Title: Tax collectors, sinners and shepherds
Date: December 10, 2008
Text: Luke 2:8-20
Introduction
- (from Charlie Brown's Christmas)
- Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
- Linus: “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is about. Lights Please!
- Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
- And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
- Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
- For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
- And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
- That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!”
- Let's continue with the story
- Luke 2:15-20
- My question this morning, is why did God announce Jesus’ birth to a group of shepherds?
God loves tax collectors
- I know that tax collectors are not the same as shepherds, they are probably at opposite ends of the social structure
- But bear with me – we will get to the shepherds
- Luke 19:1-10
- Zacchaeus was a tax collector, an IRS agent
- He was someone who operated not on behalf of the Jewish government, but on behalf of the enemy, the Romans
- For this reason he was not well-liked
- On top of that, he was also someone who extorted more than was needed to pay the taxes, so he would skim off a portion for himself.
- On top of that again, he would also take a rake-off from those tax collectors working under him
- So Zacchaeus had a good thing going for himself, which made him a hated individual
- Zacchaeus is a little guy, so when he hears Jesus is coming into town he climbs a tree to see him - As Jesus is entering Jericho, he makes a bee-line for Zacchaeus’ tree and tells him he knows him by name, and that he will be having dinner with him that night
- This act of grace alone, totally changes Zacchaeus’ life
- He publicly announces that he is going to make amends to all his victims, and he is now a changed man
- People don’t understand Jesus associating with their enemy, but Jesus tells them: “the Son of man came to seek and to save what is lost”
God loves sinners
- Luke 5:27-32
- The calling of Levi the tax collector
- Levi was another tax collector, and this is a similar story
- Jesus invites Levi to follow him and become a disciple
- Levi then goes and throws a party for all his friends, most of whom were tax collectors and other sinners
- Once again, people criticize Jesus for associating with these people who were their enemies, and sinners, who were ceremonially unclean
- Much of this accusation came from the religious rulers, who figured they were OK, didn’t need Jesus
- Jesus’ response was: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”
God loves shepherds
- And now we get to the shepherds
- Shepherds are unclean
- Shepherds smell like sheep, they are around them all the time
- They may slip in their doo-doo, they pick up diseased animals and carry them around
- They are not clean people, they would not be allowed into the temple without all kinds of ceremonial cleansings
- These shepherds are humble, they live out with the sheep
- Maybe they drink in order to stay warm at night
- But God loves these shepherds
- H much rather associates with people who need him and welcome him, than all kinds of people who feel they have it all together
- God chooses to reveal the birth of his son to these lowly shepherds
- This relates to the tax collectors and sinners in that they too are not the socially acceptable
- They too are people who need help
So whom does God care about?
- God doesn’t reveal himself to the righteous types who seem to have it all together
- 1 Cor 1:26-31
- When God calls us to accept his Son, he does not seek the wise and successful of this world
- God works through the lowly of this world
- They have been humbled
- They know they need God
- The righteous don’t see that they need a Savior
- We do
- God says in Isa 57:15 – “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones”
- When we are humble and know we haven’t got all the answers – that is when God can work in us and through us
- That is why God loves us
- We are people who need a Savior
- God cares about us
- If we have not yet accepted Jesus into our lives and we want to do so, why don’t we do so right now?
- Let’s pray
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Way, the Truth, The Life - John 14:6
Title: The Way, the Truth and the Life
Date: October 26, 2008
Text: John 14:6
Introduction
- A pioneer missionary in Africa tells how he was taking the gospel to a new tribe, far to the north.
- With his bearers, he arrived at a village, a point beyond which his porters refused to go.
- The missionary appealed to the local chief . Was there someone in his village who could act as his guide to the distant northern tribe?
- The chief summoned a man, tall, battle scarred, carrying a large axe.
- A bargain was made and the next morning the missionary set off through the bush, following his new guide. The way became increasingly rough and the path had all but disappeared.
- There was an occasional mark blazed on a tree, occasionally a narrow path. Finally the missionary called a halt. He asked the guide if he was sure he knew the way.
- The man pulled himself up to his full height. "White man," he said, "you see this axe in my hand? You see these scars on my body? With this axe I blazed the trail to the tribal village to which we go.
- I came from there. These scars I received when I made the way. You ask me if I know the way? Before I came, there was no way. I am the way!
Background
- Jesus was telling the disciples that he was leaving them, that he would die but that he would return
- Thomas responds to Jesus, that they don’t know where he is going, so how can they know the way?
- Jesus response is to make this statement: “I am the way, the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father except through me”
- In making these 3 statements, Jesus is describing 3 ways in which he is showing us the way to heaven
- Today we are going to examine these three statements
I am the Way
- Jesus’ first statement is the He is the Way
- What does this mean, that Jesus is the way?
- The greek word “hodos” literally means a travelled way, a road, a journey - It also means a course of conduct, a way of thinking, feeling, deciding
- How does this meaning relate to Jesus?
- 1. Jesus went before us
- In the Roman army, the prodromoi were the reconnaissance troops who went ahead of the army to blaze the trail and ensure that it was safe from ambush for the rest of the troops
- Jesus is the prodromos, the traulblazer showing the way to heaven – the word is translated as forerunner, or the one who goes before us
- Jesus is the one who is our trailblazer – he has prepared the way for us
- 2. There are 2 ways to live
- Matt 7:13-14
- Two roads – one is wide and easy to follow, one is narrow and crooked
- The easy way is the way everyone else is going
- It is easy to follow, just follow the crowd
- It’s fun for the moment, but unless they repent and change direction, they will end up going over the precipice, and land in the fires of hell.
- The narrow road, representing following Jesus, is more difficult
- 2 weeks ago, went to South Lake Tahoe and saw the salmon run in Owen’s Creek
- Thousands of salmon had swum upstream to find a mate, and spawn
- The Christian life is a little like that – it can be a struggle to follow Jesus’ example, but at the end there will be a reward
- Rom 2:7
- Jesus is the way
I am the Truth
- Jesus is the Word of God
- John 1:1, 14 – he is God’s spokesperson
- He spoke God’s word, and gave it to us as truth
- John 17:17
- He says “I am the truth”
- He personifies the truth that sets us free
- John 8:32
- Jesus is the truth that sets us free from sin, from bondages and from everything that hinders us from going to heaven
I am the Life
- John 1:1-4
- Jesus was the creator of all things – he is the one who created life and gave it to us
- Heb 1:3 - He upholds all things by the word of his power
- He came to bring life
- John 10:10 – I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full
- John 11:25 – I am the resurrection and the life
- It is through Jesus that we have life, life eternal
- So Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
- He shows us the way to heaven
But we have a problem
- Rom 3:23 - Man has sinned, all of us
- Rom 6:23 - The result of that sin is death, eternal separation from God
- We have all been on that wide road, the easy road
- God’s gift to us is eternal life
- Jesus came to stand in our stead, and paid the price for us
- He offers that to every person
- He is the way the truth and the life
- This is what we remember as we celebrate communion, remembering what Jesus did in our place, and celebrating that we have been freed from death and given eternal life
Communion
- 1 Cor 11:23- 29
- People who take part in communion, should be believers
- If you wish to be a believer, and have not done so before, you can ask Jesus right now to forgive you of your sins, and ask him to come into your life, as your personal Lord and Savior
- You can do this right now
- PRAYER
- If you prayed this prayer right now, your sins are forgiven, and you now have a special relationship with God
- He is proud to call you his child
- He has given you a fresh start in life and he has promised to never leave you or forsake you!
- Our God is an awesome God!
Date: October 26, 2008
Text: John 14:6
Introduction
- A pioneer missionary in Africa tells how he was taking the gospel to a new tribe, far to the north.
- With his bearers, he arrived at a village, a point beyond which his porters refused to go.
- The missionary appealed to the local chief . Was there someone in his village who could act as his guide to the distant northern tribe?
- The chief summoned a man, tall, battle scarred, carrying a large axe.
- A bargain was made and the next morning the missionary set off through the bush, following his new guide. The way became increasingly rough and the path had all but disappeared.
- There was an occasional mark blazed on a tree, occasionally a narrow path. Finally the missionary called a halt. He asked the guide if he was sure he knew the way.
- The man pulled himself up to his full height. "White man," he said, "you see this axe in my hand? You see these scars on my body? With this axe I blazed the trail to the tribal village to which we go.
- I came from there. These scars I received when I made the way. You ask me if I know the way? Before I came, there was no way. I am the way!
Background
- Jesus was telling the disciples that he was leaving them, that he would die but that he would return
- Thomas responds to Jesus, that they don’t know where he is going, so how can they know the way?
- Jesus response is to make this statement: “I am the way, the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father except through me”
- In making these 3 statements, Jesus is describing 3 ways in which he is showing us the way to heaven
- Today we are going to examine these three statements
I am the Way
- Jesus’ first statement is the He is the Way
- What does this mean, that Jesus is the way?
- The greek word “hodos” literally means a travelled way, a road, a journey - It also means a course of conduct, a way of thinking, feeling, deciding
- How does this meaning relate to Jesus?
- 1. Jesus went before us
- In the Roman army, the prodromoi were the reconnaissance troops who went ahead of the army to blaze the trail and ensure that it was safe from ambush for the rest of the troops
- Jesus is the prodromos, the traulblazer showing the way to heaven – the word is translated as forerunner, or the one who goes before us
- Jesus is the one who is our trailblazer – he has prepared the way for us
- 2. There are 2 ways to live
- Matt 7:13-14
- Two roads – one is wide and easy to follow, one is narrow and crooked
- The easy way is the way everyone else is going
- It is easy to follow, just follow the crowd
- It’s fun for the moment, but unless they repent and change direction, they will end up going over the precipice, and land in the fires of hell.
- The narrow road, representing following Jesus, is more difficult
- 2 weeks ago, went to South Lake Tahoe and saw the salmon run in Owen’s Creek
- Thousands of salmon had swum upstream to find a mate, and spawn
- The Christian life is a little like that – it can be a struggle to follow Jesus’ example, but at the end there will be a reward
- Rom 2:7
- Jesus is the way
I am the Truth
- Jesus is the Word of God
- John 1:1, 14 – he is God’s spokesperson
- He spoke God’s word, and gave it to us as truth
- John 17:17
- He says “I am the truth”
- He personifies the truth that sets us free
- John 8:32
- Jesus is the truth that sets us free from sin, from bondages and from everything that hinders us from going to heaven
I am the Life
- John 1:1-4
- Jesus was the creator of all things – he is the one who created life and gave it to us
- Heb 1:3 - He upholds all things by the word of his power
- He came to bring life
- John 10:10 – I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full
- John 11:25 – I am the resurrection and the life
- It is through Jesus that we have life, life eternal
- So Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
- He shows us the way to heaven
But we have a problem
- Rom 3:23 - Man has sinned, all of us
- Rom 6:23 - The result of that sin is death, eternal separation from God
- We have all been on that wide road, the easy road
- God’s gift to us is eternal life
- Jesus came to stand in our stead, and paid the price for us
- He offers that to every person
- He is the way the truth and the life
- This is what we remember as we celebrate communion, remembering what Jesus did in our place, and celebrating that we have been freed from death and given eternal life
Communion
- 1 Cor 11:23- 29
- People who take part in communion, should be believers
- If you wish to be a believer, and have not done so before, you can ask Jesus right now to forgive you of your sins, and ask him to come into your life, as your personal Lord and Savior
- You can do this right now
- PRAYER
- If you prayed this prayer right now, your sins are forgiven, and you now have a special relationship with God
- He is proud to call you his child
- He has given you a fresh start in life and he has promised to never leave you or forsake you!
- Our God is an awesome God!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pulling Down a Fortress - 2 Cor 10:4-5
Title: Pulling down a fortress
Date: October 19, 2008
Text: 2 Cor 10:4-5
Introduction
- 2 Cor 10:4-5 - “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
- We can learn about strongholds by reading about real-life wars and battles
- In Israel there is a place called Latrun.
- It’s right off the main highway from Tel Aviv and the airport heading up to Jerusalem.
- It’s a stronghold right along the main highway.
- It also intersects with a highway leading from Gaza up to Ramallah, two major population centers of Palestinian Arabs.
- The Turks, when they controlled the land, had built this fortress, near a monastery and ancient Emmaus.
- The British converted the fortress into a police station.
- When the War of Independence in 1948 began, the Arab Legion took control of the Latrun stronghold.
- From this spot, they could pick off the caravans carrying supplies up to the Jews in Jerusalem.
- This was one stronghold that had to be taken! It had a stranglehold on Jerusalem!
- Five separate times, the fledgling Israeli Defense Forces tried to take it.
- Again and again the Arab Legion drove the attackers away.
- So the Israelis built a road around the stronghold, over rough terrain, so the supply trains could get through. This basically nullified the effectiveness of the fortress
- During the 6-day war, the Arabs were forced to abandon the fortress, and today it is a tank museum
- So can we see the strategic importance of a stronghold?
- For 20 years that place threatened the security of Israel, right in the heart of the nation.
- For how many years has a stronghold threatened your security in the heart of your thought life?
(illustration from http://www.lehigh.edu/~gdb0/simcha/strongho.htm)
- Today we are going to talk about strongholds and how to defeat them
What is a stronghold?
- A stronghold is a defensive position, a place that is difficult to capture
- Psalm 9:9 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble”
- Hebrew “misgab” - high place, refuge, secure height, retreat
- A place on a high cliff for example, is not easy to take control of
- So a stronghold is a place that is difficult to be captured
- This defensive position may be held by either enemy or friendly forces
- It can threaten the safety of the surrounding terrain, depending on who controls the fortress
- The stronghold may have been there for a long time
- It could be a natural rock formation, something that has been there as long as we know about it
- An example of this could be our sinful nature
- Our sinful nature is a stronghold in our lives – it is something which enslaves us, it is addictive, it pulls us down
- A stronghold could also be something that has been constructed during our lifetime
- We may have built a fortification, a structure with walls and defenses
- An example could be lying
- The first time we lie, it may be seem like a small thing, a “little white lie”
- Then we do so again, and again, and again
- Before long we have built up a habit of being economical with the truth
- We have built a stronghold of dishonesty
- A stronghold is a way of thinking and feeling that has developed a life of its own
- This could apply to many things
- For example:
- Depression, unbelief, temper
- Repeating pattern of failure
- Provoking others to reject you (without knowing you are doing so)
- Resentment, worthlessness
- Abuse often leads us to build a stronghold of worthlessness filled with negative thoughts (I’m guilty, I’m worthless, Nobody could ever love me, I’m good for nothing, I’m ugly, Nobody would like me if they really got to know me, Nobody really cares for me, Nobody really wants me for who I am)
- The truth may be quite different, but we believe these lies
- As we accept these lies they can become a stronghold of rejection, stopping us from accepting God’s love for us
How can we capture and pull down these strongholds?
- 1. First of all we need to identify the stronghold
- Eph 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them”
- Psalm 26:2 “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind”
- It takes courage to man up and take a good look in the mirror
- What are the areas of my life that have become strongholds?
- Sometimes the real stronghold is hidden and hard to see
- In prayer, ask God to show you your secret sins
- This takes humility, but we have to know our enemy before we can get him out of the way
- 2. Repent of your sin
- Be honest before God and repent
- We may need to overcome our instinct to automatically defend ourselves
- Excusing ourselves will never deal with the issue
- Confession and repentance is the only way to bring down these strongholds
- Ask for the sin to be covered by the blood of Jesus
- 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
- 3. Surround the stronghold with truth
- John 8:32 – “32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
- In the introduction we talked about the stronghold at Latrun
- First, the Israelis tried a frontal attack, five times – that did not work
- The way that stronghold was dealt with ultimately was by building a road around it
- Sometimes we have to defeat our strongholds by surrounding them with truth
- Once you’ve identified a stronghold, go to the Bible, and study the opposite truth from God.
- Use a concordance or a chain reference bible or a topical bible.
- For example, if the stronghold is rejection, study all that the Bible says about God’s acceptance.
- Then surround that stronghold with the word of God! Read those verses, pray them, make them a part of you
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of depression, surround it with hope.
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of rejection, surround it with acceptance from your Abba Father
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of unresolved anger, surround it with forgiveness.
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of fear, surround it with the knowledge of God’s love.
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of failure, surround it with the victory of the resurrection!
