’t you?"

"Not me," Peter said.

Three times he was asked. And three times he denied even knowing Jesus. Peter found out that it was a lot easier to proclaim his loyalty than to practice it!

The difference between Peter and Judas was that Peter found a place of repentance and when he did he found out what it really meant to follow Jesus.

A mother wrote, "My 3-year-old was on my heels everywhere I went. And whenever I stopped to do something and then turned back around, I’d trip over him. Time and again I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, 'Oh that’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.' Then he continued to bounce happily along behind me. After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose patience. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up with sweet green eyes and said, 'Well, Mommy, my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see Him, so I’m walking in yours.'"

This morning, are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus?

The test questions would be:

Is your life a life that brings glory to God?
Is your life one that is filled with love for God and His family?
Is your life one of unswerving loyalty to Jesus?

It doesn’t make any difference how many crosses we wear, how many bumper stickers we have on our car. What really matters is our commitment to follow Jesus. Yet, all too often we have fallen short in this.

But God says, "I really do want you as My disciple. So I’m giving you another chance like I did Peter! Just because you fell short doesn’t mean that I have stopped loving you. That’s the whole idea behind the cross. You can start all over and begin anew.

Maybe you can follow closer this time.
Maybe you can be more humble.
Maybe you can love just a little more.
Maybe you can be more unselfish and really allow My glory to shine through your life.
Are you willing to start again? I’m willing if you are."

That is what Jesus is saying. "I’m willing if you are."

So He invites and He waits.

"Do you want to be My disciple?

These are a few marks for following Jesus.

I want to close with this story:

Teddy Stallard was an unattractive and unmotivated fifth grade boy. His teacher, Mrs. Thompson found him difficult to like due to his expressionless, unfocused stare. She had to admit that down deep inside she took pleasure in marking his papers with red ink and making an F with a special flair.

One day she began to wonder about this boy. As a teacher she had access to his records and as she read she saw that she had demonstrated her Christian life before him.

1st Grade: Teddy shows promise with his work and attitude but has a poor home situation.

2cnd Grade: Teddy could do better. Mother is seriously ill and he receives little help at home.

3rd Grade: Teddy is a good boy but too serious. Slow learner. His mother died this year.

4th Grade: Teddy is very slow but well behaved. Father shows no interest.

She began to show more love to the children and she went out her way to show Teddy that God loved Him.

At Christmas the children in Mrs. Thompson’s class brought her presents in pretty wrappings. When she got to Teddy’s it was crudely wrapped in brown paper and loosely held together with tape. She opened it to find a bracelet with stones missing and a bottle of cheap perfume. Some of the children snickered but trying to be nice she slipped on the bracelet and even some perfume saying, "Doesn’t it smell lovely?"

When school was over Teddy lingered behind and came to her desk, "Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother, and her bracelet looks real pretty on you too. I’m glad you liked my presents."

She went home and ask God to show His love through her!

Next day, her class welcomed a new teacher. Miss Thompson was no longer just a teacher but an agent of God. She committed herself to loving her children and especially Teddy Stallard.
Teddy began to show dramatic improvement and by the end of the year had caught up with most of the other students.

She did not hear from Teddy for a long time until one day she received a note: "Dear Miss Thompson. I wanted you to know that I will be graduating second in my high school class. Love Teddy Stallard."

Four years later: "Dear Miss Thompson: They just told me I would be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be the first to know. The university has not been easy but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stallard."

Finally: "Dear Miss Thompson: As of today I am Theodore Stallard, MD. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month. I want you to come and sit where my mother would have sat if she were alive. You are my only family. Dad died last year. Love, Teddy Stallard."

She went to the wedding and in Teddy’s eyes she had earned the right to sit in a special place because as an agent of God’s love she had done something for Teddy that he could never forget. She had exercised the power of God’s love.

Facing the New Year

2008-12-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Phil. 3:12-14
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

There is an old story about a happy little boy who went out into the field wearing a baseball cap. In one hand he carried a baseball, In the other, a baseball bat. His face bore a look of tremendous confidence.

Cocking his bat, he tossed the ball into the air, saying, "I’m the greatest batter in the world!" Then he swung and missed. "Strike one," he said.
He picked up the ball, examined it, and threw it into the air again. As he swung, he repeated, "I’m the greatest batter in the world." Once again he missed. "Strike two," he said.

This time, he stopped to examine his bat to make sure there wasn’t a hole in it. Then he picked up the ball, adjusted his cap, and tossed the ball into the air for the third time. He repeated again, "I’m the greatest batter in the world," and swung with all his might. He missed for the third straight time. "Wow" he cried, "What a pitcher. I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!"

Today is the last Sunday of 2008, and as we look back over the last 12 months, I’m not sure whether most of us would be considered pitchers or batters. One thing for sure, at times we have all struck out. I guess it’s good to be able to start over afresh. Boys and girls will be back in school. Young people will head off to college. Most of us have recovered from the holiday season and are well into doing our jobs and the activities of the new year.

What do you anticipate for this year? Are you full of enthusiasm, looking forward eagerly to what each day will bring? Or are you filled with dread, worried that 2009 will be worse than 2008 for you?

Like the little boy with the bat, may I suggest that your attitude, your frame of mind, your reaction to its events will largely determine whether it is a year of victory or a year of defeat. The Apostle Paul was never one to let circumstances conquer him. Rather, with the help of God, he was determined to win the victor’s crown.

Listen as his attitude, dedication, determination shine through in these words found in Philippians 3:12-14."I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

With Paul’s words fresh in our minds, here are some suggestions to help us be all that we can be in 2009.

1. Think About The VALUE OF TIME

How do we value ONE YEAR? Ask a student who failed a grade.
How do we value ONE MONTH? Ask a Mother whose baby arrived prematurely.
How do we value ONE WEEK? Editor’s of weekly newspapers know.
How do we value ONE HOUR? Ask someone who lies terminally ill waiting for a loved one who is late.
How do we value ONE MINUTE? Ask someone who missed a plane, a train, a very important engagement that would never be rescheduled.
How do we value ONE SECOND? Ask an Olympic Medalist, someone who just missed having an accident, or saying good-by to someone you know you will never see again.

Of course we know that time is a human invention. I’m convinced that God doesn’t wear a wristwatch, or use a calendar. The Bible says, "With God a day is as a 1,000 years, and 1,000 years as a day."

God deals with eternity, and therefore time is not an important factor with Him. But time is important to us because we live in a limited time frame. We begin with infancy, then go on to adolescence, adulthood, middle-age, old age, and to everything that follows. We measure life in segments of time.

Now, what makes something valuable? Oftentimes it is scarcity. If there is a scarcity, then that product quickly escalates in value. If something is rare, it is usually valuable. But if we have a lot of it, it loses its value.

Now, the same is true with time. Young people feel that they have plenty of time, therefore time loses its value, and they aren’t too concerned about wasting or squandering it. On the other hand, as we get up in years a bit, we begin to realize that our time is becoming rare and therefore more valuable. Those of us over 50 tend to look at those under 20 and say, "Don’t squander time, because it’s very valuable."

They reply, "No, it’s not. We have lots of time. So we can waste it any way we want." The wider the age gap, the wider the generation gap - because of the different values that we place on time.
The Bible often speaks of the brevity of life. It compares life to the weaver’s shuttle rapidly going back and forth - to the shadows of summer that quickly disappear - to grass which grows up, dies, and then is burned. No wonder the Psalmist asks God, "What is man that you are mindful of him?"

Statisticians tells us that the average life span is now around 75 years. If you’re under 30 then you think that is a long time. If you’re around my age, you’re beginning to realize that’s not really very long at all. That means that if I live only 75 years then I only have 9 years to go. Now that is a sobering thought!

I came across some interesting statistics a few years ago. Someone went to the trouble to research what people do with their time, and came up with these results:

If we live to be 75, most of us will have spent 3 solid years, 24 hours a day, acquiring an education - grade school, high school and college. We’ll have spent 7 years eating, 24 hours a day, - some more, some less, obviously. We’ll have spent 14 years, day and night, working. We’ll have spent 5 years riding in automobiles or airplanes. We’ll have spent 5 years talking with each other - again some more and some less. We’ll have spent 1 year sick or recovering from sickness. And get this, we’ll have spent 24 years of our life sleeping! We’ll have spent 3 years reading books, magazines and newspapers. And 12 years amusing ourselves - watching TV, going to the movies, fishing, etc.

That totals up to 75 years. That is what the researchers say, on the average, most of us will have done with our lives.

As I looked at these statistics I began thinking, suppose you spent every Sunday of your life, for 75 years - through infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age - in God’s house worshiping during the morning worship service. How much time would you have spent worshiping God? Figure it out - the answer is less than 5 1/2 months. Let’s double that if you attend Sunday School. You’ve never missed Sunday School in all your life. That makes it 11 months.

Think about that - 5 years in an automobile and just 11 months in church and Sunday School! Twelve years amusing ourselves in front of a TV and just 11 months in Church and Sunday School. That is just if you always attended Sunday School and church and never missed!"

That tells us a little bit about the brevity of time. It also tells us something about our priorities in life.

The Bible also teaches us that life is uncertain.

Time is like a valuable commodity in a very precious and delicate vessel. It might break at any moment and we might lose it all. We have this moment. The past is gone, We don’t know anything about the future, but we have this moment. That is all we really have. Because of the uncertainty of life, the Bible says, "Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation." The writer of Hebrews says, "When you hear the name of the Lord, don’t harden your hearts."

Because life is uncertain we must take advantage of the time we have.

2. Don't dwell in THE PAST

We are special beings in that God has given us the ability to remember. Your memory may be your friend or your enemy. When you remember, hopefully you’ll remember some very pleasant things about this past year, but chances are that you’ll also remember some negative things. In fact, sometimes we dwell upon the negative and begin to feel sorry for ourselves.

Maybe this past year was a time of great transitions in your life - the kids grew up and married and left home and you’re now trying to deal with the empty nest syndrome.

Maybe your job came to an end and you’re having a tough time making ends meet.

Maybe a loved one died and you’re trying to deal with the lingering grief and loneliness you feel.

Maybe it was a time when sin got a real hold in your life, and you now feel the burden and guilt of that sin. You see, those things can cripple us and hold us in bondage to the past.

That is why Paul said, "I forget about what lies behind." Paul had a lot that was behind him. Paul had a very shaky past. He persecuted the church. He used his authority to kill Christians. By his own admission he said, "I am chief of sinners."

He could have walked around all his life with this tremendous burden of guilt crippling him and he would never have become the great apostle we know and love today. But Paul said, "…forgetting what is behind…" In other words, "God, I commit it to you. I seek your forgiveness for all the sins of the past, and I look forward to what lies ahead. Right now I’m going to live today the best I can."

I believe that is good advice for us as well. The only thing we can do about the past is to ask God's forgiveness for the sins that we committed. We can’t forget some things about our past, but it is better for our souls, if we remember when God’s grace was applied to our hearts. When Satan brings up our past, we just point him to the blood of Jesus.

3. We need to establish a PRIORITY IN OUR LIVES

Finally, I think that we need to establish a priority in our lives. Paul says it this way, "This one thing I do." Paul obviously did more than one thing. He made tents. He preached sermons and established churches. He healed the sick. He wrote books. He did a lot of different things. But he said, "The top priority in my life is to press on toward the goal for the prize for which God has called me."

Each day draw nearer to God, spending time with Him in prayer and seeking His guidance for your life through reading His Word. It was Jesus who said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be added unto you."

I am amazed how many Christians do not have their priority’s in order. We seem to find time for everything but what God wants. There are so many distractions these days that if we are not careful we place God low on our list of priority’s.

Some seem to say, "God understands that I have a busy life and it’s okay if I don’t have time for Him as much as I should. After all He loves me!"

What did Jesus say again? "Seek ye first"! What? "Seek ye FIRST my kingdom!" (emphasis mine). That does not mean that it’s okay if we put God low on our list of priority’s!

It means God MUST come FIRST! Even before family! Before money! Before pleasure!

I tried to think what God wants on my priority list for Him. Here is the list I came up with.

1. To love Him first and foremost! To love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind!
2. To love my family like He would.
2. To love others as much like Him as I can!
3. To keep my heart and soul ready for His soon return.

I want to tell you about a story I read the other day that showed me about priorities. Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York - The Brooklyn Tabernacle. He tells the following story:

“It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, "Could I talk to you?"

We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it: "What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine." He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him, "What’s your name?"

"David."

"How long have you been on the street?"

"Six years."

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-two." He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed. "Where did you sleep last night, David?"

"Abandoned truck."

I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out.

David pushed his finger in front of me. He said, "I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street."

I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening.

I pleaded with God, "God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!" Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma. Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell.

Christ changed David’s life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said, "This is for you." It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford. A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said, "The man is a preacher." This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying, "Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher." We can get so full of ourselves.”

Conclusion:

As we face the new year I have to ask myself this question. What kind of life will I live this year? I may not be here this time next year, but if I am, will the Lord be satisfied with me?

Finding Jesus in the Storm

2008-11-10T04:49:00.000-08:00

John 6:15-21

In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren said, “… Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one.” The reason for this? God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness. In our text today, Jesus has just finished a long day of ministry; of teaching amidst the press of immense crowds, and the Lord was now exhausted. So as the day drew to a close, Jesus, having obtained a boat to cross the lake, commanded His disciples to enter the boat and cross to the other side. In obedience to his command they hoisted the sail and began the five mile trip across the lake. Very unexpectedly and seemingly without warning, they were in the midst of a terrible storm. Matthew uses the word like literally an earthquake, to describe the storm.
This was no ordinary breeze blowing - this was a hurricane! Luke writes here that the storm was so bad that the ship was full of water. Mark wrote in his account of this story that the waves were beating the ship that it was full of water. Matthew in his account said that the waves covered the ship.

