life in the slowlane!

faith in the king

2011-09-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Mark 4 v 34- 5 v 20
Intro- Cigars- little fires
- Question for today is what does it mean to have faith in Jesus the bringer of the kingdom of God
- Answer Martin Luther, 3 parts “Notitia” (evidence/knowledge), “assensus” (inclination/attraction) and “Fiducia” (fidelity/commitment)
- You see these all in this text
Did all this really happen?- small details, time, cushion, exact location, other boats, accurate and unnecessary
- Not hero-God myths, either sophisticated lies or historical acc
- Unflattering picture of the disciples, slow, weak, fearful.
- Gospels are strong evidence acc are of real historical events
- We can trust in the bible, faith in Christ is based on solid facts
Calming the storm- Person of Jesus, quite human and divine, tired, words of command
- Important, not human cant be our rep, divine can’t reveal God
- First set of miracles show he is all powerful, over nature, demonic, even death
- Jesus brings hope when all seems lost
- Trusting in Jesus 1)faith is all about content and information
- When Jesus says “do you still have no faith?” he is saying he has already given them plenty
- Faith is not simply belief, it requires trust
- Faith is built up by examining all evidence and trusting what you see (Notitia)
- 2) Faith includes action “still”, he is assuming they should be doing something
- Faith is not just a gift “oh you poor lads”, he is shouting! Angry not because they shouted for help, but that they doubted his love, after all he has shown them, faith is an exercise
- Supplements Eph 2 v 8-10
- Given faith, but we must exercise it, it is a muscle, don’t use it lose it! NIAGARA ANCHOR DO YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT
- We can’t complain we don’t have faith we need to act upon it!
- Fiducia we have to be committed to the truth, despite our fears
- We need to “consider the lilies” Matt 6, think through your fears, doubt is an absence of thinking!
- 3) Faith is a matter of being attracted to Jesus, and what he has done for us
- doubt is questioning his love and power
- “Still” that is the key word! He has done enough!
- Faith is thinking, committing but also resting in the love and work of Jesus
- Biggest failure of disciples is the thought that Jesus doesn’t care, but it is the cross that confirms the love and how far he will go for us.
- Similarities to Jonah, the fear, Jesus is the true Jonah, Matt 12, consumed by the storm of God’s wrath, so we can have peace and be calm and be saved
- Jesus has calmed the only storm that can really harm us, God’s wrath, if we recognise that, we can trust him in the smaller storms.
- This is the proof that we can trust him.
Legion ch 5 v 1-20
- demonic in society, sceptics, psychological, social structures
- Jesus has the authority to rescue, he is liberator and healer
- There is an alternative to having Jesus as master
- As you submit to him as King, he brings you into the kingdom and kingdom into you!
a) Person of Jesus, ch1 showed the power of Jesus no hocus pocus, just a command, same here, simply gives permission, he is the higher power
b) Trusting Jesus 1) demons know who Jesus is, James 2 v 19, good theology, faith is more than good theology, live in trust and building life upon the truth of Jesus
2) Townspeople see how they respond! They are petrified at his power, because it meant loss of control!
- Faith is to accept losing control, to let the power of Jesus in, a good and unpredictable irresistible force
3) Cured man, begs to be a disciple, Jesus refuses and he obeys, he is called to go home and be a witness, he gladly does it with his whole heart - this is true faith, as opposed to the demons and the townspeople
- unlike the demons he bases his life on the truth of Jesus
- unlike the townspeople, he gives Jesus control of his life
- Jesus gives him a different agenda from what he wants & he accepts
- He experiences “unanswered prayer” but responds in obedience
- THAT IS FAITH!
4)Application a) Jesus wants you to go to your loved ones and tell them what Jesus has done b)Story shows us no matter the storm, how much we have messed up, how deeply enslaved, how bad our problems, JESUS SETS US FREE! THAT TAKES FAITH, daddy I can’t see you!
MAY YOU……tell others, persist in the storm, trust in your Father

The community of the king

2011-08-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Mark ch 3 v 7-35
RIOTS
Intro
- each section of Mark reveals something about Jesus, power, purpose, plan
- ch1- authority, ch2- conflict, ch3- new community
- community!! Built through serving, teaching, preaching, training, counselling, healing and liberating
- as we read Gospel we are confronted with 1) HOW can Jesus carry this out in my life 2) How can I carry it out in the lives of others
They want to kill Jesus
- Pharisees and Herodians
- Jesus brings new community not through who you are or what you do, but by accepting what he brings!
- Tells us who his family truly is, he chooses the leaders of the community
Contrasts
- Leaders reject but the people do not, leaders don’t see it demons do
- One of the main themes of mark “the upside down kingdom”!
- Mention main players
- First will be last and last shall be first
The 12 disciples
- disciples are called to be “sent out” to preach and do miracles
- 12 significant? Formation of Israel= formation of Church
- NEW EXODUS! Mountain, 12 tribes, OUT OF SLAVERY
- Death of first born = death of Jesus is the liberation of the people
- Inclusive!
We as disciples
- Disciple is a serious follower, not just believe but follow. What does this mean?
- CHOSEN BY GRACE! Called by God!
- Against religion, the disciples slow, hard hearted, cowardly
- We are chosen; we are not the choice cut though! Humbling, gives security
- Not about performance but relationship
- This is what makes Christians different
- WE NEED TO DO WHAT JESUS DID
- Called and sent out, preach and do deeds, all priests!
- HOW? Tell the truth, show love, uses the gifts, lead people to meet the king
- Disciple and apostle, a follower who is sent, Jesus not just meeting our needs/ to serve him in the world
- MINISTER OUT OF TIME SPENT WITH HIM
- Intimacy, drives us, not academic, disciples trained by living with him
- CALLED INTO COMMUNIITY, zealot/tax collector
- Not in community not a disciple!
Rejection of family
- Family reject him, leaders reject him, relationship is spiritual
- Unforgivable sin? V 28&29
- Only way is to reject grace and not repent and reject Jesus
- Not what is expected, but proud need to beware!
Practical implications
- family? Who is family? Community of Jesus, the family of Jesus are those who follow and do his will
- Prodigal son Luke 15
- Jesus is the true elder brother, we become part of God’s family at his expense, the true big brother

Mark: The meaning of free grace ch 1 v 35- 2:17

2011-07-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Intro: Jesus a man of authority, to heal and forgive, which was for God alone, he ate with sinners, which was forbidden, he needed no other authority
1.ch1 v 35-39 Popularity
I. v 28, news of Jesus spread like wildfire, overwhelming crowds
A. Gets up to pray in solitary place for hours (not cut like we do)
B. After Peter tells him, he says “lets leave”
II. Why? He was for everyone
A. preacher not just a miracle worker
III. Jesus’ priorities
A. Prayer (leans on the father)
B. Balance of word and deed in ministry
C. Popularity is not a priority (quality rather than quantity is the key to Jesus’ ministry
2. ch 1 v 40-45 Leper
I. Leprosy was a term for variety of skin diseases and disorders
A. Quarantine
B. Ceremonially unclean, even when you came near (tree)
II. Leper approaches Jesus, heals not only with pronouncement but with touch
A. Surprising as not needed for physical healing (cf 2 v 10-11)
B. Surprising because Jesus opens himself to be branded unclean
III. Risky, but touch is significant
A. Not needed for the physical healing, but for the emotional suffering
B. Jesus can’t become unclean
3. ch2 v 1-5 Paralytic
I. Back to Capernaum, preaching this time, not healing
A. Doing good is not the whole of Christianity, if it was Christianity would be just like any other religion
B. It would be a matter of following examples and fulfilling ethical standards
C. But we are saved by faith in what he has done
II. We need to hear the message to believe it! Surprises persistent friends
A. Jesus forgives his sins!
B. Something more radical and basic than physical health, being right with God
C. The only thing that can really kill you is sin
D. The only cure is forgiveness
III. Jesus surprises us the readers
A. How can you forgive someone who isn’t repentant?
B. Jesus reads the motives of the heart
C. We don’t have to say things the right way, or follow a set of rules
D. Have a heart of dependence and desire to get near him
4. ch2 v 6-12 authority to forgive sins
I. third group of people surprised by Jesus
A. Religious leaders, enormous claim about Jesus, blasphemy!
B. Jesus claiming he is God
II. someone sins against you
A. costs you something
B. to forgive means you don’t expect to be reimbursed, you pay for it yourself
C. you can only forgive if a debt is against you or if you are willing to pay for someone else’s debt
III. If Jesus forgives sins, he is claiming all their sins are against him
A. every sin breaks his rules (he is rulemaker)
B. Jesus is claiming he can pay for these sins
C. Religious leaders never expected this!
5. ch 2 v :9 what is the answer to Jesus’ question?
I. Which is easier?
A. Anyone could say “you are forgiven”, need power and authority
B. Jesus says the first does the second, he heals the man
C. Jesus is saying “ I HAVE THE AUTHORITY”
6. Ch 2 v 13-17 Sinners and the righteous
I. Do the righteous not need him? This is a warning to the self righteous
A. When do you go to a doctor? When it is beyond your control
B. You don’t go just for advice, you want intervention
II. Jesus calls the sinners and the righteous
A. Sinners know they are in need of the great physician
B. Righteous think they can do it on their own! (Work hard, live a good life etc) Jesus an example not a saviour
III. Jesus can and will only help those who know they are moral failures, unable to save themselves
A. Self righteousness is in some ways the only fatal sin
B. The moral and righteous are turned off (when Christianity is explained)
C. The big “sinners” are turned on (when Christianity is explained)
7. ch2 v 13-17 Levi
I. Peter, Andrew, James and John, working class, Levi wealthy!
A. No religious type! Jesus’ call is to all!
B. Only the religiously proud exclude themselves
II. Jesus can reach and transform anyone
A. Levi’s call is not merited, it is grace!
B. Jesus’ call over all, to everyone and for everything
8. What is the theme that binds?
COMPASSION, SURPRISING, GRACE!!!!! COLOURS OUTSIDE THE LINES, MOULD BREAKER! HARD CASES, NO PREJUDICE, ONLY MORAL FAILURES NEED APLY, NOT ONLY A TEACHER, REAL POWER! FORGIVENESS CHANGES

“When God Increases the Uncertainty”

2011-07-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

Series: Race of Faith
Hebrews 11:32 Gideon
INTRO
-one of the great sights is Michelangelo’s David—this massive sculpture regarded as one of the great artistic achievements of all time
-what I did not know was the story behind the materials
-in the late 15th century, the Florentine sculpture Agostino d’Antonio began work on a huge block of marble
-but after several futile attempts—he gave it up as worthless
-and the block of stone—badly disfigured—lay idle for 40 years
-until a young artist by the name of Michelangelo came along and saw what it could become
-and receiving his commission—he spent the next several years sculpting his masterpiece
Those listed in Hebrews 11 represent stories of men and women who God sculpted into masterpieces of faith
-who stepped into vast unknowns
-accomplished great acts of courage
-because they took God at His word
One of those listed is Gideon—11:32
-whose life has been captured in Judges chapters 6-8
In order to understand Gideon—we must understand his world
-and here is what stands out—Gideon’s world was a mess
-no leadership, no moral compass
-everyone doing what was right in their own sight
There was this unending cycle of rebellion—retribution—repentance—and ultimately restoration
-chapter 6 describes the retribution moment (read 1-6)
-Israel’s spiritual neglect invited the Midianites
-a semi nomadic tribe of camel driving warriors from the south
-who took their formidable beasts and wasted the land, pillaged and plundered the people of Israel
-like locusts, they swept in on an annual basis and devoured anything that lived
-and seven years of terrorist campaigns had a devastating effect
-it left Israel “impoverished” (verse 6) (lit reduced to something tiny)
So they cried to God for help
-and God—as He always does—heard and spoke
-but more—He raised a deliverer (read verses 7-12)
-we’re not immediately impressed
-but then—most of those God calls are not necessarily imposing, remarkable, inspiring—Moses, Samson, Jonah, Peter
-Gideon was a simple farmer--improvising-beating out grain in a winepress—so as to not arouse the attention of the Midianites
-but God saw something in this clump of clay, mass of marble
-He saw a mighty warrior, a powerful hero, a man’s man
-who would change his world
-just as He sees something in you—something in me
-and though it may seem so contrary to what we can see
-for all we see is the clump of clay
-He nonetheless occasionally speaks into us what He intends us to be
-speaks His future into us
-calls us to what He intends us to be
-even if it sounds rather absurd at the moment
-for He sees far beyond who we are—out into what we can be when we submit to His refining work
-come to grips with His call
-as McManus puts it—“If everything else remains uncertain—be clear on
this point—there is a calling on your life”
And if we have lost faith that God continues to do this—then maybe we are not listening
And how did Gideon respond?
-the same way many of us do
-with enthusiasm, assurance, passion
-no--with skepticism, doubt, fear, and maybe even a bit of cynicism (read vs 15)
-do you know the meaning of my name Gideon—it means “hacker”, hewer?
-are you aware of my standing?
-I am in the “thinnest” clan, I am the runt of the litter (Peterson)
-I think God you have the wrong number
-and my guess—a lot of us do the same thing with this call of God
-who am I God?
-I’m just this civil servant, this teacher at King’s park, this IT guy trying to survive
-this full time mum trying to maintain a home
But God is not put off by our lack of faith
-He didn’t agree with Gideon—He doesn’t agree with us
-He keeps sculpting, shaping, forming
-Speaking His hope into us- (read vs 16)
Gideon would need some assurance—some sign from God
-Some indication this was of Him (read vs 17)
So God showed Gideon He was in this (read vss 20-21)
But Gideon needed more assurance—facing the enemy, he needed a guarantee
-something that would underscore God’s power to save (read 36-39)
-but before we shake our heads over Gideon’s lack of faith
-let’s remember that God never rebuked Gideon for this
-He quietly accommodated
-proved Himself to Gideon
-and we should remember we do the same thing
-we look for some tangible sign God is in this
-we put God to our own tests
Why?
1. WE PUT GOD TO THE TEST—IN ORDER TO FIND CERTAINTY
-we want to know God is in this
-in the fog—we need an occasional glimpse of light from the shore
-we need God to assure us He has called us
-that He is working out His will in our lives
Illustration—
Illustration—
And sometimes God speaks, acts
-the fleece is wet
But before we go too far down this road
-we must realize God is often doing something as well
2. GOD PUTS US TO THE TEST—TO CREATE UNCERTAINTY
A. Sometimes He takes us out of our experience
-out of the safety and into the dangerous (read 6:25-26)
-He will call us to tear down our altars, destroy our idols
-the things that claim allegiance over us
-things we have built to give us security—money, possessions, careers
-He will call us to tear down anything that comes before Him
-and build a proper kind of altar
B. Sometimes He will demand we remove those things we rely on that make us self-sufficient (read 7:1-8)
-God knows our tendency to build our armies, accumulate our resources—such that we will not have to rely on Him so much
-so that we can take some of the credit
Sometimes God hears our prayers
-gives us reassurance—certainty
-and sometimes He strips us bare of sureness
-leverages the odds against us
-does things that make no sense from a human perspective
-require we travel in dark places
-PUSH US INTO UNCERTAINTY
Why?
-because if we come to a place where it all is certain—-then faith is unnecessary
-and if faith is unnecessary—God is unnecessary
It’s when Gideon came to grips with this tension
-embraced certainty and uncertainty
-the story tells us he worshipped (7:15)
But more—something of the future entered the present (read 7:17-18)
-a doubter became a believer
-a coward—a hero
-a hider—a leader
-a farmer—a warrior
-a slab of marble—a David
CONC
Here are the questions Gideon poses—
Have you come to peace with this ongoing tension of certainty and uncertainty
-that both are necessary in this journey of faith?
-that uncertainty is where God does His greatest work?
But here’s a bigger question—
Are you convinced that slab of marble you see in the mirror is a mighty warrior in the making?
-to fight the good fight with weapons of faith, hope, love
-face our Midianites
-follow our Warrior King Jesus?