Conclusion
- If we have strongholds in our life that we want to deal with, let’s pray together
- “Lord, please show me any areas of my life that I need to surrender to you. Please forgive me for compromising, and give me the courage to pull down these strongholds. Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness and for dying on the cross so that I could be set free. I commit to surrender every stronghold to you, and in Jesus’ name I reject any satanic influences that have held me captive. I purpose to take every negative way of thinking captive, and bring it into obedience to the truth, because the truth will set me free. In Jesus’ name, Amen."
Date: October 19, 2008
Text: 2 Cor 10:4-5
Introduction
- 2 Cor 10:4-5 - “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
- We can learn about strongholds by reading about real-life wars and battles
- In Israel there is a place called Latrun.
- It’s right off the main highway from Tel Aviv and the airport heading up to Jerusalem.
- It’s a stronghold right along the main highway.
- It also intersects with a highway leading from Gaza up to Ramallah, two major population centers of Palestinian Arabs.
- The Turks, when they controlled the land, had built this fortress, near a monastery and ancient Emmaus.
- The British converted the fortress into a police station.
- When the War of Independence in 1948 began, the Arab Legion took control of the Latrun stronghold.
- From this spot, they could pick off the caravans carrying supplies up to the Jews in Jerusalem.
- This was one stronghold that had to be taken! It had a stranglehold on Jerusalem!
- Five separate times, the fledgling Israeli Defense Forces tried to take it.
- Again and again the Arab Legion drove the attackers away.
- So the Israelis built a road around the stronghold, over rough terrain, so the supply trains could get through. This basically nullified the effectiveness of the fortress
- During the 6-day war, the Arabs were forced to abandon the fortress, and today it is a tank museum
- So can we see the strategic importance of a stronghold?
- For 20 years that place threatened the security of Israel, right in the heart of the nation.
- For how many years has a stronghold threatened your security in the heart of your thought life?
(illustration from http://www.lehigh.edu/~gdb0/simcha/strongho.htm)
- Today we are going to talk about strongholds and how to defeat them
What is a stronghold?
- A stronghold is a defensive position, a place that is difficult to capture
- Psalm 9:9 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble”
- Hebrew “misgab” - high place, refuge, secure height, retreat
- A place on a high cliff for example, is not easy to take control of
- So a stronghold is a place that is difficult to be captured
- This defensive position may be held by either enemy or friendly forces
- It can threaten the safety of the surrounding terrain, depending on who controls the fortress
- The stronghold may have been there for a long time
- It could be a natural rock formation, something that has been there as long as we know about it
- An example of this could be our sinful nature
- Our sinful nature is a stronghold in our lives – it is something which enslaves us, it is addictive, it pulls us down
- A stronghold could also be something that has been constructed during our lifetime
- We may have built a fortification, a structure with walls and defenses
- An example could be lying
- The first time we lie, it may be seem like a small thing, a “little white lie”
- Then we do so again, and again, and again
- Before long we have built up a habit of being economical with the truth
- We have built a stronghold of dishonesty
- A stronghold is a way of thinking and feeling that has developed a life of its own
- This could apply to many things
- For example:
- Depression, unbelief, temper
- Repeating pattern of failure
- Provoking others to reject you (without knowing you are doing so)
- Resentment, worthlessness
- Abuse often leads us to build a stronghold of worthlessness filled with negative thoughts (I’m guilty, I’m worthless, Nobody could ever love me, I’m good for nothing, I’m ugly, Nobody would like me if they really got to know me, Nobody really cares for me, Nobody really wants me for who I am)
- The truth may be quite different, but we believe these lies
- As we accept these lies they can become a stronghold of rejection, stopping us from accepting God’s love for us
How can we capture and pull down these strongholds?
- 1. First of all we need to identify the stronghold
- Eph 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them”
- Psalm 26:2 “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind”
- It takes courage to man up and take a good look in the mirror
- What are the areas of my life that have become strongholds?
- Sometimes the real stronghold is hidden and hard to see
- In prayer, ask God to show you your secret sins
- This takes humility, but we have to know our enemy before we can get him out of the way
- 2. Repent of your sin
- Be honest before God and repent
- We may need to overcome our instinct to automatically defend ourselves
- Excusing ourselves will never deal with the issue
- Confession and repentance is the only way to bring down these strongholds
- Ask for the sin to be covered by the blood of Jesus
- 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
- 3. Surround the stronghold with truth
- John 8:32 – “32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
- In the introduction we talked about the stronghold at Latrun
- First, the Israelis tried a frontal attack, five times – that did not work
- The way that stronghold was dealt with ultimately was by building a road around it
- Sometimes we have to defeat our strongholds by surrounding them with truth
- Once you’ve identified a stronghold, go to the Bible, and study the opposite truth from God.
- Use a concordance or a chain reference bible or a topical bible.
- For example, if the stronghold is rejection, study all that the Bible says about God’s acceptance.
- Then surround that stronghold with the word of God! Read those verses, pray them, make them a part of you
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of depression, surround it with hope.
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of rejection, surround it with acceptance from your Abba Father
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of unresolved anger, surround it with forgiveness.
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of fear, surround it with the knowledge of God’s love.
- If you are struggling with a stronghold of failure, surround it with the victory of the resurrection!
Conclusion
- If we have strongholds in our life that we want to deal with, let’s pray together
- “Lord, please show me any areas of my life that I need to surrender to you. Please forgive me for compromising, and give me the courage to pull down these strongholds. Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness and for dying on the cross so that I could be set free. I commit to surrender every stronghold to you, and in Jesus’ name I reject any satanic influences that have held me captive. I purpose to take every negative way of thinking captive, and bring it into obedience to the truth, because the truth will set me free. In Jesus’ name, Amen."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Repent and be Baptized - Acts 2:38
Title: Repent and be baptized
Date: October 13, 2008
Text: Acts 2:38
Introduction
- Once there was a young minister who kept boring his congregation with sermon after sermon on baptism. Finally church officers instructed him to preach on the subject of pills the following Sunday. They could see no connection between pills and baptism.
- So on Sunday, the young minister announced that would be his topic for the day. "There are big pills and there are little pills," he said, "bitter pills and sweet pills, cheap pills and expensive pills. Another pill is the gospill-and that gets to my real subject-'baptism.'
Instruction to be baptized
- Mat 28:19-20
- Acts 2:38
Jewish baptism
- repentance first
- self-immersion
- there had to be a witness
- for both men and women after conversion to Judaism
- a ceremonial cleansing after defilement
- seen as new birth
- spring or flowing river the highest form of ritual bath or mikveh
Baptism by immersion
- Jesus was baptized by immersion
- The eunuch was baptized by immersion
- The word baptidzo means “to immerse or dip under water”
- The word baptize itself means “to dip under water”
Examples of baptism
- Mat 3:13-17 Jesus baptism
- Acts 8:26-39 Ethiopian eunuch
Symbolism of baptism
- Rom 6:3-4
- Just as Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, we die to our old life, are buried in baptism and come up to live a new life
Being born again
- “The baptismal water (Mikveh) in rabbinic literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his status was changed and he was referred to as "a little child just born" or "a child of one day" (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b). We see the New Testament using similar Jewish terms as "born anew," "new creation," and "born from above."” - http://www.bebaptized.org/Jewishroots.htm
- John 3:1-7
Conclusion
- Will be baptizing shortly
- Let me know if you are ready to be baptized
Date: October 13, 2008
Text: Acts 2:38
Introduction
- Once there was a young minister who kept boring his congregation with sermon after sermon on baptism. Finally church officers instructed him to preach on the subject of pills the following Sunday. They could see no connection between pills and baptism.
- So on Sunday, the young minister announced that would be his topic for the day. "There are big pills and there are little pills," he said, "bitter pills and sweet pills, cheap pills and expensive pills. Another pill is the gospill-and that gets to my real subject-'baptism.'
Instruction to be baptized
- Mat 28:19-20
- Acts 2:38
Jewish baptism
- repentance first
- self-immersion
- there had to be a witness
- for both men and women after conversion to Judaism
- a ceremonial cleansing after defilement
- seen as new birth
- spring or flowing river the highest form of ritual bath or mikveh
Baptism by immersion
- Jesus was baptized by immersion
- The eunuch was baptized by immersion
- The word baptidzo means “to immerse or dip under water”
- The word baptize itself means “to dip under water”
Examples of baptism
- Mat 3:13-17 Jesus baptism
- Acts 8:26-39 Ethiopian eunuch
Symbolism of baptism
- Rom 6:3-4
- Just as Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, we die to our old life, are buried in baptism and come up to live a new life
Being born again
- “The baptismal water (Mikveh) in rabbinic literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his status was changed and he was referred to as "a little child just born" or "a child of one day" (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b). We see the New Testament using similar Jewish terms as "born anew," "new creation," and "born from above."” - http://www.bebaptized.org/Jewishroots.htm
- John 3:1-7
Conclusion
- Will be baptizing shortly
- Let me know if you are ready to be baptized
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Salvation for Rahab - Josh 2:1-24
Title: Salvation for Rahab
Date: October 12, 2008
Text: Joshua 2:1-24
Background
- It was around 1400 BC, in the spring
- The Israelites had spent 40 years traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land
- They had physically left Egypt, but Egypt was still inside them
- The journey had taken longer than intended, because of personal choices the Israelites made
- But finally they reached their destination, the promised land
- It was now around 38 years after Joshua himself had been sent out as a spy
- Joshua, who had succeeded Moses, now sent out two spies to take a look at the land, especially Jericho
- Jericho was the first fortified city the Israelites would encounter while taking the land
- It had a double wall around the city, with a space of 15 feet between the two walls
- The inner wall was about 12 foot thick and the outer wall was around 6 foot thick and 25-30 feet high
- “In his book The Bible As History Werner Keller describes the archaeological expedition in 1930 led by Professor John Garstang Garstang noted every detail with utmost precision and graphically described the violence by which the ancient walls of Jericho fell. The diggings showed that there were two parallel walls; the inner wall was especially massive, being twelve feet thick. The outer wall or fortification was a six foot brick wall about twenty five to thirty feet high. Houses (like the house of Rahab the harlot) were built on top and connected the two walls.
- “Professor Garstang described clear traces of a tremendous fire and the space between the two walls was filled with rubble, blackened bricks, charred wood, and ashes. Along the walls the houses had been burned to the ground and their roofs crashed on top of them. The most remarkable of Garstang's discoveries, however, had to do with how the two walls had fallen. The stones of the outer wall had fallen outward and downhill, but the inner wall had fallen the opposite direction - inward. According to Garstang, these observations could lead to only one conclusion: that an earthquake must have shattered the city” - http://www.newtestamentchurch.org/opa/Articles/1998/06/walls%20of%20jericho.htm
Rahab’s identity
- Joshua 2:1-7
- The NIV says Rahab was a prostitute, and the marginal note says “possibly an innkeeper”
- The Hebrew word used here is “Zanah” which means “to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot”, so it seems that that is just who Rahab was, a prostitute
- Hospitality was an important part of the culture of the times, and it may be as a result of exercising this custom that Rahab invited the men in.
- There is no indication whatsoever, that anything immoral happened here
- We notice that the spies were observed going to Rahab’s house, and the king of Jericho wants them to be arrested
- Rahab lies about their being there
- There is no way to sugar coat this, she did lie, and the Bible makes no excuses for it
- A Christian is told not to lie – the Ten Commandments tell us “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, and Jesus tells us “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no”
Rahab’s salvation
- Joshua 2:8-14
- Rahab expresses her recognition that the God of the Israelites is greater than the gods of Jericho
- In Jericho they practiced child sacrifice – the Bible tells us that when Jericho was built, the king sacrificed his own son and laid him in the foundations for the gate at the entrance to the city
- As a result of her action in welcoming the spies, Rahab had shown a change in her allegiance
- She had now sided with the Israelites, and the God of Israel
- A change had happened
- She had seen the way in which God was dealing with the Israelites
- She saw that their God was alive and powerful, totally unlike the gods of the land
- She chose to submit to that God
- Josh 2:15-21
- There was something she had to do, however
- That was that she had to let down a scarlet cord, out of her window
- In a way this was like baptism, an outward and public expression of our faith in Jesus
- The scarlet cord represents the blood of Jesus, the means of her and our salvation
- She immediately hung this cord out the window
- She did not wait till the Israelite soldiers were outside the walls of Jericho
- She did it immediately, not being afraid of being suspected of treason
- This was an act of faith
Rahab’s faith
- as a result of Rahab’s faith in the God of Israel, she was listed in the list of Biblical heroes, in Hebrews 11
- Hebrews 11:31
- Her obedience and faith in God was accepted, and she became a part of the Israelite nation
- She personally received salvation as a result of accepting the God of Israel as her God
- As a result of her obedience, her parents and her family were also saved
- And she eventually married a leader in Israel
- Matthew 1:5 – she married Salmon, the father of Boaz, and became the great-great-grandmother of David the King of Israel, and thus became an ancestor of Jesus
- Jesus was not ashamed to have Rahab as an ancestor, despite her former way of life
- Because when we come to Jesus, the former things have passed away
- Rev 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”
- The old way of life we had before Jesus came into our life no longer has to have a hold over us
- We may have been drug dealers
- We may have have cheated and stolen and broken God’s law in every conceivable way
- We may have been violent and criminal, we may have beaten our wife or children
- We may have wrecked the lives of our loved ones and hurt them in so many ways
- But God says that he accepts us
- Just as Rahab was accepted by Jesus as his ancestor, we are accepted by him as his children
- Roman 8:15-16
- We are now clean and washed by the blood of the Lamb
- Revelation 7:14 – we have come out of the tribulation, the pain and heartache and troubles of our former life and now we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus
- How awesome
- If anyone would like to receive Jesus into their life right now, I will lead us all in a prayer
- This is not just a ritual, this is us offering our life up to God, just like Rahab did
Date: October 12, 2008
Text: Joshua 2:1-24
Background
- It was around 1400 BC, in the spring
- The Israelites had spent 40 years traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land
- They had physically left Egypt, but Egypt was still inside them
- The journey had taken longer than intended, because of personal choices the Israelites made
- But finally they reached their destination, the promised land
- It was now around 38 years after Joshua himself had been sent out as a spy
- Joshua, who had succeeded Moses, now sent out two spies to take a look at the land, especially Jericho
- Jericho was the first fortified city the Israelites would encounter while taking the land
- It had a double wall around the city, with a space of 15 feet between the two walls
- The inner wall was about 12 foot thick and the outer wall was around 6 foot thick and 25-30 feet high
- “In his book The Bible As History Werner Keller describes the archaeological expedition in 1930 led by Professor John Garstang Garstang noted every detail with utmost precision and graphically described the violence by which the ancient walls of Jericho fell. The diggings showed that there were two parallel walls; the inner wall was especially massive, being twelve feet thick. The outer wall or fortification was a six foot brick wall about twenty five to thirty feet high. Houses (like the house of Rahab the harlot) were built on top and connected the two walls.
- “Professor Garstang described clear traces of a tremendous fire and the space between the two walls was filled with rubble, blackened bricks, charred wood, and ashes. Along the walls the houses had been burned to the ground and their roofs crashed on top of them. The most remarkable of Garstang's discoveries, however, had to do with how the two walls had fallen. The stones of the outer wall had fallen outward and downhill, but the inner wall had fallen the opposite direction - inward. According to Garstang, these observations could lead to only one conclusion: that an earthquake must have shattered the city” - http://www.newtestamentchurch.org/opa/Articles/1998/06/walls%20of%20jericho.htm
Rahab’s identity
- Joshua 2:1-7
- The NIV says Rahab was a prostitute, and the marginal note says “possibly an innkeeper”
- The Hebrew word used here is “Zanah” which means “to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot”, so it seems that that is just who Rahab was, a prostitute
- Hospitality was an important part of the culture of the times, and it may be as a result of exercising this custom that Rahab invited the men in.