So, you see that this was one serious storm that was going on. They had a crisis on their hands. The ship was full of water, the waves were as high as the boat and they felt that they were headed for the bottom of the sea. As we sit in our comfortable homes, it is easy to think good thoughts about the world outside.

But you know how life is; there can be and probably will be darker, more difficult days than this.
This story in the life of Jesus and His disciples, in the boat upon the sea, conveys that other world, a world where storms rise up out of nowhere and life itself is put at peril.
If you have had something happen in your life that shook you to your very core, then you understand what I am talking about.
When those storms come the once-calm lake of life becomes a storm-tossed, angry, and raging sea. That is what this story is about.

When the physician comes back with a bad report or when you are startled in the night by a late telephone call and the voice on the other end says, “I am afraid I have some bad news!”
Then the waves begin to beat and the boat seems as if it is sinking and you wonder “Where Is Jesus When Storms Come?”
In answer to that question I want to share with you three truths about the storms of life from this biblical story! The whole point of the story and of the parable is that storms happen. The truth is that no one gets through life without experiencing storms, no one! In fact most lives contain more than one storm that threatens our sense of well-being. Storms come in many forms:

The storm of illness – sudden or prolonged.

The storm of death – death of someone you love.

The storm of rejection – separation or divorce.

The storm of unjust criticism.

The storm of family problems.

The storms on the job.

An analysis of the storms in our lives reveals that:
Sometimes they are brought on by our own stupidity or our sin.
Sometimes they are caused by our own poor decisions.
Sometimes they may be caused by the actions of someone else.
Sometimes times they just seem to happen and we have no idea why.

Not only do storms come as a part of every life but, secondly, storms come even in the center of God’s will.

Are you in a storm right now? You may be thinking to yourself, “Lord, what have I done to deserve this?” It may be that you have not done anything wrong!

Perhaps you thought or have even been taught that life would be smooth sailing with Jesus in your life. You thought with Jesus in your life, there would be no storm, no unmanageable waves and certainly no cause for fear.

But the problem is that is just not true. And if you have lived very long, you know that it is not true based on your own experience.

Perhaps you thought, “Then there must be something wrong with me!” The truth is that Jesus does not teach this or promise this. Even when believers follow Christ’s bidding, they may face hardships.

For example, Jesus’ disciples were doing God’s will when they took Him across the lake, for he had commanded them to do so. Yet they were buffeted by a dreadful tempest, and they seemed to be in danger of drowning.

You can be in a storm and be right in the center of God’s will. Notice that the disciples were in the midst of a storm not because they had disobeyed, but because they had obeyed.

In Matthew’s account of this story (Matt 14:22) he tell us that Jesus “made his disciples get into the boat.”
The word “made” (or “constrained” in the KJV) means “compelled.” In other words the disciples were where they were, in the middle of a storm, in direct obedience to a command of the Lord.
But how can that be?
Even though the disciples had no way of knowing it, during those terrible moments,
The storm was divinely appointed vehicle to teach them about God and his power in their lives.
Without difficulties, without trials, without stresses and even failures, we would never grow to be what the Lord wants us to become.

Without adversity, we would be insufferably self-centered, one-dimensional, proud and empty people. Faith must be tested before it can be trusted.
James tells us the purpose of trials is to test and deepen our faith. James 1:2-4, tells us .
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

The Message Bible says it this way;
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Third, storms are not a sign of the absence of the Lord.

( John 6:16-21)
His disciples went down to the sea (17) got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. (18) Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

Perhaps to the disciples, the fact that the Lord was not with them seemed to indicate that he was either unconcerned or unaware of their plight. Does Jesus know? Does He care? We sometimes mistakenly conclude that we are alone, that no one, not even God, knows what is happening in our lives and how we are feeling. Isn’t it true that we feel like that at times?
When we are in the midst of a crisis of one form or another it sometimes seems that Jesus doesn’t care, He just does not seem to be interested or concerned with what we are going through. Dazed, the disciples looked around trying to understand what was happening.

Jesus Sees. Where was Jesus at this time? On the mountain! Storms do not escape the Savior’s notice. As Jesus sat on the mountainside over-looking the sea, He saw His disciples laboring frantically in the storm tossed waters. He saw not only their physical battle with the elements but He also saw their inner battle with fear. He had not forgotten them. He was not too busily engaged in prayer to think of them. Jesus was lovingly looking on. He knew what they were up against, and He was watching. But He did not make things easy for them and He does not make things easy for us. He let’s us row our own boat and fight our own battles but he is always aware of what we are going through.

Jesus Cares. Beyond the fact that Jesus saw what His disciples were going through He also cared deeply about what they were going through. His compassion caused Him to come to where they were and reassure them. As Jesus sat on the mountainside He could see His disciples toiling and rowing helplessly, yet He delayed coming to them. He knew their thoughts, he even knew they were wondering where He was and why He chose to let the storm batter them for a while. Finally, He did come to them. But why did He delay? We of course cannot say for sure but we see a similar occasion in John 11: This is the story of Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Lazarus was sick and his sisters sent for Jesus but Jesus delayed and allowed him to die. When He finally came Lazarus’ sisters pleaded with Jesus, Lord if you had been here this would not have happened. (John 11:21)

When the Lord delays coming to us, it is always for a greater purpose to be worked out in our lives. God's delays are not God’s Denials! But as we have already seen, God has never promised our lives would be empty of pain, disappointment, or storms. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not teaching the truth of the Bible. What God does promise are resources to journey through the raging waters. Soaked and no doubt shivering, terrified to the core, the men had strained to keep the boat headed into the wind. They just knew that the next wave would take them to the bottom.

Faith was being paralyzed by fear. They were afraid that all of them, would die. They were of course, wrong, but so are we when we panic during difficult times. In reality their problem was not the storm around them but the unbelief within them.

Jesus Comes. (6:19-21)“So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. (20) But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” (21) Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. Jesus came to His disciples during the darkest part of the night, when the disciples were exhausted, miserable and tired, and wondering if they were going to survive or not! Jesus did not come to them until they until they had done all they could. Until they were exhausted. Until They were willing to accept Him into the boat.

Only then did the Lord come. We should also reflect that Jesus comes to us in ways we do not expect. When the disciples were tossed about on that boat there is little doubt that some of them thought, ‘If only Jesus were with us!’ That would be just what was needed. He would find some way of seeing them through. But when he came in a way that they did not expect, and instead of welcoming his appearance they were frightened. And is that not sometimes our experience as well. One thing is certain: The Christian way is full of surprises, and Christ constantly comes to us in ways that we do not anticipate.

Leon Morris said.”Unless we welcome him, however he comes, our spiritual experience will always be the poorer.”
You may know the Lord but you will never know him deeply until He has come to you in middle of one of the storms of life. In the lives of the disciple’s the absence or presence of faith was revealed in the traumas of life. So it is with us as well. It is the storms of life that our faith is revealed. It is the crises of life which reveals our faith. It is at such times that we face a three-fold challenge, to worry, to work or to trust. When difficulties come we can choose to worry, but we all know deep down that changes nothing. When faced with adversity we can try harder and harder until we see that there is nothing more we can do and we are forced to conclude that it is absolutely out of our control; or we can call to the Lord and ask for His help. Peter invites us in (1 Peter 5:7) “Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking of you and watching everything that concerns you.” (The Living Bible).
Jesus longs for us to put our trust in Him – the only One who can take us through the storm - not around, not over, but through.
People say, “God doesn’t care about me, he doesn’t care that I am going through such a hard time, he doesn’t care.” But that is just not true.

Are you going through a storm in you life right now? If so, then understand this, He sees what you are going through. You can believe that.

I want to close with the words of a song by Annie Flint:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;

To added affliction He addeth His mercy;

To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,

Our Father's full giving is only begun.

( This verse I had never heard)
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow'r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

II Corinthians 12:9 And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Preparing for What is Ahead

2008-11-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

Romans 8:31-39

Some weeks ago a major storm hit the Gulf Coast. Do you remember seeing on the news how people were preparing for the storm? Boarding up windows and doing everything possible to be able to weather the storm.

I have seen couples go through lots of things in life when they have needed something to hold on to . They never dreamed they would ever face such a crisis, but when it happened, they found they had already developed the strength to weather it.

My wonderful mother-in-law lay in the hospital for a least seven weeks fighting for her life. I saw her and my father-in-law stand the storm because they had prepared before the storm hit.

My wife’s brother and his wife went through a storm that took her life and he now has suffered for a few years with an unexplained sickness. I have watched and prayed for him but he never given up on God because his faith in God was anchored deep.

Now what about us, here today?
Most of us will probably never experience the enormity of the crisis that these couples faced.
But still, there will be storms, heartaches, decisions, and gut-wrenching moments that have the potential for bringing us into a life-changing crisis. The storm that is facing our nation is going to be a big one. If things go sour and our nation drifts further away from Godliness then what?
What will we do then? Will we be prepared to face it? Will we have the inner resources that we need? And if not, then how can we prepare ourselves for that day?I’m convinced that if we want to have the resources we’ll need for a time of crisis, then each of us must make our preparations for that day.

Here are a few things that will help:

I. Be sure of your relationship with God. Do you know what it means to have a real relationship with Jesus Christ the Lord of Lords? Have you received Him as Lord and Saviour of your life?

The Bible gives us some vivid examples:
Abraham walked with God and was called “a friend of God.”
Noah walked with God and when the flood came, he and his family were saved.
Moses walked with God in the desert, and God prepared him to lead his people to freedom.

David walked with God as a shepherd boy, and when called upon to rule his people, he was prepared for the task.
Daniel was saved from the lion’s den, and his friends were spared from the fiery furnace.

But God does not always pull His children out of the fire. Stephen was a young man "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" [Acts 6:5] when he was stoned to death. But his entry into Heaven was triumphal. Look at the fate of some of the apostles:

Peter was crucified upside down.
Andrew was tied to a cross with thick ropes for 3 days before he died.
John was a prisoner on a desolate island.
Bartholomew was beaten & then beheaded.
Thomas was murdered while he was preaching.

These men literally walked with God, and they suffered. But with their lives they echoed the words of Paul:
2 Tim 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing"

Although we were not present with them nearly 2,000 years ago, we have access to the same strength they had. And as we walk with our Lord, and come to know Him better day by day, we too, can say with them: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" [Philippians 1:21].

II. Open your Bible and use it as a guide for your life.

Secondly, we need to open our Bible and use it as a guide for our daily life. But today there are more people who know the words to TV commercials than any words in the Bible!

Russell Morse, one of the great missionaries along the China/Burma border, was taken captive by Chinese communists in 1951, and imprisoned for 21 months. They told him that his wife and youngest son had been killed. For 15 of those months he was in an isolation cell, cut off from any outside contact. They broke his glasses and shoved him into that cramped cell without his Bible or any other book. Twice a day a bowl of food was pushed through a slot in his cell door, but he never saw a face or heard a human voice. Cut off from all human contact, unsure whether anyone in the outside world even knew that he was still alive or where he was, he later said that he would have surely gone insane if he had not been able to recall Bible verses and hymns that he had memorized over the years. That was all that kept his mind active.People have said that when they were suffering, sometimes they could only remember small parts of Scripture. One woman repeated over and over again, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" [Philippians 4:13]. I wonder, what verses have you stored up for the future? The Bible is one our greatest tools and yet all some use it for is a dust collector!

III. Make prayer a vital part of your life. Thirdly, even before the storms begin we need to make prayer a vital part of our life. We have talked about the importance of prayer before, but it seems as if we often pray during a crisis and neglect it the rest of the time.

We find our nation embroiled in a war – a war against terrorism, a war against elusive enemies who deliberately target civilians to underscore their hatred of our nation and the principles of freedom that we enjoy. If ever we needed to call upon the power of prayer, I believe that it is now!

There is a story in the Bible about prayer being used against a wicked ruler. This was an Assyrian king, (much like Ben Laden), who boasted that he would defeat God’s people and take over their land. He sent messages to Israel, taunting the people about their weakness and boasting of his strength. When this king spoke, the world trembled! Israel’s king, Hezekiah, was a man of faith. He knew that on a purely human level, the Assyrians could destroy them. But Hezekiah had a secret weapon. He called the prophet Isaiah in, and they fell to their knees in prayer. And look what happened! Lets look at 2 Chron 32:7-9 and read what King Hezekiah said to the people.

“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

Then look at what God did: II Chronicles 32:21-22 says, "And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he, the king of the Assyria, withdrew to his own land in disgrace. . . So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. . . He took care of them on every side."
B. But it is not just in times of war that we need to pray.

We have so many other battles going on in America today. We, the people of our nation, have allowed God and anything to do with God to be taken away from us by our government.

Our government needs prayer. (Never has our nation been so divided!)
Our leaders need our prayers. (Without God leaders will fail.)
Our schools need our prayers. (Our teachers have an uphill battle.)
Our youth need our prayers. (They are the future of our nation.)
Our families need our prayers. (A family that prays together will stay together.)
And our churches need our prayers. (That we will lift up Jesus.)

Today our nation, and the church, are facing the undisguised hatred of militant Muslims who proclaim a gospel of death, a religion that through the centuries has been spread by the sword, and even today maintains its power by the sword.By the way, did you know that 30 years ago there was only one Muslim mosque in the United States, and today there are over 3,000 mosques? And that new mosques are being built here at the average of one a week? The apostle Paul warns us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Are we spiritually prepared as individuals, as a nation, as a church? If we are to survive in a Godless and materialistic world, in a world increasingly witnessing the hatred of militant Muslims, we must repent of our prayerlessness, and make prayer a priority. Even churches today have gotten away from prayer. Food and fellowship gatherings seem to have taken precedence. Miracles have happened when God’s people turned to Him in prayer. We should not pray for God to be on our side, but pray that we are on God’s side. Remember, God does not promise always to deliver us, but He will be with us.