The meaning of the Kingdom

2011-07-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

Mark 1 v 16-34
Introduction
I. Kingdom of God is near
A. Who is this king? Peter Faulk, Colombo, Jesus identified, but slowly revealed by Mark
B. Nature of the kingdom what is it, how do we enter it?
In v 16-20, what do we learn about the kingdom?
I. It means coming under Jesus’ authority
A. v 16-17, authority extends to work life
B. v 19-20, authority extends to family life
II. It means drawing others into the kingdom too
A. Fishers of men v 17, metaphor for Christian discipleship
III. it means decision
A. at once they left v 18, without delay they left v 20
B. world torn open, ruptures status quo
C. Makes people choose
D. Kingdom requires a decisive act of commitment
What do vs 21-22 teach about the Kingdom of God?
I. Jesus exercises his intellectual authority
A. We must submit our ideas, philosophies, ideologies and opinions to him
B. Beliefs shape practice
II. Mark explicitly uses the term authority v 22
A. “out of the original stuff” He was brand new!
B. Teachers “thus saith the Lord” Jesus “but I say to you”
C. Amen, Amen, usually afterwards, Jesus uses to start
D. No one else ever did this, not kings, priests, prophets
What do vs 23-28 teach us about the kingdom of God? Despite modern prejudices against the idea of demon possession how does the existence of evil spirits help us explain what goes on in the world?
I. Jesus exhibits authority over demons
A. not simply a claim to authority, this is proof
B. This is exhibition of power and authority never seen before
C. No incantation, just “shut up and get out”
D. No call on higher power, he is higher power
II. Our sceptical culture
A. Fair enough for an atheist, but not consistent for a believer to believe in a good God and refuse to believe there is evil supernatural beings
B. Demonic forces explain complexity of psychological problems, many causes, moral, physiological, psychological, demonic
C. Demonic forces can explain systematic social evil. Apartheid, Rwanda

III. Misery and evil not simply because of sinful choices
C. But Jesus can heal
D. His exorcism shows how the kingdom works, not simply rule giver, but liberator and healer, he brings in the new realm of the kingdom
IV. There is an alternative to having Jesus as master
E. Not everyone possessed like this man v 23, 24
F. Ephesians 6- principalities
G. Anything we make an ultimate value becomes a master and exercises enslaving power over us (career idolatry)
H. Jesus comes in as Saviour and therefore King, as we submit, priorities change, kingdom comes in, you become new
Over what areas of life do v 29-34 show his authority? What do we lean about the kingdom here?
I. Jesus is king over the physical world
A. Teaches and heals, word and deed
B. Christians to do likewise, fishers of men from injustice
People today struggle with the idea that we must absolutely submit all of our thinking and practice to the Lordship of Christ. How can we answer a person who struggles like that?
I. we need a king, even though democratic human rights say different
A. We want someone to help us, love us, not rule over us
B. Reason for democracy not because of goodness, but reverse, no power in the hands of one
C. We no longer honour the monarchy, we honour others
D. Wear equality with others, but undress before God, C.S. Lewis
II. If Jesus is not your king, something else will be, it is how we are built
Summary, what have we learned?
I. The kingdom is comprehensive, extending over every part of life and reality
II. The kingdom of God brings healing and wholeness to any area that comes under the king’s authority
Remembering the big picture
I. Who Jesus is
A. he is the king, Christ and the Son of God, B. he is as powerful as John the Baptist said (v7), C. he has supernatural authority
II. Why Jesus came
A. To establish a new kingdom B)He holds the power over the spiritual and physical world
III. How should I respond?
A. Apathy? B. Everyone who meets him is amazed. C. The demons were violently opposed to him

“Faith in Spite of Failure”

2011-06-29T02:12:00.000-07:00

Series: Race of Faith
Hebrews 11:32
Many have been captured by the current movie, Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce-a man whose heart was changed by God -and then changed his view of man—giving everything he had to end the slave trade—but according to the author Eric Metaxas—this wasn’t his greatest accomplishment--
“To fathom the magnitude of what Wilberforce did we have to see that the “disease” he vanquished forever was actually neither the slave trade nor slavery.
Slavery still exists around the world today, in such measure as we can hardly fathom. What Wilberforce vanquished was something even worse than slavery: he destroyed an entire way of seeing the world, one that held sway from the beginning of history, and he replaced it with another way of seeing the world.
Even though slavery continues to exist here and there, the idea that it is good is now dead. That is why it’s nearly impossible to do justice to the enormity of his accomplishment: it was nothing less than a fundamental and important shift in human consciousness.”
Wilberforce had to be a man of faith—who believed God for everything—even when it appeared hopeless—even when he couldn’t see how
Were the writer of Hebrews 11 still writing his chapter—Wilberforce would surely be there—alongside Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Isaac -men and women who stepped outside of their experiences
-beyond their comfort zones
-did not limit their sight to what was flesh and blood…
-to perceived certainty
-trusting God with the their lives—their futures—their possessions
-lives of risk intended to INCREASE OUR FAITH
This evening we look at the next illustration …found in Hebrews 11:32 (read)
-there is a quickening of pace
-sharp staccato beats
-no longer stories—he merely mentions names
-no longer writing—he is preaching
-what shall I say?
-preach it brother—tell it all!
-time would fail me to tell it all
-go for it brother—say it—preach it!
-I’d have to talk about Gideon and Barak, and Samson
And then—the congregation gasps
-wait a minute—have you lost your mind? Samson?
This is like arguing for Rob Bell as Calvinist of the year
- Ally McCoist to be given an oscar for his role in “shot at glory”
-my dog Skip invited to participate in crufts
-how can Samson be included in God’s Hall of Faith?
His story starts well enough in Judges 13
-verse 1 establishes the setting—Israel was in desperate shape (read verse 1)
-it was a situation of their own making
-their only hope was a deliverer—an act of God
-and there was—to a barren woman came this angelic announcement (read vss 4-5)
-there was something unusual, special about this man—like a Wilberforce in the making
-he was to be a Nazarite—a name whose very root implied separation
-set apart for God’s purposes
-marked by both diet and appearance
-and the chapter ends, telling his he became great and the blessing of God was on his life
-and the Spirit of God began to stir, disturb—shake things up inside him
Like a comedian who warms up the audience, that works to create anticipation—we’re ready for the curtain to open
-we expect something of greatness to descend on this world—as it did when
Hannah gave birth to Samuel, Elizabeth gave birth to John, Elizabeth Wilberforce gave birth to William
-we are ready for someone larger than life to excel in a religious vocation
-someone of heroic proportion, spiritual stature to come and shift the human conscience
-but from the outset, it is as if a wire got crossed
-and what transpires causes us to wonder if chap 13 and chap 14 are speaking of the same person
-we wonder if Samson’s parents picked up the right baby at the hospital
-or if they did—did they forget to inform their son of his marvelous destiny?
-for what follows is not heroic narrative—but a tragic-comedy
-and we wonder—how did he make it into the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11?
-for here’s what we find—
1. Samson from the start is a MAN OF IMPULSE (read 14:1)
-like some drunk driver—Samson runs his life with more speed than direction
-in almost every situation—he lives on the reckless edge
-in places he has no business being in-like Timnah
-the place on the other side—the land of the Philistines
-where Samson appears to be on the pull—checking out foreign women
-here is a man who knows what he wants—and he wants it now-(read 14:2-3)
-it does not matter what social protocol or Jewish law requires
-Samson is like Woody Allen—who when confronted about a controversial affair, explained—“The heart wants what it wants”
-we anticipate a man full of the Spirit—but Samson is introduced as a man full of self
-that will lead to a series of self-defeating choices
-as well as a betrayal of vows that had set him apart at birth
2. We discover a man NOT TO BE MESSED WITH
-there is a fierceness in the heart of Samson
-that intimidated his parents-manhandled lions
-in every story-Samson is the clear alpha male, the wild stallion
-the OT bad boy whose favorite movie is bad boys 2 or point break
-who spends his days letting people how tough he really is
-and with each assertion of his will- he lets people know!
Samson is the antitype of the tame, domestic, tidy, dutiful, expressive— and above all—nice man
-every episode reveals this in Samson
-look what happens at his wedding (read 14:12-19)
-this guy is a mess
-in chapter 15-Samson’s wife was given to his friend
-and Samson again will get his revenge (read verses 15-16)
-there he is—in all of his pompousness declaring—
-I have made idiots of my enemies!!
-but you can’t help but wonder—who is the real idiot?
-in chapter 16-Samson seems to be in full descent
-ruled by his passions—he seeks to satisfy his lusts (read verses 1-3)
—Samson seemed to look for intimacy in self destructive ways
The tension between Hebrews 11:32 and the narrative grows with each story
-for this thing is reading less like a spiritual biography
-and more like something in News of the world
-less like a devotional—more like a expose of Ryan Giggs
3. Samson is a man who will have the FINAL SAY
-still driven by his sexual addictions
-he finally meets up with his undoing
-her name is Delilah—whose name should have tipped him off—“flirt”
-she is a woman who is less enamored with Samson—more interested in
money (read verses 4-5)
-and in the end—she gets her way
-in the end—what goes around comes around
-whatever we invest in—we tend to get back with interest (read verses 20- 21)
-this bad boy of Israel becomes the Philistine’s trophy
-by day—a grinder in a prison
-by night—a lewd form of entertainment in the temple of Dagon
-but Samson isn’t finished—he will have the final say (read verses 25-30)
So what do we do with this?
-how do we reconcile this tragedy with Heb 11:32?
-where is the stuff of Abraham, Wilberforce?
-WHERE IS THE STUFF OF FAITH?
-even in his final, mighty act—it is as self serving as all the others
“Remember me O Lord…so that I might with one blow get my revenge”
1. Maybe it is this—that Samson had the faith to lay hold of the power God had given him
-that came upon Him time and again to do what otherwise could not have happened
-three times we read-“The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power”
-and one can only imagine what would have been if he had not abused the power God gave him
-and there’s something to this
-because some of us lack the sort of faith that lays hold of what we have in
Christ
-lays hold of this—that we have also been set apart like Samson
-citizens of a different realm
-empowered by the same Spirit—such that when we seek God
-He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine— according to the power working in us
-all too many people of faith do not step out and believe this is so
-and live weak lives—that evidence little of God’s might
2. But maybe the writer of Hebrews had something else in mind
-something less obvious—yet there for sure
-that Samson’s faith was this
-that though he made a string of bad choices
-that though his usefulness was nearly over
-his manliness bankrupt
-his spirituality stamped with the words—“lost potential”
-his life marked as “squandered opportunity”
-who could have resigned himself to be some circus freak
-someone destined to spend the rest of his life grinding stones
-he nonetheless stepped out in faith and believed that God can yet use him to accomplish His purposes
And that requires great faith
-because there is something of Samson in all of us
-most of us are a mixture of spiritual promise and sinful choices
-who might be here—barely—and certainly convinced God has no use for
If God would still come upon a Samson
-how much more will He come upon us
-use us to accomplish His will through us
CONC
Ask for the gift of faith, pray for more faith, step out in faith, and though you feel that life has passed you by, see how God will come upon you and accomplish his will through you.

Your gospel is too small

2011-06-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Series The gospel of Mark
Dentist £60

What Gospel not
I. Instruction
II. Biography
III. History
IV. Legend or myth
What the gospels were
I. Not teaching or record but news
II. Angel was a messenger
III. Gk Evangels- victory or new King etc
IV. Inscription- beginning of the gospel of Caesar Augustus
V. Heralds of good news
VI. Important? Other religions spoke of illumination, knowledge, instruction, teaching, wisdom, Gospel is chosen
VII. Because gospel is news of what God has done for you, not instruction or advice.
VIII. Gospel is about historical events, if Jesus came it means something for everyone
1. Isaiah 40 v 3-5 compared with Mark 1 v 1-4, What is Mark telling us about Jesus?
I. Christ, anointed one, messiah anointed one
II. Son of God, divinity, angelic being?
III. John B, Isaiah 40, the Lord, Yahweh, no higher claim possible for Jesus
IV. Mark roots Christianity in Israel, fulfilment of Judaism, Gen 3 v 15
2. How does John pave the way for the Lord? What do verses 4-8 tell us about the Messiah? How is the King to be received?
A. Repentance seen in call to be baptised and newness, not just for gentiles, everyone
B. v7 Baptism with the Spirit is the way to meet the King
I. Shows you have met with the King
II. Water baptism is only a symbol
III. Baptism of the Spirit is when you receive and join with Jesus; you become part of the body.
C. v 7-8 attitude of submission and recognition of Messiah
I. John and sandals
II. Our obligation of service must be as radical, he is our absolute Lord and we must acknowledge him as such
3. What do verses 9-13 tell us about what “baptism of the Spirit” means and brings to us?
A. it is a spirit of sonship
I. Power yes, but more! Jesus knew he was loved by and pleasing to the Father
II. Same for us Rom 8 v 15-16, Spirit witnesses to us, we are children of God
III. We need that desperate assurance, the Spirit gives it, floods us!
B. Makes the wilderness a place of growth
I. Spirit sends Jesus into the desert to be tried and tested
II. Not an accident, not a devastation, or weakening, it is empowering
III. We can expect suffering as children of God, but we rejoice in our sufferings, for it brings hope (romans)
IV. Jesus with the wild animals
4. v 14-15 tell us the essential message of the King
A. essential message
I. Something has happened in history
II. The King has entered into history
III. The way to relate to the king is not great deeds or worthiness, but by admitting your sin and believing in the King
B. Mystery
I. Who is the King? We know but will be revealed
II. Why only near? Something has to happen
5. Mark’s narrative is breathless, abrupt, what is he trying to do?
I. World has been torn open by God, his style conveys this
II. Jesus’ coming requires decisive action
III. You need to act, repent and believe, neutral not an option!
6.Remembering the big picture
A. Who Jesus is!
I. Christ, the good news God has promised
II. Good news of victory
III. Gospel is all about Jesus
B. Why Jesus came
I. Solve the problem of sin from the fall, v 4, v 13, v 15
C. How should I respond?
I. Not opposition v 14
II. Repentance and faith v 15
III. Mark’s gospel demands commitment and change, that is God’s eternal call
7. What is the gospel?
I. We are saved by his work, not ours
II. We can through faith and repentance be sons and daughters of God
III. The Kingdom of God, the freeing, liberating power of God has come!