- There is no indication whatsoever, that anything immoral happened here
- We notice that the spies were observed going to Rahab’s house, and the king of Jericho wants them to be arrested
- Rahab lies about their being there
- There is no way to sugar coat this, she did lie, and the Bible makes no excuses for it
- A Christian is told not to lie – the Ten Commandments tell us “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, and Jesus tells us “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no”
Rahab’s salvation
- Joshua 2:8-14
- Rahab expresses her recognition that the God of the Israelites is greater than the gods of Jericho
- In Jericho they practiced child sacrifice – the Bible tells us that when Jericho was built, the king sacrificed his own son and laid him in the foundations for the gate at the entrance to the city
- As a result of her action in welcoming the spies, Rahab had shown a change in her allegiance
- She had now sided with the Israelites, and the God of Israel
- A change had happened
- She had seen the way in which God was dealing with the Israelites
- She saw that their God was alive and powerful, totally unlike the gods of the land
- She chose to submit to that God
- Josh 2:15-21
- There was something she had to do, however
- That was that she had to let down a scarlet cord, out of her window
- In a way this was like baptism, an outward and public expression of our faith in Jesus
- The scarlet cord represents the blood of Jesus, the means of her and our salvation
- She immediately hung this cord out the window
- She did not wait till the Israelite soldiers were outside the walls of Jericho
- She did it immediately, not being afraid of being suspected of treason
- This was an act of faith
Rahab’s faith
- as a result of Rahab’s faith in the God of Israel, she was listed in the list of Biblical heroes, in Hebrews 11
- Hebrews 11:31
- Her obedience and faith in God was accepted, and she became a part of the Israelite nation
- She personally received salvation as a result of accepting the God of Israel as her God
- As a result of her obedience, her parents and her family were also saved
- And she eventually married a leader in Israel
- Matthew 1:5 – she married Salmon, the father of Boaz, and became the great-great-grandmother of David the King of Israel, and thus became an ancestor of Jesus
- Jesus was not ashamed to have Rahab as an ancestor, despite her former way of life
- Because when we come to Jesus, the former things have passed away
- Rev 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”
- The old way of life we had before Jesus came into our life no longer has to have a hold over us
- We may have been drug dealers
- We may have have cheated and stolen and broken God’s law in every conceivable way
- We may have been violent and criminal, we may have beaten our wife or children
- We may have wrecked the lives of our loved ones and hurt them in so many ways
- But God says that he accepts us
- Just as Rahab was accepted by Jesus as his ancestor, we are accepted by him as his children
- Roman 8:15-16
- We are now clean and washed by the blood of the Lamb
- Revelation 7:14 – we have come out of the tribulation, the pain and heartache and troubles of our former life and now we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus
- How awesome
- If anyone would like to receive Jesus into their life right now, I will lead us all in a prayer
- This is not just a ritual, this is us offering our life up to God, just like Rahab did
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Me - a Minister of Reconciliation? - 2 Cor 5:17-21
Title: Me…a minister of reconciliation?
Date: September 21, 2008
Text: 2 Cor 5:17-21
Introduction
- The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
- Why such an odd number? Because that's the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates.
- Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.
- They in turn were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
- Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads.
- So who built these old rutted roads?
- The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses."
- Maybe "that's the way it's always been" isn't the great excuse some people believe it to be.
Clark Cothern Tecumseh, Michigan.
- Change is sometimes hard to initiate, sometimes it is hard to accept
- But most of us have come here, looking for life-change
We are a new creation
- Adam Clarke Commentary - Behold, all things are become new.
- “The man is not only mended, but he is new made; he is a new creature, καινηκτισις a new creation, a little world in himself;
- “Formerly, all was in chaotic disorder; now, there is a new creation, which God himself owns as his workmanship, and which he can look on and pronounce very good.
- “The conversion of a man from idolatry and wickedness was among the Jews denominated a new creation. He who converts a man to the true religion is the same, says R. Eliezer, as if he had created him. “
- the same concept happens as when God recreates the earth for man’s habitation
- the earth was in chaos and confusion
- it resulted from rebellion against God, when Satan refused to allow God to rule over him
- our lives were in chaos, we were confused, what was life about etc
- we had no idea what was right or wrong, we were just living from moment to moment
- then God steps in
- the Spirit of God hovers over the waters and he says, let there be light
- John 1:1-5 Jesus came to bring light into our lives
- He looks at us, the new creation and he says it is very good!
- I like it
- I like what I see
We are reconciled to God through Christ
- Reconciliation - to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value –
- 1. to reconcile (those who are at variance)
- 2. return to favor with, be reconciled to one
- 3. to receive one into favor
- This change is not gradual, it happens in an instant
- The recreation of the earth’s surface did not happen over thousands of years – it happened in an instant
- Let there be light, and there was light
- A leper comes to Jesus and wants to be healed
- Mat 8:1-3 Be clean
- An instant healing
- This is what Jesus offers to us
- I am now a different person from who I was before this change happened
- Before, I did not want to obey God or follow him
- Rom 8:5-7 the fleshly mind does not want to be subject to God
- But if we want life and peace instead of death, we must make that choice
- It’s like Indiana Jones stepping out onto the bridge of faith
- He had to take that step and risk falling into oblivion
- We too have to take a step of faith and believe
- Now I am a new person
- Not one who has been patched up and mended
- But a new creation!
Now that change spreads throughout our life
- wherever that change touches, there is transformation
- there is an example in the
- Ezek 47:1-9
- This change will spread through our life
- Jesus will bring healing to all he tou7ches
- So we will start to examine our anger and distrust and unbelief
- God will start changing us, from the inside out
- We will have a new desire, not a desire to rebel against God and authority, instead there will be a desire to do it right
- Whatever situations we face, as we allow God to touch that situation, it will change and we will change in the way we react
We are now messengers of that reconciliation
- Now God says, freely you have received, freely give
- Matt 10:8
- God now sends us out as Ambassadors
- He has entrusted the Gospel to us
- We do not have the words to speak
- But God tells us that he will give us the words to say
- Matt 10:19
- Our life can be so different
- It can be changed thoroughly, from the inside out
- Not just a cosmetic change on the outside
- This gives us a purpose and a reason for being alive
- Our desire will be to share this good news of a transformation that can come, through what Jesus did on the cross
- Awesome!
Date: September 21, 2008
Text: 2 Cor 5:17-21
Introduction
- The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
- Why such an odd number? Because that's the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates.
- Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.
- They in turn were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
- Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads.
- So who built these old rutted roads?
- The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses."
- Maybe "that's the way it's always been" isn't the great excuse some people believe it to be.
Clark Cothern Tecumseh, Michigan.
- Change is sometimes hard to initiate, sometimes it is hard to accept
- But most of us have come here, looking for life-change
We are a new creation
- Adam Clarke Commentary - Behold, all things are become new.
- “The man is not only mended, but he is new made; he is a new creature, καινηκτισις a new creation, a little world in himself;
- “Formerly, all was in chaotic disorder; now, there is a new creation, which God himself owns as his workmanship, and which he can look on and pronounce very good.
- “The conversion of a man from idolatry and wickedness was among the Jews denominated a new creation. He who converts a man to the true religion is the same, says R. Eliezer, as if he had created him. “
- the same concept happens as when God recreates the earth for man’s habitation
- the earth was in chaos and confusion
- it resulted from rebellion against God, when Satan refused to allow God to rule over him
- our lives were in chaos, we were confused, what was life about etc
- we had no idea what was right or wrong, we were just living from moment to moment
- then God steps in
- the Spirit of God hovers over the waters and he says, let there be light
- John 1:1-5 Jesus came to bring light into our lives
- He looks at us, the new creation and he says it is very good!
- I like it
- I like what I see
We are reconciled to God through Christ
- Reconciliation - to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value –
- 1. to reconcile (those who are at variance)
- 2. return to favor with, be reconciled to one
- 3. to receive one into favor
- This change is not gradual, it happens in an instant
- The recreation of the earth’s surface did not happen over thousands of years – it happened in an instant
- Let there be light, and there was light
- A leper comes to Jesus and wants to be healed
- Mat 8:1-3 Be clean
- An instant healing
- This is what Jesus offers to us
- I am now a different person from who I was before this change happened
- Before, I did not want to obey God or follow him
- Rom 8:5-7 the fleshly mind does not want to be subject to God
- But if we want life and peace instead of death, we must make that choice
- It’s like Indiana Jones stepping out onto the bridge of faith
- He had to take that step and risk falling into oblivion
- We too have to take a step of faith and believe
- Now I am a new person
- Not one who has been patched up and mended
- But a new creation!
Now that change spreads throughout our life
- wherever that change touches, there is transformation
- there is an example in the
- Ezek 47:1-9
- This change will spread through our life
- Jesus will bring healing to all he tou7ches
- So we will start to examine our anger and distrust and unbelief
- God will start changing us, from the inside out
- We will have a new desire, not a desire to rebel against God and authority, instead there will be a desire to do it right
- Whatever situations we face, as we allow God to touch that situation, it will change and we will change in the way we react
We are now messengers of that reconciliation
- Now God says, freely you have received, freely give
- Matt 10:8
- God now sends us out as Ambassadors
- He has entrusted the Gospel to us
- We do not have the words to speak
- But God tells us that he will give us the words to say
- Matt 10:19
- Our life can be so different
- It can be changed thoroughly, from the inside out
- Not just a cosmetic change on the outside
- This gives us a purpose and a reason for being alive
- Our desire will be to share this good news of a transformation that can come, through what Jesus did on the cross
- Awesome!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Under new management - Eph 2:1-10
Title: Under New Management
Date: September 16, 2008
Text: Eph 2:1-10
Introduction
- An illiterate couple had just been saved. They met with a group of believers who dressed alike.
- The men wore red shirts while engaged in a certain project, so the woman made one for her husband.
- He came home after the meeting, however, with a look of disappointment on his face because the others had a message printed on their shirts but he did not.
- His wife, undaunted by her inability to read, sewed three words on his shirt, which she copied from a sign in a store window across the street.
- He wore it to the next meeting and came home bubbling with joy.
- He said all of the men really liked the inscription because it so aptly described the wonderful change they had seen in his life.
- It turned out that his wife had written, "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT."
The Way We Were
- Eph 2:1-3
- Before we accepted Christ, we were just like everyone else out there
- Without Jesus, this world is a very dark and hopeless place
- People are doing their own thing
- Thousands upon thousands of people are just going through the motions, getting up, going to work, carousing around, and then going to bed to do it all again the next day
- What a hopeless and futile way to spend your life!
- Jesus says broad is the way that leads to destruction
- Mat 7:13
- Millions find their way onto the road to destruction
- Mat 24:37-39
- People think it will go on forever the way it is today
- But the answer is no, it will not
- In the days before the great stock market crash of 1929, people were living it up
- Millions of people were playing the stock market
- Even if they had no money, they would borrow money to buy stocks and then use the stocks as collateral
- Then suddenly there was a dip in the market, on Sep 3, but it recovered, and then dipped again
- The same thing happened October 4, only this time it did not recover, the slide continued, people started sweating, the decline continued, then suddenly on Oct 21 people panicked and on Oct 24 the stock exchange was overwhelmed by people selling stocks
- People were jumping out of the windows of their Wall street offices
- It’s the same with the world around us – one day we will reach the end of the road, and there will be a precipice and hell waiting for us at the bottom
Jesus gives us love, life and promotion
- Eph 2:4-6
- Jesus gives us love
- This is the gift Jesus gives us
- Our life does not have to be like a hamster on a treadmill
- There can be purpose for our life, a reason for being
- Our life can have value, not just for ourselves but for other people and for God
- Jesus gives us life
- He forgives our sins and cleans us up, and makes something special of us
- He even says that not only does God come to live with us, but we get to live with him
- Verse 6
- When God looks at Jesus, he sees not only Jesus, but us as well
- Its as though we are already there, its so real
Jesus gives us a new purpose in being
- Eph 2:7-10
- This new purpose comes solely through God’s grace
- It is a gift, something he gives to us without our have earned a penny of it
- It is like someone gives you an inheritance
- You did not earn it
- It is a free gift
- The fresh start that comes through Jesus is given to us, pure and simple
- And with this new beginning in our life, God gives us a purpose
- Verse 10
- God is working on us, like a sculptor with a hammer and chisel
- It takes time to create a masterpiece, but that is what God is doing
- Verse 10
- We are his workmanship, created to do good works
- When we were dead in our sins we weren’t created to do good works, no this is after we have become a new creation
- Now we are in a position for God to be able to work through us
Conclusion
- Years ago a drunken man in Chicago headed toward Lake Michigan to drown himself.
- As he stumbled past the Pacific Garden Mission, someone helped him through the open door.
- He collapsed in front of the preacher and fell asleep.
- The superintendent cared for him, gave him a bed, and explained the Gospel to him the next morning.
- That day Harry Monroe was transformed by the grace of God. Later he was to preach the Gospel from that same platform where once he had slept in a drunken stupor.
- Mr. Monroe became superintendent of the mission, and when he died, it took all day for people to pay their respects. A newspaper editorial described him as one of the most useful men in Chicago.
- Mr. Campbell then raised this penetrating question: "What made the difference? The world would not have missed the penniless derelict if he had jumped into the lake, but God saw great value in him!"
Date: September 16, 2008
Text: Eph 2:1-10
Introduction
- An illiterate couple had just been saved. They met with a group of believers who dressed alike.
- The men wore red shirts while engaged in a certain project, so the woman made one for her husband.
- He came home after the meeting, however, with a look of disappointment on his face because the others had a message printed on their shirts but he did not.
- His wife, undaunted by her inability to read, sewed three words on his shirt, which she copied from a sign in a store window across the street.
- He wore it to the next meeting and came home bubbling with joy.
- He said all of the men really liked the inscription because it so aptly described the wonderful change they had seen in his life.
- It turned out that his wife had written, "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT."
The Way We Were
- Eph 2:1-3
- Before we accepted Christ, we were just like everyone else out there
- Without Jesus, this world is a very dark and hopeless place
- People are doing their own thing
- Thousands upon thousands of people are just going through the motions, getting up, going to work, carousing around, and then going to bed to do it all again the next day
- What a hopeless and futile way to spend your life!
- Jesus says broad is the way that leads to destruction
- Mat 7:13
- Millions find their way onto the road to destruction
- Mat 24:37-39
- People think it will go on forever the way it is today
- But the answer is no, it will not
- In the days before the great stock market crash of 1929, people were living it up
- Millions of people were playing the stock market
- Even if they had no money, they would borrow money to buy stocks and then use the stocks as collateral
- Then suddenly there was a dip in the market, on Sep 3, but it recovered, and then dipped again
- The same thing happened October 4, only this time it did not recover, the slide continued, people started sweating, the decline continued, then suddenly on Oct 21 people panicked and on Oct 24 the stock exchange was overwhelmed by people selling stocks
- People were jumping out of the windows of their Wall street offices
- It’s the same with the world around us – one day we will reach the end of the road, and there will be a precipice and hell waiting for us at the bottom
Jesus gives us love, life and promotion
- Eph 2:4-6
- Jesus gives us love
- This is the gift Jesus gives us
- Our life does not have to be like a hamster on a treadmill
- There can be purpose for our life, a reason for being
- Our life can have value, not just for ourselves but for other people and for God
- Jesus gives us life
- He forgives our sins and cleans us up, and makes something special of us
- He even says that not only does God come to live with us, but we get to live with him
- Verse 6
- When God looks at Jesus, he sees not only Jesus, but us as well
- Its as though we are already there, its so real
Jesus gives us a new purpose in being
- Eph 2:7-10
- This new purpose comes solely through God’s grace
- It is a gift, something he gives to us without our have earned a penny of it
- It is like someone gives you an inheritance
- You did not earn it
- It is a free gift
- The fresh start that comes through Jesus is given to us, pure and simple
- And with this new beginning in our life, God gives us a purpose
- Verse 10
- God is working on us, like a sculptor with a hammer and chisel
- It takes time to create a masterpiece, but that is what God is doing
- Verse 10
- We are his workmanship, created to do good works
- When we were dead in our sins we weren’t created to do good works, no this is after we have become a new creation
- Now we are in a position for God to be able to work through us
Conclusion
- Years ago a drunken man in Chicago headed toward Lake Michigan to drown himself.
- As he stumbled past the Pacific Garden Mission, someone helped him through the open door.
- He collapsed in front of the preacher and fell asleep.
- The superintendent cared for him, gave him a bed, and explained the Gospel to him the next morning.
- That day Harry Monroe was transformed by the grace of God. Later he was to preach the Gospel from that same platform where once he had slept in a drunken stupor.
- Mr. Monroe became superintendent of the mission, and when he died, it took all day for people to pay their respects. A newspaper editorial described him as one of the most useful men in Chicago.