IV. Finally, we must practice the presence of Christ. How do we experience the nearness of our Lord? Do we need a picture drawn by some artist to be able to imagine Him with us?

Charles Spurgeon once said that there had never been 15 minutes in his life when he did not sense the presence of Christ. I wish I could make that statement, but I cannot. What strength we would have if we trained for life as if Christ were walking alongside of us.

The best selling book, “In His Steps,” tells of a challenge given by a preacher to his congregation to pledge for one year not to do anything without first asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" This challenge was provoked when a tramp, mourning his wife who had died in poverty, stumbled into this wealthy church and addressed the congregation. He said, "I heard some people singing at a church prayer meeting the other night,

‘All for Jesus, all for Jesus;

All my being’s ransomed powers;

All my thoughts and all my doings,

All my days and all my hours.’

"I began wondering as I sat on the steps outside just what they meant by that. It seems to me there’s a lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out."

If that tramp had spoken to us, how would we have responded? Do we live our lives with the thought, "What would Jesus do?" Do we practice the presence of Christ every day?
In the story, the tramp died, but he struck the conscience of the congregation so profoundly that the lives of many were changed, just as our lives would change if we truly followed "in His steps" and asked, "What does Jesus want me to do?"

Rather than asking the question "What Would Jesus Do?," a better question for most people to ask themselves would be: "What Would Jesus Have ME Do?"

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." John 6:28-29

Christ promised His disciples: Matt 28:20, "And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age"

What a wonderful promise! We need to cultivate the sense of His presence as we go about the daily routine of our lives. And we need to remember the words of our scripture.

Romans 8:31-39.
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So what about it? Are you preparing for the storms of life, or will you be caught without the resources you need?

The best way to prepare is :
To make sure that you know God, and that Jesus Christ is your Savior;
To treasure His word in your heart;
To make prayer a vital part of your life; and
To practice His presence daily in your life.

The words to an old but great song comes to mind! Written by Priscilla Owens:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life.

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain.

Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul,

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll!
Fastened to the rock which cannot move.

Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love.

Facing the Future Without Fear

2008-10-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

October 19, 2008

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. Deuteronomy 34:9
A new leader and a new day are ahead of God’s children. For Joshua and the children of Isreal, there was fear about the future.

Now lets look at Joshua 1: 1-9:
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
The children of Israel were at a crossroads and their leader had died. They did not know what the future held for them. God gave the new leader, Joshua, encouraging words:

So I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (v.5)
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (v. 9)

Lets look at these statements.
A. “I will be with thee.”
B. “I will not fail thee.”
C. “Nor forsake thee.”
D. ”For the Lord is with thee.”
That is what the Lord promises Joshua and the children of Israel.

Now let’s look at what He commanded them to do.
A. “Be strong.”
B. “Be of good courage.”
C. “Be not afraid.”
D. “Be not dismayed .”

Wrapped up in our scripture are four very powerful words which are:
Purpose, Promise, Power, and Presence.

In this lesson this morning I want us to think about two things:

1. The Fear of the Future for the Children of Israel.

Be strong and very courageous! This is a statement that God gave Joshua for what lay ahead.
I asked the question to myself: “why did God tell Joshua to be strong and courageous?” The answer? Because God knew what was ahead. Let’s look at at verse 2:

Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Now this was wonderful! Just get up and go across the river and I will give you the land that you cross! I will even go with you! Boy, that is wonderful! Nothing to worry about, right? Wrong!
The reason God told Joshua to be strong and unafraid was that God knew the future and what it held.

If they had known what the future held, we might have a different ending to this story.
There were to come many places and things that God would lead His children through. Whenever they followed His leading they would win. When they didn’t follow His leading, they lost. I won't take time to tell about all of what they went through but know this:
Every step of the way there was a battle to win and enemy to overcome and God kept His promises to them! He gave them His presence!

2. Our future.
Go with me now to the gospel of John chapter 14:1-3, 15-18.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
vs. 15-18
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

It seems that lately I keep coming back to these verses to find help for these last days. So please forgive me if you are tired of reading this. However, I think we need to have a clear understanding that we are going to need the presence of the Holy Spirit for what lays ahead.
We don’t know what tomorrow holds but I can see that this world is changing before our very eyes and it does not look like the changes for the best for God people.

Let’s look at Matt. 24:3-13.
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?’ And Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Then look at 2 Thess. 2:1-12 from the N.I.V.
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work: but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

The future does not look very bright for this world that we are living in, right? Lets read on.
Look at 2 Thess 2:13-17. We find out that God does keep His promises!
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

I want us to look again at the eight statements that you read at the beginning of the message:
Let’s look at these statements.
A. “I will be with thee.”
B. “I will not fail thee.”
C. “Nor forsake thee.”
D. ”For the Lord is with thee.”
That is what the Lord promises Joshua and the children of Israel.

Now let’s look at what He commanded them to do.
A. “Be strong.”
B. “Be of good courage.”
C. “Be nor afraid.”
D. “Be not dismayed .”

Conclusion: This story is a little long but I want to share it because it has the message wrapped up in it.

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he’d told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her."How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return. And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark. Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart. Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark’s need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn’t working - it was hectic, and costly. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I’m blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I’m going? I feel like you’re abandoning me." Mark’s heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened.For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase.Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself! On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy you." Susan wasn’t sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked again, "What do you mean?" The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

God watches over us in just the same way. We may not know He is present. We may not be able to see His face, but He is there nonetheless! Be blessed in this thought:

"God Loves You - even when you are not looking."
People of faith can face the uncertain future with certainty. We can face each day as Joshua did, with God’s purpose, promise, power, and presence.

“How Firm a Foundation”
Fear not: I am with thee. Oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.

God's Comfort

2008-10-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

October 5 , 2008

God’s comfort
II Corinthians 1:1-11
Some days ago God lay this scripture on my heart. The statement in verse 3 jumped out at me:

The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations.

The original meaning of this word which we translate as comfort, literally means: “to come alongside and help.” The word Comforter is applied to the Holy Spirit in John 14 and 16 and means: “Strengthener” . The English word has the same root as the verb to fortify. Beacon Bible Expositions says:
“The comfort of God establishes, restores, and quietens one’s fears, speaks peace, reassures and refreshes the soul.”

“He comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (II Cor. 1:4)
When Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth, his purpose was to encourage them in a time of great trial that no matter what they faced in life, God would be by their side
Today, this truth has not changed. God is here with us and has come alongside you to help you through every difficult time in your life. If there was ever a day when we need the very presence of God in our lives to comfort it’s now!

Many of us feel like Joseph Bayly who wrote in his Psalms of My Life: “
I cry tears to you Lord tears because I cannot speak.
Words are lost among my fears, pain, sorrows, losses, hurts, but tears.
You understand my wordless prayer, You hear.
Lord wipe away my tears, all tears not in a distant day but now here.”

Life is unpredictable. We do not know what tomorrow holds because no one can know the future. However, we can know the one who holds tomorrow and who is in control of life.
Life is precious. Each and everyday that we are given is a gift from God almighty and He will give us new strength with each passing day. We must choose how we face each day. Whether we face each day with dread or we face it with hope is up to us!

The words to the song Great is Thy Faithfulness speaks to me here:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is they faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, lord unto me!

Today, I want us to think about the fact that God will allow His presence to rest with us to comfort us in this very moment.

1. The comfort of God’s presence that brings peace to the troubled.

When Jesus left the earth he left behind a most wonderful gift. Look with me in John 14: 15- 18:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
Verse 23 says:

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Now you talk about a hard time in life, the disciples were facing some hard times ahead! Jesus would be gone; no longer could they call upon Him when trouble came. No longer would he be there to turn water into wine. No longer would he be there to calm the sea during a storm.

They would face some very hard times…But! But! But! Jesus said
“I will not leave you to face life alone but I will send unto you the Comforter to be with you and in you at all times.”

Read with me John 14:25- 29
“These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” (emphasis mine)

2. The comfort of God’s presence in times of trouble.
II Corinthians 1 : 8-11
“ For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. (emphasis mine)

While Paul does not reveal what the trouble was in Asia, he does share that it was severe enough that he “despaired for his life”. It was while Paul was going through this time of trouble that Paul found this comfort and the Comforter to help Him. Paul found, and so will we, that we can have total reliance upon God to comfort us through times of trouble. Paul came to a point where he had no other recource but to fall back upon the resources of God’s grace. What a resource!
We all need to learn that when we come to the end of our strength or the end of our knowledge, the end of ourselves, or the end of our resources then we can depend upon Him. Isa 40:28-31 reads:

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Now I can find comfort in that! Can’t you?

Annie Johnson Flint wrote:
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials , His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again!”

The Psalmist found comfort in God. Psalm 116:1-9:
I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: (Boy does that include me) I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. (emphasis mine)

When we give our troubles to the Lord we will find comfort!

3. The ability to share comfort with others.
Remember what comfort means: to come along the side of and help!
Verse 4-6:
…that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. (emphasis mine)

Oswald Chambers wrote:
If you are going to be used by God, he will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all; they are meant to make you useful in his hands.

Look at verse 4 again: “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may comfort those who are in trouble.”

This tells me that God was using Paul’s tribulation to help or comfort others. Could it be that what we go through in life could comfort others? We must be a tool in the hands of God! Paul saw himself as a tool, an implement in God’s hand. He used Paul to comfort others. In all of it, his purpose was to use Paul as his tool to comfort others. God wants to comfort the people around you because he is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. (v. 3)
How did God comfort the people around Paul? Through Paul! Paul was a conduit, a pipeline of comfort. The comfort of God came to him and he let that comfort flow into the lives of others. How do you suppose Paul received God’s comfort? We have to guess a little, but I would suppose he was comforted by others who had been comforted by people who had been comforted. But mostly He was comforted by God Himself. That is how God usually does it. I am not saying it is the only way, but that is how Paul tells us here it happens. So, how do you do that? How do you share the comfort? What do you do? What do you say when you don’t know what to say?

Here is something you might want to make note of: P.T. Forsyth said: “You must live with people to know their problems, and live with God in order to solve them.” Now there are lots of those kind of people in the world. Have you ever noticed that it easy to help some people (that is to comfort them) but others it not so easy. I have found that there are some that only want comforting when they are in financial trouble. They just want something from me. They think that the only way I can comfort them is to give them money. Otherwise they don’t want anything to do with me or my God.

I have come up with a list of ways to comfort others.
1. Use wisdom.
2. Sometimes it might call for money.
3. Showing them you love them.
4. Just being there and listening to them.
5. Above all other things we must pray for them.

Now in order for us to be used of God as a comforter, (which we cannot be by ourselves) we must let the Holy Spirit which is the great Comforter, flow through us. Philippians 2:1-5:
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

The song by Audrey Mieir expresses the Christian desire:
I've a yearning in my heart that cannot be denied,
It's a longing that has never yet been satisfied.
I want the world to know the One who loves them so,
Like a flame it's burning deep inside.
To be used of God, to sing, to speak, to pray;
To be used of God to show someone the way.
I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire;
To be used of God is my desire."

That was the desire of a group of young people in California. They spent three months preparing and planning to go to Mexico during Easter break to help the poor. They had prayed that God would use them in some mighty way, so in anticipation of His answer they set off to help a small church in a small village. They had a desire to be used of God; they had a desire to benefit someone. On Sunday morning when the young people arrived in the village, they saw the church building. It had been badly burned, the roof was caved in and only four walls remained standing. They cautiously made their way in to find a discouraged preacher leading nine worshipers in a song service. This was nothing like they had envisioned. They had not been prepared for the dilapidated and run-down building or the weary, discouraged people they would encounter. But shaking off their first culture shock and bracing themselves to do what they had come to do, they determined to be of some benefit whether it was easy and comfortable or not. The young people had left the comfort of their own homes to come to a place strange and foreign to them. They found a situation beyond that for which they had been prepared. The congregation eyed the young people suspiciously and at the end of the hymn the preacher approached them and asked, "What are you doing here, and what do you want?" It became quickly evident that there had been a communication break-down and that their letters explaining their plans to come and serve had not reached the preacher. He was as bewildered as they were. Finally, one of the group spoke, "We are Christians, and we are here to serve." The preacher explained that some of the villagers had burned the building and that the congregation had been praying that God would send help but they had given up hope that help would come. But the answer came in the form of young people who believed that God had called them to help someone and who were willing to obey that call. They were not motivated by simple humanitarianism; they were there to do the Lord's bidding. The students wanted to serve Christ and encountered a situation unlike any they expected. But they had come to serve, and serve they would. When the students heard that the congregation had been praying for someone to come help, one of them said, "I can't believe it. We're an answer to prayer!" They were an answer to prayer because they sincerely wanted to be used of God.

We can all be the answer to someone's prayer if we live by the last verse of Audrey Mieir's song:
When I think about the shortness of my earthly years,
I remember all the wasted days, the wasted tears.
I long to preach the Word to those who've never heard
Of the One who can dispel all fears.
To be used of God, to sing, to speak, to pray;
To be used of God to show someone the way.
I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire;
To be used of God is my desire."
To be used of God,
To sing, to speak, to pray
To be used of God to show someone the way.
I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire;
To be used of God is my desire.

Is that your desire today? Do you want to be used of God? Would you like your life to count for what lasts?

My prayer today is from another familiar song:
Lord , Lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me.
And may I always do my part to win that soul for thee.

I want to finish with our text from the Message Bible:

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

Drawing Near to God

2008-08-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”
And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
Exodus 33:12-23

I feel that the greatest needs that the Church has today is for people to find in a greater measure God’s closeness in their lives. So many of us get so busy with life that we forget about who we are and who God is. Somehow we have come to think that we don’t need God until we are in trouble. We want God when we need Him but we don’t want to live in His presence.