God wants to heal pt4

2011-06-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

A measure of faith

My sceptism. a ‘word of knowledge’ (1 Corinthians 12:8) a supernatural revelation of facts concerning a person or a situation, which is not learned by the efforts of the natural mind, but is made known by the Spirit of God. This may be in the form of a picture, a word seen or heard in the mind, or a feeling experienced physically

My attitude reflects the fear and scepticism many of us in the twenty-first century bring to the subject of healing. I decided to reread the Bible to try to understand what it said about healing. Of course, God heals with the co-operation of doctors, nurses and the whole medical profession. But the more I have looked, the more convinced I am that we should also expect God to heal miraculously today.

Healing in the Bible

In the Old Testament we find God’s promises to bring healing and health to his people if they obey him (eg, Exodus 23:25-26; Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 41). Indeed, it is in his character to heal, for he says, ‘I am the Lord who heals you’ (Exodus 15:26). We also find several examples of miraculous healing (eg, 1 Kings 13:6; 2 Kings 4:8-37; Isaiah 38).

Naaman, We see, first, from this story that healing can have a remarkable effect on a person’s life – not just physically, but also in their relationship with God. Healing and faith can go hand in hand. Secondly, if God acted in this way in the Old Testament, even more, now that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom of God and the age of the Spirit.

The first recorded words of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel are, ‘The time has come . . . The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:15). The theme of the kingdom of God is central to the ministry of Jesus.

Greek basileia, Aramaic malkuth,. It means not only ‘kingdom’ in the sense of a political or geographical realm, but also carries the notion of activity – the activity of ruling or reigning. Thus ‘the kingdom of God’ means ‘the rule and reign of God’.

In the teaching of Jesus, the kingdom of God has a future aspect which will only be fulfilled with a decisive event at ‘the end of the age’ (Matthew 13:49). a coming harvest at the end of the age when ‘the Son of Man . . . will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil . . . Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father’ (Matthew 13:24-43). The end of the age will come when Jesus returns. When he came the first time, he came in weakness; when he returns, he will come ‘with power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:30).

History is moving towards this climax with the glorious coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31). In all, there are over 300 references in the New Testament to the second coming of Christ. There will be a universal resurrection and a Day of Judgement. For some (those who reject Christ), it will be a day of destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9); for others, it will be a day of receiving their inheritance in the kingdom of God (Matthew 25:34). There will be a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Jesus himself will be there (Revelation 21:22-23) and so will all who love and obey him. It will be a place of intense happiness which goes on for ever (1 Corinthians 2:9). We shall have new bodies which are imperishable and glorious (1Corinthians 15:42-43). There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). All who believe will be totally healed on that day.

On the other hand, there is a present aspect to the kingdom of God in the teaching and activity of Jesus. We see the signs, the dawning, the budding of the approaching kingdom. Jesus told the Pharisees, ‘The kingdom of God is among you’ (Luke 17:20-21). In his parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl (Matthew 13:44-46), Jesus suggests that the kingdom is something which can be discovered and experienced in this age. Throughout the Gospels it is clear that Jesus saw his ministry as the fulfilment of the Old Testament promises in history. In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus read the prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2 and asserted, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21). He went on to demonstrate this present reality of the kingdom by all that he did during his ministry, in the forgiveness of sins, the suppression of evil and the healing of the sick.

The kingdom is both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’. The Jewish expectation was that the Messiah would immediately inaugurate a completed kingdom,

We live between the times, when the age to come has broken into history. The old age goes on, but the powers of the new age have erupted into this age. The future kingdom has broken into history. Jesus preached the kingdom of God. He also demonstrated its breaking into history by healing the sick, raising the dead and driving out demons.

A quarter of the Gospels is concerned with healing. Although Jesus did not heal all in Judea who were sick, we often read of him healing either individuals or groups of people (eg, Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Mark 6:56; Luke 4:40; 6:19; 9:11). It was part of the normal activity of the kingdom.

Not only did he do this himself, but he commissioned his disciples to do the same. Having shown what Jesus himself did, Matthew tells us that Jesus then sent the twelve out to do the same. He told them to go out and preach the same message: ‘“The kingdom of heaven is near.’’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons . . .’ (Matthew 10:8).

Nor was it only the twelve to whom he gave this commission. There was also a further group of seventy-two whom he appointed. He told them to go out and ‘heal the sick . . . and tell them, “The kingdom of God is near you”’ (Luke 10:9). They returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name’ (v. 17).

Nor were his commissions confined to the twelve and the seventy-two. Jesus expected all his disciples to do the same. He told his disciples to ‘go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:18-20, italics mine). He did not say, ‘Everything except, of course, the healing bit.’

We find the same in the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel (which is, at least, very good evidence of what the early church understood Jesus’ commission to be). Jesus said, ‘“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation . . . and these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons . . . they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” . . . Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it’ (Mark 16:15-20, italics mine). Jesus says, ‘These signs will accompany those who believe’ – that is to say those ‘who believe’ in Jesus Christ, which means all Christians.

We find the same in John’s Gospel. Jesus said, in the context of miracles, ‘Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father’ (John 14:12). Clearly no one has performed miracles of greater quality than Jesus, but there has been a greater quantity since Jesus returned to the Father. He has not ceased to perform miracles, but he now uses weak and imperfect human beings. Again it is ‘anyone who has faith in me’. That is you and me. These commands and promises are not restricted anywhere to a special category of Christians.

Jesus healed; he told his disciples to do the same and they did so. In the Book of Acts we see the working out of this commission. The disciples continued to preach and teach, but also to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons (Acts 3:1-10; 4:12; 5:12-16; 8:5-13; 9:32-43; 14:3, 8-10; 19:11-12; 20:9-12; 28:8-9). It is clear from 1 Corinthians 12–14 that Paul did not believe that such abilities were confined to the apostles. Likewise, the writer to the Hebrews says that God testified to his message by ‘signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit’ (Hebrews 2:4).

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that healing was confined to any particular period of history. On the contrary, healing is one of the signs of the kingdom which was inaugurated by Jesus Christ and continues to this day. We should expect God to continue to heal miraculously today as part of his kingdom activity.

Healing in church history

In her book Christian Healing Evelyn Frost examined in detail passages of early church writers, such as Quadratus, Justin Martyr, Theophilus of Antioch, Irenaeus, Tertullian and Origen, and concluded that healing formed a normal part of the activity of the early church.

Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430), whom many regard as the greatest theologian of the first four centuries, says in his book The City of God that ‘even now miracles are wrought in the name of Christ’. He cites the example of a blind man’s sight restored in Milan, when he was there. He then describes the cure of a man he was staying with, called Innocentius.

Next he described the healing of Innocentia – a devout woman of the highest rank in the state – who was healed of what the doctors described as incurable breast cancer.

All the way through church history God has continued to heal people directly. There has never been a time when healing has died out – right up to the present day.

Edward Gibbon, , ‘The Christian Church, from the time of the apostles and their first disciples has claimed an uninterrupted succession of miraculous powers, the gift of tongues, of vision and of prophecy, the power of expelling demons, of healing the sick and of raising the dead.’ Gibbon goes on to point out the inconsistency of his own day The same could be said even more so of our own day.

Healing today

God is still healing people today. There are so many wonderful stories of God healing that it is difficult to know which to give as an example.
God is a God who heals. The Greek word which means ‘I save’ also means ‘I heal’. God is concerned not just about our spiritual salvation, but also about our whole being. One day we shall have a new perfect body but in this life we will never reach perfection. When God heals someone miraculously today we get a glimpse of the future when the final redemption of our bodies will take place (Romans 8:23). Of course not everyone we pray for will necessarily be healed and no human being can ultimately avoid death. Our bodies are decaying. At some point it may even be right to prepare a person for death rather than praying for their healing. Indeed, the love and concern shown to people who are dying, for example, by the hospice movement, gives dignity to the terminally ill and is another outworking of Jesus’ commission to care for the sick. So we need to be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This should not discourage us from praying for people to be healed. The more people we pray for, the more we shall see healed. Those who are not healed usually speak of the blessing of being prayed for – provided they are prayed for with love and sensitivity

special gift of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9) The commission to heal is for all of us. We are all called to pray for the sick

How in practice do we go about praying for the sick? It is vital to remember that it is God who heals, not us. There is no technique involved. We pray with love and simplicity. The motivation of Jesus was his compassion for people (Mark 1:41; Matthew 9:36). If we love people we will always treat them with respect and dignity. If we believe it is Jesus who heals we will pray with simplicity, because it is not our prayer but the power of God that brings healing.

Here is a simple pattern:

Where does it hurt?
We ask the person who wants prayer for healing what is wrong and what they would like us to pray for.

Why does the person have this condition?
Of course, a leg broken in a car accident will be obvious, but at other times we may need to ask God to show us if there is a root cause to the problem.

How do I pray?
There are various models in the New Testament which we follow. They are all simple. Sometimes we pray for God to heal in the name of Jesus and we ask the Holy Spirit to come on the person. Prayer may be accompanied by anointing with oil (James 5:14). More often it is accompanied by the laying on of hands (Luke 4:40).

How are they feeling?
After we have prayed we usually ask the person what they are experiencing. Sometimes they feel nothing – in which case we continue to pray. At other times they feel that they are healed, although time alone will tell. On other occasions they feel better but are not totally healed, in which case we continue as Jesus did with the blind man (Mark 8:22-25). We continue praying until we feel it is right to stop.

What next?
After praying for healing it is important to reassure people of God’s love for them regardless of whether they are healed or not, and to give them the liberty to come back and be prayed for again. We must avoid putting burdens on people, such as suggesting that it is their lack of faith that has prevented healing from taking place. We always encourage people to go on praying and to ensure that their lives are rooted in the healing community of the church – which is the place where long-term healing so often occurs.

Finally, it is important to persist in praying for people to be healed. It is easy to get discouraged, especially if we do not see immediate dramatic results. We continue because of our obedience to the calling and commission from Jesus Christ to preach the kingdom and to demonstrate its coming by, among other things, healing the sick. If we persist over the years we will see God healing people.

testimony

God wants to heal part 2

2011-05-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Job interview question
The anointed disciples heals the sick
Look at the gospels and you see Jesus healing, but the power and the authority came from the Father, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ ministry only began with his baptism and the dove resting upon him.
Dr Luke, in his gospel and in the book of the acts of the apostles, very interested in healing. It is pretty clear it is the Holy Spirit that healed, first through Jesus and then through the disciples. If it was the Holy Spirit that healed, then the disciples would heal in the same way that Jesus did
The disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit Jesus’ followers told to wait until Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, he told them they would do all he did and more! With Jesus at the Father’s side, the power and authority was with Jesus.
On the day of Pentecost it happened, they were filled and the healing of a man crippled soon followed. The acts of the apostles is actually the acts of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples heal the sick in the name of Jesus Peter explains what is happening, Jesus has been given power and authority so he can send/pour/baptise the Spirit, this is a fulfilment of the prophecy of John the Baptist and Jesus. Peter then goes on to heal, in John 14 Jesus predicted Peter would heal the sick, in Jesus name when the Holy Spirit came upon him.
The healed man was not yet a believer
The Spirit does signs, wonders and miracles through the believers
Tongues, prophecies visions, dreams, speak the word of God boldly, reveals liars, see heaven while facing death with courage, visibly shows with the laying on of hands, guides, transports, gives knowledge, predict a famine, blindness.
Throughout acts it is clear the Holy Spirit is God, Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, you lied to God, Spirit is called the spirit of Jesus, Acts is a description of what happened, the trinity is clearly there at work. The Holy Spirit is doing the healing.
The acts of the apostle see healings as signs, wonders and miracles As Jesus’ healings were signs, so were Peter’s when he was filled with the Spirit, they were miracles, wonders! Philip, Paul, Barnabas. Interestingly healing is found in other places, symptoms alleviated, but soon the person who submitted to this sort of healing begins to appear like a person under oppression, who belongs to another, reminds us that if we enter into the new covenant, the Father only has good gifts for us.
Authority and power Jesus had the authority given to him, but he passed it on to the disciples, Matt 28, and the power too Luke 24, Acts 1, Jesus has the authority now, he sends the Spirit, Jesus on earth received the Spirit because he was righteous, we receive the spirit because his death makes us righteous, to practice healing, we need the authority and the power Jesus has, which comes when we have the Holy Spirit within us, without it we are frauds! Interestingly, the healings do not all follow the same path, it is not a formula Aeneas, Tabitha, but we need the authority and power, this only comes through the Holy Spirit, best example is the recovery of Paul’s after his conversion, Power and authority
The cross and the new covenant in Acts The cross is vital in all of this, because it gives the forgiveness of sins, which lets the Holy Spirit in. So our aim in seeking the healing of God is to repent of our sins, believe in Jesus, and ask him to fill us with the Holy Spirit, again and again and again, and the Holy Spirit is the one who heals, but may not bring the healing you expect
Application So what does all this mean for us? It means we have to believe in the God of miracles!, most of us for most of the time, do not have an expectancy about what God can do and what he is willing to do, hope yes, but expectancy?
Key difference between the false Gods and the true God is that God acts and speaks. Elijah lived in a time of unfaithfulness, but he expected! He didn’t preach, or pray for people, he took them to see the power of the living God
This is what so many of us long for, what many on the fringes of church long for, for those out there on the streets long for “THE LORD HE IS GOD!”
Does the fire still come down? Is he still showing his power? He was in this place last Sunday night, if we get serious about the healing God gives, churches all across the land will explode! We will have to bar the doors.
We need the model of Jesus, he taught, he preached, he healed, Matt 10 heal the sick, he never took that back, it still applies today.
We need to be truly expectant today, mustard seed size, but when we expect amazing things happen, when we move in expectancy heaven explodes, all those who call upon the Lord will be saved and we will know that we have planted seeds and help reap the harvest.
Mark 16v 15-18- expectancy comes with acceptance that the Son of God has given us authority and he is the one who sends us!