- Mr. Campbell then raised this penetrating question: "What made the difference? The world would not have missed the penniless derelict if he had jumped into the lake, but God saw great value in him!"
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Dealing with anger - 1 Sam 25:2-44
Title: Dealing with anger
Date: September 13, 2008
Text: 1 Samuel 25:2-44
Introduction
- As a passenger boarded the Los Angeles-to-New York plane, he told the flight attendant to wake him and make sure he got off in Dallas.
- The passenger awoke just as the plane was landing in New York.
- Furious, he called the flight attendant and demanded an explanation.
- The flight attendant mumbled an apology and, in a rage, the passenger stomped off the plane.
- "Boy, was he ever mad!" another crew member observed to her errant colleague.
- "If you think he was mad," replied the flight attendant, "you should have seen the guy I put off the plane in Dallas!" - H.B. McClung.
- Today we want to talk about the subject of anger
- In particular we will look at an example in the Bible when David lost his cool!
Background
- This incident happened around 1000 BC
- Saul was the first king over Israel, and he had disqualified himself
- David had been anointed king by Samuel, under God’s instructions
- Saul was aware of this, and knew David would be his successor
- So he persecuted David, and wanted to kill him
- For this reason David was forced to live as an outlaw, for around 20 years
- That’s a long time to wait for something you have been promised!
- But this was a time when God was teaching David and preparing him for when he would be king
- Anyway, around 600 men, who were real outlaws, joined up with David
- He worked with them and welded them into a loyal and principled body of men
- Even though David was an outlaw he did not allow his situation to get the better of him, generally. He tried to keep the big picture and trust God to work things out His way
- So even though he was an outlaw, he did not act like an outlaw
- He kept out of Saul’s way, and used his resources to help the general population in the best way he could
The hurt
- One of the things David would do was to use his men as guards to protect landowners and their shepherds from robbers and thieves
- Now lets read 1 Sam 25:1-11
- David had done good to Nabal and his property – instead of thanking him for what he had done, Nabal stupidly insults David
- Nabal had a name to live up to
- He had a name that he was surly and mean in his dealings – verse 3
- This would have hurt David
- David had done good to Nabal and instead of being offered some food and refreshment (which Nabal was well able to afford), he is insulted
The anger
- David gets angry - He is furious
- He tells his men to saddle up, we’re going to teach this man a lesson!
- Verse 12-13
- This was an understandable reaction
- Isn’t it like us, when we think we’ve done good, and someone doesn’t respond in the way that we feel they should?
- We may feel anger rising when our good actions are not recognized or appreciated
- We want to take matters into our own hands and teach the other person a lesson too!
- Doing this may be a wrong thing to do, but our anger blinds us to the consequences if we follow through on our emotions
- The same thing happened here with David – he was blind with rage
The voice
- Then David hears a voice
- God prompts him to change the route he is going on, through someone coming to warn him
- Abigail, Nabal’s wife hears about what is happening and she goes out to ask David to reconsider his actions
- Verse 14-31
- She recognizes that David is in the right and that her husband deserves everything coming to him
- But she asks David to reconsider taking matters into his own hands
- She uses the way things would look as a way to wake David up
- 400 men going after one ungrateful and insulting individual
- That would not look good
- Often when we start getting angry, we sense a still small voice prompting us that this would not be good
- That voice tells us to reconsider and think about the long-term consequences
- The consequences of a broken relationship, the hurt and pain of unforgiveness and all the fallout that comes from venting your anger
The response
- David responds appropriately
- He listens to Abigail and accepts the words she says and takes them to heart
- Verses 32-35
- He does not want to be a king who has to look back at having murdered a man out of rage
- And so he turns back
- He repents and changes his behavior
- We need to do the same thing
- When we are angry and emotional about something that has happened, we need to listen to that reminder not to let our feelings run away with us
- Instead we need to do as David did, and allow God to work the situation out
- Verse 36-38
- God took care of Nabal
- David did not have to lift a finger against him
- We too should learn toallow God to fight our battles, and not want to go do it ourselves
- When we learn to allow God to take care of things, we will be learning to trust God and live in his peace
- We do not need to experience the anger that we used to do
- It will take discipline and not allowing our feelings to run rampant
Conclusion
- David had to learn a lesson here, from a woman he probably did not even know
- But he listened to that small voice that says, don’t do it, let it go, allow God to take care of it
- Listen to that voice, and learn to allow God to work things out
Date: September 13, 2008
Text: 1 Samuel 25:2-44
Introduction
- As a passenger boarded the Los Angeles-to-New York plane, he told the flight attendant to wake him and make sure he got off in Dallas.
- The passenger awoke just as the plane was landing in New York.
- Furious, he called the flight attendant and demanded an explanation.
- The flight attendant mumbled an apology and, in a rage, the passenger stomped off the plane.
- "Boy, was he ever mad!" another crew member observed to her errant colleague.
- "If you think he was mad," replied the flight attendant, "you should have seen the guy I put off the plane in Dallas!" - H.B. McClung.
- Today we want to talk about the subject of anger
- In particular we will look at an example in the Bible when David lost his cool!
Background
- This incident happened around 1000 BC
- Saul was the first king over Israel, and he had disqualified himself
- David had been anointed king by Samuel, under God’s instructions
- Saul was aware of this, and knew David would be his successor
- So he persecuted David, and wanted to kill him
- For this reason David was forced to live as an outlaw, for around 20 years
- That’s a long time to wait for something you have been promised!
- But this was a time when God was teaching David and preparing him for when he would be king
- Anyway, around 600 men, who were real outlaws, joined up with David
- He worked with them and welded them into a loyal and principled body of men
- Even though David was an outlaw he did not allow his situation to get the better of him, generally. He tried to keep the big picture and trust God to work things out His way
- So even though he was an outlaw, he did not act like an outlaw
- He kept out of Saul’s way, and used his resources to help the general population in the best way he could
The hurt
- One of the things David would do was to use his men as guards to protect landowners and their shepherds from robbers and thieves
- Now lets read 1 Sam 25:1-11
- David had done good to Nabal and his property – instead of thanking him for what he had done, Nabal stupidly insults David
- Nabal had a name to live up to
- He had a name that he was surly and mean in his dealings – verse 3
- This would have hurt David
- David had done good to Nabal and instead of being offered some food and refreshment (which Nabal was well able to afford), he is insulted
The anger
- David gets angry - He is furious
- He tells his men to saddle up, we’re going to teach this man a lesson!
- Verse 12-13
- This was an understandable reaction
- Isn’t it like us, when we think we’ve done good, and someone doesn’t respond in the way that we feel they should?
- We may feel anger rising when our good actions are not recognized or appreciated
- We want to take matters into our own hands and teach the other person a lesson too!
- Doing this may be a wrong thing to do, but our anger blinds us to the consequences if we follow through on our emotions
- The same thing happened here with David – he was blind with rage
The voice
- Then David hears a voice
- God prompts him to change the route he is going on, through someone coming to warn him
- Abigail, Nabal’s wife hears about what is happening and she goes out to ask David to reconsider his actions
- Verse 14-31
- She recognizes that David is in the right and that her husband deserves everything coming to him
- But she asks David to reconsider taking matters into his own hands
- She uses the way things would look as a way to wake David up
- 400 men going after one ungrateful and insulting individual
- That would not look good
- Often when we start getting angry, we sense a still small voice prompting us that this would not be good
- That voice tells us to reconsider and think about the long-term consequences
- The consequences of a broken relationship, the hurt and pain of unforgiveness and all the fallout that comes from venting your anger
The response
- David responds appropriately
- He listens to Abigail and accepts the words she says and takes them to heart
- Verses 32-35
- He does not want to be a king who has to look back at having murdered a man out of rage
- And so he turns back
- He repents and changes his behavior
- We need to do the same thing
- When we are angry and emotional about something that has happened, we need to listen to that reminder not to let our feelings run away with us
- Instead we need to do as David did, and allow God to work the situation out
- Verse 36-38
- God took care of Nabal
- David did not have to lift a finger against him
- We too should learn toallow God to fight our battles, and not want to go do it ourselves
- When we learn to allow God to take care of things, we will be learning to trust God and live in his peace
- We do not need to experience the anger that we used to do
- It will take discipline and not allowing our feelings to run rampant
Conclusion
- David had to learn a lesson here, from a woman he probably did not even know
- But he listened to that small voice that says, don’t do it, let it go, allow God to take care of it
- Listen to that voice, and learn to allow God to work things out
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Your King is Coming to you - Matthew 21:1-11
Title: Your King is Coming to You
Date: March 16, 2008
Text: Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11
Introduction
- today is one week before Easter, Palm Sunday
- on this day, 1,977 years ago, Jesus fulfilled a prophecy
- Zech 9:9-" Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."
- this was a prophecy of the King, the Messiah, coming on a donkey
- Mat 21:1-11
- he was a king, yet riding a lowly donkey
- he even told the disciples to ask for permission to use the donkey
- this symbolized Jesus coming in humility and meekness
- not as a conqueror, but as the Lamb ready to be slain
- later, when Messiah comes again, he will come as a conquering king
- but at this time, the King comes on a donkey
The people's perspective
- the people welcomed their Messiah
- they wanted to be rid of their Roman conquerors
- they were looking for someone to solve their problems and bring healing to their wounds
- they saw that Jesus had the power and the integrity to bring change into their situation
- but they were fickle
- just one week later they were crying out, "Crucify him, crucify him!"
- popular opinion changes from moment to moment
- most people are looking for a quick fix, an easy solution
- they would like someone to step in and bring instant healing in their lives
- they want a king but on their own terms
- they do not look forward to a lifetime of discipleship, learning to be obedient
- many of the Jews were not ready for life-change
- towards the end of Jesus' ministry, many forsook him
- the words he spoke were too radical
- he said to them, eat of my body, it is the bread of life
The leaders' perspective
- the leaders of the Jews did not want Jesus around
- they were not a part of the throhgs that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem
- they were too busy trying to maintain their positions as rulers under the Romans
- they did not want an upstart prophet to upset their applecart
- they felt they had it all together
- they did not need someone to show them their sins and require them to change
- they instead wanted stability, they wanted to maintain the status quo
- they were happy enough that the Romans were there, it gave them power
- they could not handle an upstart Jew from Galilee
- one who dared to step in and rid the temple of money changers and businessmen
- 5 days later they crucified him
Jesus' perspective
- God knows what is in man's heart
- God knew how the people were thinking
- He knew that they were not yet ready for life-change
- that is why Jesus spoke in parables to them, they were not ready to change
- if they had fully understood what he was saying, they would be accountable
- so he veiled the meaning in stories, so they would later have the chance to turn around
- he knew what their hearts were like
- that is why Jesus came
- he came to be a sacrificial lamb, to pay for their sins
- he did this so that the way would be open for them to change their ways
- he wanted so badly to give people a fresh start
- the people are shouting Hosannah, which means "the one who comes to save or liberate"
- they are looking for a deliverer who will set their nation free
- but Jesus knows that true freedom starts within
- true freedom comes when past guilt is washed away, and people can start afresh
- in just five days, he would be paying the price to make that possible
What is our perspective?
- are we looking for a Savior who will take care of our physical needs?
- one who will heal us of our sicknesses?
- who will take care of our addictions?
- who will provide for our needs?
- who will get us a job, or send us the perfect wife or husband?
- while we continue to live our old ways
- while we refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us
- while we hang onto that bitterness about something that happened long ago
- or are we looking for a Savior who paid the price to forgive us of our sins?
- One who gives us a fresh start, so we can live life the way it was intended?
- One who sends us the Holy Spirit so that we can do battle against our old ways?
- One who gives us the power to be able to reach others with the good news?
- One who teaches us by his example to live for others and not for ourselves?
- what is our perspective?
Conclusion
- Jesus offers us a choice
- on the one hand, he offers us a fresh start, clean and pure
- on the other hand, we can hang onto our old ways, do the same things, and reap the same consequences
- choosing the one means we will be embarking on a journey of life-change
- choosing the other is easier, but will result in the misery that brought us here
- he says to us, "Choose life!"
Date: March 16, 2008
Text: Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11
Introduction
- today is one week before Easter, Palm Sunday
- on this day, 1,977 years ago, Jesus fulfilled a prophecy
- Zech 9:9-" Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."
- this was a prophecy of the King, the Messiah, coming on a donkey
- Mat 21:1-11
- he was a king, yet riding a lowly donkey
- he even told the disciples to ask for permission to use the donkey
- this symbolized Jesus coming in humility and meekness
- not as a conqueror, but as the Lamb ready to be slain
- later, when Messiah comes again, he will come as a conquering king
- but at this time, the King comes on a donkey
The people's perspective
- the people welcomed their Messiah
- they wanted to be rid of their Roman conquerors
- they were looking for someone to solve their problems and bring healing to their wounds
- they saw that Jesus had the power and the integrity to bring change into their situation
- but they were fickle
- just one week later they were crying out, "Crucify him, crucify him!"
- popular opinion changes from moment to moment
- most people are looking for a quick fix, an easy solution
- they would like someone to step in and bring instant healing in their lives
- they want a king but on their own terms
- they do not look forward to a lifetime of discipleship, learning to be obedient
- many of the Jews were not ready for life-change
- towards the end of Jesus' ministry, many forsook him
- the words he spoke were too radical
- he said to them, eat of my body, it is the bread of life
The leaders' perspective
- the leaders of the Jews did not want Jesus around
- they were not a part of the throhgs that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem
- they were too busy trying to maintain their positions as rulers under the Romans
- they did not want an upstart prophet to upset their applecart
- they felt they had it all together
- they did not need someone to show them their sins and require them to change
- they instead wanted stability, they wanted to maintain the status quo
- they were happy enough that the Romans were there, it gave them power
- they could not handle an upstart Jew from Galilee
- one who dared to step in and rid the temple of money changers and businessmen
- 5 days later they crucified him
Jesus' perspective
- God knows what is in man's heart
- God knew how the people were thinking
- He knew that they were not yet ready for life-change
- that is why Jesus spoke in parables to them, they were not ready to change
- if they had fully understood what he was saying, they would be accountable
- so he veiled the meaning in stories, so they would later have the chance to turn around
- he knew what their hearts were like
- that is why Jesus came
- he came to be a sacrificial lamb, to pay for their sins
- he did this so that the way would be open for them to change their ways
- he wanted so badly to give people a fresh start
- the people are shouting Hosannah, which means "the one who comes to save or liberate"
- they are looking for a deliverer who will set their nation free
- but Jesus knows that true freedom starts within
- true freedom comes when past guilt is washed away, and people can start afresh
- in just five days, he would be paying the price to make that possible
What is our perspective?
- are we looking for a Savior who will take care of our physical needs?
- one who will heal us of our sicknesses?
- who will take care of our addictions?
- who will provide for our needs?
- who will get us a job, or send us the perfect wife or husband?
- while we continue to live our old ways
- while we refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us
- while we hang onto that bitterness about something that happened long ago
- or are we looking for a Savior who paid the price to forgive us of our sins?
- One who gives us a fresh start, so we can live life the way it was intended?
- One who sends us the Holy Spirit so that we can do battle against our old ways?
- One who gives us the power to be able to reach others with the good news?
- One who teaches us by his example to live for others and not for ourselves?
- what is our perspective?
Conclusion
- Jesus offers us a choice
- on the one hand, he offers us a fresh start, clean and pure
- on the other hand, we can hang onto our old ways, do the same things, and reap the same consequences
- choosing the one means we will be embarking on a journey of life-change
- choosing the other is easier, but will result in the misery that brought us here
- he says to us, "Choose life!"
Monday, March 10, 2008
Jesus the Messiah - Mark 8:27-33
Title: Jesus the Messiah
Date: March 10, 2008
Text: Mark 8:27-33
INTRODUCTION
- Why has it been so difficult for the Jews to receive Christ?
- Why have the Jews had the Old Testament and yet have generally been unable to accept that Jesus was the expected Messiah?