In our scripture today we find Moses in conversation with God about where He wanted Moses and the people of Israel to be. While their leader, Moses, was in conversation with God, the people were in conversation with Aaron about a false God.

"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." Exodus 32:1-4

Moses was in conversation with God about the ten commandments. The people had come to the place where they felt they not longer needed God. They wanted to worship, but not God! They made a golden calf to worship. They even went as far as to have the preacher make it for them. Then they offered a feast to the "Lord." They went through the motions of worship but without God!

I wonder sometimes if in our world we just go through the motions of serving God. We go to church, we give God an offering, we sing the songs . We do good deeds. But all the time we are serving the gods of this world. In other words we do our part religiously but don’t want God as a part of our daily lives until we need Him.

And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. Exodus 32:9-10

At this point Moses begins interceding for the people.

And Moses besought [pleaded with] the Lord his God. Exodus 32:11

And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Exodus 32: 14

Then the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiff-necked people: lest I consume thee in the way. Exodus 33:1-3

God wanted the people out of His sight (because of their sins).
God gave them a man to lead them.
God keeps His promises.
He will send His angel with them.

He would not go Himself. This was bad news from God.

And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned and no one put on his ornaments. Exodus 33:4

Of all the consequences of sin , the fact that God departed from them caused great sorrow to the people. Even though God had told them that they could still go to the land of Canaan they knew that without God the land would just be like any other land.

If God is not pleased by our actions, He will not be present in our lives.

The words in verse 3, "For I will not go with you" brought the people to their knees. The people began repenting of their sins. They would not put on their "ornaments" [finery or jewelry]. They put on sack cloth and ashes.

Now God had said that He would send His Angel with them but He Himself would not be there. God said in so many words "I will give you a representative of my presence but I will not be there in person.

Let me ask some important questions here:

I wonder if that is where the church is today. Have we become a stiff-necked people?
Are we being satisfied with man-made religion with man-made rules rather than the presence of God?
Have we come to the place where we don’t need God because we have knowledge about God ?
Have we substituted programs for His presence?

And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. Exodus 32:31-32

And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Exodus 33:9-14

God has always had an intercessor!

Noah was an intercessor for his world.
Abraham was an intercessor for Lot and his family.
In our lesson we find Moses interceding for the people.

Moses is a type of Jesus Christ.

For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:19-25

Moses was willing to give his life for the people. Jesus gave his life for all the world!

As I was preparing this message God showed me something I had not thought of.

Moses was the only one who made intercession for the people but God has given us two:

Jesus Christ the Son of God. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:34
The Holy Spirit. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26 -27

And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people... And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. Exodus 33:12-13, 18

You and I can’t live in the presence of God by ourselves but we must have the help of God every day. God sends His Son and His spirit to help us.

Moses was a type of Christ the great intercessor, whom the Father heareth always . He would not be satisfied with anything short of having God’s presence with Him and the Children of God. So he did the only thing he knew to do. He prayed. The people repented and God answered them.

God will always answer people who pray and repent.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Let's not be satisfied without God’s presence in our lives.

I need thee every hour, Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine can peace afford.
I need thee, oh, I need thee; every hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour; I come to thee.

I need the every hour, Stay thou near by.
Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.
I need thee, oh, I need thee; every hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour; I come to thee.

I need thee every hour, In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain
I need thee, oh, I need thee; every hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour; I come to thee."
--Annie Hawks

The Thirst of the Godly Soul

2008-07-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:1-8

The Psalmist draws a picture of himself as a thirsty man in a waterless land. Even though we have the omnipresence of God in the world, the Psalmist wanted something more from God. He wanted Gods divine presence within Himself.

As I was preparing this message I came to grips with the thought that I was thirsty for another outpouring of the presence of God in my own heart. No matter where we are in life there should always be a thirst after God.

The power and the glory mentioned in verse 2 are not the external splendor of public worship, but the communications of Divine grace, as manifested in the experience of the devoted soul. The Psalmist longed for such communion with God as he had formerly enjoyed in the sanctuary.

The thirst is not merely for the ordinances of a man-made religion, or for teaching concerning God. The thirst of the soul of man needs for its satisfaction to be brought into a vital and sympathetic relations with the Divine.

The Psalmist was seeking...

...a Person. Creeds and ordinances cannot satisfy the soul.
...a living Person. Not one whose work and life and love are things of the past; but One "who is able to save, because He ever liveth." I am so glad that Jesus is alive today and that we can have him with us every moment that we live!
...a divine Person: One who is able satisfactorily to respond to the soul's deepest yearnings, to help it to realize its loftiest aspirations. Only in God can the thirst of man's soul find satisfaction.

Each of the verbs indicates intense desire. It is a thirst of the entire man. "My soul thirsts." Soul and flesh are used to denote the whole man by two principal parts. His whole being went out after God in fervent desire. Wanting God became the Psalmist's number one pursuit in life.

"In a dry and thirsty land where no water is." These words are literally true. The wilderness of Judah where David was at this time, even in the neighborhood of the Jordan, was a desert country.

These words are also true figuratively. The desert was a picture of his condition, an exile from his throne and home, and from the sanctuary of the Lord. His own son and his most trusted counselor, with a great host of his subjects, were in armed rebellion against him. The circumstances in which he was placed led him to seek the Lord more earnestly.

Sorrow and trials often drive us closer to God if we let them. We must never let trials in life separate us from God but rather use them for stepping stones to get closer to Him.

We live in a world today that is becoming more and more like the place that David found himself, that is in a dry and thirsty land where there is very little spiritual water to be found.

There are churches today who have replaced programs for the presence of God. The old hymns are being replaced with contemporary music in some churches today. Maybe I am old-fashioned but I still like the words from the songs that feed my soul. There is even one T.V. minister who never uses the name of Jesus. (May the Lord help me to fulfill my God-given call to proclaim His Word in truth.)

I think that Christianity has come to the place the scripture talks about when it says in 2 Timothy 3:5:

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

I think that Jeremiah 2:13 says it best:

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

But I am so glad that God gives us a promise in Isaiah 35:6-10:

For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

The Message Bible says it like this:

Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert. Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain.

May the Lord help us, as a church, to become an oasis in the desert for people who are thirsty for God.

The way this church can become a spring in the desert is for each one of us seek the face of God until the springs flow out of us.

Do you thirst for the living God? Have we learned that the church without God is a desert? But a greater question is, have we learned that, if we are thirty, He is an oasis of satisfying water?

Why did David thus yearn for God? Two reasons are suggested.

Because of his personal relation to God. Jehovah was the God of the psalmist, not only by creation, but by covenant; not only by virtue of His claims, but also by the psalmist's choice and consecration. There was a recognized and sacred relation between them. Because of it, it was right and appropriate that the Psalmist should seek God. Blessed are we if, when the woes of life over takes us, we can address ourselves to Him, saying, "O God, thou art my God..." A personal relationship with Jesus is so vital to us in these last days. Without that we have no hope of eternal life. Without it we can’t help others to know Him.
Because of his exalted estimation of God. David says that he longs for God, "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life." We regard "life" here as signifying more than mere existence; for the statement of the Psalmist implies that life is good but life was not as good as God's lovingkindness. The Psalmist regarded the lovingkindness of God as better than a life of prosperity and pleasure. Having God's lovingkindness in his troubled life in the wilderness of Judah, David would esteem himself; more blessed than in a life of pleasure in his palace at Jerusalem without it.

"My lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name."

The lifting up of the hands was the attitude of worship, and symbolized the lifting up of the heart.

In his sorrowful exile while thirsting for God, the Psalmist praises Him because...

...of what God is to Himself.
...of what God is to the Psalmist.
...of what He has done for him
...of what He has promised to do for him.

In the bitterest experiences of life the devout heart will find matter and motive for praising God. Oh, the delightful realization of His presence!

Jesus cried, saying "If any man thirst, let Him come unto me and drink."

We live in a dry and thirsty land spiritually today, but there is an oasis were we can find water.

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. Isaiah 44:3-4

Ho! every one that is thirsty in spirit,
Ho! every one that is weary and sad;
Come to the fountain, there’s fullness in Jesus,
All that you’re longing for: come and be glad!

"I will pour water on him that is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground;
Open your hearts for the gifts I am bringing;
While ye are seeking Me, I will be found."

Child of the world, are you tired of your bondage?
Weary of earth joys, so false, so untrue?
Thirsting for God and His fullness of blessing?
List to the promise, a message for you!

Child of the kingdom, be filled with the Spirit!
Nothing but "fullness" thy longing can meet;
’Tis the enduement for life and for service;
Thine is the promise, so certain, so sweet.
--Lucy J. Myer

God's Eagle Christians

2008-07-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

God promises to deliver and the fact that He yearns to deliver, and the greater fact that He is able to deliver, should make us rejoice greatly.

In this scripture God is showing us that we can’t depend upon man to deliver us but that we need to depend upon the Lord for help and strength to live the Christian life.

"They that wait upon the Lord..." (instead of on others or on ourselves) "...shall renew there strength and mount up with wings like eagles."

He gives strength and power to His people and helps them by enabling them to help themselves. He will help the willing, those who, in humble dependance upon him, help themselves, and those who do their best.

This morning I want us to look at God’s method of developing eagle type of Christians.

I have been fascinated by eagles all my life. Every time I run across anything that has to do with eagles I read it. My office has eagle things in it. This is not my first message about this mighty bird.

In the scriptures, God has likened His people to many things. For example, they are described as being like branches on a vine, trees by a river, lights on a hill, sheep, salt, runners in a race, wrestlers, soldiers, and as our text in Isaiah implies - eagles.

In this teaching we are going to focus our attention on some facts that I've gathered about the eagle's way of life, and from them, discover some spiritual truths that will aid us in becoming "God's Eagle Christians."

Before we get into God’ s Eagles we need to realize the frailty of the human life.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: Isaiah 40:29-30

A time to be born, and a time to die. Ecclesiastes 3:2

From the time you took your first breath you began to die. The older I get it seems the faster time is going by.

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14

Man is only on a stage of life and the play is over before he knows it.

We are called upon to live but one day at a time. The only absolutely sure prediction we can make is that most of our predications will be wrong. We do not know what the future holds but we do know who holds the future. As we live through this life that has been given to us by Almighty God we find that we are unable in our own selves to find strength to make it day after day. If we learn to wait on the Lord, He will give us power to make one day at a time.

But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

God chose an eagle as the bird to symbolize the Christian. I'm really glad that it's the eagle and not one of the other birds that God chose to identify us with. He could have likened us to a variety of other birds if He had so desired, and rightly so, because we display many of their characteristics.

Take the chicken for example. I know something about chickens. As a child, I remember the time when we had chickens. I'm glad God said we are to become like eagles and not chickens.
Let me give you some chicken facts to show you why.

Chickens are crowd followers. If a chicken sees a bunch of chickens running across the chicken yard, he will take off after them. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know where they are going or why they are going there. He follows along because he doesn't want to miss out on anything the majority is doing.
Chickens just naturally "squabble and fight" over things in the chicken yard. If one finds a nice juicy bug to eat, suddenly they all want it. They will chase each other all over the chicken yard, trying to take it away from another. They are funny that way. They can walk all around a bug or a grasshopper and not pay any attention to it, but the moment one decides he wants it, at that moment, they all decide they want it and the chase is on.
Chickens go through what is called molting time (losing their feathers). Many times when this happens other chickens peck them until they are all bloody. (Reminds me of some church folks.)
They have no interest in the heavenlies. They are content to live in the chicken yard, walking around with their eyes on the ground, scratching in the dirt looking for something to eat. Most of them will never try to fly. They are earthbound birds. Oh, they will act like they want to fly but at the best they can only fly a little ways.

I think you can see now why I'm convinced that living the chicken life can never compare to living the eagle life. Chicken living is so limited - so confining - so predictable and so boring. However, living the eagle life - that's another story.

When we hear the word "eagle", our minds envision an eagle soaring in the atmosphere, effortlessly riding the wind currents high above the earth; majestic in appearance. He is king of the sky, master of his domain. With keenness of eye, he spies his prey and swooping down to earth with tremendous speed, and sharp strong talons set, it snatches up its meal and soars back to its nest to feast.

Eagle Facts:

Reach speeds of over 150 miles per hour
Soar to heights of 1/2 miles
Dive at speeds of 200 miles per hour
Glide at altitudes of over 2,500 feet
7 foot wing span
12 pounds in weight
Keen eye sight - can spot a rabbit at 2 miles
270 degree peripheral vision
Acute depth perception
It's strength enables it to carry well over it’s own body weight.

For centuries the eagle has been recognized as the king of the birds. It's image has been reproduced on coins, seals, emblems and flags. God, in His Word, tells us that of all the birds of the air, it is the eagle that His people are to be identified with. He is calling us to be "spiritual eagles."

With this in mind, I want to share some eagle facts you may not be aware of. As we examine the eagle's way of life, let us think of ourselves as being the eaglets of the Father Eagle, that is God, and that He desires to accomplish in our lives what the eagle parents are trying to accomplish in their offspring's lives.

Facts about the eagle family:

The female eagle is bigger and stronger than the male.
Eagles mate for life till death parts them.
Both parents sit on the eggs, guard the nest, feed and also train the young.
To the eagle, raising a family is a responsibility that belongs to both parents.

Now, I have a question I need us to think about. Does God expect less from His family? I don't think so.

A description of a newborn eaglet is almost like describing a newborn Christian: born with its eyes and mouth wide open. It sort of looks like a mouth that's been attached to a bunch of fuzzy feathers. The parents are kept busy keeping that mouth filled because the eaglet has an insatiable desire for food. The eaglet knows when it opens its mouth, Dad and Mom Eagle are going to fill it with good things.