Secrets of the Vine 4

2011-04-26T02:27:00.001-07:00

- Eternal Abiding 240-year-old vine still growing in Hampton Court. It is the oldest and largest living vine in the world with a root two feet in diameter. Planted in 1768 by Lancelot Brown, the fruit of this vine was intended for royalty. 500 to 700 bunches of grapes a year that weigh 220 to 320 kg The largest recorded crops of grapes from the Vine were 1,800 bunches in 1798 and 2,245 bunches in 1807. some of the smaller branches are 200 feet from the main stem, they still bear the sweet and delicious fruit because they are connected to the vine. Life flows from that single root and through out the vine bringing nourishment and strength to each of the branches.
Review of Previous Messages Week 1- Eternal Fruit- Getting a Vision of Eternity Week 2- Eternal Discipline- Getting Rid of the Mud Week 3- Eternal Pruning- Establishing Essentials Final Message- Eternal Abiding- Staying Connected Your place is to remain.
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”- John 15:4-5 Nothing is strong language. Isn’t that a little extreme? Why is abiding or remaining in Christ so critical to bearing fruit? “Imagine a grape branch, severed from the trunk and lying in the dust. For that severed branch to produce one new leaf, flower, or grape would be impossible.” “Picture the place where ancient trunk meets vigorous branch… Here is the connection where life-giving nutrients in the sap flow through to the developing fruit. The only limitation on the amount of sap that goes to the fruit is the circumference of the branch where it meets the vine.” The only limitation we have to bearing much eternal fruit in our lives is a lack of connection with God. 1st rule, 2nd rule 3rd rule of the vine, If your life bears a lot of fruit, God will linvite you to abide more deeply with him Abiding, remaining is a command, we must act! My father constantly tells me, “You only get out what you put in!” The reality is that if I do not stay connected to God, all I have to offer others is myself… and my wife, children, church, and community need so much more than just me. Here is a reality we must all understand if we truly want to be a blessing to others, “You can only do so much.” When we are connected to the God that is good, there is a constant flow of goodness in and through our lives… not just temporary acts, or human-driven, human-limited goodness. Abiding in God opens the door to God’s resources of love, wisdom, passion, patience, power, grace, and generosity to flow through our lives. God will only nudge your so long. Drift Happens I once went to the beach and lied down on a lilo. If the current was stronger or if there was a sudden wave, I would have probably opened my eyes and paddled back… but the subtlety of the water kept me oblivious to the realization of my drift.
I think this is a good analogy of what happens with us and God many times. If we are not aware, the current of our culture can slowly take us away. Things seem good, calm, and we don’t even notice a current, but the next thing we know, we’ve drifted. If you go on a treadmill and put the speed to .5 mph, it seems so slow… almost like standing still. The effort it takes to keep up is almost negligable. However, if we do nothing and allow ourselves to drift at .5 mph in one day (16 hrs.), we would drift 8 miles. “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” What’s scary about all this is that we can drift from God even when we’re doing work for God. We can get so caught up in working for God that we forget to spend time with God. We can get so caught up producing results for God that we forget our own relationship with God. Friendship! We believe God loves us, but do we think God likes us? Jesus is saying sit down, stay a while “The ultimate key to bearing much fruit is not doing more for God, but being more with God.”
Yes, God would love to see more of us get involved in serving. Yes, God would love for those us serving to give our absolute best… but God is reminding all of us today that we must stay in constant connection with Him if we truly want to bear fruit for God and His glory.
If that’s our real goal, not building our own kingdom, or serving just so we can feel good about ourselves… if we really want to glorify God and help others, we must stay intimately connected to real Source of Life.
Eternal Fruit does not equal what we can produce. Eternal Fruit = Staying connected to the True Vine.
Bringing It Home If you were to draw an honest picture showing what your connection or relationship with God is like today, what would the picture look like? Close, tight, intimate…. or hanging on by a thread or disconnected? “If you have been feeling distant from God, guess who moved?”
The good news is that no matter far we feel from God, God is calling us to “open our eyes” and start “paddling back”. It’s never too late. Principle 1: to Abide you must deepen the quality of my devoted time with God
- set apart quality time to be with God
- Savour God’s words to you
- Talk and listen to a person
- Keep a daily written record of what God is doing in your life
Principle 2: To break through to abiding, my devoted time must change into an all day attentiveness to his presence, brother andrew
Spiritual Disciplines- of Abstinence Solitude: Silence: Fasting: Frugality: Chastity: Secrecy: Sacrifice:
Disciplines of Engagement Study: Worship: Celebration: Service: Prayer: Fellowship: Confession: Submission:
Abiding not based on feelings, we need to obey
Maths- work less + spend more time with him = More fruit?
- helps us sense the leading of God
- taps us into the spiritual riches of God
- Gives us rest for need to bear a greater yield
- Gives us the promise of answered prayer
- Nothing gives God greater pleasure than when we ask for what he wants to give
As the fruit grows in you, you will be amazed by the abundance, but you will know you had nothing to do with it! As we close this sermon series, the biggest question we must wrestle with is this, “What do we really want?” Do we really want the eternal, abundant life God desires for us? Do we really want God? What do we really long for?
Conclusion John 21, Peter taking the leap! Leaving all doubt behind, abundnace then flowed We need to take the leap, Do you hear the Lord calling? I hope you jump

“Faith to Become a Migrant”

2011-04-26T02:24:00.000-07:00

In Hebrews 11—we have been looking at faith stories
-men and women who lived out faith’s definition
-NOW FAITH IS HOPE RECEIVED—THAT IS AS GOOD AS
SOMETHING OWNED
-THE UNSEEN THAT IS AS CERTAIN AS THE SEEN
Stories that have this intent—to increase our faith!!
-ABRAHAM is one of them
-the undisputed hero—the paragon of faith
-who receives more space than any other person in Hebrews 11
What was it about Abraham?
-what makes a hero of faith?
His story is found in Genesis 12
-and the first thing you notice is that it is set within the context of Genesis
11 and the Tower of Babel
-when the world determined to make a city with a tower that would reach
the heavens—“so that we may make a name for ourselves”
-it was their statement to God—their determination to make something in
their own strength, for their own glory
-this has always been our temptation—to build our kingdoms, our cities
-to prove our adequacy, declare our independence, build something for
our name
-but God scattered their plans—as he occasionally scatter ours—and
scattered the world
-and Genesis 12 is God’s way of saying—
-I am going to make My own nation, My own “tower”, My own city
-that will be for My name—by My power—for My glory
And whenever God chooses to do something extraordinary—He always looks for
a man, a woman
And here’s the amazing thing—God often does it through the most unlikely
-like Abraham-a man with seemingly no potential to be the father of a
nation
-in his mid-70’s
-married to a woman who was barren
But then--God does not depend on any potentiality in the one addressed
-I know that is true—just look at us!!
-the power of the summoning word is all that is necessary!
-“the Lord said” are the most powerful words in the universe
-they will have their way over barrenness, weakness, seeming
impossibilities
-it’s nothing to God to call into existence the things that do not exist!!
-and so the Lord spoke these words (read Gen 12:1-4a)
Abraham was called to leave—not just his land—but his family, his roots, this
chapter of his life
-called to leave everything he had known, held dear for 75 years
And Abraham, by faith, when called to go—went
It is this —according to Hebrews 11:8—that was Abraham’s first act of faith
-what makes a hero of faith?
1. SOMEONE WILLING TO GO
-Abraham obeyed—the tense implying an immediate response
-lit “as he was being called, Abraham obeyed”
-suggesting Abraham was already abandoned to God--ready to follow
Him—move with God on His adventure
-knowing that to stay in the security of Haran was to remain barren
-knowing that to postpone might miss the moment
-knowing that moments with God come and go, and the opportunities that
lie within them leave with them
-but there’s more to becoming a hero of faith--
2. SOMEONE WILLING TO GO INTO THE UNKNOWN (read 8b)
-Abraham traveled without knowing where he was going
-out into a vast unknown—an uncertain future with no map
-like all the others in Hebrews 11
-Abraham headed out “with closed eyes”
Larry Crabb in his Connecting talks about urges to be killed
-one of them is “fire lighting”
-our need to see the way—reduce the mystery
-we want to be in control—we require certainty, guaranteed outcomes, lit
paths
-BUT IT IS AN URGE THAT NEEDS TO DIE!
For God often insists that we step into the dark—if only to insure that we grasp
the hand of the only one who can see in the dark
The same words are spoken out of Isaiah 50:10
“Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on His God”
Abraham was willing to step into the unknown—this is part of what made him a
hero of faith
-there’s more to becoming a hero of faith—
3. SOMEONE WILLING TO GO INTO THE UNKNOWN AS AN ALIEN (read
12:9)
By faith—Abraham migrated to a land of promise
-“as a foreigner in a tent”
-living out of a suitcase—living desettled-which kept Abraham trusting
-kept him from becoming too attached to “secondary goods”
-putting down roots too deep
-and in this he was willing to experience a certain dissonance with the
world
-incur the stigma of stranger, migrant
-never really at home
-a monotheist amongst polytheists
-that those after him—Jacob, Isaac—lived in the same way underscores
that he did not receive the things promised in his life span—but welcomed
them from the distance-verse 13
-home remained elusive
-Canaan was not the final promise—but the preparation for it
What explains heroic faith? The passage makes one thing else clear—
4. SOMEONE WHO TAKES GOD AT HIS WORD (read 11:10)
-Abraham left home, stepped out in the unknown, took on the stigma of
alien
-pressed on—even if the promises stretched over to the other side
-for he was “looking forward”, continually expecting that his hope would be
as good as owned
-so he went hard after the promises given—
-the promise of an expanded life-I will make you into a great nation
-the promise of a fruitful life-I will bless you and make your name great
-the promise of an impacting life-the peoples of this earth will be blessed
through you
-and beyond all of this—something even more permanent-the promise of
an unshakable home
APP
I believe God is still looking for Abrahamic faith
-with the same willingness…
1. TO LEAVE
-to step out in faith
-and leave our country, our clan, our “nets” and follow Him
-and fully embrace God’s call
-maybe it is not a literal uprooting like Abraham
-but nonetheless coming to Christ
-giving our lives to the One who paid the price for our failures
-leaving the world we were once attached to
-with some of its disordered ambitions, affections
-that are out of tune with God’s ultimate intention
-every believer has to abandon his/her past
2. A WILLINGNESS TO HEAD INTO THE UNKNOWN
-for this is part of the journey of faith—out into this uncertainty--often
without any map
-headed out when all we have is faith
-but it is a step in the dark—it is a faith step
-and all I can say is—I am convinced we are doing the right thing
3. A WILLINGNESS TO BECOME ALIENS
-willing to experience some dissonance with the world
-I Peter 2 refers to those who give their lives to Christ as aliens and
strangers-nomads
-for like those at Pentecost—the Spirit never allows us to settle down this
side of eternity
-anymore than the early believers could remain settled in Jerusalem
-this is why they were referred to in Scripture as people of The Way, rather
than The Place
-we are a movement—not an institution!!
-like Abraham—we travel through this wilderness
-careful of becoming too attached
-where desires are refined
-and we work at getting rid of excessive baggage
-where we have occasional garage sales of the soul (Barnes)
-living in this in-between—between the already and not yet—heaven and
earth, present and future, CITY W/O FOUNDATIONS, CITY WITH
FOUNDATIONS
4. A WILLINGNESS TO TRUST IN GOD
-that God has made a similar promise
-to make of us an enlarged life, a blessed life
-has promised to remove our barrenness and replace it with a life that
bears fruit
-a life that becomes what God intended
-a life that impacts others

Living under the secateurs!

2011-04-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

Stories from the vineyard pt 3
John 15 v 1-17
Introduction Tickin sandwich Remember what is the first rule of the vine? If you bear no fruit then God will intervene to discipline. Chatting to person with vine in the greenhouse, the more you pruned the branches, the more fruit you get. More you cut, the more you get!
Love or shear madness?
God intervenes when the branch is bare, bare because of sin, but what does he do when our lives are doing ok, even pretty good?
Jesus in the vineyard, the big branch with little fruit
“every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit” John 15 v 2
This is God’s strategy- to get you to bear more fruit, he will thin, reduce, cut away, not like it! But it is good for us!
Gardener’s plan is less is more!
It is a troubling truth, but if we can get it, it will help us face the trials the world throws at us, and will help us in our growth for God.
Second rule of the vine IF YOUR LIFE BEARS SOME FRUIT, GOD WILL INTERVENE AND PRUNE YOU!
Cut away commitments and priorities that get in the way, and make more room for God, this all leads to maturity, something a lot of us do not have!
My job is to point you to the bible; it is all there.
Pictures of plenty
Disciples knew what Jesus was saying, to get more you have to go against the branch’s natural tendencies, they grow so quick the choke out the sunlight. Result? From a distance the branch looks great, but in reality stunted in growth.
Sound familiar? Are you looked great but stunted in your Christian walk?
The gardener knows, that is why he cuts back so much
We grow in the natural ways of humanity, which doesn’t lead to much. Good things, which become God things which is a bad thing (Idolatry)
Without pruning, our natural tendency to worship is diverted away from God, and we worship elsewhere, kids, job, possession, church, even our own ministries!
Are your prayers all about keeping your comfort and convenience? Or are you asking for God to bless you abundantly by making you more like Jesus?
If it is the latter you are asking for the secateurs!
4 reasons for pruning
Remove dead or dying material, 2. Get the sunlight into the fruit bearing branches, 3. Increase the size and quality of the fruit, 4. encourage more fruit to grow
Has to prune away the wasteful, relationships, prune away the things in life that suck the sunlight, which is usually yourself! Golf, tv, football, phone! He prunes to help you work our what is important, what needs less time so bible gets more time. New fruit? What could you do that would drag you out of your comfort zone? Short term mission, fostering? Helping at the toddler group or Richmond’s hope with a smile on your face?
No matter our age, we can still bear fruit! No matter how busy we are we can still bear fruit, no matter how selfish we are we can still bear fruit, if we let him prune!
Disciplining is all about getting rid of sin
Pruning is all about letting the good that is growing get more space to grow!
Misunderstanding God’s methods.
We may think we have done wrong, but actually we are doing good and we are being treated so we grow more!
Discipline stops when you get out of sin
Pruning stops when God stops, in this you need to let Go and let God, let God do his work in you!
Father and child relationship, grieve, apologise?
Flourishing under the shears?
The more mature the branch, the more pruning it needs!
As you begin to grow, the pruning is about priorities and commitments, the more mature you are, the pruning is about identity and values
Too often we never get this far, the cost is too high, Jesus said many would turn away, but the ones who remained, they changed the world.
The testing of your faith
Every trial is a time to trust, pruning is not taking away, but making room, James 1 v 3-4, testing of faith results in a perfect work
Pruning is to make you like Jesus.
Not a salvation issue, but a growth issue, too many of us stunted, or apathetic, we need to surrender to God’s work and purpose
Refining of us, like gold or silver
Often a push past the last test
C.S. Lewis, God whispers through pleasure and shouts through pain
No season of pruning lasts forever
Consider trials of Paul, he stills bears fruit today!
Tell me where it hurts!
Mum, concentrate there! David, pride, nabal, Abigail, trust in God= greatest king of Israel, submit, lead, endure, trust.
Prime points of pruning
People you love the most 2. Your right to know why 3. Your love of money and possessions 4. The sources of your significance
Grace expectations
Paul veteran of pruning Phil 3 v 7-8, our prayer should be “ Lord let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am”
Your response is everything
My goal is to show you what is already happening, your job is to co-operate with God, when he prunes you, let him work, don’t rebel, don’t let it go to waste. If you let God prune, you can experience joy, comfort and rest knowing he is in control and you will bear much more fruit.
Read ! peter 1 v 6-8, bearing much fruit leads to abiding in him, the best thing there can be!