- There are many reasons
- But God has not given up on the Jews
- Paul in his ministry never disowns his own heritage as a Jew
- Paul explains that a day will come when their eyes will be opened
- Romans 11:1-23
- Today we will look at some of the prophecies re the coming Messiah
Prophecies re 1st coming of Jesus
- Old Testament (written between 1450 BC and 430BC)
- Jesus’ fulfillment in the New Testament (written between 45 and 95 AD)
- The Messiah will be the offspring (descendant) of the woman (Eve) - Genesis 3:15, Galatians 4:4
- The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham, through whom everyone on earth will be blessed - Genesis 12:3; 18:18, Acts 3:25,26
- The Messiah will be a descendant of Judah - Genesis 49:10, Matthew 1:2 and Luke 3:33
- The Messiah will be a prophet like Moses - Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Acts 3:22,23
- The Messiah will be the Son of God - Psalm 2:7, Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22
- The Messiah will be raised from the dead (resurrected) - Psalm 16:10,11, Matthew 28:5-9; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:4-7; John 20:11-16; Acts 1:3 and 2:32
- The Messiah crucifixion experience - Psalm 22 (contains 11 prophecies—not all listed here), Matthew 27:34-50 and John 19:17-30
- The Messiah will be sneered at and mocked - Psalm 22:7, Luke 23:11,35-39
- The Messiah will be pierced through hands and feet - Psalm 22:16, Luke 23:33 and 24:36-39;John 19:18 and 20:19-20,24-27
- The Messiah’s bones will not be broken (a person’s legs were usually broken after being crucified to speed up their death) - Psalm 22:17 and 34:20, John 19:31-33,36
- Men Will Gamble for the Messiah’s clothing - Psalm 22:18, Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23,24
- The Messiah will accused by false witnesses - Psalm 35:11, Matthew 26:59,60 and Mark 14:56,57
- The Messiah will be hated without a cause - Psalm 35:19 and 69:4, John 15:23-25
- The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend - Psalm 41:9, John 13:18,21
- The Messiah will ascend to heaven (at the right hand of God) - Psalm 68:18, Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9; 2:33-35; 3:20-21; 5:31,32; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20,21; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22
- The Messiah will be given vinegar and gall to drink - Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23; John 19:29,30
- Great kings will pay homage and tribute to the Messiah - Psalm 72:10,11, Matthew 2:1-11 - The Messiah is a “stone the builders rejected” who will become the “head cornerstone” - Psalm 118:22,23 and Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 21:42,43; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-8
- The Messiah will be a descendant of David - Psalm 132:11 and Jeremiah 23:5,6; 33:15,16, Luke 1:32,33
- The Messiah will be a born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-35
- The Messiah’s first spiritual work will be in Galilee - Isaiah 9:1-7, Matthew 4:12-16
- The Messiah will make the blind see, the deaf hear, etc. - Isaiah 35:5-6, Many places. Also see Matthew 11:3-6 and John 11:47
- The Messiah will be beaten, mocked, and spat upon - Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 26:67 and 27:26-31
- The “Gospel according to Isaiah” - Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
- People will hear and not believe the “arm of the LORD” (Messiah) - Isaiah 53:1, John 12:37,38
- The Messiah will be rejected - Isaiah 53:3, Matthew 27:20-25; Mark 15:8-14; Luke 23:18-23; John 19:14,15
- The Messiah will be killed - Isaiah 53:5-9, Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37-39; Luke 23:46; John 19:30
- The Messiah will be silent in front of his accusers - Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26:62,63 and 27:12-14
- The Messiah will be buried with the rich - Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:59,60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:52,53; John 19:38-42
- The Messiah will be crucified with criminals - Isaiah 53:12, Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32,33
- The Messiah is part of the new and everlasting covenant - Isaiah 55:3-4 and Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13
- The Messiah will be our intercessor (intervene for us and plead on our behalf) - Isaiah 59:16, Hebrews 9:15
- The Messiah has two missions - Isaiah 61:1-3 (first mission ends at “. . . year of the LORD’s favor”) - First mission: Luke 4:16-21; Second mission: to be fulfilled at the end of the world
- The Messiah will come at a specific time - Daniel 9:25-26, Galatians 4:4 and Ephesians 1:10
- The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7
- The Messiah will enter Jerusalem riding a donkey - Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11
- The Messiah will be sold for 30 pieces of silver - Zechariah 11:12,13, Matthew 26:15 with Matthew 27:3-10
- The Messiah will forsaken by His disciples - Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31,56
- The Messiah will enter the Temple with authority - Malachi 3:1, Matthew 21:12 and Luke 19:45
(adapted from http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/m_prophecies.shtml )
Prophecies re 2nd coming of Jesus
- Shiloh will come and people will be gathered to him - Gen. 49:10
- God will set a King in Zion, begotten by God - Psalm 2:6-9
- A future righteous King will reign, the nature of animals will change -Isaiah 11:1-6
- A King will execute judgment and justice in the earth - Jer. 23:5
- A future kingdom will be set up which will stand for ever - Daniel 2:44
- Second coming prophesied - Zech 14:3-19
- The Lord will return to Jerusalem, it will be called the city of truth - Zech 8:3
- A future repentance of the Jews - Zech 12:9-10
Jews did not understand
- John 1:9-14
- The Jews were in bondage to the Romans,
- Everywhere they looked, Roman soldiers were there
- They wanted freedom from the Romans
- They wanted Messiah to come and wipe out the Roman legions
- But they forgot that Messiah had a tender part to him
- Isa 42:3
- His first coming was with compassion, bringing healing to the people, and dying for their sins
- His second coming will be as a conquering King, restoring order into the chaos Satan has caused in this world
- The New Testament gives extensive prophecies about the second coming
CONCLUSION
- The Jews are not lost as a people
- Today, however, their eyes are still blinded to the Messiah
- One day, their eyes will be opened and we will see hundreds of thousands of Jews coming to Jesus
- Jesus Kingdom will start at Jerusalem and then extend to the rest of the world
- That mission has started in us
- Jesus has made Himself known to us and has conscripted us into his service
Date: March 10, 2008
Text: Mark 8:27-33
INTRODUCTION
- Why has it been so difficult for the Jews to receive Christ?
- Why have the Jews had the Old Testament and yet have generally been unable to accept that Jesus was the expected Messiah?
- There are many reasons
- But God has not given up on the Jews
- Paul in his ministry never disowns his own heritage as a Jew
- Paul explains that a day will come when their eyes will be opened
- Romans 11:1-23
- Today we will look at some of the prophecies re the coming Messiah
Prophecies re 1st coming of Jesus
- Old Testament (written between 1450 BC and 430BC)
- Jesus’ fulfillment in the New Testament (written between 45 and 95 AD)
- The Messiah will be the offspring (descendant) of the woman (Eve) - Genesis 3:15, Galatians 4:4
- The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham, through whom everyone on earth will be blessed - Genesis 12:3; 18:18, Acts 3:25,26
- The Messiah will be a descendant of Judah - Genesis 49:10, Matthew 1:2 and Luke 3:33
- The Messiah will be a prophet like Moses - Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Acts 3:22,23
- The Messiah will be the Son of God - Psalm 2:7, Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22
- The Messiah will be raised from the dead (resurrected) - Psalm 16:10,11, Matthew 28:5-9; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:4-7; John 20:11-16; Acts 1:3 and 2:32
- The Messiah crucifixion experience - Psalm 22 (contains 11 prophecies—not all listed here), Matthew 27:34-50 and John 19:17-30
- The Messiah will be sneered at and mocked - Psalm 22:7, Luke 23:11,35-39
- The Messiah will be pierced through hands and feet - Psalm 22:16, Luke 23:33 and 24:36-39;John 19:18 and 20:19-20,24-27
- The Messiah’s bones will not be broken (a person’s legs were usually broken after being crucified to speed up their death) - Psalm 22:17 and 34:20, John 19:31-33,36
- Men Will Gamble for the Messiah’s clothing - Psalm 22:18, Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23,24
- The Messiah will accused by false witnesses - Psalm 35:11, Matthew 26:59,60 and Mark 14:56,57
- The Messiah will be hated without a cause - Psalm 35:19 and 69:4, John 15:23-25
- The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend - Psalm 41:9, John 13:18,21
- The Messiah will ascend to heaven (at the right hand of God) - Psalm 68:18, Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9; 2:33-35; 3:20-21; 5:31,32; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20,21; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22
- The Messiah will be given vinegar and gall to drink - Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23; John 19:29,30
- Great kings will pay homage and tribute to the Messiah - Psalm 72:10,11, Matthew 2:1-11 - The Messiah is a “stone the builders rejected” who will become the “head cornerstone” - Psalm 118:22,23 and Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 21:42,43; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-8
- The Messiah will be a descendant of David - Psalm 132:11 and Jeremiah 23:5,6; 33:15,16, Luke 1:32,33
- The Messiah will be a born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-35
- The Messiah’s first spiritual work will be in Galilee - Isaiah 9:1-7, Matthew 4:12-16
- The Messiah will make the blind see, the deaf hear, etc. - Isaiah 35:5-6, Many places. Also see Matthew 11:3-6 and John 11:47
- The Messiah will be beaten, mocked, and spat upon - Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 26:67 and 27:26-31
- The “Gospel according to Isaiah” - Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
- People will hear and not believe the “arm of the LORD” (Messiah) - Isaiah 53:1, John 12:37,38
- The Messiah will be rejected - Isaiah 53:3, Matthew 27:20-25; Mark 15:8-14; Luke 23:18-23; John 19:14,15
- The Messiah will be killed - Isaiah 53:5-9, Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37-39; Luke 23:46; John 19:30
- The Messiah will be silent in front of his accusers - Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26:62,63 and 27:12-14
- The Messiah will be buried with the rich - Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:59,60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:52,53; John 19:38-42
- The Messiah will be crucified with criminals - Isaiah 53:12, Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32,33
- The Messiah is part of the new and everlasting covenant - Isaiah 55:3-4 and Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-13
- The Messiah will be our intercessor (intervene for us and plead on our behalf) - Isaiah 59:16, Hebrews 9:15
- The Messiah has two missions - Isaiah 61:1-3 (first mission ends at “. . . year of the LORD’s favor”) - First mission: Luke 4:16-21; Second mission: to be fulfilled at the end of the world
- The Messiah will come at a specific time - Daniel 9:25-26, Galatians 4:4 and Ephesians 1:10
- The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7
- The Messiah will enter Jerusalem riding a donkey - Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11
- The Messiah will be sold for 30 pieces of silver - Zechariah 11:12,13, Matthew 26:15 with Matthew 27:3-10
- The Messiah will forsaken by His disciples - Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31,56
- The Messiah will enter the Temple with authority - Malachi 3:1, Matthew 21:12 and Luke 19:45
(adapted from http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/m_prophecies.shtml )
Prophecies re 2nd coming of Jesus
- Shiloh will come and people will be gathered to him - Gen. 49:10
- God will set a King in Zion, begotten by God - Psalm 2:6-9
- A future righteous King will reign, the nature of animals will change -Isaiah 11:1-6
- A King will execute judgment and justice in the earth - Jer. 23:5
- A future kingdom will be set up which will stand for ever - Daniel 2:44
- Second coming prophesied - Zech 14:3-19
- The Lord will return to Jerusalem, it will be called the city of truth - Zech 8:3
- A future repentance of the Jews - Zech 12:9-10
Jews did not understand
- John 1:9-14
- The Jews were in bondage to the Romans,
- Everywhere they looked, Roman soldiers were there
- They wanted freedom from the Romans
- They wanted Messiah to come and wipe out the Roman legions
- But they forgot that Messiah had a tender part to him
- Isa 42:3
- His first coming was with compassion, bringing healing to the people, and dying for their sins
- His second coming will be as a conquering King, restoring order into the chaos Satan has caused in this world
- The New Testament gives extensive prophecies about the second coming
CONCLUSION
- The Jews are not lost as a people
- Today, however, their eyes are still blinded to the Messiah
- One day, their eyes will be opened and we will see hundreds of thousands of Jews coming to Jesus
- Jesus Kingdom will start at Jerusalem and then extend to the rest of the world
- That mission has started in us
- Jesus has made Himself known to us and has conscripted us into his service
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Don't Be Afraid, Only Believe - March 9, 2008
Title: Do Not Be Afraid, Only Believe
Date: March 9, 2008
Text: Mark 5:21-24, 35-43
INTRODUCTION
- We are all faced by trials and difficulties
- Part of the reason we were brought to our knees was probably some circumstance that we could not possibly deal with
- Today we will look at an example of how we should face impossible circumstances
BACKGROUND
- The background to the story starts with Jesus
- He and the disciples had sailed across the sea of Galilee to Decapolis on the east side of Galilee
- There they ran into a demonized individual, who remains nameless in the story
- Jesus casts out the demon, and the demon went into a herd of pigs, which then commit suicide by drowning
- Jesus then returns to Capernaum, where he is met by Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue
- Jairus would have been a very respected member of his community, was probably well off, was responsible for the smooth running of meetings in the synagogue
- The synagogue had been built by the Roman garrison commander (Luke 7:5) probably because it was a poor town
- There were probably only around 1000 to 1500 inhabitants
- The town had around 1600 feet of shoreline, or 1/3 mile
- So it was not very large
- It was finally destroyed by the Arabic invasion in 640 AD
- Mark 5:21-24
- Jesus is at the seafront, then starts walking through town with Jairus, to minister to his daughter
- A lady who had been bleeding for 12 years came up to Jesus, touched his cloak, and was instantly healed.
- Jesus stopped and talked with her
- Jairus is probably biting his fingernails, because he knows the urgency of his daughter’s situation
- Then they hear that the daughter has died
- Jairus’ heart sinks
Don’t be afraid
- V. 35 - Jairus was afraid – the situation had gone from bad to worst – his daughter was now dead
- He had had a little faith, now it dropped through the floor
- Our situation may not be good
- We may have prayed about it and done all we could
- But things have only gotten worse
- We may owe money but have no way to repay it
- We may have relationship issues with our family, and have just about given up trying to find reconciliation
- We may have come here looking for recovery and yet we fear relapse
- V. 36 - Jesus tells Jairus “Do not be afraid”
- Capernaum was a town where Jesus had spent a lot of time
- Many miracles had been done there, and Jairus would have seen many of them, it was not a big place
- He says, don’t be afraid, even if the problem seems hopeless
- He says to us, Don’t give up, I am here, let me deal with it
Ignore what things look like
- V. 36 - Jesus ignored what had been said, and told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, only believe”
- We so often focus our anxiety and fears on the problem, rather than looking at the One who can fix the problem
- Our natural tendency is to focus on the obvious situation, what we can see, feel, hear or touch
- But there is more to life than meets the eye
- 2 Kings 6:17
- This room is filled with angels who are listening to the words that are being spoken here
- We are not alone, or left to our own devices
- Heb 13:5 NIV “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”
Trust God
- V.36 - Jesus says “Only believe”
- God does ask of us to trust him
- There is the kind of faith to trust that God wants relationship with us and then acts on that faith
- There is the kind of faith which refers to believing what God has said in his Word
- And there is the faith that says, “I am trusting you, God, with this situation. I am placing it in your hands to take care of. I believe that you are able to deal with it, and I believe that you love me enough that you will do what is best for me. I ask you to change this situation. Thank you for what you are about to do”
- Jesus says, only believe, he says, trust me
- Trust him for dealing with your illness
- Trust him for helping you pay your debts
- Trust him for staying clean and sober
- Trust him for helping you pay your back child support
- Trust him for reconciliation in your family
God does things His way
- Notice that Jesus did not tell Jairus to go home, that his daughter was healed
- Jairus would have liked the answer straight away
- He did not like his faith sinking through the floorboards
- Jesus had a bigger purpose, which Jairus did not see
- Jesus allowed his daughter to die, so that a greater miracle would happen, so that Jairus’ faith would be strengthened even more
- God does not always give us what we want
- Sometimes we want something immediately, but God does not respond when we want
- Sometimes we have to wait a long time before we see the answer
- Sometimes the answer will not come in our lifetime
- When my wife died, that is when she was healed of her cancer
- She now lives in a healthy body, in Jesus’ presence, with no pain or suffering. I am glad for her.