Now Jehovah Father Eagle is like those eagle parents with His eaglets. He tells His eaglets in Psalms 81:10, "I am the Lord thy God which brought you out of the land of bondage. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it."

Folks, I've spent most of my Christian life going around with my mouth wide open, and I like what God the Father Eagle puts into it.

Just as Mother and Father Eagle know what baby eagles need to eat to grow, much more does God the Father Eagle know what His eaglets need to grow on.

If ye then being evil know how to give good things to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask Him. Matthew 7:11

The word "eagle" means "one feeding with the beak."

What a wonderful type of God feeding His own by the words from His mouth. Just as the natural eaglets depend and live on the food received from the parent eagle's mouth, so likewise, God's eaglets depend and live on the food from His mouth.

Man shall not live by bread alone, buy by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

Our Heavenly Father is Jehovah Father Eagle who feeds His eaglets from the food of a heavenly menu.

In the eagle world it's a fact that eaglets subsist only on eagle food. Nothing else will take the place of eagle food. It enables them to grow, mature and become strong. Without the proper diet, the eaglets will grow weak and sickly and eventually die. So it is in the world of God's eaglets. You and I are to feast on God's eagle food if we are to grow and become strong mature eagles of God. Anything else - anything less and we too will grow weak and die spiritually. We must have the eagle diet of God's Word.

Why do you spend money on that which is not bread [eagles food]? Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Isaiah 55:2

Sometimes, as God's eaglets, we do not practice the eating of the Word of God. We become very "picky" about our food. I know some people, and no doubt you do too, that have put together their own revised version of the Bible. It is comprised of only their own favorite verses that contains positive confessions and positive promises. It's void of any verses that confront, condemn, or challenge their private theology.

The ones I know like this have never grown or matured in their Christian walk. They are still diaper Christians who have refused to be weaned from the milk of the Word even though some are forty years old in the Lord. The meat of the Word chokes them.

Now I love babies. I think they are all beautiful. I love little toddlers too. It's great to watch them crawl and waddle around at 6 to 18 months of age, exploring their world. I think we all enjoy that time of their lives. (But it is so nice to be able to send them home when they get fussy.)

Nobody thinks it's cute when a person remains a baby for too long. If a child never learns how to walk or talk; if he never figures out how to feed himself; if he never outgrows his need for diapers - that's a sign something is terribly wrong. I had a cousin who lived to be in her fifties who never got out of her playpen. She never became an adult mentally, only physically. If your baby stops growing to maturity, you would call it a tragedy. If your teenagers were still acting as immature as they did before turning five, you'd be on the phone looking for professional help. Why? Because although we love babies, we expect them to eventually grow up.

God is no different. He doesn't want any of His children to remain baby-like forever. He wants His children to grow-up.

Let me take you back to the newborn eaglet. What a life the newborn eaglet has been born into. The parent eagles have built a comfortable nest high up on the rocky crags; safe from all enemies. Snuggled under the parent's protecting wings, every move of the young ones are watched. Every need is supplied.

Psalm 91 speaks of this scene with these words; "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. He shall cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shalt thou trust."

Life in the nest to the young eaglet is so wonderful. It's mouth opens and is filled at it's request. The nest is so cozy and so comfortable. "This is the life," thinks the eaglet. "I could stay here forever."

Ah! but there's something important that the young eaglet is soon going to discover. And that is this: Eagles are born to fly! They are meant to soar to heavenly heights; to breath a heavenly atmosphere. It's inherent in them. Their very nature demands it. It has been placed there by God. The eagle tendency is to mount up.

I witnessed an example of this a number of years ago while visiting the eagle habitat here in Arkansas. One of the exhibits was an eagle that had been confined in a cage of closely positioned wire. Someone had shot at him and broken one of his wings. By his actions you knew he wasn't happy about being caged and didn't want to be there. He was putting up quite a fuss about it. Time and time again he would fiercely flap his wings and throw himself against the sides of the cage seeking to free himself. It was a pathetic, pitiful sight to behold. I watched him walk proudly back and forth in the cage. He seemed to be saying. "I don't belong here. Up there is where I belong." Deep inside him was the urge to mount up and soar into the heights above. The sky was beckoning to him and he wanted to respond, but he couldn't. He wanted to do what eagles were meant to do. He knew he wasn't meant to be earthbound but was made to soar the heavenlies.

Just as it is with earthly eagles, so it is with God's spiritual eagles. We too were made to experience heavenly heights in the spirit. To spread our wings of faith and ride the heavenly winds of the Holy Ghost. It's inherent in us. Our new nature, as believers, demands it. It's placed within us by Father God. As eaglets of God, there is an inborn tendency in us to mount up and soar to spiritual levels we've never experienced before.

If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Set your affection on things above. Colossians 3:1-2

He hath made us sit [soar?] together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2: 6

Have you soared lately? That's what eagles do and God is calling us to be His spiritual eagles. It's true that chickens and eagles are both birds, but a chicken is an earth bound creature. It can flop and fly a little, but it can scarcely get its feet off the ground. This is not true of the eagle.

I'm reminded of the story told of the farmer who while walking one day, found an eagle egg. He took it to the hen house and placed it under a setting hen who had several eggs under her. In time, all the eggs hatched and out of the shell of that eagle egg came, to her way of thinking, the oddest looking chicken she had ever seen, with the oddest voice she had ever heard. When the other chicks chirped, this one would screech. When the mother hen clucked, all but this ugly one would come running. There simply seemed to be no understanding between them. They spoke two different languages. So, because he was odd, all the others picked and pecked at him. Of course, he was odd. He was an eagle who was trying to live the chicken life.

One day while he was in the barnyard, a huge shadow passed over him. It was Father Eagle soaring high above. Father Eagle looked down and saw the little eaglet. Seeing it was one of his own kind, Father Eagle swooped down giving a loud screech. The young eaglet looked up. Father Eagle said to the eaglet, "What are you doing down there? You're not a chicken, you're an eagle. Eagles aren't made for barnyard living. The heavens are your domain. Come up here."

Now the little fellow wondered what to do. Up to now the barnyard had been home to him, but he really hadn't been happy there. He just didn't seem to fit in with barnyard living. All of a sudden the truth of who he was hit him. He discovered his true identity. Father Eagle had given it to him. He wasn't a chicken. He was an eagle. Down deep inside him he felt the urge to respond to Father Eagle, but when he tried, he couldn't seem to get off the ground.

Father Eagle screeched again, "Just make a jump and flap your wings. You can fly if you try." The little eaglet made a feeble jump, flapped his wings and landed on top of the barnyard fence post. Father Eagle screeched again, "Child, jump higher, try again. Make the jump and I'll sweep under you and carry you on my wings."

Little Eaglet did what Father Eagle asked him to do, and Father Eagle did what he said he would do. A mighty jump of faith and Little Eaglet was riding on Father Eagle's wings on his first solo flight into the heavenly realm.

Christians we are called to be God's eagle Christians, but many have been content to live the chicken life, confined to barnyard limitation in their spirit.

A barnyard to the believer is any attitude, any mind set, any lifestyle that restricts us from being or accomplishing all that God has purposed for us to be or do in life. Our barnyard is that comfort zone we like to live in because it makes no demands of us that will challenge us to change.

Jehovah Father Eagle calls to us in our barnyard, and challenges us to spread our wings of faith and come up higher. Some respond and get as high as the barnyard post and settle there feeling like they've really accomplished something. But they need to make another jump of faith and set their wings in the promises of God's Word and let the wind of the Holy Ghost lift them up.

As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: Deuteronomy 32:11

Let me briefly share with you the parent eagle's method of training their young to fly. The mother eagle watches until the eaglets in the nest are fully feathered. When she thinks they have matured sufficiently she begins to "stir the nest". With her strong beak she will start tearing out everything in the nest that makes it soft and cozy for her young. She removes all the padding of rabbit fur and animal skins, making the nest so uncomfortable and miserable her little ones don't want to stay in the nest any longer.

She then begins the process of helping them develop strength in their wings. She hovers near the nest and begins flapping her wings furiously. As they watch her do this, the little eaglets will begin to imitate the mother by flapping their wings also. They seem to know that this is what they are supposed to do. Just before she takes her eaglets out on their first solo flight, she will perch on the edge of the nest over her young and inspect them. Noticing that they have loose feathers sticking out all over them, she knows they must first be removed if the little eagles are ever to fly. So she begins to beat her wings, causing a mighty blast of wind to blow upon the eaglets. Soon all the loose feathers have been blown from them and they are ready for their flying lesson.

Let me pause for just a moment and ask you these personal questions. Are you identifying with the little eaglets "stirring of the nest" experience? Lately, have you found yourself experiencing the discomforts of the stirring of your nest? Is there an awareness that something just isn't right, but you're not sure what it is? Is your comfort zone being threatened and are you a person who doesn't like changes? Are you uncomfortable and worried about it? Have you considered that just maybe it's God stirring your nest? That it's His way of telling you that you've stayed in the nest too long and that He doesn't want His eaglets to be nest dwellers all their life. It's too confining - too limited - and too "ho-hum."

God doesn't want His eaglets to be nest sitters. They were meant to fly. Sometimes God has to tear up our nest to get us in the air.

Have you experienced the strong winds of the Holy Spirit's convicting power blowing into your life recently? Has God been dealing with you about the "loose feathers" in your life? Has He been speaking to you about things in your life that affects your spirituality and drags you down? Things that you know you should be taking action on, but are neglecting to do? Look up! Be encouraged! It is your Jehovah Father Eagle working in your life to help you get rid of your "loose feathers." He's getting you ready to mount up with eagle wings. He wants you to quit fluttering around in the nest and to learn how to spread your wings of faith and fly.
Let's return to the story.

When Mother Eagle sees that the loose feathers are blown away, she then spreads her wings out and gives forth a certain scream. Somehow the little eaglet know that it is a command to step out on one the mother's wings and firmly secure itself with its talons, and then with its beak, take hold of one of the big strong feathers. Mother Eagle, making sure little eagle is securely set on her wing - lets out another scream and launches off the edge of the nest into space. She begins to ascend, the little eagle holding on for dear life. The eaglet has never experienced anything like this before. He's going places he's never gone before. He's seeing things he's never seen before. It's thrilling! But just as he's having the time of his life, Mother Eagle suddenly flutters her wings and shakes him loose from her wing - right in the middle of the air - hundreds of feet from the ground. It's solo flight time!

When Mother Eagle shakes the little one loose, she doesn't say, "Well, you're on your own now, see you around," and fly away. No, she doesn't do that, but she slowly begins to circle around the surprised little eaglet keeping a concerned watchful eye on him as he flounders and flutters trying to fly for the first time. Furiously, he flaps his wings, he turns somersaults, he does everything to try to stay aloft, but slowly he starts to lose altitudes. When Mother Eagle sees her little one get dangerously close to the ground, she swiftly swoops down, snares him with a taloned claw, and carries him upward to a great height and starts the process all over again. Each day she repeats this, until finally the little eagles wings have become strong and he is able to stay aloft riding the air currents, soaring as effortlessly as the parent eagles do.

I want to point out several spiritual truths that are suggested to us by the flight training process of the little eagle. Mother Eagle spreads her wings and commanding her eaglets to step out on them and firmly grasp a feather in their beak.

The two wings of the parent eagle can be likened to the Word of God, both the Old and the New Testaments.

The feathers can be thought of as the individual promises found in the Word of God. Father Eagle spreads His Word before us and commands us to step out on it, grasping firmly to the promises of God.

Just as little Eagle experienced an unexpected shaking that caused him to lose his hold on Mother Eagles’ feather, even so, God's eaglets may experience a shaking of their faith life that can cause them to lose their hold on the promises of God they have been clinging to. Don't despair! Don't get frustrated! Don't throw up your hands and quit. This can happen when you're in the process of training to be an eagle believer.

Just as the parent eagle watches over her little ones to make sure they don't fall to the ground when they lose their hold on the feathers while in training; even so God the Father Eagle watches over His own to keep them from falling to the ground when they lose their hold on the promises of God while in training to be an eagle believer. He lifts them up to try again.

Just as the parent eagle continues to work with their young until they are fully trained - even so Father God continues to work with His young.

"He who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion..." Philippians 1:6.

God doesn't want us to settle for a barnyard walk. He's determined that we're going to mount up with wings as an eagle.

I close with this poem by Bill Harvey.

Eagle Free

An eaglet in its downy nest surveyed the scene below.

And asked with zest, "Oh Mother, I would know . . .
Will I someday begin to fly as high and far as you?"
The answer came, "Of course you'll fly, for that's what eagles do."

Highborn you are and high you'll stay, and higher still you'll go,
And never know an earthbound day, nor crawling to and fro,
Now dashing down, now soaring high . . . Now floating on the air.
Now flying where you will to fly. Now free to do and dare.

I'll take the down from out the nest and let the thorns protrude.
I'll let the thorns disturb your rest and halt your nesting mood
Then soon you'll climb upon the edge and stretch your pinions out
You'll totter on the eerie ledge and ponder space and doubt,

Then with a wing I'll knock you off to flounder, flap and fly
And with a swoop, I'll pick you up and never mind your cry
I'll put you on the perch again, then knock you off the nest
To see if you will stand the strain and stand the acid test.

I'll give you opportunity to prove that you can fly.
And then a final chance to see if you will fly or die.
I'd rather rugged, jagged rocks would claim you as their own
Then bear the taunts, and jeers, and mocks that say you've never flown.

But fly you must, and fly you will, and conquer gravity.
And know the zephyr's golden thrill and fly for all to see.
My eagle child, this word I give: keep looking to the sky.
For though an eagle flies to live - an eagle lives to fly.

Fighting the Good Fight

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For the battle is the Lord’s. I Samuel 17:47

The Old Testament is full of truths revealing to us the great plots of God’s plan for redemption for the human race.