The best good news (you didn’t want to hear!)

2011-04-08T02:12:00.000-07:00

Stories from the vineyard pt 2 John 15 v 1-17 Introduction R u you on speaking terms with God? Caught in a net? Feel pain, feel like a failure, where is the significance, wondering why? R U one of these? Jesus is talking to you in the vineyard Today look at barren branches/empty baskets, and see how God responds to them, not a lovely cosy message, but one that turns the barren into the bountiful The barren branch John 15 v 2, every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit he breaks off If you bear no fruit you are not a Christian? No evidence of your salvation you lose it? The key is the phrase “in me”, to be in Christ means to be a believer (I Cor 1 v 30, 2 Cor 5 v 17, Eph 2 v 10, Phil 3v9) Not a salvation issue, it is how we grow, how we get through the barren seasons, you know yourself when you are not bearing fruit. Puzzling bit is v 3, “already clean”, what does cleanliness have to do with fruit? 2 part answer! Clearer translation of the Greek word airo is not break off rather, take up or lift up, 5000 baskets, Simon bearing cross, Jesus taking away sins of the world. Airo never means break off, much better lift up, brings picture of a gardener lifting up the branch. 2nd part, have you ever spoken to a owner of a vineyard? New branches tend to trail down, left untouched, they get muddy and mouldy, branch becomes sick and useless, barren, what do you do? Break it off, chuck it? No! Branch is too valuable for that, gardener goes through with a bucket of water, lifts them up, washes them, ties them to the trellis, and pretty soon the branch is flourishing So can you see what Jesus is saying? He says the father will tend to us, and make us flourish, but he has to work on us! Lift up, clean, John 15 looks totally different, for Christians, sin is the dirt, air and light can’t get in, it is a barren branch that results How does the gardener tend to us? First rule of the vine- IF YOUR LIFE CONSISTENTLY BEARS NO FRUIT, GOD WILL INTERVENE AND DISCIPLINE YOU The Good Hurt discipline, it is when Father intervenes to save us from destruction -discipline feel good? Nope, not for the child or the dad, but discipline comes because of committed love. Heb 12 v 5-6, God the source of discipline, all believers, out of love God does all that is necessary as a gardener does to a wayward branch! Why would God do this? To get our attention, to change a life, Heb 12 v 11, not fun but will bring fruit Parents know how it works, Christopher road, God is a loving Father, he disciplines for our own good, God wants to nudge you, to be all he wants you to be, all that you cant do on your own! It is all up to you! Discipline only lasts as long as you stay in sin, the gardener wants a full harvest, he will do what is needed, until fruit is growing! Naughty step, mother sorted you out she never stopped loving you, Satan would love you to think God hated you, if you don’t get discipline then you should worry! Hard realities Are you a sick branch? Don’t be shocked when God intervenes, you may think the trials you are in is because God is punishing you, God doesn’t work that way, he may be tending to you, so that you will change your life. An empty basket = misery, let God Love by degrees Power of an eyebrow, Sometimes God just this, if you ignore the eyebrow what happens? Can you look back and see where God has led you? If so you are growing, if not you may have an empty basket and God is disciplining you! (same root for disciple) Three degrees of intervention Heb 12 v 5&6, rebuke, correction, punish (scourge) C.S Lewis, God whispers through pleasure, but shouts through pain, 1 cor 11 v 30, sick, weak, dead, not OT thing, but NT too! Some cautions- God doesn’t hurt innocent because sin of an other, God disciplines out of love, and he always offers a chance to respond What stops good people from cleaning up their act? Convenience, various excuses, God is love, I am just weak, I enjoy it this way, cant help myself, can’t all be Billy Graham or Mother Teresa, it is how I am made What you are saying is that sin has no consequences, I like it too much to quit, what is your sin? (Opposite of the fruits of the spirit). You stay in sin, the greater the discipline! The Joyful turning REPENTANCE, one day I hope you look back and see the dirt that has fallen from your life, only when we respond to the Father’s discipline will we escape the cycle of sin, not only that we will grow in Maturity Repentance is not a one time act, it is a lifestyle, a commitment, a daily invitation to God to let him train and grow us so we bear fruit, to experience his pleasure, we move from no fruit to fruit, next week we see how we move from fruit to more fruit! May you….

What God wants

2011-03-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

Stories from the vineyard pt 1 John ch 15 v 1-10 Introduction Deathbed conversation, you never forget a word, Jesus was away to die, this is what he left his disciples, this is what he has left us, in this chapter there are real insights for our Christian walk that perhaps we have missed. At the end the parables and stories were passed this is as clear as it gets! Thursday night upstairs You know all about the upper room, the night before Passover, the prediction that the messiah will come, the disciples know the messiah is here, a nice lovely night chatting, predicting the overthrow of the roman empire, where they will sit in the new kingdom The unravelling John 13 v 2-5, the messiah to be acts as the menial servant, the slave, and washes their feet, it gets worse, one of you will betray me, before sunrise, you Peter will deny me three times, the wheels are coming off, this is of course what Jesus has been telling them along, a cross not a throne, but the disciples heard what they wanted to hear. Jesus says, the world will see me no more, but you will see me, the ruler of this world is coming means Jesus is not ruler, not king. Three years with him, it is unravelling, listen to the words, but see their faces, Little children, I have loved you, let your hearts not be troubled, I will not leave you as orphans Light in the vineyard Lets go from here (Jn 14:31) a garden on the Mount of Olives, not a word spoken? Away from all the Passover parties, sombre, through the kidron valley, through the ancient vineyards, through the rows of grapes, heading for Gethsemane, but here Jesus stops holds up a grape branch, he starts “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener” Jesus reveals their destiny The curtains of heaven Too many of us are standing in the shadows of that vineyard, too often we have discovered that we are following a Jesus that turns out to be totally different to what we expected, we may feel confused, disillusioned even betrayed by God. Your spiritual crisis, or perhaps spiritual apathy is because you have heard the words of Jesus in the vineyard but not understood them. Too often we have settled for spiritual experience that includes disappointment, doubt even anger, too often we think that God will help us on our terms, win our battles for us, too often we have failed to lean in and listen. But these words in the vineyard, they still speak today, it brings freedom and joy, what God wants from you and me is this “ a fruitful harvest for him”, this is what he is at work at in you, in me! Will you listen to what he says, at this crucial time? He is pulling back the curtains of heaven, giving us a glimpse, I think he was thinking of us as he spoke to cautious Thomas, reckless Peter, guileless Nathaniel, he saw and loved you too, and I think he led you here today to hear from him, He wants us to flourish, to follow him into an abundant life. What God wants look to see what Jesus does not have in his hand, not money, not a map for invasion, not a letter home, I am the true vine, the father is the gardener, every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit he takes away, every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more, I am the vine you are the branches, he who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit, by this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit. John 15 : 1-2, 5-8 are you getting the picture? Smell, feel the grapes? Jesus’ last message is not about angels descending, not about heaven or hell, not parables, but all about fruit! An old vineyard, a new perspective Picture of vineyard, Jesus gives us a picture to see how we are to bear fruit Jesus is the vine. Not the long trailing limb, the vine is the trunk that grows out of the ground, usually kept to waist height, 3-4 feet, the branches grow from this trunk Father is the gardener, the keeper of the vineyard, his job is simple, to let his plants grow as much good grapes as possible, a well maintained healthy vineyard means a bigger harvest. You and I are the branches, they are the focus of the gardener, tied to a trellis, or propped up to let air circulate, get the most sunshine, get full access for tending, the gardener lovingly cultivates each branch so that it will bear as much fruit as possible Lovely picture, but hours before death why did Jesus talk in such detail about grapes? Jesus knew now was the time to let the disciples see things in a new way, from a eternal perspective What is fruit? Often we think this is just about letting people meet with Jesus, and it is, but is also so much more, fruit and good works are used almost interchangeably throughout the bible Titus 3:14, for the disciples would know that fruit symbolized the best in life, the sweetest prize, Psalm 1:3. Fruit then represents a changed life and changed lives around you, thought, attitude, action that brings glory to God, the fruit of your life is how you bring glory to God and give him all the honour. Father is glorified when you bear much fruit. Inner fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, Gal 5:22 Outward fruit, when you allow God to work through you, sharing faith (apostles), but also every area of life, Paul tells us in 2 cor, to abound in God’s grace in every good work, shopping for a elderly neighbour, or a life in the jungle as a missionary, outward fruit appears when your motive is to give God all the glory. How important is fruit bearing then? Jesus tells us that he chose us so that we bear fruit and that fruit remains, it is a permanent deposit, it is the riches that do not rust or fade, it is the reason we are made! Jesus has not redeemed us to whisk us away; he has set us here for a purpose, to bring him much glory as we bear much fruit! Not automatic, all branches don’t react in the same way to the gardener, each branch is unique, each brings a different harvest! In fact there is 4 distinct levels of yield! Baskets of glory Imagine the baskets under the vines, 1st basket, not a grape! Every branch in me that bears no fruit. 2nd basket, some there! Branches that bears fruit 3rd basket, half full, branches bears more fruit 4th basket, overflowing, branches that bear much fruit we are all on the spectrum! From no fruit to too much fruit, and we go through seasons, but there is a time when the harvest will be gathered. The Father wants much fruit from us, so not only that he gets the glory but because we grow and stretch when we give him the glory in all things More is always possible! That is why he tends us, so we keep moving further up and further in, we were created to bear much fruit. How much fruit do you see in your life today? Created for abundance If I was to ask you to describe the level of fruit in your life today, more than half would say little or no fruit, a small percentage would bear much fruit. Part of that is false humility, part of that is that you are not sure what that fruit looks like, but part of that is that you are in a place where either you are struggling with your faith, with your church or with your life, you are built fit for purpose, but too often you feel like a square peg in a round hole. Bearing fruit is not reserved for the super Christian (they don’t actually exist), it is the destiny of every believer. Jesus expects abundance in our lives, we can’t find fulfilment in a half empty basket, as we look through this chapter over the next month in the run up to Easter, we will unlock 3 key points to how God will bear much fruit in you. Conclusion When you realise that God is at work in you, you will see that you do bear fruit, but God wants to bear much more in you. Will you let him in, will you let the Father tend to you? To work in you, to grow you, even when it feels like a stretch and it is painful? You have a choice, let God grow you, or be cut from the vine and thrown on the rubbish heap, I know what I want, I want to give God the glory in all areas, I can only do that with him working in and through me. May you…….

Renewal

2011-03-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

Isaiah 40 v 31
Introduction, long distance from Cairo, son on donkey grandmother brush with the law
Are you tired? Bored? Fed up? Are you knackered? Do you feel like you are running on empty? Our strength will eventually run out! Our enthusiasm, our energy, our delight, our excitement with life, will someday fall away. Good news huh? We are called to run the race, for God with God-to-God, how are we getting on? 7 year switch, spiritually we need to be renewed too!
I. The need for renewal
A. Some have quit running
1. They may still be around the race course
2. They may even still be standing among the runners
B. Some are tired of running
1. The race has been long and the course is difficult
2. These are people who are thinking about quitting
C. Some are tired in running
1. They are still plodding on
2. They are tired and thus less effective in running.
D. Just about everyone needs periodic renewal, if you are not there today, you maybe there tomorrow
II. The source of renewal
A. Resolution will not do
1. It is good to make resolutions
2. Resolution alone will not solve this problem
B. Self help Methods will not do
1. This is the big stress today, you can do whatever you set out to do, you can do it!
2. Many are finding that the race is too tough for this
C. Only spiritual renewal will do
1. The difficulties we face today all have a spiritual dimension
2. Only a spiritual change will help
D. The Lord is the source of our strength

III. The manner of renewal: “wait on the Lord”
A. It requires submission to his will
1. We wait as a servant waits for instruction
2. Only a submitted will waits
B. It requires listening to his word
1. There is no sure way to hear his voice outside of his word
2. There is no sure way to wait on him without listening for his voice
C. It requires obedience to his commands
1. Submission settles the issue
2. Continual commitment is required
D. it is only as we wait on the Lord that we will find strength
IV. The results of renewal
A. Help for the day to day
1. They shall walk and not faint
2. The day to day, the usual is the hardest of all
B. Strength for the extra demands
1. They shall run and not grow weary
2. Your call, your ministry is extra demanding! A lot of work for few people, a lot of need for a few givers, but if you step up, God steps in.
C. Ability for the exceptional opportunity
1. They shall mount up with wings as eagles
2. There is always an opportunity, we have to have the eyes of eagles to seem them sometimes, but when we do God will lift us, we will soar with him
3. Don’t you want to soar?
Conclusion
Wait on the Lord, A church that is waiting on the Lord always knows where it’s strength lies, namely in God. The same goes for the tired, the depressed, the overworked the miserable as well as the happy, content and peaceful, if you wait on God, you receive his renewal, his joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. Born to fly, May you………………..