- We would like things now
- But God’s answer may be later, or maybe not at all
- Trust him that he will do what is right and best for you
- He said he would never leave us
- He walks through our storms with us
- And ultimately he will work all things out
- What he asks of us is “Do not be afraid, only believe”
Date: March 9, 2008
Text: Mark 5:21-24, 35-43
INTRODUCTION
- We are all faced by trials and difficulties
- Part of the reason we were brought to our knees was probably some circumstance that we could not possibly deal with
- Today we will look at an example of how we should face impossible circumstances
BACKGROUND
- The background to the story starts with Jesus
- He and the disciples had sailed across the sea of Galilee to Decapolis on the east side of Galilee
- There they ran into a demonized individual, who remains nameless in the story
- Jesus casts out the demon, and the demon went into a herd of pigs, which then commit suicide by drowning
- Jesus then returns to Capernaum, where he is met by Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue
- Jairus would have been a very respected member of his community, was probably well off, was responsible for the smooth running of meetings in the synagogue
- The synagogue had been built by the Roman garrison commander (Luke 7:5) probably because it was a poor town
- There were probably only around 1000 to 1500 inhabitants
- The town had around 1600 feet of shoreline, or 1/3 mile
- So it was not very large
- It was finally destroyed by the Arabic invasion in 640 AD
- Mark 5:21-24
- Jesus is at the seafront, then starts walking through town with Jairus, to minister to his daughter
- A lady who had been bleeding for 12 years came up to Jesus, touched his cloak, and was instantly healed.
- Jesus stopped and talked with her
- Jairus is probably biting his fingernails, because he knows the urgency of his daughter’s situation
- Then they hear that the daughter has died
- Jairus’ heart sinks
Don’t be afraid
- V. 35 - Jairus was afraid – the situation had gone from bad to worst – his daughter was now dead
- He had had a little faith, now it dropped through the floor
- Our situation may not be good
- We may have prayed about it and done all we could
- But things have only gotten worse
- We may owe money but have no way to repay it
- We may have relationship issues with our family, and have just about given up trying to find reconciliation
- We may have come here looking for recovery and yet we fear relapse
- V. 36 - Jesus tells Jairus “Do not be afraid”
- Capernaum was a town where Jesus had spent a lot of time
- Many miracles had been done there, and Jairus would have seen many of them, it was not a big place
- He says, don’t be afraid, even if the problem seems hopeless
- He says to us, Don’t give up, I am here, let me deal with it
Ignore what things look like
- V. 36 - Jesus ignored what had been said, and told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, only believe”
- We so often focus our anxiety and fears on the problem, rather than looking at the One who can fix the problem
- Our natural tendency is to focus on the obvious situation, what we can see, feel, hear or touch
- But there is more to life than meets the eye
- 2 Kings 6:17
- This room is filled with angels who are listening to the words that are being spoken here
- We are not alone, or left to our own devices
- Heb 13:5 NIV “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”
Trust God
- V.36 - Jesus says “Only believe”
- God does ask of us to trust him
- There is the kind of faith to trust that God wants relationship with us and then acts on that faith
- There is the kind of faith which refers to believing what God has said in his Word
- And there is the faith that says, “I am trusting you, God, with this situation. I am placing it in your hands to take care of. I believe that you are able to deal with it, and I believe that you love me enough that you will do what is best for me. I ask you to change this situation. Thank you for what you are about to do”
- Jesus says, only believe, he says, trust me
- Trust him for dealing with your illness
- Trust him for helping you pay your debts
- Trust him for staying clean and sober
- Trust him for helping you pay your back child support
- Trust him for reconciliation in your family
God does things His way
- Notice that Jesus did not tell Jairus to go home, that his daughter was healed
- Jairus would have liked the answer straight away
- He did not like his faith sinking through the floorboards
- Jesus had a bigger purpose, which Jairus did not see
- Jesus allowed his daughter to die, so that a greater miracle would happen, so that Jairus’ faith would be strengthened even more
- God does not always give us what we want
- Sometimes we want something immediately, but God does not respond when we want
- Sometimes we have to wait a long time before we see the answer
- Sometimes the answer will not come in our lifetime
- When my wife died, that is when she was healed of her cancer
- She now lives in a healthy body, in Jesus’ presence, with no pain or suffering. I am glad for her.
- We would like things now
- But God’s answer may be later, or maybe not at all
- Trust him that he will do what is right and best for you
- He said he would never leave us
- He walks through our storms with us
- And ultimately he will work all things out
- What he asks of us is “Do not be afraid, only believe”
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Leaving Ur - Genesis 12:1-4
Title: Leaving Ur
Date: March 2, 2008
Text: Genesis 12:1-4, Hebrews 11:8
INTRODUCTION
- When I was 12 I once read through the life of Abraham, in one sitting
- I found it an interesting read, it grabbed my attention
- In some way it spoke to my heart, and suddenly I knew that I wanted to be like Abraham
- I wanted to be obedient to God, I wanted to have that closeness of relationship with God, that I can speak to God and that he replies to me
- Today I am going to start a series about the life of Abraham, examining incidents in his life and showing their relevance to each of us
Abraham was faithful
- Gen 12:1-3 – Abraham had previously heard from God, to leave his father’s house and go to another land
- His father’s house was in Ur of the Chaldeas – that is where Abraham was born
- The bible does not say when God spoke this to Abram – reading the story it sounds as though this happened while they were still in Ur
- In response to this word to Abram, Terah, Abram’s dad, took Abram, his wife Sarah and his grandson Lot, to a place called Haran, a place where Lot had probably grown up
- This was on the way to the land of Canaan
- It seems that Nahor, Abram’s brother together with his wife milcah, later also followed them to go settle in Haran
- Haran was a nice town, at the middle of the Fertile Crescent
- There were family there – Haran had probably established this village, before he died while on a trip back to Ur – the town Haran was named after him
- There is a lesson in this – Haran left Ur and settled in Haran – then he turned back to Ur – he died there
- There is death in Ur
- Maybe the lesson for us is that when we embark on a journey with God that we do not turn back
- Hebrews 10:38
- But there came a point when Abraham realized that he had not yet completely fulfilled the word from God
- It was time to resume the journey
- This took a step of faith
- Heb 11:8-10
God is faithful
- God goes on our journey with us
- Heb 13:5 He promised never to leave or forsake us
- Numbers 23:19 He is not a man that he should lie
- Whatever he has promised will be done
- No matter if we go through hard time or smooth, he is there
- Psalm 23 – when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil because God is with us
- Phil 1:6 the work he has started in us he will complete
- He does not stop halfway, he completes the project
God expects us to be faithful
- Abraham got stuck in Haran
- He had left Ur in obedience and then settled down in Haran
- It was comfortable to be in Haran
- There was plenty of room, there was family around, no need to feel lonely
- But it was not the place where God had sent him
- When Terah died, Abraham realized it was time to move on, in obedience
- This was a step f faith
- Luke 19:17 God has called us to be faithful too
- Like Abraham, we have started on a journey
- When we accepted Jesus into our life, we took step one of the journey
- We have left all kinds of things behind us
- We have left behind our family of origin, the place where we may have learned a lot of our bad ways
- We have left behind our old way of life, and been raised a new creation
- It may be comfortable for us to rest there
- We have been saved and we are able to pray and communicate with God – awesome
- But God has called us on a journey
- We learn more about that journey in the coming weeks
- Step 2 is to continue the journey
- Not being satisfied with just being saved, but wanting to be the best we can be for God
- We have not yet reached the city that Abraham was looking for
- We too are on a pilgrimage, a journey
- But God is faithful, and as we follow him we will be living and walking with God
- We will have relationship with him, and he with us!
- One day he will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
- Because we have been faithful, we have stayed on the journey
- Now, that is awesome!
Date: March 2, 2008
Text: Genesis 12:1-4, Hebrews 11:8
INTRODUCTION
- When I was 12 I once read through the life of Abraham, in one sitting
- I found it an interesting read, it grabbed my attention
- In some way it spoke to my heart, and suddenly I knew that I wanted to be like Abraham
- I wanted to be obedient to God, I wanted to have that closeness of relationship with God, that I can speak to God and that he replies to me
- Today I am going to start a series about the life of Abraham, examining incidents in his life and showing their relevance to each of us
Abraham was faithful
- Gen 12:1-3 – Abraham had previously heard from God, to leave his father’s house and go to another land
- His father’s house was in Ur of the Chaldeas – that is where Abraham was born
- The bible does not say when God spoke this to Abram – reading the story it sounds as though this happened while they were still in Ur
- In response to this word to Abram, Terah, Abram’s dad, took Abram, his wife Sarah and his grandson Lot, to a place called Haran, a place where Lot had probably grown up
- This was on the way to the land of Canaan
- It seems that Nahor, Abram’s brother together with his wife milcah, later also followed them to go settle in Haran
- Haran was a nice town, at the middle of the Fertile Crescent
- There were family there – Haran had probably established this village, before he died while on a trip back to Ur – the town Haran was named after him
- There is a lesson in this – Haran left Ur and settled in Haran – then he turned back to Ur – he died there
- There is death in Ur
- Maybe the lesson for us is that when we embark on a journey with God that we do not turn back
- Hebrews 10:38
- But there came a point when Abraham realized that he had not yet completely fulfilled the word from God
- It was time to resume the journey
- This took a step of faith
- Heb 11:8-10
God is faithful
- God goes on our journey with us
- Heb 13:5 He promised never to leave or forsake us
- Numbers 23:19 He is not a man that he should lie
- Whatever he has promised will be done
- No matter if we go through hard time or smooth, he is there
- Psalm 23 – when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil because God is with us
- Phil 1:6 the work he has started in us he will complete
- He does not stop halfway, he completes the project
God expects us to be faithful
- Abraham got stuck in Haran
- He had left Ur in obedience and then settled down in Haran
- It was comfortable to be in Haran
- There was plenty of room, there was family around, no need to feel lonely
- But it was not the place where God had sent him
- When Terah died, Abraham realized it was time to move on, in obedience
- This was a step f faith
- Luke 19:17 God has called us to be faithful too
- Like Abraham, we have started on a journey
- When we accepted Jesus into our life, we took step one of the journey
- We have left all kinds of things behind us
- We have left behind our family of origin, the place where we may have learned a lot of our bad ways
- We have left behind our old way of life, and been raised a new creation
- It may be comfortable for us to rest there
- We have been saved and we are able to pray and communicate with God – awesome
- But God has called us on a journey
- We learn more about that journey in the coming weeks
- Step 2 is to continue the journey
- Not being satisfied with just being saved, but wanting to be the best we can be for God
- We have not yet reached the city that Abraham was looking for
- We too are on a pilgrimage, a journey
- But God is faithful, and as we follow him we will be living and walking with God
- We will have relationship with him, and he with us!
- One day he will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
- Because we have been faithful, we have stayed on the journey
- Now, that is awesome!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Love in a perfect world - Song of Songs 2:7
Title: Love in a Perfect World
Date: October 17, 2008
Text: Song of Songs 2:7
Story
- "I stand by the bed where a young woman lies after an operation on her face, her mouth twisted. A tiny twig of the facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. She will be thus from now on.
- I had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek, I had to cut the little nerve.
- Her young husband is in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so lovingly?
- The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks.
- "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut."
- She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says, "It is kind of cute."
- Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works" - Richard Selzer, M.D., Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery, 1978, pp. 45-6.
Introduction
- Love like this takes time to grow, it is a deep love that withstands storms
- We are used to getting what we want, now – 5 minutes waiting is too long
- And sure enough, we do get it now – we get an addiction after experimenting with our friends, we get poverty after gambling all our money at the casino, we get gonorrhea or syphilis or AIDS from our casual sex
- Now does not always work all that well
- God has better things for us, but it take time to get it right
- It takes a lifetime for our minds to be totally renewed
- Today we are going to be talking about a sensitive subject
- I am going to ask of you to treat this subject with the respect it deserves, because it can make a huge difference to your happiness after graduating from the program
- This morning we are going to look at a short video clip dealing with three Hebrew words: raya, ahava and dode
Video clip – Nooma #2 – Flame
- I love tacos and I love my wife
- The word love is used in different ways
- Three Hebrew words are used for love – three flames
- Raya – to love a friend, a companion, a soulmate – its core is friendship
- Ahava – a deep affection, desire to be with the other person with passion, would rather be with her than anywhere else – it is as strong as death, can’t be quenched – it is a decision to join two lives – it is not a fleeting feeling – it makes things last
- Dode – means to arouse, rock, fondle, drink – equivalent to greek word eros meaning erotic love
- When a man and a woman get together, all three forms of love are united – a picture of a deeper spiritual reality
- Sex is ultimately spiritual, meant to endure forever
- But so often we want the whole bonfire, made up of all three flames, from just the dode flame on its own
- When you separate the flames it does not satisfy
- True sexuality is more than just a body experience
- When it is time for us to explore this territory, we want the full experience, not a cheap shortcut
- True love is a precious thing, it endures for a lifetime
- SoS 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised
- So often we may be satisfied with momentary dode love, the sexual love
- But dode love on its own, outside of the context of marriage, is sinful
- When I first married, I had known my wife for four years
- We were close friends, but without having become involved romantically
- We supported each other through things that happened in our individual lives, and we were there for each other
- Leni was my best friend
- I got to know Leni while I was living in Holland
- We met on the train, going to church
- It was not time for us to marry – it was a time for RAYA
- I was 26 but my emotions were still messed up from my past
- I recognized my problems, at least partially
- And I respected Leni
- I did not want to accelerate our friendship into romance until we were ready for it
- SoS 2:7 “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.”
- We could have been married right away, but then we would probably have ended up as one more painful divorce statistic
- We waited till the time seemed right, after having been close friends for 4 years
- Then one weekend I suddenly saw Leni in a new light
- We danced one night and it was as though we were meant for each other, it was so perfect – AHAVA had arrived
- We counseled with our minister and after an engagement period of 6 months, we were married
- I have no regrets about how we did things
- We had our ups and downs
- I believe my past intruded into our marriage and it caused trouble in our relationship
- But because we respected each other and had a solid RAYA foundation, we were able to weather the storms
- Here in the program is not the time to experiment with building relationships
- There is a time and a place for everything
- Now is the time to focus on getting your life sorted out, so that you can be the right husband or wife, so your past will no longer have such a big impact on your future marriage
- Later on, when we ask God to lead us to the right person, we will meet that special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life
- Take time, savor the experience
- Enjoy the time of friendship, get to know each other in all kinds of situations
- Build that RAYA experience
- And one day you will recognize that the AHAVA flame has ignited
- This takes you down a road to the time when DODE comes along on your wedding night, when you are able to give all of yourself to the other person, not holding anything back
- Not having all kinds of images in your mind of former casual partners, of quick sordid actions in the dark
- Loving your partner with all your heart mind and soul
- Be patient, the day will come for you when you can meet the person of your dreams and have a huge bonfire relationship, when all three flames come together as one
Date: October 17, 2008
Text: Song of Songs 2:7
Story
- "I stand by the bed where a young woman lies after an operation on her face, her mouth twisted. A tiny twig of the facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. She will be thus from now on.
- I had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek, I had to cut the little nerve.
- Her young husband is in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so lovingly?
- The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks.
- "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut."
- She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says, "It is kind of cute."
- Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works" - Richard Selzer, M.D., Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery, 1978, pp. 45-6.
Introduction
- Love like this takes time to grow, it is a deep love that withstands storms
- We are used to getting what we want, now – 5 minutes waiting is too long
- And sure enough, we do get it now – we get an addiction after experimenting with our friends, we get poverty after gambling all our money at the casino, we get gonorrhea or syphilis or AIDS from our casual sex
- Now does not always work all that well
- God has better things for us, but it take time to get it right
- It takes a lifetime for our minds to be totally renewed
- Today we are going to be talking about a sensitive subject
- I am going to ask of you to treat this subject with the respect it deserves, because it can make a huge difference to your happiness after graduating from the program
- This morning we are going to look at a short video clip dealing with three Hebrew words: raya, ahava and dode
Video clip – Nooma #2 – Flame
- I love tacos and I love my wife
- The word love is used in different ways
- Three Hebrew words are used for love – three flames
- Raya – to love a friend, a companion, a soulmate – its core is friendship
- Ahava – a deep affection, desire to be with the other person with passion, would rather be with her than anywhere else – it is as strong as death, can’t be quenched – it is a decision to join two lives – it is not a fleeting feeling – it makes things last
- Dode – means to arouse, rock, fondle, drink – equivalent to greek word eros meaning erotic love
- When a man and a woman get together, all three forms of love are united – a picture of a deeper spiritual reality
- Sex is ultimately spiritual, meant to endure forever
- But so often we want the whole bonfire, made up of all three flames, from just the dode flame on its own
- When you separate the flames it does not satisfy
- True sexuality is more than just a body experience
- When it is time for us to explore this territory, we want the full experience, not a cheap shortcut
- True love is a precious thing, it endures for a lifetime
- SoS 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised
- So often we may be satisfied with momentary dode love, the sexual love
- But dode love on its own, outside of the context of marriage, is sinful
- When I first married, I had known my wife for four years
- We were close friends, but without having become involved romantically
- We supported each other through things that happened in our individual lives, and we were there for each other
- Leni was my best friend
- I got to know Leni while I was living in Holland
- We met on the train, going to church
- It was not time for us to marry – it was a time for RAYA
- I was 26 but my emotions were still messed up from my past
- I recognized my problems, at least partially
- And I respected Leni
- I did not want to accelerate our friendship into romance until we were ready for it
- SoS 2:7 “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.”