God has a plan by which each one of His followers can win in life’s war. In our lesson today of David and the giant God gives some guide lines that can help us as we face our giants. I want us to investigate some spiritual significance’s of warfare from this story.

For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. I Samuel 17:21

The battle had come to a standstill because the Philistines had a giant. They didn’t know what to do until David came along.

David had a magnificent giant to face.

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. I Samuel 17:4-7

This man was a little over nine feet tall. His armor weighted about 150 pounds, the head of his spear was 20 pounds. His head and shoulders, his chest, and his legs were all clothed in brass. He was a magnificent sight to look upon and very terrifying.

David never underestimated who the giant was, and we better not underestimate who the devil is. Underneath all the armor was a very wicked Man.

Let me take just a minute to give you a description of Satan.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14

Now we don’t know what an angel looks like but we picture them as a beings with wings that fly around doing everyone good deeds, right? Well, the scripture says that Satan has transformed himself into an angel.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: I Peter 5:8

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

What giant do you have in your life that keeps you defeated and in fear?

Is it the giant of bad habits?
Is it the giant of Bitterness?
Is it the giant of Worldliness?

Whatever keeps you from being blessed by God in your life is your giant.

David saw the Children of Israel in retreat and fearful.

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. I Samuel 17:24

They were people who were in a covenant relationship with God. But David found them in the bondage of fear before Goliath and all that he stood for.

Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Luke 21:26

What is the significance of all of this?

On the one hand there is Goliath in all his impressiveness. There could not be a more striking picture of Satan and his powers than Goliath. He may not strut around in armor like Goliath, but he is impressive and far more powerful than Goliath. Because Satan is of the spirit world we can’t fight with Him.

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. Ephesians 6:12

Here is the picture of the present day church. It is set in battle against a strutting, arrogant, proud adversary. We see the enemy all around us gaining ground rapidly, and we find that the church is powerless to do much about it.

"In any city you will find a modern Satan who seems irresistible, arrayed in all kinds of fascinating grabs. He clothes himself in the philosophy of modern education, especially the theory that man is essentially good and needs only to be trained and educated to become perfect, a theory which denies the whole truth of the Bible that man is essentially sinful. You will find Satan in the fascinating garb of the liberty between the two sexes, in the slack standard that exists today among people." --Alan Redpath, 1962.

I wonder what he would say today?

We see our world turned upside down and we are fearful as to what might happen in the days to come. The Israelites had lost sight of the power of their God and they were losing the battle! There they sat helpless and fearful. They sat in defeat and were doing nothing about it.

There may be some here today that profess to know the Lord and yet live in defeat and fear. Your giants have caused you to lose sight of the God you serve. You feel helpless and fearful to do anything about it. It seems that the harder you try to live a victories Christian life the more you fail. Maybe this is what Paul was talking about in Romans chapter 7.

Reading from the Message:

"What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely decide. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s word is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help. I decide to do good , but I don’t really do it. I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable.

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one to help me?

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus can and does!"

King Saul is a type of the Old Testament law. Saul faced such a giant. Saul was to be the leader and king of the Israelites. Saul was called by God to be King. But Saul had forfeited through disobedience the anointing of the Spirit of God. He had lost contact with his source of his Spiritual victory. So there he sat in fear and defeat. He was not willing to face the giant himself. Because Saul sat in defeat his whole army sat in defeat.

Have you ever thought about the fact that how we live affects other?

A mighty deliverance was given by God that day.

Goliath said "Give me a man." (Be careful, Goliath, what you wish for.) The issue was to be settled by a representative from each side.

This whole issue is not the Devil arrayed against a multitude of Christian people but rather the Devil against God. It is Satan versus Jesus. The whole issue of our giants is settled by our representative. Whatever happens to each representative would happen to those who followed them.

David is a picture of the Lord Jesus, who has overcome Satan at Calvary, and also a picture of every child of God who is being made one with Him through faith and obedience. Christ is the head and we are His body, therefore if He won a victory over Satan so have we.

No wonder David said, "The battle is the Lord’s."

David was anointed by God. I Samuel 16:12. Jesus was anointed at His baptism by the Holy Spirit.
David was sent by his father. I Samuel 16:13. Jesus was also send into Battle. I John 4:14.
David was scorned by his brothers. I Samuel 17:28. Jesus came unto His own and they received Him not. John 1:11 He was rejected of men. Isaiah 53:3.
David was strengthened by his past experiences. I Samuel 17:33. Jesus had a face-to-face conflict with Satan in the wilderness and defeated Him.
David was sustained by the Word of God. I Samuel 17:45, 47. In His wilderness experience Jesus used Scripture to defeat Satan.
David’s victory was brought about by the power of God and not by the sword. I Samuel 17:46. It was the power of God that brought Jesus back from the grave.
David’s victory brought victory to all of the Israelites. I Samuel 17:51-51. Jesus' victory at the cross brought us the victory also.
David won the battle and so did those who followed Him into battle. Jesus won the battle and so can we because of Him.

There is a secret to overcoming the giants.

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. I Samuel 18:1-4

In our concluding glimpse of this story, you will notice that a spectator became fully dedicated to David.

Jonathan knit (gave) himself to David.
Jonathan loved David as his own self.
Jonathan make a covenant with David. (Because the word said "He loved Him as His own soul.")
Jonathan gave David what he had: his robe, his sword and bow, his belt.
David became champion to Jonathan.

The battle over our giants in our lives is not won by might or power of our own but by giving ourselves to Jesus, for He has already won.

So many Christians believe in the God of history and the God of the past and the God of prophecy; we believe in the great things He is going to do when He comes again.

But the question is, do we believe in Him today? Can He defeat the giants that are in our lives? Can we have victory?

They who know the Saviour shall in Him be strong, Mighty in the conflict of the right against wrong. This the blessed promise given in God word, Doing wondrous exploits, they who know the Lord. In the midst of battle be thou not dismayed, tho’ the powers of darkness against thee are arrayed. God, thy strength, is with thee, causing thee to stand ; Heaven’s allied armies wait at thy command!

The Help of the Holy Spirit

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And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:16-17

For the past few weeks I have been trying to show us how much we need the help of God in these last days.

Let me review for you. We have talked about:

A Personal Encounter with God (Exodus 33)
Living Close to God (Psalm 145)
Wondrous Things from God (Psalm 119)

Now all that I have preached in the past few weeks has been to help us in these last days. We all know that we are facing perilous times.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God ; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-7

The word perilous in the Greek means : Reducing in strength, difficult or dangerous times.

The odds are against us making to heaven on our own. We need help. With that in mind I want to talk about the help of the Holy Spirit for the believer.

Let not your heart be troubled. John 14:1

We are living in very troubled (perilous) times.There is no promise that things will get any better until we get out of this world in the rapture.

If you love me keep commandments. John 14:15

For the children of God that keep His word there is a promise of a helper.

Persecution Foretold.

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:1-7

We get the feeling that Jesus is very aware that He is running out of time. He feels the need to warn them of upcoming persecution, not simply from an evil world, but from a religious people also.

The disciples were going to face things that they had never faced before and Jesus knew that they couldn’t face them alone. They would need a helper.

Promise of the Holy Spirit.

God gave us a promise in the Old Testament.

I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Joel 2:28

Jesus gave a promise to His followers.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. John 14:26

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father. John 15:26

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:7

Let's look at work of the Holy Spirit.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:16-17

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. John 16:13-15

He is to be an abiding presence.
He is the Spirit of truth.
He will guide you into all truth.
He will show you things.
He will glorify Jesus.

The mission of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into the truth of Jesus.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: John 16:7-8

With the awakening of the spiritual side of man there comes to him a threefold consciousness.

A consciousness of Sin.
A consciousness of righteousness.
A consciousness of Judgment.

All of this is brought by the Holy Spirit which leads us to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit's Progression in the Lives of People.

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:17

The work of the Holy Spirit starts before conversion. In verse 6 the word "reprove" means "convict" us. We use the term our "conscience" troubling us. The Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts that leads us to salvation.

The Holy Spirit leads us to confession of our sins and our faith for salvation.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13

The Holy Spirit guides and abides within us in our Christian walk.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Matthew 3:11

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:5

The baptizing of the Holy Spirit is a continuing of the work of God in the heart of the believer.

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them. Acts 19:4-6

If we study the scriptures we will find out that the next step in our walk with God after conversion is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

William Greathouse in his book The Spirit Filled Life gives us four steps in this progress:

1. I must be in a state of conscious acceptance with God before I can be filled with the Spirit.

2. Only those who have a spiritual thirst are filled with the Spirit.

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) John 7:37-39

3.We must be fully surrendered to the will of God.

E. Stanley Jones wrote: "Pay the price of a complete surrender. I mean surrender and not dedication. In dedication you still have your hands on the gift-in surrender you let go. The gift doesn’t belong to you any more- it totally and wholly belongs to another. You now lead a Spirit-led life, instead of a self-led life. You substitute one will for two wills. You say to yourself, 'Let go, let God.' You put yourself at the disposal of the Divine. You surrender for better or for worse, for richer or for poverty, in sickness and in health, in life and in death-you will keep yourself only unto Him. He has you."

4. We must appropriate the Holy Spirit by faith.

After conversion there comes a time in our walk with God that we make a choice to accept the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. By faith we say to the Holy Spirit, "Take my life and fill it with thy presence! You take control of my life."

As I study the word of God I find that the work of the Holy Spirit in my life requires a total giving of my whole heart and life to God and when I gave Him my will He gives me his Spirit to live within me.

In my Christian experience God by His grace saved me and when I gave Him my life He filled me with His Spirit. As I walk with Him each day He shows me the next steps I need to take in my way to heaven.

Have I arrived to where I need to be with God yet? No!

But each day He is helping me to walk in the light of His word and the Holy Spirit is teaching me.

This scripture shows the difference between a life in the Spirt and a life in the flesh.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Romans 8:1-16

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? Acts 19:2

The greatest help we can find in these days is having the Holy Spirit living within us and walking each day in the word of God.

Our Text again: "For he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

Wondrous Things From God

2008-05-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Open Thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Psalm 119:18

For the past few weeks I have been trying, with the help of the Lord, to share truths that will help us in these last days. I think that we all realize that things are happening fast and that our time on earth is short.

Matthew 24 talks about the conditions before Christ’s return: "Because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold."

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. II Thessalonians 2:1-3

I believe we are in the falling away time and we are going to need the greatest help we can find and that is in the Word. So, again today, I would like to share with you some truths that I feel that the Lord has laid on my heart to help build us up spiritually for whatever comes.

The Psalmist had a spiritual base by which he could ask God to open our eyes.

Verses 1 and 2 give us the foundation for this prayer. He refers to the blessed, that is to say happy, person.

Blessed are the blameless, Who WALK in the Word. Psalm 119:1

Having received the Lord Jesus as our Saviour we must began living a life to the best of our knowledge to please Him.

They do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. Psalm 119:3

Some of you may remember that I have shared with you from Paul’s writings in the book of Ephesians five spiritual walks. Let me share them again.

"Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called." Ephesians 4:1
"Walk not as the Gentiles walk." Ephesians 4:17
"Walk in love." Ephesians 5:2
"Walk as children as light." Ephesians 5:8
"Walk circumspectly not as fools." Ephesians 5:15

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies (words). Psalm 119:2

This speaks of both the outspokenness and the dependability of the word of God.

To keep the words of God is to live by the words of God.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6: 6-9

Look at some of the key words in this passage:

"...these words shall be in thine heart..."
"...teach them diligently..."
"...talk of them..."
"...bind them... upon thine hand..." (Hold onto them.)
"...they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes."

Now when I came to the word "frontlets" I was stumped . (I know you are smarter then me, you already knew what it means but I had to do research on this word)

From Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible: "In Deuteronomy Moses told the Israelites that the law was to have a very important place in their lives. They were to bind it upon the hand and have it as frontlets between their eyes. It appears that the Jews would write four passages of the law on small bits of parchment, which they enclosed in little boxes, which were worn, bound on the arm and the brow, at morning prayer."

The four passages were:

Exodus 13:1-10
Exodus 13:11- 16
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Deuteronomy 11:13-21

I will not take time to read them for you but in every passage it says that they were to do it for their children. How important it is today for our children and grandchildren to hear and see us living the word of God.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:9-11

It does no good to read the word if we don’t live in it!

Blessed are those who SEEK his Word. Psalm 119:2

To seek is to ask or to pursue diligently; to make inquisition; to search after.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

In Southern Arkansas there is a public diamond mine. People from all over the country go there to look for diamonds. Some camp days there looking for that elusive big shiny diamond. Because sometimes diamonds are found people keep going back. They go in all kinds of weather: hot sunshine, cold, rain that turns into mud. But they still hunt. They are seeking treasure.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:7

If we ever want to get close to God we will do so by seeking out great truths about Him from the word of God that has been given to us by God.

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Ephesians 3:2-6

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. Ephesians 3:9-10

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:16-20

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:9-16

How can we ever know the deep truths of God unless we seek for them? If you dig in God's diamond mine you will find truths to help you in these last days.

Dwelling in the word will produce praise to God.

When I look into all your commandments. I will praise you with uprightness of heart. Psalm 119:6-7

In verse 12 the Psalmist show us how to praise God. "Blessed are you, O Lord."

In verses 1 and 2 the word blessed means "happy" but here in verse 12 the word blessed means "to kneel down before in adoration." There is no better way to praise God than to do what he asks of us.

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalm 119:13-16

Do you catch what he is saying he would do? "I will declare , I will rejoice, I will delight, I will not forget!" Now that is praise! Think about what he is saying. It isn’t all about what God will show us from His Word but also about what we will do with truth when He shows us.

How many "I will’s" can you give to God in praise?