Dog-eared

2011-03-16T04:11:00.001-07:00

Proverbs 26:17
Introduction story of the American president Lyndon, holding his dogs by the ears. Many Christians become involved in something similar! It is the result of interfering in the affairs of others, this verse describes the situation and how we can apply practical biblical teaching to our lives and really see the benefits!
Proverbs 26 v 17 Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by it’s ears
What is this verse talking about? Meddling!
I. what is meddling?
A. the verse is self explanatory
1. Meddle comes from the Latin to mix thoroughly
2. if you meddle, you are itching to get in there, something is winding you up, you are getting agitated
3. it is an argument, so you want to get involved in a ding dong!
4. GN back to front, it is not going down the street to grab a dog’s ears, rather you are a passer by to the argument, so you don’t even know what the argument is even about
5. It is none of your business though! There is no personal stake for the meddler in what is going on!
B. Meddling can be expressed in various ways
1. Someone who sticks his nose in where it is not wanted
2. Giving your tuppence worth
3. Or as the Greeks put it in a proverb, “strive not in a matter that concerns you not”
II. What are the results of meddling?
A. It is like grabbing a dog by the ears
1. Not a wise way to handle dogs
2. the verse seems to be suggesting the idea of a stray dog
3. you grab a dog by it’s lugs, you will incur it’s rage and you will at the very least get a nip, if not a right good bite!
B. A meddler exposes himself to danger
1. If you enter an argument between two people, you will either take one side and upset the other, or no side and upset both
2. Once we are in an argument that is not ours, it is very difficult to get out of it!
3. Involvement in arguments and fights of others, almost always results in hurt
4. Uninvited involvement is rarely appreciated!

III. How does meddling differ from peacemaking?
A. There is a clear difference
1. Peacemaking is about bringing people together
2. Meddling is often about taking one side and looking for a victory
B. Two guidelines
1. Peacemaking is best done reluctantly and hesitantly
2. We should be very sure of our call to act before we do so!
IV. Are there biblical illustrations regarding meddling?
A. The story of Jehoshaphat in 1 Kings 22
1. Jehoshaphat is in a battle that is not his concern
2. He escapes but very nearly lost his life for his trouble
B. Incident in Luke 12 v 13-14
1. Jesus confronted a man who wanted him to become involved in an argument
2. Jesus perfectly practices prov 26 v 17
3. We would do well to follow the example of Jesus and avoid arguments and feuds, that do not concern us
V. What are the lessons to be learned from meddling?
I think it is daft to argue/fight about things we really care about, it is really idiotic to become involved in things that are none of our business, just think about what can happen if you get involved an issue such as who gets the inheritance, or if you try to help a couple that are having real relationship issues? Minefield
If we are not to be quick to sort out our own problems, why should be trying to sort out other people’s lives? Jesus I am sure said something about logs and specks in people’s eyes, do you remember, or to put it another way people in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones
When we do intervene as a peacemaker, we must do so only after much prayer, with good reason and with solid biblical support
Think about the witness to Jesus you give by meddling or peacemaking.
VI. What is the answer to meddling?
A. recognise we love to do it!
B. Accept biblical cautions against it (I peter 4 v 15-16)
C. Hear the words of Paul I thess 4 :11, make it your ambition to mind your own business, so you win the respect of others! You are little Christ’s, you bring Jesus to everyone you meet! Think about how Jesus is seen in you!
Conclusion
We have too often forgotten that God can handle many things we want to handle, let’s not go out grabbing the ears of those around us! We will not only get bitten, we will cause great hurt, lets remember we are the face of Jesus to all we meet!

A penny for your thoughts

2011-03-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 4 v 23
Introduction
Often said when someone is deep in thought, a penny for your thoughts! But your thoughts are worth so much more than a penny! In fact your thoughts are among some of your most precious treasures. Solomon said “as he thinks in his heart, so he is” (prov 23v 7), Solomon was known as the wisest man to have ever lived, he probably knew more about this subject than we do, so lets just unpack on verse, Prov 4 v 23
I. What we should do: guard your thoughts!
A. Any meaningful consideration of your thoughts must examine your heart also
1. There is more to us than our brains, but our brains and our thoughts are what make the inner man meaningful
2. Your thinking is what you really are
B. Keeping your heart involves 2 things
1. What you allow to enter it
2. What you allow to go on in it
II. How we are to do it: carefully!
A. With extreme care
1. Not only carefully, but with all diligence
2. Another translation tells us to exercise the utmost care over our thoughts
B. How careful are you?
1. If you kept your body like you keep your mind……
2. If you kept your house like you keep your mind…..
3. If you kept your friends like you keep your mind…..
4. If you kept your finances like you keep your mind….
III. Why we are to do it: because they are the source of true life
A. Because our minds don’t turn naturally toward God
1. It is deceitful (Jer 17:9, Prov 28 v 26)
2. It’s desires are determined by pride (Rom 12: 3)
B. Because the mind determines what we are (prov 23 v 7 again!)
1. The real nature of you and me is in our thoughts
2. This is why a brain transplant is impossible!!!!!!
C. Because the mind determines what we do
1. Jesus is very clear on this (Matt 12: 35)
2. This works in both directions (Dan 5:6)
D. Because we can sin with our thoughts
1. Jesus taught us this (Matt 5: 28)
2. If you think about it (!) there is more mental sin than physical stuff! Both bad!
E. Because the mind it the communication point with temptation
1. Clearly taught in James 1 v 14
2. This is the reason for Jesus suggestion prayer in Mark 14 v 38
F. Because uncontrolled thoughts lead to problems
1. A controlled life is necessary to positive Christian living (2 Cor 10:5)
2. Uncontrolled thoughts can impact others (Heb 12:15)
G. Because our desires arise out of our thoughts
1. The “fruits of our thoughts” (Jer 6:19)
2. very few sins are unplanned!
Conclusion
What you think is so important, bitterness, lust, hate, discontent, pride, lies. The ways you think are also incredibly important, negativity, worry, fantasies, self pity, distrust, unhappiness. Never take a penny for your thoughts, as they are worth so much more than that, they are in fact priceless! They can make you or break you, in this world and for the world to come!

Patience and courage

2011-03-02T01:59:00.000-08:00

Psalm 27 v 13-14
Introduction
Bear in cave “Spurgeon said, “The Christian life is no child’s play. All who have gone on pilgrimage to the celestial city have found a tough road, sloughs of despondency and hills of difficulty, giants to fight and tempters to shun”
I Typical trials
A. We are not sure at what time in David’s life this psalm was written
1. Clearly it refers to trials or was written during time of trial
2. David went through many- this may be a typical one
3. This may be recoded in 1 Samuel 21 v 1-10 or 1 Samuel 22 v 6-23
B. What were some of the things typical of David’s trials?
1. Danger- Saul wanted to kill him
2. Distress- anguish over the death of the priests
3. Discomfort- his whole personal life was torn up
4. Despair- He had little idea of the future
II. Timeless teaching
A. The encouragement of Expectation (v13)
1. He yet expected to see the goodness of the Lord
2. He expected to see it in the “land of the living” refers to this life here on earth
B. The power of patience- “wait on the Lord” – The hardest thing to do is nothing “ sometimes the servant will have to wait in absolute inaction and this is not always to the taste of energetic minds”
1. Look to him as your source- nothing comes other than from him
2. Stand before him in submission
3. Be patient for his timing- this is at the heart of so much!
4. Stay in constant communion with him.
5. Hold on to the things you believe “Don’t doubt in the dark what God has given you in the light”
C. The character of courage, “be of good courage” (courage is a state o mind which results from a decision on the will
1. continue waiting on the Lord
2. keep on facing life
3. stay involved in service
4. Keep doing right
5. remain faithful in prayer
D. The enhancement of experience “again I say”
1. David adds his own experience here
2. No matter when this was written, he had already been through more than most of us will ever face
III. Timely truth
Things that are not promised
He will remove your trials
He will remove you from trials
He will make your life easy
The thing that is promised: He will strengthen your heart
He will keep you in the trial
He will keep you through the trial
He will be a refuge in the trial
He will use the trial
Conclusion
Emperor moth. Wait on the Lord. Stick around, be what you should be, do what you should do. As you do it, he will enable you to do it. Ultimately there will be a solution. “hands of there and leave it with the most high”

Dealing with discouragement

2011-02-17T01:38:00.001-08:00

I Kings 19 v 1-19
Introduction
The Blind date! Most of us are not strangers to discouragement. Most of us have known times when our discouragement actually tuned into despair. “The main trouble with despair is that it is self fulfilling. People who fear the worst tend to invite it”. Elijah went through a period of discouragement, despair and depression. There is much we can learn from him.

I The causes of discouragement
Emotional stress
He had just been through incredible confrontation
He was facing continuing problems
Physical exhaustion
1.He had ran from Jezebel (v3)
2. He had gone even beyond that (v4)
Personal opposition
1.Jezebel had made threats (v2)
2. He was actually in danger
Significant achievement (18:42-45)
He had just seen a great victory
Discouragement often comes after triumph
Basic fear (v2)
He was afraid of what Jezebel could/would do to him
Fear is a powerful emotion and it is usually negative
Simplistic thinking
He evidently thought that a victory would take care of everything
This made him vulnerable to despair’s cousin disillusionment
Heavy responsibility (v10)
The situation was clouded by his own misconceptions
He saw himself as incredibly responsible
II. The process of discouragement
Flight- he ran away from the trials
Negative thinking- his words drip with negativity each time he speaks, (v 4, 10)
Withdrawal- he withdrew from everyone, (v 4, 9) and appears to be withdrawing from God
Blame shifting (v10)- He laid the problem on the people of Israel, he saw hi problem as that of someone else.
Improper comparisons (v4, 10), I am no better than them
III. The results of discouragement
Personal isolation- through all of this he is alone
Loss of perspective (v10)- “I am the only one left”- he wasn’t
Self pity- “self pity is a drug that leaves its addicts wasted and derelict”
Suicidal tendencies (v4)- he really didn’t want to die, if he did he could have stayed where he was, Jezebel would have taken care of it!
IV. The cure for discouragement
Get up- physically (v5, 7)- this was only after rest was granted, sometimes spiritually the best thing you can do is take a nap!
Look up- Spiritually v 11-14)- God came and spoke to him and gave him a message of hope.
Link up- emotionally v 16, 19a- God gave him Elisha to strengthen him
Gird up- practically v 15-17)- God gave him a job to do- it is easier to do your way into feeling than it is to feel your way into doing
Shape up- preferentially (v14) Elijah still complains after seeing God’s glory, but God laid tasks before him, the choice was his
Conclusion
Sparky the Loser. “Despair is not handled by giving it. It is handled best by giving out something of yourself to others. By giving out a person has no time for despair and so it departs. God calls us to serve, out of love, let his love in and flow through you.

A new way

2011-02-03T03:34:00.000-08:00

Joshua ch 3 v 1-17
Series “living out faith day by day” pt1
Introduction what uncertain things are you facing? The turtle picnic all about trust Israel faced an unknown situation in this chapter; here are several pointers for facing uncertainty
I. Face it calmly
A. Israel didn’t know the direction- they had to take things ones step at a time
B. We can be sure of certain things that produce calm in our lives
1. When we are heading in the right direction
2. we have survived up to this point!
3. Any fear, panic worry will not change the future!
II. Face it submissively
A. The way Israel was travelling was chosen by God
B. If you are a child of God, the way you are travelling is chosen by God
1.change what you are reasonably able to change
2. Accept as from him the things you can’t change
3. Stop trying to earn the love of God, you can’t do it, he loves you more than you can ever know, or achieve, rest in the love of God
III. Face it compliantly
A. This chapter is filled with commandments as was the entire conquest
B. Hearing and listening are two ways of facing the unknown
1. We have all the instruction we could possibly need
2. We must resolve to hear the word of the Lord and to do it!
IV. Face it expectantly
A. God has good things in store for Israel
B. God has good things in store for you!
1. you are going to experience a greater presence of the Lord
2. the greater the trials the greater the working of the Lord
3. Even if there are new trials, they will likely end the old trials!
4. Sometimes God calms the storm, sometimes God calms you to face the storm
V. Face it confidently
A. Israel had the assurance of God’s presence and power (shekinah!)
1. Note the role of the ark
2. Note the new arrangement with the ark first- God didn’t need them to protect him; he was committed to protecting them
B. Some things to remember
1. The way is new to you, but not to God- past, present, future, all human words!
2. The way is new to you, but others have faced what you have faced
3. The presence of God goes surely with you, as he has with the saints of old (biographies)
VI. Face it aggressively
A. Israel was facing enormous changes at this point
1. They were not a warlike people, they had been slaves, and then wanderers
2. They should have been doing conquest rather than wanderings
B. Your way- if it involves growth- requires change
1. Whatever will come is ordered by the Lord for your growth
2. Take the way one step at a time, trusting the lord
3. Do not fear, step out in the strength of the Lord!
VII. Face it cheerfully
A. Israel didn’t manage this
1. they should have been delighted to get out of the wilderness
2. They should have been glad to get on with conquest
B. Face this year with some assurances
1. Your difficulties will all be overcome or
2. You will be given strength to handle trials
3. remember that “this is the day (way) that the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it
Conclusion
Israel’s command was to consecrate themselves, make holy, and separate themselves, for God will do amazing things! Take that promise, set yourself apart from God and let him do amazing things with your future. The best way we can approach uncertainty is not panic, fear or worry, but by recommitting ourselves to God and his word. Bible in a year. Prince of grenada May you…..

Prayer: problem or power

2011-01-26T02:11:00.001-08:00

transforming the world in which God has placed us, pt 6
Matthew 6 v 5-8
Introduction recap, God wants to give, not domain of super Christian!
New gorilla, sooner or later we get found out. It would seem that prayer would be the Christian’s great source of power, it is! But it can be a place of real problems. We must be careful in prayer, because our sinful nature can follow us right into the throne room; nothing is safe from our sinfulness.
I The problem of prayer
A Prayer can express selfishness
We tend to focus on the one who is praying
a. It draws attention to ourselves
b. It also reminds us that we are praying (look at me!)
We tend to focus n personal wants/needs.
It’s amazing how selfish most of our praying actually is
The Christian’s focus on others should show in prayer
We tend to define spirituality outwardly
By length /amount of prayer- but prayer should flow from a grateful heart, you pray because God is in you, not to get God in you
Spirituality is always inward
B. Prayer can focus on form
1. We get too concerned with the actual wording of prayer (Groans)
2. We tend to stress time
a. We concentrate on the length of time spent
b. We concentrate on regularity of time spent.
II. The power of prayer
A It is simply the individual approaching God
1. There is nothing mystical about prayer
2. It is communication between two persons
B. Powerful prayer involves
Exclusion
Other people- mentally not physically
Yourself
Real issue is sincerity more than secrecy
Realization
a. Who and what God really is
b. The Fatherhood of God and all the relationships, which that suggests
The ability of God to accomplish anything
Confidence
The confidence of a child with its father.
The realization that God wants to bless more than I want to be blessed (prayer involves a basket not a battering ram)
The realization that he already knows what I need
Conclusion
Tomato frog Prayer can be a problem, but the real problem lies with our sinful nature, our lack of faith. Prayer can be a source of power when we pray with reverence and confidence.