- We could have been married right away, but then we would probably have ended up as one more painful divorce statistic
- We waited till the time seemed right, after having been close friends for 4 years
- Then one weekend I suddenly saw Leni in a new light
- We danced one night and it was as though we were meant for each other, it was so perfect – AHAVA had arrived
- We counseled with our minister and after an engagement period of 6 months, we were married
- I have no regrets about how we did things
- We had our ups and downs
- I believe my past intruded into our marriage and it caused trouble in our relationship
- But because we respected each other and had a solid RAYA foundation, we were able to weather the storms
- Here in the program is not the time to experiment with building relationships
- There is a time and a place for everything
- Now is the time to focus on getting your life sorted out, so that you can be the right husband or wife, so your past will no longer have such a big impact on your future marriage
- Later on, when we ask God to lead us to the right person, we will meet that special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life
- Take time, savor the experience
- Enjoy the time of friendship, get to know each other in all kinds of situations
- Build that RAYA experience
- And one day you will recognize that the AHAVA flame has ignited
- This takes you down a road to the time when DODE comes along on your wedding night, when you are able to give all of yourself to the other person, not holding anything back
- Not having all kinds of images in your mind of former casual partners, of quick sordid actions in the dark
- Loving your partner with all your heart mind and soul
- Be patient, the day will come for you when you can meet the person of your dreams and have a huge bonfire relationship, when all three flames come together as one
Love in a Perfect World - Song of Solomon 2:7, 8:7
Title: Love in a Perfect World
Date: February 19, 2008
Text: Song of Songs 2:7, 8:7
STORY
- I stand by the bed where a young woman lies after an operation on her face, her mouth twisted. A tiny twig of the facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. She will be thus from now on.
- I had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek, I had to cut the little nerve.
- Her young husband is in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so lovingly?
- The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks.
- "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut."
- She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says, "It is kind of cute."
- Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works.
(Adapted from Richard Selzer, M.D., Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery, 1978, pp. 45-6).
INTRODUCTION
- Love like this takes time to grow, it is a deep love that withstands storms
- We are used to getting what we want, now – 5 minutes waiting is too long
- And sure enough, we do get it now – we get an addiction after experimenting with our friends, we get poverty after gambling all our money at the casino, we get gonorrhea or syphilis or AIDS from our casual sex
- Now does not always work all that well
- God has better things for us, but it take time to get it right
- It takes a lifetime for our minds to be totally renewed
- Today we are going to be talking about a sensitive subject
- I am going to ask of you to treat this subject with the respect it deserves, because it can make a huge difference to your happiness after graduating from the program
- This morning we are going to look at three Hebrew words: raya, ahava and dode
Three words of love
- I love tacos and I love my wife
- The word love is used in different ways
- Three Hebrew words are used for love – three flames
- Raya – to love a friend, a companion, a soulmate – its core is friendship
- Ahava – a deep affection, desire to be with the other person with passion, would rather be with her than anywhere else – it is as strong as death, can’t be quenched – it is a decision to join two lives – it is not a fleeting feeling – it makes things last
- Dode – means to arouse, rock, fondle, drink – equivalent to greek word eros meaning erotic love
- When a man and a woman get together, all three forms of love are united – a picture of a deeper spiritual reality
- Sex is ultimately spiritual, meant to endure forever
- But so often we want the whole bonfire, made up of all three flames, from just the dode flame on its own
- When you separate the flames it does not satisfy
- True sexuality is more than just a body experience
- When it is time for us to explore this territory, we want the full experience, not a cheap shortcut
Treasure love
- True love is a precious thing, it endures for a lifetime
- SoS 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised
- So often we may be satisfied with momentary dode love, the sexual love
- But dode love on its own, outside of the context of marriage, is sinful
- When I first married, I had known my wife for four years
- We were close friends, but without having become involved romantically
- We supported each other through things that happened in our individual lives, and we were there for each other
- Leni was my best friend
- I got to know Leni while I was living in Holland
- We met on the train, going to church
- It was not time for us to marry – it was a time for RAYA
- I was 26 but my emotions were still messed up from my past
- I recognized my problems, at least partially
- And I respected Leni
- I did not want to accelerate our friendship into romance until we were ready for it
- SoS 2:7 “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.”
- We could have been married right away, but then we would probably have ended up as one more painful divorce statistic
- We waited till the time seemed right, after having been close friends for 4 years
- Then one weekend I suddenly saw Leni in a new light
- We danced one night and it was as though we were meant for each other, it was so perfect – AHAVA had arrived
- We counseled with our minister and after an engagement period of 6 months, we were married
- I have no regrets about how we did things
- We had our ups and downs
- I believe my past intruded into our marriage and it caused trouble in our relationship
- But because we respected each other and had a solid RAYA foundation, we were able to weather the storms
A time and a place
- Here in the program is not the time to experiment with building relationships
- There is a time and a place for everything
- Now is the time to focus on getting your life sorted out, so that you can be the right husband or wife, so your past will no longer have such a big impact on your future marriage
- Later on, when we ask God to lead us to the right person, we will meet that special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life
- Take time, savor the experience
- Enjoy the time of friendship, get to know each other in all kinds of situations
- Build that RAYA experience
- And one day you will recognize that the AHAVA flame has ignited
- This takes you down a road to the time when DODE comes along on your wedding night, when you are able to give all of yourself to the other person, not holding anything back
- Not having all kinds of images in your mind of former casual partners, of quick sordid actions in the dark
- Loving your partner with all your heart mind and soul
- Be patient, the day will come for you when you can meet the person of your dreams and have a huge bonfire relationship, when all three flames come together as one
Date: February 19, 2008
Text: Song of Songs 2:7, 8:7
STORY
- I stand by the bed where a young woman lies after an operation on her face, her mouth twisted. A tiny twig of the facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. She will be thus from now on.
- I had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek, I had to cut the little nerve.
- Her young husband is in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so lovingly?
- The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks.
- "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut."
- She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says, "It is kind of cute."
- Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works.
(Adapted from Richard Selzer, M.D., Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery, 1978, pp. 45-6).
INTRODUCTION
- Love like this takes time to grow, it is a deep love that withstands storms
- We are used to getting what we want, now – 5 minutes waiting is too long
- And sure enough, we do get it now – we get an addiction after experimenting with our friends, we get poverty after gambling all our money at the casino, we get gonorrhea or syphilis or AIDS from our casual sex
- Now does not always work all that well
- God has better things for us, but it take time to get it right
- It takes a lifetime for our minds to be totally renewed
- Today we are going to be talking about a sensitive subject
- I am going to ask of you to treat this subject with the respect it deserves, because it can make a huge difference to your happiness after graduating from the program
- This morning we are going to look at three Hebrew words: raya, ahava and dode
Three words of love
- I love tacos and I love my wife
- The word love is used in different ways
- Three Hebrew words are used for love – three flames
- Raya – to love a friend, a companion, a soulmate – its core is friendship
- Ahava – a deep affection, desire to be with the other person with passion, would rather be with her than anywhere else – it is as strong as death, can’t be quenched – it is a decision to join two lives – it is not a fleeting feeling – it makes things last
- Dode – means to arouse, rock, fondle, drink – equivalent to greek word eros meaning erotic love
- When a man and a woman get together, all three forms of love are united – a picture of a deeper spiritual reality
- Sex is ultimately spiritual, meant to endure forever
- But so often we want the whole bonfire, made up of all three flames, from just the dode flame on its own
- When you separate the flames it does not satisfy
- True sexuality is more than just a body experience
- When it is time for us to explore this territory, we want the full experience, not a cheap shortcut
Treasure love
- True love is a precious thing, it endures for a lifetime
- SoS 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised
- So often we may be satisfied with momentary dode love, the sexual love
- But dode love on its own, outside of the context of marriage, is sinful
- When I first married, I had known my wife for four years
- We were close friends, but without having become involved romantically
- We supported each other through things that happened in our individual lives, and we were there for each other
- Leni was my best friend
- I got to know Leni while I was living in Holland
- We met on the train, going to church
- It was not time for us to marry – it was a time for RAYA
- I was 26 but my emotions were still messed up from my past
- I recognized my problems, at least partially
- And I respected Leni
- I did not want to accelerate our friendship into romance until we were ready for it
- SoS 2:7 “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.”
- We could have been married right away, but then we would probably have ended up as one more painful divorce statistic
- We waited till the time seemed right, after having been close friends for 4 years
- Then one weekend I suddenly saw Leni in a new light
- We danced one night and it was as though we were meant for each other, it was so perfect – AHAVA had arrived
- We counseled with our minister and after an engagement period of 6 months, we were married
- I have no regrets about how we did things
- We had our ups and downs
- I believe my past intruded into our marriage and it caused trouble in our relationship
- But because we respected each other and had a solid RAYA foundation, we were able to weather the storms
A time and a place
- Here in the program is not the time to experiment with building relationships
- There is a time and a place for everything
- Now is the time to focus on getting your life sorted out, so that you can be the right husband or wife, so your past will no longer have such a big impact on your future marriage
- Later on, when we ask God to lead us to the right person, we will meet that special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life
- Take time, savor the experience
- Enjoy the time of friendship, get to know each other in all kinds of situations
- Build that RAYA experience
- And one day you will recognize that the AHAVA flame has ignited
- This takes you down a road to the time when DODE comes along on your wedding night, when you are able to give all of yourself to the other person, not holding anything back
- Not having all kinds of images in your mind of former casual partners, of quick sordid actions in the dark
- Loving your partner with all your heart mind and soul
- Be patient, the day will come for you when you can meet the person of your dreams and have a huge bonfire relationship, when all three flames come together as one
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Allowing God to direct your life - Proverbs 3:5-6
Title: Allowing God to direct your life
Date: February 17, 2008
Text: Proverbs 3:5-6
Story
- I want to tell the story of homeless man at In-and-Out in Carson City
- Visited the restaurant while we were on a drive down through the Carson Valley
- Dianne and I had just ordered our meal
- Saw the homeless man sitting there with just a small cup of water - I felt a prompting to go buy him a meal - At the same time, Dianne said, let’s buy that man a meal
- So Dianne went and found a seat and I went up to the man and asked if he would like something to eat
- He said yes, he hadn’t eaten all day
- I asked what he would like, went to the counter and placed the order - Then I gave him the slip to claim his food
- I went back to Dianne with our own meal, only a lady was sitting there with her
- This lady had come up to Dianne, all remorseful, and told her that the Lord had told her to give that man a meal
- But she had felt uncomfortable at the idea of her as a lady on her own, talking to the homeless man
- Dianne said, that’s OK, God got it sorted out anyway, and the man now had a meal
- The lady then said, but you don’t understand, I am a pastor
- Dianne replied, so are we
- The lady then said, I am a pastor in the Foursquare denomination
- Dianne was amazed and said, so are we!
- The odds against this happening were amazing!
- This lady was the pastor of a small church up in the mountains, and she was just on her way back after a visit to family in Winnemucca
- In her church was a group of ladies knitting hats and scarves, but they did not know what to use them for
- Dianne told her about our homeless ministry, and the lady offered to send us the hats and scarves, for the homeless
- 2 weeks ago there was a large box sitting on our doorstep, full of hats and scarves
- We handed them out last Sunday, down at the river, along Galletti Way
- (Show samples of hats and scarves)
- This is an example of following God’s direction
- Prov 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart – v.5
- Trust in the Lord
- Trusting someone else can be difficult
- We have learned not to trust
- Man has let us down
- We all have feet of clay
- All of us have inherited the sinful nature that came as a result of the fall
- Psalm 146:3 and 118:8 say not to put our trust in man
- But 1 Cor 10:13 tells us “God is faithful”
- We can trust our maker
- Num 23:19 God is not a man that he should lie
- With all your heart
- With all your heart means total surrender
- When we first accept Jesus we give him our all
- But then the world encroaches on our life
- Bit by bit our first love starts to cool down
- We need to continually turn back to God and get that fire that we had at the start
- Acts 13:22 David a man after God’s own heart – he made big mistakes but he was totally surrendered to God
- James 1:8 God wants us to trust him, with all our heart, not half-heartedly
2. Lean not on your own understanding – v.5
- It often seems like something unusual
- It doesn’t make sense to go feed a homeless person
- We don’t associate with them, we can’t spare the money, all kinds of excuses
- God says, just go and do it! Just be obedient
- We need God’s direction in our lives
- But sometimes that direction does not make sense
- Genesis 12 - Like when God told Abraham to leave home and travel to an undetermined destination
- Abraham didn’t argue the point – he just went and did it – he was obedient
- So when you have an inner prompting to do something or say something, that is OK per the Bible, even if it seems strange, it may be from the Lord
- Don’t lean on your own understanding
3. In all your ways acknowledge him – v.6
- In everything you do, involve God
- This means walking closely with him
- When you rise in the morning, spend time with him
- Ask him for direction for the day, to guide your steps and use you as he sees fit
- Be aware that he may have assignments for you and be aware of promptings he gives you
- He won’t tell you to go and stab someone in the back, or steal from someone, or lust after someone
- The thoughts we have can be influenced from three other sources – our own mind, society, and even the enemy
- The things God says will be approved by his Word the Bible
- So you need to test your thoughts, is this something God would say and approve of - Isaiah 8:20
- Involve God in all you do, have a prayerful relationship with him
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray continually
4. He will direct your paths – v.6
- Then we are promised that God will direct our paths
- God starts with the little things
- He says that if we are faithful in little, we will be faithful also in much - Luke 16:10
- So if we show God we are faithful in small assignments such as feeding a homeless person, he will give us other things to do
- He tells us he will direct our paths - This means he will give us direction
- That direction may be for an immediate event
- On the other hand it may be direction for our life’s goals
- I often hear from people, how do I know what God’s purpose is for my life
- God’s purpose for us is described in Micah 6:8 – to walk humbly with your God
- When we do this, he will show us the way to go – he will direct our paths
Communion
- Sometimes that path is not where we would want to go
- Jesus is the supreme example of this
- Luke 22:42 - In the garden of Gethsemane he prayed to the Father, if it would be possible to not have to go through with the crucifixion
- Yet he said to the Father, yet not my will but yours be done
- Just an hour or so before, he sat down with the disciples and performed a ceremony with them which would remind them of the most important aspect of his ministry
- Luke 22:17-20 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
Date: February 17, 2008
Text: Proverbs 3:5-6
Story
- I want to tell the story of homeless man at In-and-Out in Carson City
- Visited the restaurant while we were on a drive down through the Carson Valley
- Dianne and I had just ordered our meal
- Saw the homeless man sitting there with just a small cup of water - I felt a prompting to go buy him a meal - At the same time, Dianne said, let’s buy that man a meal
- So Dianne went and found a seat and I went up to the man and asked if he would like something to eat
- He said yes, he hadn’t eaten all day
- I asked what he would like, went to the counter and placed the order - Then I gave him the slip to claim his food
- I went back to Dianne with our own meal, only a lady was sitting there with her
- This lady had come up to Dianne, all remorseful, and told her that the Lord had told her to give that man a meal
- But she had felt uncomfortable at the idea of her as a lady on her own, talking to the homeless man
- Dianne said, that’s OK, God got it sorted out anyway, and the man now had a meal
- The lady then said, but you don’t understand, I am a pastor
- Dianne replied, so are we
- The lady then said, I am a pastor in the Foursquare denomination
- Dianne was amazed and said, so are we!
- The odds against this happening were amazing!