The Psalmist ends this lesson with a prayer. In fact the rest of this Psalm is a prayer but we only look at a few verses.

Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Psalm 119:17-18

Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. Psalm 119:33-40

In order for us to find the deep truths we need to pray that God would open our eyes to the wondrous things that he has for us.

How much are you going to need God in these last days? We all agree that we are going to need all the help of God that we can get, to be able to live through the storm that is upon us. The spiritual, physical, economical and mental storms will not get any less until Jesus comes and sets things in order for us. He gives us all the help we need to get through any Storm. All we need is to apply ourselves to His word to get it.

Isn’t it time that we get serious about reading and living God’s Word?

We have a choice to make. What’s most important in your life?

Let's make the song by C.P. Jones our prayer:

Deeper, Deeper,
In the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, Higher
in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Deeper, Deeper!
Blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still.
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus
and His perfect will.

Deeper, Deeper!
Tho’ it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.

Deeper, Higher,
Every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past.
Finds me conqu’ror,
and in His own image
Perfected at last.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6: 10-18

Amen!

Living in Response to God

2008-05-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Psalm 145:18

It would seem natural that we would long to be close to God, our Heavenly Father…for every child wants to know the security of being close to their parents: the familiarity of their faces, the security of their strength, the assurance of their words. This is a good model for our relationship with God; except to one degree or another the model has been marred a bit: we get wrapped up in our problems rather than our problem solver!

We wonder if we really can get close to God. If we seek, we find a wonderful surprise. If our souls can clear away the debris of life, we find a very present and relentlessly pursuing.

Our Father is God whose fatherly love said:
…I’ll create an environment that testifies of my love and care.
…I’ll inspire writers to capture all that is fundamental about myself.
…I’ll come and show you what I’m like in person.
…I’ll even impart my own spirit to be placed in you.

That is a Father who wants relationship. The scripture declares that God’s love longs to listen to our hearts, comfort us, counsel us, and challenge us like a father.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

Jesus, in presenting the coming role of the Holy Spirit, said:

"If anyone loves me they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:23

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you .Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he loves me well be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." John 14:15-21

Do we really love Jesus? If we really love Jesus, then we will do His will!

Jesus gave us some promises:

I will give you my Holy Spirit.
He will be with you forever.
He shall dwell with you and shall be in you.
Because I live you shall live.
You shall know "That I am in the Father and You in me and I in you!"
If you love me "My Father will love you, And I will love you, and manifest (reveal) myself to you."

And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick ? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad . If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Mark 4:21-23

Through the manifesting of Christ to our hearts and our obeying His word we can know Him!

How can we experience this constant companionship? This morning I simply want to focus on some of the challenges faced in any parent-child relationship. It’s helpful for us to realize that God not only relates to us with all the desire of a parent to a child, but also with all the power of a parent to a child.

Think about this truth: Relationship cannot be forced. God will not force Himself on us. In other words, if we don’t want to take the time to get close to God then He won’t force us to.

With that in mind, I believe God would remind us of the parent-child truths that relate to our intimacy with Him.

As I’ve reflected upon the Scriptures this week, four truths in particular have stood out to me in regard to our lives:

The first factor involved in God’s fatherly interaction is:

Our Mindfulness

God will relate to us according to our attentiveness. Every parent knows the importance of getting a child’s attention. So does God.

So it is, He states most simply in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God."

Often times we think of merely the need for a quiet place to be with God, and certainly silence lends itself to stillness. But stillness of soul is more than silence. It refers to quieting the inner activity of our souls.

I find this is one of my greatest challenges to enjoying constant closeness with God. Finding a relatively silent place isn’t so difficult, but quieting my soul is. In fact, silence often seems to unveil all the stirrings and voices in my soul.

Have you found that to be true? Just as you get quiet, your mind is flooded with competing thoughts and concerns… as you initially try to focus, you find your soul suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder?

I might add that I think the things we’re most concerned about may be the hardest because our own thoughts and emotions are so involved; our own desires and reactions fill our attentiveness.
At these times, we’re like a wound up child rambling before a parent who waits to really gain our attention.

In schools these days if a child has Attention Disorder they give them Ritalin. But God will not use any thing other than His truth.

God says "Be still"… come, let your thoughts and agendas be still before Me. Let them rest… get centered… die down."

The full attention of God’s heart is always there for us as our Divine Parent… but we cannot really know His attention until we bring Him ours.

What does God have to do to get your attention? Not just silence, but the stillness of your soul? It might be sickness. It might be a child's sickness. It might even be the death of a loved one or friend.

The second factor in any parent-child relationship is:

Our Maturity

Every parent understands that they can only relate to a child according to their maturity and understanding.

Parents begin with "baby talk" and use simple statements that fit within the child’s conceptual realm.

Is it communication? Yes… as real as any other. So it is in our relationship to God, as the apostle Paul described:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:11-13

Two important implications in this text:

The reality of a distinction of knowledge between ourselves and God. We don’t see the whole picture. Everything God has shown us of Himself is real, but much is still beyond us, just as a parent’s communication is real, true, valid, but doesn’t attempt to be full. As Paul says, "We are fully known, but we do not yet fully know God." God sees all, but we don't. Oftentimes we use our perception of needs as the reference point of being close with God, rather than God's perception of our needs. No good parent will respond simply according to their child’s limited perception of their needs. Their response will take into account their greater understanding. "I need more cookies… to not go to school anymore". If we make our reference point of need the center of our approach to God, we may not sense his involvement. We must not confuse his agreement and acquiescence to our needs with closeness and intimacy. We must surrender to His higher knowledge.
The second thing Paul notes is the we are to progress in our thinking. Paul recognized that in his own lifetime he had naturally come to think differently. Our maturity of understanding must naturally progress in our understanding of God.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12: 2

Are you allowing your mind to mature according to all that your Father has made known to you? Are you learning to take on His perspective rather than demanding your own?

Our Motivation

We must recognize that God relates to us in ways that reveal our hearts. We should let the word of God motivate us.

...the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

When we think of being close to God, we so often think of God answering our questions. What we find in scripture is that God’s most penetrating interaction came when He asked the question. The first question God is known to have asked is found in the garden. "Where are you?" … Adam and Eve hiding in their shame. Obviously, God knew physically where they were But it was a question of deeper meaning … a question He asks each of us.

God engaged many with revealing questions:

To Cain after killing his brother: "Where is your brother?"
To Moses as he went on trying to convince God he was the wrong man to lead the people: "What is that in your hand?"
To a man paralyzed for 38 years, He asked, "Do you want to be well?"
To His disciples when they shared what others were saying about Him, He asked, "Who do you say I am?"

Today God is still asking questions to reveal the things of our hearts. Many of the real answers for our hearts are found in God’s questions. Are you prepared to find answers in God the Father's questions?

Finally, God relates to us according to:

Our Movement

That is, Gold relates to us according to our responsiveness. Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

God is not interested in our academic agreement, only in our active agreement. As James described, "Faith without deeds is dead faith" … belief without action is not meaningful belief.
The faith God responds to isn’t an issue of denying our doubts … He honored the one who came saying "We believe, but help us in our unbelief." It’s not doubt of the mind that’s a problem, but the doubt of the will; the unwillingness to act.

The other night Pallie Sue and I were watching Deal or No Deal. There was a contestant who had been married for 25 years and the contestant's sister said they still act like they are on their honeymoon.

Many of us are dating God but we don’t ever make a commitment to Him. He’s coming back for his bride, not an uncommitted dating relationship.

Are you actively believing what God the Father has shown you?

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mark 3:35-41

Let me say in closing that the Disciples were in the right place when the storm came. Close to Jesus!

Are you close enough to Jesus, that when the storms come you can reach Him so that He can calm your life?

A Blessed Mother

2008-05-11T15:10:00.001-07:00

What do mothers want for Mother’s Day? If you mothers could choose a gift, what would it be? Something just for you. A diamond? A car? A new home? What? What would you think would be a great gift?

Well, I can only guess what you are thinking right now.

Mothers are teachers. Mothers are disciplinarians. Mothers are cleaning ladies. Some mothers are gardeners and mowers of lawns. And most mothers understand that baking cookies is more important than washing windows, too.

Mothers are nurses and doctors and psychologists and counselors and chauffeurs and coaches. Mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, and shapers of attitudes. Mothers are soft voices saying, "I love you." And mothers are a link to God, a child’s first impression of God’s love.

Mothers are all of these things and much, much more.

Proverbs gives a description of a great gift that all women should desire.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
~~Proverbs 31: 28 (KJV)

Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise.
~~Proverbs 31:28 (The Message)

I would think that praise and blessing would be greater than another gifts. (That’s not to say that you should not buy your mother a gift to show her how much you love her if possible.)

Attorney Michael Minton did a study on the monetary value of a wife’s services in the home. First he listed the various functions she performs:

Chauffeur
Gardener
Family counselor
Maintenance worker
Cleaning woman
Housekeeper
Cook
Errand runner
Bookkeeper
Interior decorator
Caterer
Dietician
Secretary
Hostess

Using this impressive list of a housewife’s work in today’s labor market, he came up with $985 per week. That’s $51,220 per year!

Now most women are required to work today because most households just can’t make end meet on one salary. I heard on the news the other night that a stay-at-home mother works about 95 hours a week. I got to thinking that you working mothers put in at least 40 hours a week on the job and then you have to come home to your other job! I have one question: When do you have time to sleep?

In Proverbs 31 King Lemuel talks about the Godly prophecy (wisdom) that his mother taught him.

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. ~~Proverbs 31:10

She is a virtuous woman. The Hebrew word for virtuous indicates a force, an army, strong.

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: ~~Proverbs 12:4

A crown is something that a man would want to show off. That means that he isn’t ashamed of her. Because the Bible says that the wife is a crown to the husband, he should love her.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
~~Ephesians 5:22-33

Now if the wife is the husband's crown, isn’t this way he should love her? In order for a woman to become a good mother I think she would need a good relationship with her husband.

What are the traits of a virtuous woman?

A virtuous woman is trustworthy. Some things should not be spoken outside the home, by either husband or wife.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her. Proverbs 31:11

He trusts her chastity (purity).

He trusts her conduct.

He trusts her in confidence.

A virtuous woman is not lazy.
She works willingly with her hands. Proverbs 31:13
Let me say, neither is a good man when it comes to the home. If it takes two to make the living then it is only fair that it would take two to keep the home. Paul said that a man should love His wife as much as he loves himself.
A virtuous woman is wise.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom. Proverbs 31:26
A virtuous woman fears the Lord.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one."

The Lord turned and said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee and leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."

"Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible."

"It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there."

"She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed and communicate love and understanding without saying a word."

"That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while and resume your creating tomorrow?"

"No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - and who can persuade a nine-year-old to take a shower."

Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely and said, "She’s too soft."

"Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do."

"Can she think?" asked the angel.

"Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason and compromise and persuade."

Then the angel reached over and touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model."

"That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear."

"What’s a tear for?" asked the angel.

"Well, it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride."

"You’re a genius," said the angel.

And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there."

My mother taught me LOGIC: "If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me," as well as, "If everyone else jumped off a cliff would you do it too?"
My mother taught me MEDICINE: "If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze that way."
My mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD: "If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job!"
My mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE: "What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you... Don’t talk back to me!"
My mother taught me HUMOR: "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me."
My mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT: "If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.
My mother taught me about GENETICS: "You are just like your father!"
My mother taught me about my ROOTS: "Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE: "When you get to be my age, you will understand," or, "I will explain it all when you get older."
My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION: "Just wait until your father gets home."
My mother taught me about RECEIVING: "You are going to get it when I get you home."
And the all-time favorite thing my mother taught me, JUSTICE: "One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you’ll see what it’s like! I can’t wait!"

Happy Mothers Day!

A Personal Encounter

2008-05-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

When electricity became available in remote rural areas, one woman went to great trouble and expense to have electricity installed in her home. A few months after the power was turned on; the power company noticed that the home didn’t use very much power. Fearing that there was a problem they sent a meter reader to check on the matter.

The meter reader saw that the power was indeed working properly and then asked thewoman, "Do you use your electricity?"

The woman replied, "Of course we do. We turn it on every night when it gets dark so we can see to light our lamps and then we turn it back off."

Doesn’t that just sound ridiculous? Having all of the power you need and the ability to tap into it any time you wish, but only using it to see how to light candles?

Would we ever do anything that made so little sense?

Yes, we do, when we apply that same reasoning to the power and presence of God in our lives. We go out of our way to go to church, but don’t let ourselves become devoted to God. We look forward to our time of worship, but don’t let ourselves get too close to God.And we go through all of our troubles, only to ask God for His help as a last resort.

Many of us are just like the woman who didn’t use her electricity the way it was meant to be used. She went through all the trouble to get it, but didn’t use it enough to understand it.

We need to experience the presence of God to experience His power. Just like electricity. When we remove the presence of God from our lives; we remove His power.

We remove the presence of God in our lives when we decide to do something else we enjoy, rather than go to His house to get closer to Him.

Today, I want to look at a very personal encounter Moses had with God. And I want us to concentrate on three things that happened in this encounter that can lead us to a real relationship with God.

And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Exodus 33:12-23

A real relationship with God is when we look forward to doing things for Him, where He wants us to do them.

Moses said to God, "If you don’t go with us then I don’t want to go."

Why did Moses say this? Look at verse 3: "I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people:"

Some of the people had built a God of gold to serve.

And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book Which thou hast written. Exodus 32:31-32

Living and Experiencing God

"Yet you have said ,"I know you by name." Exodus 33:12

There is one thing we need to do every single time we step into the house of God, and that is to bring the word of God with us. You can always tell who has and who does not have the Bible as one of their priorities by who brings it to church. I am glad to be able to say that I think most of you do bring your Bibles.