Prayer or proclamation

2011-01-18T02:59:00.001-08:00

Transforming the world in which God has place you pt 5
Matthew 6 :5-8
Introduction recap resolutions Pepe Rodriguez, translation Public prayer is tricky, it is easy to pray in church with everyone else, it is easy to pray in front of friends when you have tried it a few times, but in all prayer, public or private it is so hard to pray from the heart, to pray with faith, without fear and to really mean it. Jesus has some teaching for us on the subject!
I. condemnation
A. Jesus condemns their method
1. They stood in the synagogue (looking for prominence)
2. They stood on the street corners (plain view)
3. Jesus does not condemn standing in general as it was a common practice
B. Jesus condemns their manner
1. Impression- that they may be seen by men”- they were concerned with an impression
2. Impersonation- they were trying to vie the impression that they were spiritual and pious
3. Intention- they were trying to make it look like they were so earnest that they couldn’t wait
C. Jesus condemns their motive
1. Design- their end in view was to have the applause of men
2. Designation- Jesus calls them hypocrites
3. Denunciation- He says that they have their reward already, thus ruling out future reward
II. Caution
A. We should be aware of similarity
1. We like to condemn the hypocrites and Pharisees
2. It is possible for us to be exactly like them
3. we must examine our own hearts in the light of the word
B. We should be aware of selfishness
1.This is a subtle problem in prayer
2. It is contrary to the communion with God
C. We should be aware of style
1. There is too much worry on what we say and how we say it before others
2. Time can also become too important for us
III. Correction
A. Jesus commends secrecy (v6)
1.Meaning- go shut out other things (including the recognition of other people)
2. The cupboard and the closed door are attitudes of the heart and mind
B. Jesus commends sincerity (vv7, 8a)
1. Prohibition- don’t be like the pagans, the religious
2. Don’t babble, ie don’t repeat yourself, don’t say things without thinking! (Lord’s prayer can be abused in this way)
3. Don’t be like them
a. either by doing what they do
b. Or by thinking you will be heard with more fancy talk
C. Jesus commends simplicity (v8b)
1. Remember the basic precondition- God knows all about your needs before you even get there, so he is much more concerned about your attitude in prayer
2. All the flashy accessories are not necessary at all
3. Prayer is a matter of friendship and fellowship between you and God
Conclusion
Nothing quite tests your spiritual life more than face to face time with God in prayer, it is a challenge and a risk to spend time alone with God, but are you up for it? How about this, 10 mins a day with god in prayer, sign up for an hour to be with God alone in the prayer room when we do our next 24 hour prayer room. Don’t let God pass by, new year, get serious with God, and you will see the world he has placed you in being transformed as he works through you. The job applicant, "morse code"may you……..

What to do with what you have got

2011-01-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

1st tim 6 v 17-19
Introduction Fisherman or pavement? Bible has plenty to say about money. It speaks about desiring it; it speaks to those who have it, and those who don’t. Wherever you are today, don’t stop listening; there is something for you here.
I. The relativity of riches (v 17a)
A. “Rich in terms of this present age”
1.We see riches in man’s terms
2.God sees riches in entirely different terms
B. This shows us that riches are always relative
1. To be really rich is always to have slightly more than we already have
2. But we are richer than almost anyone on earth
II. Warnings for the wealthy (v 17b): to each one of us
A Don’t be snobbish
1.Don’t be proud, or “highminded”- from two words, lofty and think
2.Beware of the “pride of the purse”
B Don’t be smug
1. “Don’t fix your hopes upon something as uncertain as
money
3. Don’t find security in what you have
III. Principles of prosperity (v 17-18)
A. Fix your hope upon God
1. A matter of focus- God should be that focus
2. God is the perfect point of focus
a. He gives all things
b. He gives us all things
c. He gives us all things richly
d. He gives us all things richly to be enjoyed (it is not wrong to have things as long as the focus is right)
B. Work at doing Good
1.enjoy doing good, not a burden
2. Same word is used of God in Acts 14:17
C. Be rich in noble actions
1. excel in things that are noble
2. Make a collection of noble actions, that which is honourable, do so many that people can’t tell which is the most honourable
D. Be quick to recognise need
1. This word contains the idea of awareness of the needs of others
2. The English word “generosity” fits in well
E. Be willing to give what you have
1. Be ready and willing to share what you have with others
2. This puts the focus where it belongs
IV. The intelligence of investment (v19)
A. Provision for the future
1. a treasure for the future
2. a good foundation, in contrast to the shaky foundations provided by riches
3. For the future, when we meet Jesus on this throne, sheep and goats….
B. Performance for the present
1.so grasp the life, which is life indeed- life in Christ,
eternal life, purpose filled life
3. The idea is that the person who learns how to handle riches is the only person who really understands what life is about
Conclusion
The underlying philosophy, OT saints showed their wealth by possession, NT saints by their giving, God esp in the NT shows interest in giving not in having. Until you learn to give you haven’t learnt what life is about. Never forget that it is “God who gives us all things to richly enjoy” Examples….. “how to catch a monkey”
May you…………..

Take your burden to the Lord

2010-12-08T03:22:00.000-08:00

Nehemiah 1 v 5-11
Introduction
Too much prayer story! Do you have a heavy burden bothering you? Would you really like to see something done about it? Nehemiah can help you! He received word of the state of affairs in Jerusalem and he was deeply moved by conditions there, and he went to the Lord with his burden. His prayer is a pattern for handling our burdens
I Focus on God (v5)
A Nehemiah gives us 5 angles on which to focus
1 “Lord”- Yahweh, self existent, immutable God
2 “God of Heaven”- dwells, reigns there and so also on earth
3 “Great God”- Infinite in all perfections, filling all with his presence, exalted above all, MAJESTY
4. “Awesome God” – dreaded by foes, revered by friends
5. “God that keeps his covenant” faithful to his obligation
B We need a fresh view of God
II Concentrate on confession (v 6-7)
Nehemiah details aggravation of Israel’s sins (v7)
It was by a favoured people
They sinned against God
They sinned against specific commandments of God
They sinned against dramatic circumstances- the showing of God’s power etc
Nehemiah identifies himself in that sin (v6)
It is not likely that he was guilty of much
A clear view of God makes us aware of sin
A readiness to face sin is a mark of Spiritual maturity
III Claim your grounds (v 8-11)
A. Notice the things he claimed
1. The names of God
2. The promises of God (v9)
3. Their relationship to God (v10a)
4. The past history of God’s working (v10b)
B. Notice the sincerity of the request
1. Others were united with him
2. The request was urgent
C. God is not dishonoured by reminders of our grounds for prayer
1. It shows that we have learned something
2.It states that we depend on his character
IV. Make your request (v 11)
A. Nehemiah knew what he wanted
1.He had already formulated a plan
2. He wanted God’s blessing on it
3. He had simple means of confirming
B. You need to be specific in your requests
Ask for what you want but in accordance with his will
When you don’t know what you want, pray for clarity
Conclusion
Sharpen your Axe! Nehemiah has a message for you whose hearts are heavily burdened. Take your burden to the Lord in prayer and see these burdens lifted! Commit to practice the pattern of Nehemiah’s prayer until the prayer is answered and the burden is lifted. May you……

evening sermon

2010-12-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

Series: Coming to Grips with Reality
Ecclesiastes 9:18- 10:1
“Sweat the Small Stuff”
INTRO
Recently, the RCA Dome in Indianapolis—which was the home of the
Indianapolis Colts—imploded
-a stadium that took two full years and 82 million dollars to build—24 years ago
-came down in 20 seconds two years ago
Sometimes—the same thing happens to people
-lives that took years to develop implode seemingly in moments—
-in the religious world, one thinks back of Todd Bentley
-more recently—in the political world—
-or people like Bernard Madoff in the financial world
-men who built their lives—but through a series of misjudgments—their worlds came apart
2009 will be a year that some of us thrive, bear fruit, attempt great things
-others will drift—settle for small lives
-while others will implode—a world will break apart, a marriage will collapse
-a reputation will be stained—dreams shattered
HOW DOES ONE AVOID THE LATTER?
-Solomon wrote these words in 10:1 to warn us, instruct us, guard us
(read 9:18-10:1)
On the surface, it’s a simple proverb
-but there is nothing really simple about biblical proverbs
-for they reflect a lot of life experience compressed into a statement
-a dissertation condensed into two lines so that they will be remembered
-maybe even change a life
Solomon gives this warning—perhaps because his own life imploded
-seduced into relationships that seemed innocent, convenient, diplomatic
-gave himself to excesses that amounted to so much chasing after the wind
-that over time turned his heart away from God to lesser gods
-and the fragrance of a God-full life was spoiled
10:1 is his contribution to God’s overall instruction about sin—something we cannot afford to be naïve about
-as Packer puts it—learning about sin is our first need of life
-here’s what the text teaches us—it tells us something about—
A. SIN’S ATTRACTION
-in the parallelism of the verse—the perfumer’s oil is a metaphor of a life of wisdom, godliness
-for holiness creates its own aroma—the knowledge of God has its own fragrance—2 Corinthians 2:14
-communities that draw together to be missional, follow hard after God— choose to be holy
-create their own powerful scent—more compelling than candles
-the problem—just as flies are drawn to ointment—so wise, godly lives attract sin
-as Richard Lovelace puts it in his book on spiritual renewal—
“All who attempt for a single day to lead a life centered on God and His kingdom will discover they have a battle on their hands”
-one thinks of men like Noah, David, Hezekiah, Uzziah—others who were eminent in their walk with God—and found sin crouching at their door, for its desire was for them—as it is for us
-this is why Solomon warned his son in Proverbs 6:26—the adulteress hunts for precious life
-and in Proverbs 9:15—folly centers her invitation to those “who are making their paths straight”
-those who have a certain fragrance
-the metaphor tells us something about—
B. SIN’S STRATEGY
-which is two fold--
1. BEGIN WITH SMALL THINGS
-the image of small insects is intentional
-Solomon is telling us that sin is a lot like flies—that can be insidious, inconspicuous, pesky
-seemingly harmless by their size
-sins we tend to overlook, minimize, make excuses for
-and over time—accept, even tolerate
-this is always sin’s great deceitfulness—to have us regard it as less dangerous than it really is
-Jerry Bridges in his newest book Respectable Sins, warns—
“We have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more ‘refined’ or subtle sins”
What do they look like?
-here are a few of the seemingly “harmless” flies I’ve noticed buzzing around your lives and mine—
-anxiety, frustration, impatience, discontentedness, ingratitude, resentment, self pity, over-indulgence, impatience, irritability, a critical
spirit, independent spirit, sarcasm, cynicism, negativity, apathy, unwholesome language
-one can add wasting time, procrastination, moodiness, materialism, mean spiritedness
-most of us make excuses for these “acceptable sins”
-it’s just who we are
-missing the fact that it takes just a little to undo a lot of good
-that just as one sinner destroys much good (9:18)
-so one small sin can do much damage
-maybe because there are really no small sins—from God’s perspective
-sin is sin—there are no misdemeanors and felonies
-for all sin is malignant—all sin kills
-maybe this is why Jesus said a lustful thought amounts to adultery
-anger amounts to murder
-for behind the “respectable sins” are things much darker
i. anxiety is ultimately a failure to trust God—I am saying—I don’t believe
God can come through—or worse—that He doesn’t care
ii. frustration is living as though God is not involved in my circumstances
iii. discontentment is saying God does not know what is best for my life
iv. wasting time is ultimately squandering the gift of time God graciously
gives
-it’s the slow leaks—not the blow outs—you have to watch for
-Solomon is saying--it’s not so much the giants as the insidious pests
-the little sins that eventually mar the nobleness of great character
-the ounce of foolishness that is more weighty than a life of wisdom
Watch the small sins
-for here’s the second strategy--
2. SIN’S AIM IS TO TURN SMALL THINGS INTO BIG THINGS
-just as there is a progress to corruption in a vat
-unarrested—there is a progress to the deadening agent of sin
-small choices progress into attachments that progress into compulsions
that turn into addictions and eventually into idolatries
-this is why Plantinga likens sin to a plague
-to a polluted river that keeps branching and rebranching into tributaries
i. wandering eyes lead to ongoing thoughts that grow into addictive
behaviors that mushroom into adultery
ii. envy branches into resentment into anger and breaks the levy and
becomes destructive murder—Cain and Abel, Saul and David, the
brothers and Joseph
iii. complacency, indifference, apathy, lack of passion grow into
irresponsibility, into missing the moment, missing one’s role, missing
God’s calling—ending in a wasted life
Peggy Noonan, referencing books that impacted her in 2008, noted Mother
Teresa’s Secret Fire
-an account of her trip to a spiritual retreat when she had “an overwhelming experience of God”
-something more than some dry command to feed the poor
-something more monumental, more mysterious—that led her to serve the
least, the last, and the lost in the slums of Calcutta
-the pt-we all have to find our Calcutta—but you don’t have to go to India
-Calcutta (the call of God) is all around you—but you have to be listening—you have to be able to hear
-but just a small lack of passion, a bit of indifference, self absorption,
busyness—can ruin it all
-sweat the small stuff!
C. SIN’S GOAL
-RUIN THE FRAGRANCE
-what Solomon tells us here is what all of Scripture underscore—
-sin’s strategy has an intended aim--to pollute, despoil, wreck, make odious
and unusable
-and it just takes a little—
-one lit—to undo years of integrity
-one inappropriate touch to undo years of trust
-from the beginning—it has been this way
-a bit of impatience, a strike of a rock—and Moses’ well was poisoned
-like one rotten apple that eventually spoils the whole barrel
-like a little leaven that leavens the whole lump
-as dead flies ruin the vat, so sin eventually contaminates, deadens
-the wages of sin is death
Illustration—Lents-Milford—who put these damn ropes up?—ruined the
fragrance
-this is sin’s goal—to corrupt powerful human capacities—thought,
emotion, speech, act
-turn the aroma of justice into the stink of injustice
-the perfume of gratitude to the smell of ingratitude
-the fragrance of respect to the stench of disrespect
-the scent of God centeredness to the odor of self centeredness
Why? Because there is something powerful about smell
-of the five senses—smell is the only one that goes directly to the brain
-more than any other sense—it affects moods, impacts emotions, influences behavior
-no wonder Dobbies puts its fragrances at the front door—Stanford’s places its alder wood fire pit near the front door
If we are to attract the unbelieving—it will have everything to do with our fragrance
D. SIN’S DEFEAT
-the implication of the metaphor is clear
-it begins with our commitment to keep watch, guard the heart, protect the perfume
-inspect the cracks that allow flies in
-for lives do not suddenly implode—marriages do not just collapse
-lots of things were in motion for months—maybe years
-lines crossed, behaviors justified, small flies allowed in
-and then the ointment goes bad
Let’s make this our year to aim for holiness
-hate the small sins—as well as the large ones
-for there’s no sin small enough He does not grieve over
-no sin large enough He cannot forgive

MAY YOU…………………………..