- This lady was the pastor of a small church up in the mountains, and she was just on her way back after a visit to family in Winnemucca
- In her church was a group of ladies knitting hats and scarves, but they did not know what to use them for
- Dianne told her about our homeless ministry, and the lady offered to send us the hats and scarves, for the homeless
- 2 weeks ago there was a large box sitting on our doorstep, full of hats and scarves
- We handed them out last Sunday, down at the river, along Galletti Way
- (Show samples of hats and scarves)
- This is an example of following God’s direction
- Prov 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart – v.5
- Trust in the Lord
- Trusting someone else can be difficult
- We have learned not to trust
- Man has let us down
- We all have feet of clay
- All of us have inherited the sinful nature that came as a result of the fall
- Psalm 146:3 and 118:8 say not to put our trust in man
- But 1 Cor 10:13 tells us “God is faithful”
- We can trust our maker
- Num 23:19 God is not a man that he should lie
- With all your heart
- With all your heart means total surrender
- When we first accept Jesus we give him our all
- But then the world encroaches on our life
- Bit by bit our first love starts to cool down
- We need to continually turn back to God and get that fire that we had at the start
- Acts 13:22 David a man after God’s own heart – he made big mistakes but he was totally surrendered to God
- James 1:8 God wants us to trust him, with all our heart, not half-heartedly
2. Lean not on your own understanding – v.5
- It often seems like something unusual
- It doesn’t make sense to go feed a homeless person
- We don’t associate with them, we can’t spare the money, all kinds of excuses
- God says, just go and do it! Just be obedient
- We need God’s direction in our lives
- But sometimes that direction does not make sense
- Genesis 12 - Like when God told Abraham to leave home and travel to an undetermined destination
- Abraham didn’t argue the point – he just went and did it – he was obedient
- So when you have an inner prompting to do something or say something, that is OK per the Bible, even if it seems strange, it may be from the Lord
- Don’t lean on your own understanding
3. In all your ways acknowledge him – v.6
- In everything you do, involve God
- This means walking closely with him
- When you rise in the morning, spend time with him
- Ask him for direction for the day, to guide your steps and use you as he sees fit
- Be aware that he may have assignments for you and be aware of promptings he gives you
- He won’t tell you to go and stab someone in the back, or steal from someone, or lust after someone
- The thoughts we have can be influenced from three other sources – our own mind, society, and even the enemy
- The things God says will be approved by his Word the Bible
- So you need to test your thoughts, is this something God would say and approve of - Isaiah 8:20
- Involve God in all you do, have a prayerful relationship with him
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray continually
4. He will direct your paths – v.6
- Then we are promised that God will direct our paths
- God starts with the little things
- He says that if we are faithful in little, we will be faithful also in much - Luke 16:10
- So if we show God we are faithful in small assignments such as feeding a homeless person, he will give us other things to do
- He tells us he will direct our paths - This means he will give us direction
- That direction may be for an immediate event
- On the other hand it may be direction for our life’s goals
- I often hear from people, how do I know what God’s purpose is for my life
- God’s purpose for us is described in Micah 6:8 – to walk humbly with your God
- When we do this, he will show us the way to go – he will direct our paths
Communion
- Sometimes that path is not where we would want to go
- Jesus is the supreme example of this
- Luke 22:42 - In the garden of Gethsemane he prayed to the Father, if it would be possible to not have to go through with the crucifixion
- Yet he said to the Father, yet not my will but yours be done
- Just an hour or so before, he sat down with the disciples and performed a ceremony with them which would remind them of the most important aspect of his ministry
- Luke 22:17-20 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Joy in Trials - James 1:2-4
Title: Joy in trials
Date: February 10, 2008
Text: James 1:2-4
Introduction
- As we go through life there will be good days and bad days, good experiences and bad experiences
- Maybe you are going through some hard times right now
- Here at the mission there are many opportunities to go through difficulties, just because we are in such close proximity to each other
- Maybe your hard patch is because of family situations
- Maybe your wife has told you she is giving up on you, or you may never see your children again - Maybe your area of need is in finances, you just don’t know how you are going to be able to survive, after graduating from this program
- We all have our own particular point at which we wonder how we will ever get through the trial - James tells us in his letter in the NT, about the purpose for trials in our life
- And he starts off by telling us to be joyful during our hard times!
1. Consider it pure joy – verse 2
- James 1:2 – consider it pure joy
- Hard to understand
- Perspective of being in God’s hands
- Eph 2:10 - We are his workmanship
- Isa 64:8 - You are the potter, we are the clay
- Learning to trust God
- Psa 37:7 - Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him
- Amplified Bible “Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass”
2. Testing develops perseverance – verse 3
- As we go through trials, and persevere, God is doing something inside us
- We are learning to trust him and depend on him
- He is shaping us and preparing us for his purpose
- 1 Kings 6:7 - Stones of the temple were shaped off-site, yet fitted perfectly – Solomon’s quarries under Jerusalem
- Eph 4:16 - What every joint supplies
- We stand together, supporting each other
- Particularly while we are going through trials
3. Perseverance makes us complete and mature – verse 4
- We are used to living for the moment
- We don’t like the idea of preparing for retirement
- God looks at things from an eternal perspective
- Though we cannot see beyond this life, he is preparing us for a glorious future
- 1 Cor 2:9 – eye has not seen nor ear heard
Conclusion
- 2 Cor 4:17 - Exceeding weight of glory
- 2 Tim 4:8 - Laid up for me a crown of righteousness
- As we go through trials, learn to look at it from God’s perspective
- We are in his hands, he will not let us fall
- 1 Cor 10:13 – he will provide a way for us to stand up under the trial
- So don’t be praying for the trial to be taken away – oh woe is me
- Instead, pray that we might learn the lesson and thank God that he is working in our life
- Look forward to the future when all this will be done, complete, and we can move on to the purpose for which we have been made
Date: February 10, 2008
Text: James 1:2-4
Introduction
- As we go through life there will be good days and bad days, good experiences and bad experiences
- Maybe you are going through some hard times right now
- Here at the mission there are many opportunities to go through difficulties, just because we are in such close proximity to each other
- Maybe your hard patch is because of family situations
- Maybe your wife has told you she is giving up on you, or you may never see your children again - Maybe your area of need is in finances, you just don’t know how you are going to be able to survive, after graduating from this program
- We all have our own particular point at which we wonder how we will ever get through the trial - James tells us in his letter in the NT, about the purpose for trials in our life
- And he starts off by telling us to be joyful during our hard times!
1. Consider it pure joy – verse 2
- James 1:2 – consider it pure joy
- Hard to understand
- Perspective of being in God’s hands
- Eph 2:10 - We are his workmanship
- Isa 64:8 - You are the potter, we are the clay
- Learning to trust God
- Psa 37:7 - Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him
- Amplified Bible “Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass”
2. Testing develops perseverance – verse 3
- As we go through trials, and persevere, God is doing something inside us
- We are learning to trust him and depend on him
- He is shaping us and preparing us for his purpose
- 1 Kings 6:7 - Stones of the temple were shaped off-site, yet fitted perfectly – Solomon’s quarries under Jerusalem
- Eph 4:16 - What every joint supplies
- We stand together, supporting each other
- Particularly while we are going through trials
3. Perseverance makes us complete and mature – verse 4
- We are used to living for the moment
- We don’t like the idea of preparing for retirement
- God looks at things from an eternal perspective
- Though we cannot see beyond this life, he is preparing us for a glorious future
- 1 Cor 2:9 – eye has not seen nor ear heard
Conclusion
- 2 Cor 4:17 - Exceeding weight of glory
- 2 Tim 4:8 - Laid up for me a crown of righteousness
- As we go through trials, learn to look at it from God’s perspective
- We are in his hands, he will not let us fall
- 1 Cor 10:13 – he will provide a way for us to stand up under the trial
- So don’t be praying for the trial to be taken away – oh woe is me
- Instead, pray that we might learn the lesson and thank God that he is working in our life
- Look forward to the future when all this will be done, complete, and we can move on to the purpose for which we have been made
Sunday, January 27, 2008
There is a Way Out of the Valley - Psalm 143
Subject: There is a Way Out of the Valley
Date: January 27, 2008
Text: Psalm 143
Story
- One day a preacher who had just lost his family to a tragic fire, and had fallen into the depths of a deep and dark depression was walking down a city street. There, he came upon a construction crew that was erecting a new church. He stopped to watch them as they worked, as he watched, he observed a worker who was busy carving a triangle out of stone with a chisel and hammer.
- Stepping closer, he asked the stonecutter what he was carving. The worker pointed to the steeple of the church and said, "Do you see that small opening up there near the steeple? Well, I am carving this stone down here so that it will fit in up there."
- The preacher was immediately stirred in his heart. He realized anew the faithfulness of God and came to understand that the valley he was in at the moment was God's way of carving him down here so that he would fit in up there.
Introduction
- During this life we often go through dark times of despair
- We may be faced with seemingly impossible situations
- Some of us may be thinking, how on earth will I get through this 13 month program
- Maybe we are approaching graduation and wonder what life will be like once we have our certificate in hand
- Will we relapse, will we be strong enough
- David, who was the king of the nation Israel, often went through times of depression and fear
- For much of his early life he was on the run from king Saul
- This was tough in itself, but later on, after he became king himself, even his own kids turned on him and wanted him out of the way
- He became depressed, just like sometimes happens with us
- When we are depressed it often feels like we are walking in a dark valley, we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel
- David refers to this as the Valley of the shadow of death
- Let’s look at how David experiences this in Psalm 143
There is pain (v.3-4,7)
- Context – the rebellion of his son Absalom and the revolt of Ahithophel,
- Psa. 41:9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”
- David is in the depths of depression - he is totally overwhelmed by the hurt and pain in his life
- V.3-4 “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead. 4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is distressed.”
- He despairs of life, it is as though God has gone into hiding – the word overwhelmed gives the idea of being encased in darkness
- David is in distress
- V.7 “Answer me speedily, O LORD; My spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.”
- David feels as though he is at the end of his rope, there is no way to turn
- There seems to be no end to the pain, and no light at the end of the tunnel. Many of us may identify with David, we may feel we are in such a valley too
There is treasure (v.1-2, 5-6)
- That treasure is the treasure of a pure walk with God
- Our trial and our trouble may not be due to our personal sin
- Sometimes trials are the result of another’s sin, sometimes God allows the trial to teach us something, sometimes it is the enemy attacking us
- We are people who still sin continually, though
- That is why we need to turn to God in repentance and total surrender
- V.1-2 David acknowledges God’s faithfulness and his need for mercy
- In our dark valleys we remember times of God’s deliverance
- We remember those times when things looked bleak before, when troubles overwhelmed us and God stepped in and rescued us
- It is good to write these things down on paper, so that when we need them they are available to read
- During these times, we read God’s word and find example after example of God stepping in and rescuing his people
- V.5 David remembers God’s works, both in his life and in history
- In our dark valley, we learn to rely on God
- David knew he couldn't find the way out
- The problem and trial overwhelmed him
- So he was forced to look to God for the answer
- In our dark valley we come to the end of our rope, and now we have to rely on a big God to save us
- Pro. 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
There is a way out (V.1, 6, 8a, 9a, 11-12)
- In your dark valley, pray
- Time after time in these verses we see that David prayed, even when in the depths of despair
- V. 1, 6 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness. 6I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.”
- Our duty is to pray! Pray when God says "yes", pray when He says "no", pray when He says "wait". Pray! Prayer is more than a religious activity, it is a path out of the dark valley
- Even in the darkness, David recognized God’s goodness
- V.10b “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness [lead me on level ground NIV].”
- Keep on walking with God
- V.8, 10b, 11-12 Keep on going
- When we lie down and quit, that is when we fail
- But if we keep walking, we will find the exit sign
- God will provide a way, even when there seems to be no other way out
Summary
- There is pain and hurt in the valley of despair
- We all go through this valley at one time or another
- There is treasure in the valley – the treasure of a pure walk with God, the treasure of remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, the treasure of learning to rely on God
- There is a way out of the valley – it comes through prayer, it comes through acknowledging God’s goodness, and it comes through keeping on walking
Conclusion
- In our trials there is a strong temptation to lie down and quit
- But we are not made of that kind of stuff
- We are made to persevere and be conquerors
- Rom 8:35-37 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
Date: January 27, 2008
Text: Psalm 143
Story
- One day a preacher who had just lost his family to a tragic fire, and had fallen into the depths of a deep and dark depression was walking down a city street. There, he came upon a construction crew that was erecting a new church. He stopped to watch them as they worked, as he watched, he observed a worker who was busy carving a triangle out of stone with a chisel and hammer.
- Stepping closer, he asked the stonecutter what he was carving. The worker pointed to the steeple of the church and said, "Do you see that small opening up there near the steeple? Well, I am carving this stone down here so that it will fit in up there."
- The preacher was immediately stirred in his heart. He realized anew the faithfulness of God and came to understand that the valley he was in at the moment was God's way of carving him down here so that he would fit in up there.
Introduction
- During this life we often go through dark times of despair
- We may be faced with seemingly impossible situations
- Some of us may be thinking, how on earth will I get through this 13 month program
- Maybe we are approaching graduation and wonder what life will be like once we have our certificate in hand
- Will we relapse, will we be strong enough
- David, who was the king of the nation Israel, often went through times of depression and fear
- For much of his early life he was on the run from king Saul
- This was tough in itself, but later on, after he became king himself, even his own kids turned on him and wanted him out of the way
- He became depressed, just like sometimes happens with us
- When we are depressed it often feels like we are walking in a dark valley, we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel
- David refers to this as the Valley of the shadow of death
- Let’s look at how David experiences this in Psalm 143
There is pain (v.3-4,7)
- Context – the rebellion of his son Absalom and the revolt of Ahithophel,
- Psa. 41:9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”
- David is in the depths of depression - he is totally overwhelmed by the hurt and pain in his life
- V.3-4 “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead. 4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is distressed.”
- He despairs of life, it is as though God has gone into hiding – the word overwhelmed gives the idea of being encased in darkness
- David is in distress
- V.7 “Answer me speedily, O LORD; My spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.”
- David feels as though he is at the end of his rope, there is no way to turn
- There seems to be no end to the pain, and no light at the end of the tunnel. Many of us may identify with David, we may feel we are in such a valley too
There is treasure (v.1-2, 5-6)
- That treasure is the treasure of a pure walk with God
- Our trial and our trouble may not be due to our personal sin
- Sometimes trials are the result of another’s sin, sometimes God allows the trial to teach us something, sometimes it is the enemy attacking us
- We are people who still sin continually, though
- That is why we need to turn to God in repentance and total surrender
- V.1-2 David acknowledges God’s faithfulness and his need for mercy
- In our dark valleys we remember times of God’s deliverance
- We remember those times when things looked bleak before, when troubles overwhelmed us and God stepped in and rescued us
- It is good to write these things down on paper, so that when we need them they are available to read
- During these times, we read God’s word and find example after example of God stepping in and rescuing his people
- V.5 David remembers God’s works, both in his life and in history
- In our dark valley, we learn to rely on God
- David knew he couldn't find the way out
- The problem and trial overwhelmed him
- So he was forced to look to God for the answer
- In our dark valley we come to the end of our rope, and now we have to rely on a big God to save us
- Pro. 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
There is a way out (V.1, 6, 8a, 9a, 11-12)
- In your dark valley, pray
- Time after time in these verses we see that David prayed, even when in the depths of despair
- V. 1, 6 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness. 6I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.”
- Our duty is to pray! Pray when God says "yes", pray when He says "no", pray when He says "wait". Pray! Prayer is more than a religious activity, it is a path out of the dark valley
- Even in the darkness, David recognized God’s goodness
- V.10b “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness [lead me on level ground NIV].”
- Keep on walking with God
- V.8, 10b, 11-12 Keep on going
- When we lie down and quit, that is when we fail
- But if we keep walking, we will find the exit sign
- God will provide a way, even when there seems to be no other way out
Summary
- There is pain and hurt in the valley of despair
- We all go through this valley at one time or another
- There is treasure in the valley – the treasure of a pure walk with God, the treasure of remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, the treasure of learning to rely on God
- There is a way out of the valley – it comes through prayer, it comes through acknowledging God’s goodness, and it comes through keeping on walking
Conclusion
- In our trials there is a strong temptation to lie down and quit
- But we are not made of that kind of stuff
- We are made to persevere and be conquerors
- Rom 8:35-37 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
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