There is no reason to come to church just to hear somebody else tell you what the Bible says. You need to read it for yourself when you are at home.

You need to "read to discover" and not just skim over a couple of verses and think you are doing a good job as a Christian. Part of walking the walk is reading the book.

Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, `Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, `I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."

The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Exodus 33:12-14

God created us to have a personal relationship with Him. God literally walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in. He came down from heaven and walked with them every evening. Can you imagine the closeness they felt with Him, or passing the hours away in personal conversation with Him? How awesome would that be?

They experienced the closest of relationships with Him. We have to get serious and realize something that is the most important news you will ever hear: God is yearning to have that kind of relationship with you, too, if you will only let Him. He wants it so badly that He even sent His Son to be the blood sacrifice to offer us a way back to Him.

(Speaking of Adam and Eve, I have heard it said that they had the perfect marriage. Adam didn’t have to listen to her talk about all the men she could have married, and she didn’t have to hear about how good his mother cooked.)

In this passage, Moses reminds God of His promises. Now, it isn’t like God forgets what He says, so why did Moses do that? Moses did that because he had a sense of genuine concern. There was no longer a sense of the Divine within the nation of Israel because God had removed His presence from them.

How many times have we felt that way about our lives? We might feel like we are in the middle of our own wilderness and God is nowhere around us, but we don’t tell anyone and just try to ignore it, don’t we?

That even applies to our church at times. How many times do we come into the sanctuary and do not feel the absolute presence of God? We feel that way in our lives and in our church when we are not "experiencing" God on a one-to-one basis. What causes us to feel that way?

We feel that way because we are not purposely trying to seek more of God. We are creatures of habit and we settle for whatever we have without trying to get something better. The problem with that is when we do that, we aren’t growing in Him.

When Moses sought God, he did so through passionate prayer. He sought God by going to his knees. One of the biggest problems in the church today is that people want a deep relationship with God but don’t want to pay the price necessary to get that relationship. We want everything handed to us.

But developing an intimate relationship with God takes time and effort. It doesn’t happen overnight.

I want you to notice what Moses said to God in verse 13. He wanted three things from God if God found his life pleasing.

He wanted God to teach him God’s ways. Moses knew that you can only follow God to where He wants you to go if you know what God wants. And He asked God to teach him what God wanted.
He asked God to let him know God. There is nothing more precious in a Christian’s life than knowing God personally. Moses knew you cannot learn from God unless you also know Him. And it is only when we know God can we become one of His children.
And finally, Moses asked for God’s favor (grace). What is God’s favor? It is when God favors us by giving us more of the things that bring our focus back to Him. Have you ever said a quick prayer that you get thru the light before it turns red? And what do you do when that happens? You thank the Lord, don’t you? Did you know that was God’s favor upon you? It was no less a miracle than the miracle that has healed some of you. All born out of God’s favor. Moses wants God to let him live in God’s favor.

Now, Moses’ attitude was much different than most of our attitudes today. We want God’s favor upon our lives for the wrong reason. We want God’s favor so our lives go easier and we can be more comfortable.

God wants to give us His favor so we can do more work for Him. And most of us will never realize God’s full favor because, although we might want to know Him and have a relationship with Him, we don’t want it badly enough to spend time on our knees talking personally with Him, or we don’t want to spend much time reading His Word so we can understand what He wants for us. But we still want all He can give us, don’t we?

Most of us will spend our lives just circling around the area of God, but not really living in His very presence. We do everything we are supposed to, except pursue Him all the time with hearts that will not rest until we get more of Him.

That is how you can live in the presence of God; by chasing after Him; by searching for more of Him. Now all of this takes time. And so often we give God what’s left of our time, which is very little if any.

Living and Experiencing God's Grace

And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?
What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Exodus 33:15-17

Moses again speaks with God and asks God to prove His faithfulness. God’s presence in our lives is directly related to the pleasure He has for our lives.

Let me say it this way: If we are living in a way that God does not approve, we will not see very much of Him in our lives. God proves His faithfulness to us by showing His presence in our lives. So how do we please God?

We start by loving Him with all of our hearts. Now that is different than what most people do today. Most people acknowledge God, but that is as far as their emotional feelings go. You can acknowledge the man behind the meat counter or at the drug store, but you don’t necessarily love him, right? God does not just want us to acknowledge Him. He wants us to love Him.

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37-38

Notice Jesus doesn’t say this the greatest suggestion or greatest opinion. He says it is the greatest commandment. Our first priority is to love God with every fiber of our being. We are called to love God on purpose. He desires to have the first and foremost place in our lives, and He deserves it.

We also please God by believing in Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

I think this verse says it very well. Without faith it is impossible to please God. There is no way that we will ever be able to please God if we do not believe in Him.

The Greek word, says it much better than any word we have in our English language. It means to trust with all your might ... to rely upon with all your heart to depend upon with your very life and to receive fully everything that is offered.

Is that what you think of when you think of having faith in Christ?

Someone said: "We need to find out what God wants if we want to have what God has."

If we do not fully understand the words used to describe Christianity, how can we understand what a Christian’s walk should be like? We place our faith in God when we trust Him completely, even when life doesn’t make sense. When life seems the most senseless, that is when we need to trust God the most!

Can you place your full trust in someone who is not your friend? At best, it is a very hard thing to do, isn’t it?

Another way to please God is to trust Him enough to obey Him. Certainly, if we trust Him, we know that He would never let us down. Jesus even talked about this.

"You are my friends if you do what I command." John 15:14

Our relationship with God depends most of all on our obedience. Our obedience determines the depth of our relationship with God. Our obedience to His will is how we show that we love Him.

We please God by praising Him in everything we do.

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Psalm 150:1-2

What is the proper praise? It is just blessing God back for everything He does for you.

We please God by serving Him. God wants you to live your life serving Him. This means more than just showing up on Sunday.

True service is lived out in all you do, every day of your life. Look at your life and pick out those areas where God is doing things for you. And then appreciate it enough to ask Him what you can do for Him. Not just today, but every day.

Living in God's Fullness

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." Exodus 33:18-23

Preeminence shows us that God has a never-ending glory. The glory of God is far beyond anything we are able to comprehend. Moses literally asked to see His majesty and power. We can tell that Moses had a deep yearning in his heart to know God and to have a deep personal relationship with Him. He wanted to see God without any of the barriers. He wanted to see God for all that He was and is.

Like the young boy on his birthday: The time had come to serve the cake. As the cake was brought in and placed on the table, the little boy just couldn’t contain himself and said, "I want the biggest piece!"

His mom quietly pulled him aside and said, "Son, it’s not polite to ask for the biggest piece."

With a puzzled expression, he replied, "Well, how else am I going to get it?"

How much of God do you want today? Are you satisfied with just a little bit, or do you want the whole enchilada? Do you want as much of God as you can possibly get? If you do, you will have to pursue Him for it, and you will have to ask Him for it.

The only part that Moses was not allowed to see was His face. God did not allow His face to be seen because there was still a need for separation between God and humanity. Even the most intimate relationship with God could not bridge the gap. This is why God sent Jesus, so He could be our Immanuel, God with us.

The presence of God is with us here today for no other reason than because Jesus lives! When Jesus died on the cross, the temple veil was torn in two. That veil was to separate humanity from the direct presence of God. Jesus torn that separation away and now we can fully experience the divine presence of God.

There are two things that we must do to see the glory of God displayed in our lives.

We need to live in His presence every day, which means we must always be desiring a closer walk with Him.
We need to try and please God with everything we say and do – all the time.

You say that sounds impossible, but I want you to remember how you felt when you were pursuing that lovely young lady who became your wife, or the man of your dreams who became your husband. During that time, you did everything you could to get to know them better, didn’t you? You had them in the front of your thoughts every second of every day. You literally could not wait to see them again. That is exactly how we are to feel towards our heavenly Father.

In the late 1800’s, there was a poor farm boy who had never seen a circus. He heard one was coming to town in a few weeks, so he decided to go stand on the sidewalk to see it as it passed by. From everything he had heard, he just knew it was going to be the best thing he had ever seen. He was so excited that those weeks flew by quickly, and he soon found himself, heart beating fast, on the sidewalk waiting for the great circus to pass him by.

Then he heard the music and everybody started cheering. His excitement grew stronger, and then he saw the marching band coming in front of him. He had never seen bright uniforms and shiny instruments like that before. And behind the band came the clowns. The crowd roared with excitement and laughter. The poor farm boy never imagined anything so wonderful could exist.

As the clowns passed, he quickly ran home and told his parents how wonderful the circus had been. In his excitement to see something wonderful, he missed the very best part, didn’t he?

As Christians, we should be awestruck at how much God loves us and how much He wants to bless us, but we end up acting like that young boy. We take a little bit, get very excited over it, and then we ignore the most wonderful part – the personal relationship.

Are you living in God’s abundant presence today, or are you feeling like you are on the outside of His glory waiting for the chance to go in?

Whether we experience all of God’s glory or not depends on one thing: How obedient we are willing to be to Him. But so many times we wonder why God does not bless but the truth is that we only want Him in our lives when we need Him.

He says be in church. Yet, we find other things to do instead of being in His house. He says read His word. We say we are too busy to do it today, but will listen to it on Sunday. And all the while, we stand up and shout to the world that we are good Christians and love God so much!

Maybe it is time to get serious about Him. Just maybe, it is time to start humbling our hearts, from what we want to what He wants for us. Just maybe it’s time we followed Him instead of expecting Him to follow us.

The Triumph of the Christian Life

2008-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;
That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.
God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
~Psalm 108:1-13

The Christian life is a warfare. Every spiritually-renewed man has to do battle with corrupt opinions and practices in society and with temptations of the devil. The renewed man is assured of ultimate victory in this conflict. This Psalm very suitably represents the spiritual attitude of the Christian warrior, who, although he has gained many conquests, is not yet completely victorious, but in the strength of God is pressing on to the full and final triumph.

The complete triumph of the Christian life is promoted by the praise to God.

The poet begins his Psalm with praise to God. Observe the main features of his praise. It is:

Praise from a confident heart. "O God, my heart is fixed." A fixed heart is one which is firm and fearless by reason of its confidence in God. It's praise would be unfaltering and fervent.
Praise with the noblest powers. "Even with my glory." By his "glory" the poet means his soul, with all the capacities and faculties which belonged to him as an intelligent being, created in the Divine image. The praise of God should engage the noblest powers of our being. Soulless worship is repugnant to heaven.
Praise in the most public manner."I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people; And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations." The peoples of the whole earth along constitute a sufficient auditory for the praise which the Psalmist would offer.
Praise because of God's covenant relationship. "For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds." The mercy and truth of God are the attributes which are celebrated by Hebrew poets and prophets as marking His covenant relationship with his people.
Praise of universal extent. "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Thy glory above all the earth." The heart which is fixed to praise God would exalt Him in the highest degree and wildest extent. He is worthy the praise of the highest intelligences of heaven, and of all upon earth.

How does this praise promote the complete victory of the Christian life?

It honors God. "Them that honour me, I will honour." (I Samuel 2:30.) If we honor Him with sincere praise He will honor us with courage, strength, and triumph...
It strengthens faith. As we heartily celebrate the Divine mercy and truth, our faith in them will grow stronger. And in moral conflicts nothing nerves the heart with heroism and the arm with power like faith in God. In the warfare of the spiritual life if we would "wax valiant in faith, and turn to flight the armies of the aliens," (Hebrews 11:34) it must be through faith.

The complete triumph is promoted b y consideration of the triumphs already achieved.

God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.

How would the consideration of past triumphs promote the complete victory?

They reveal the fact that many an enemy which seemed too mighty for us have been vanquished by our faith. In the Christian life we look back upon difficult battles that we have overcome, many temptations successfully resisted, many a foe slain, and are encouraged to hope and content for the full and final conquest. Past victories are an earnest (down payment) of future and entire triumph.

When Columbus sailed from Spain to discover a new land, the people began to complain. The storms were too furious and waves too high. The people said, "Let's turn back."

But Columbus said, "Sail on. Sail on."

Past triumphs bring into clear and impressive light the faithfulness and sufficiency of God as our helper. He had made good His promise to Israel in their past triumphs, which they had achieved by virtue of His help. He changes neither in His faithfulness nor in His power to help.

In the past of our individual Christian lives He has been our unfailing helper and supporter.

Our triumph is assured by God.

We discover this assurance in...

His interest in His people. David speaks of Israel as His beloved. "That thy beloved may be delivered." God's love for his people is a guarantee of their ultimate and complete triumph over all their foes.
His power to give His people the victory. "Save with thy right hand." "Through God we shall do valiantly; He shall tread down our enemies;" "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." (Isaiah 54:17) "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." (Romans 16:20)
His promise to His people is the Victory. "God hath spoken in His holiness." The holiness of God is the pledge that He will perform His promises. He has promised to those who believe on Him the victory over all their foes; and what He promised He will perform, for His word is both almighty and unchangeable.

Here is encouragement for the Christian soldier. Ours is not a doubtful battle. The Lord is on our side; therefore we must conquer.

Here is counsel for the Christian soldier. If we would conquer we must be found in the way of duty. Trust and fight, watch and pray, so shall you come off at last more than conqueror through Christ.

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

In intense turmoil, Luther wrote his greatest hymn, A Might Fortress is Our God. It was the worst of times, 1527, one of the most trying years of Luther’s life. On April 22, a dizzy spell forced Luther to stop preaching in the middle of his sermon. For ten years, since publishing his 95 Theses against the abuse of indulgences, Luther had been buffeted by political and theological storms; at times his life had been in danger. He was suffering severe depression. Sometime that year, Luther wrote the hymn he is most famous for.

This verse, translated by Frederick Hedge in 1853:

And though this world with devils filled
should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
for lo His doom is sure.
One little Word shall fell him.