Series: Ecclesiates 9v 1-12, evening service sermon

2010-10-13T01:41:00.001-07:00

“The Reality of Time”
INTRO
Brush with death?
One cannot read Ecclesiastes without sensing he has had his brush with death
-or maybe this is a man in his older age—staring at its edge
-for death is a subject that haunts him through out the book
-haunt—because death is the great intruder
-death is the result of the Fall—the consequence of man choosing sin
-it is the painful reminder that humanity has been cut off from the tree of life
-we universally deny the thought of death—fill ourselves with a thousand distractions to avoid the subject
-affluence and comforts contribute to a sense of deferred death—even illusions of immortality
-we might even assume that if we can put it off long enough—maybe it won’t happen
-but Qoheleth won’t allow this—he confronts us head on with mortality’s reality often
-and here in chap 9—he does it again
-in the first six verses—he again declares that life is brief, fragile
-that our times are in the hand of God-vs 1
-that none of us knows what awaits us-vs 2
-but this we know for sure—we all have an appointment with the grave
vs 3-“the same destiny takes us all”
-so--better then to be a live mutt than a dead king of the jungle-vs 4
-the fact you have life means—take heart!
-for in contrast to the dead—you still have time
-and this is the point of the book!
Behind just about every theme is this realization that time passes—no matter who we are, what we do
-and it passes quickly—time slips though our fingers and escapes all efforts to manage it
-hence the use of hebel—vapor—some thirty times in the book
-life is hebel hebelim—vapor of vapors—his opening statement
-a way of saying our season on earth is less substantial than steam
-one can hear the Psalmist echoing in the background—
“As for man, his days are as grass,
-he flourishes like a flower of the field
-the wind blows over it and it is gone
-and its place remembers it no more (103:15-16)
-so how should we respond? What must we do?
-feel discouraged, morose, depressed?
-it’s actually quite the opposite (read vss 7-10a)
-this is God’s clarion call—DON’T LET TIME SLIP BY UNNOTICED!
-if we have heard this before—it’s because we have
-Solomon regularly punctuates the book with these words—this is the fifth of the carpe diem passages (2:24; 3:12; 5:18; 8:15)
-and while there are similarities—the tone here is sharper
Solomon moves to imperatives, giving urgency to the point
-there is a great commission of sorts—GO!
-take hold of the possibilities!
-embrace the good in life before it is too late—seize the moment before
death seizes you
-here again—Solomon is teaching us something many of us need to grasp
-that time is our most valuable possession, our most precious commodity
-it passes whether we choose to spend it or not
-we cannot regain what was misspent—so—
1-TAKE DELIGHT IN THE SIMPLE-vss 7-8
-in your meals—don’t consign them to mere replacement of spent fuel
-eat in gladness-drink with a pleasant heart
-put on your best clothes, your best face, your best lotions, your best fragrance
-after all—this comes from God (2:24)
-MORE--such delight is approved by God!-vs 7b
-something some of us cannot grasp
-as McManus puts it—many think spirituality is a journey toward numbness—a calling to be spiritual sourpusses
The reality is—according to Solomon—according to the whole of Scripture--joy is what demonstrates true spirituality
-it is what authenticates our faith—at times our greatest apologetic to an unbelieving world
-it is what gets us through the night
-life is brief--don’t waste the moments—don’t waste relationships
2-LOVE THOSE GOD HAS BROUGHT INTO YOUR LIFE-vs 9
-enjoy those God has invited you to love
-relationships—especially marriages--were never designed to be tolerated, endured
-for in this fleeting life—they represent our portion—our gift allotted from
God
-so take—receive—enjoy
-and when it comes to life’s endeavors—
3-GO WITH YOUR STRENGTHS-vs 10a
-live out your gifts—seize the opportunities
-don’t mark time--approach life half-heartedly
-as CS Lewis put it—
“None of us know the play—whether we are in Act I or Act V. We know a
few of the characters. The Author will have something to say to us on the
part we played—the playing it well is what matters”
In his “You’re Always in Season”, Hybels notes that it is critical we live in the season we’re in
-we may be in a season of growth—maybe a season of consolidation—transition, malaise, reinvention—whatever—grab it—change it
-give voice to the realities of that season—assign language to it, develop parameters to survive it, offer solutions to move through it
-do it with your strength—give everything to what is in front of you
-occasionally Jesus would turn to His disciples and say something like He
spoke in John 9:4-“As long as it is day, we must do God’s work”
-I have come that you might have life—and have it abundantly—LIVE IT
OUT!
Solomon wants to make sure we know why—(read vss 10b-12)
1-DEATH BRINGS TIME TO AN END
-the passing of time means the passing of certain opportunities
-Solomon is not denying a future state—life on the other side
-but he is warning us that particular earthly activities will not happen on the other side
-it’s only in this life—in time—can you do them
-enjoy your spouse—for marriage is not part of eternity
-invest in the kingdom now—for you can’t do it on the other side
-enjoy your work—for what we do on the other side will be different
-if you’re a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist, a dentist—go for it now—you’ll be out of work on the other side
-if you’re an lawyer, a psychologist, a teacher—there will be no need for your expertise
-if you’re a pastor—you will be absolutely useless in heaven
-so—go for it now!!
-seize your moments--
2-TIME HAS ITS UNPREDICTABILITIES-vss 11-12
-life is defined by the unexpected
-it is not the clear roadmap Proverbs seems to suggest
-no matter who you are—fast, rich, powerful, clever
-your wisdom and might and talent and wealth—while they enhance the prospect of success—do not guarantee it
-for things happen that are unforeseen, beyond control
-the swift may win the race—they may not make it to the end
-skills and efforts do matter—but time and events (calamities) will rule the outcome
-and no one knows when
-the fish may swim merrily, the birds may fly effortlessly
-and be entrapped in a moment
-and it can feel that way for us!
-the words go against so much of what culture tells us
-that we can define and shape ourselves and determine our destiny
-but this is a myth
-the promise of control is a seductive one
-in a world conceited about itself and its achievements
-the reality is--success is not ours to command
-we are not gods who control events—but mortals who are desperate for
God
-it’s not in man to direct his steps-Jer 10:23
-we are swung by tidal forces we do not control
-this week has underscored this to me and my family!
-death can come unexpectedly—that puts an end to one’s ability to enjoy life, go after dreams, fulfill one’s purpose
-what we can hold on to is God’s providence
CONCLUSION
This is your moment—right now
-this is where the past and the future collide
-and moments have the possibility of being ignored—as well as the opportunities within them
-but they also have the possibility of being seized—with the potential to change life forever
-so what are you doing with them?

God is closer than you think pt5

2010-09-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

Week 5: The People
One of the most popular kinds of books or articles in our day is the kind that offer a
diagnostic checklist to tell you if you fit into certain categories. You can check a few boxes and
find out, for example, if you’re in good health, or if you’re financially stable or teetering on the
brink of disaster, or if you’re being a good parent. It seems there are checklists for everything in
the world, including a book called How to Know If You’re a Redneck!
In case you’ve been wondering about that, I’ll give you a few indicators to help clarify
that for you.
1. If, when your front porch collapses, it kills more than three dogs, you might be a
redneck.
2. If you own a home that is mobile and five cars that are not, you might be a redneck.
3. If you’ve ever been fired from a construction job due to your appearance, you might
be a redneck.
4. If you’ve ever hollered, “Rock the house, Bubba!” during a piano recital, you might
be a redneck.
5. If you stare at a can of frozen orange juice because it says, “Concentrate …”
6. If you have to think about that last one … !
Today we’re going to look at a Bible passage and then take a ten-point diagnostic of
ourselves. So get out your paper and pen, and get ready.
These past few weeks we have been doing an intensive study and application to discover
that God is truly closer than we think.
• We’ve talked about his desire to be close to us—to be with us.
• We covered how being with him is our choice.
• The third week we learned how the Spirit of God is present within us as Christfollowers.
• Last week we learned about listening to God’s voice throughout each day.
Every one of these weeks builds on the other, and each reflects God’s great desire for a
relationship with you that is far more than a Sunday-morning experience—but is woven into the
fabric of every single day.
One of the most overlooked places to experience God’s presence is in the lives of the
people around us, particularly, but not exclusively, those who are Christ-followers.
Here’s the diagnostic question we’re going to ask ourselves today: “How do you know if
you are seeing God’s presence in and through the people around you?”
Here’s why this is important: when you and I grow in our awareness of God’s presence in
and through the people around us, we are growing in our love for people and our love for
God—and growing even more aware of his presence. This is critical to our maturing in our faith
as Christians.
If you have a Bible with you, please turn to Colossians 4:7–18, Paul’s final words to the
church in the city of Colosse. Here is what he says to this congregation:
“Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister
and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may
know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with
Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is
happening here.
“My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of
Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) _
“Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my
fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.
“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is
always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and
fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and
Hierapolis. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Give my greetings to
the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
“After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the
Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
“Tell Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.’
“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.”
People who are in community together typically do two very common things. They tell
stories and they dream dreams. The longer they’ve been in community, the deeper the stories and
the richer the dreams.
Do you realize that when you’re part of a small circle of individuals, there’s a story and a
dream attached to every person? That’s part of doing life in community.
That’s what lies behind Paul’s words here. Unfortunately, this is the sort of Bible text a
lot of people tend to skip right over. But it is so rich. I want to extract everything we can from it.
Paul most likely wrote Colossians as a prisoner at Rome, probably not far from the end of
his life. In this very poignant conclusion of his letter he sends greetings from a small circle of
people—a little community that faced prison or exile—back to some of their dear friends in
Colosse, knowing that some of them would probably never be reunited. In a sense, he pulls back
the curtain and reveals his little circle of traveling companions and special people to whom he’s
writing. A handful of names are mentioned, and there’s a story behind every one of them.
What I want to do is to walk with you around this circle, look at their stories, and ask you
to reflect. From the lives of these individuals and Paul’s words about them or to them, we are
going to see various indicators which help us recognize God’s presence in and through the
people around us.
The first indicator is this:
1. If you can describe how a person’s character traits reflect God, you might be seeing God
through the people around you.
Paul starts in verse 7 by saying, “Tychicus will tell you all the news about me.” We first
met Tychicus in Acts 20:4, where we’re told he’s from a Roman province of Asia. Paul here
gives him a beautiful commendation. Look at the three phrases that describe him.
He’s a “dear brother.” We’re in relational intimacy, Paul says. He’s a “faithful minister.”
Tychicus had some task to work at. We don’t know what it was, but he was diligent in his work
for the community. He’s a “fellow servant.” He served.
I want to give you a key word, a phrase for each one of the names around this little circle.
If you’re taking notes, you can just write down a little note next to each one of these names. The
one here for Tychicus is this word “encourage” in verse 8. “I’ve sent him to you for this very
purpose,” Paul says, “so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.”
Most New Testament scholars think that Tychicus was the representative of the church in
the province of Asia who brought money to the poor in the Jerusalem church. Imagine the
encouragement that brought to the believers in Jerusalem. Tychicus apparently was the guy who
signed up for that assignment.
Paul also wrote about Tychicus to the church at Ephesus. Take a look at what he says:
“Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you
also may know how I am and what I am doing.” (Ephesians 6:21)
When Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he was chained to a Roman guard. There are
certain things you don’t write about when there’s a Roman guard looking over your
shoulder—such as prison conditions or how you feel about Caesar! So he says Tychicus is going
to come so they can know for sure how things really are.
Tychicus would go to the people and reassure them: “Paul’s okay, he’s in God’s hands.
Not just that, the gospel is spreading, and the kingdom is growing!” And the people would be
encouraged, because when one human being authentically shares his or her experience of God’s
faithfulness, people get changed.
John Ortberg gives a powerful example of this truth. His wife Nancy received a note
while on staff at Willow Creek. The letter was written by Steve Bond and John tracked him
down for permission to read it. Here’s what it said:
“I’m writing this note to you knowing that you’ll share with appropriate people at
Willow. On Thursday night, last month, you baptized my father and mother. They are in their
seventies, James and Margaret Bond.”
Then, as John tells it, he digresses to point out, “James Bond got baptized here last
month. My wife baptized Bond, James Bond! In fact, when I called Steve to get permission, the
last three digits in the telephone number were 007!”
Back to Steve’s letter. “In the audience was our thirteen-year-old son. Apparently, the
service had quite an impact on my son. He told us Friday that Grandma and Grandpa looked so
happy on the stage that he knew he had some thinking and praying to do. Thursday night he
accepted Christ as his personal Savior.”
Then he writes, “My wife and I are ecstatic. My parents are walking on air.” But it’s
because a couple of people at one end of the life spectrum declared God’s faithfulness to them—
declared it was their sins that nailed Jesus to the cross—that the heart of a thirteen-year-old was
encouraged and the gospel was spread. Encouragers do that.
When you look into the life of another person and are able to declare the character traits
you see that resemble God—you are reminded of God’s close presence to you through them.
Their faithfulness is reflective of God’s faithfulness. Their trustworthiness is God’s
trustworthiness. The encouragement you see in them is God’s encouragement.
The second indicator is:
2. If you see people not for their earthly status but for their stature in Christ, you might be
seeing God through the people around you.
A writer named Denis Waitley writes about an exercise that he sometimes includes in his
public speaking. He asks eight volunteers from the audience to come upfront, and then he puts a
cardboard sign around each of their necks. On the sign is written a title to indicate their status in
life: baby, mother, astronaut, janitor, rock star, NBA basketball player, doctor, lawyer. Then they
are told to position themselves in order of their importance.
Now let me add that these volunteers are kids ages seven to eleven. What starts out as a
harmless exercise turns into Star Wars and Virginia Woolf. After the pushing and shoving stops,
they settle down to serious status seeking about who should be at the front of the line.
The astronaut heads to the front—“I am first because I am going places the rest of you
can’t go. Besides, I am going to try to find us another place to live because the earth is too
crowded.” Applause.
The rock star walks up and pushes the astronaut to second place, to a round of cheers
from the spectators. The rock star says, “I’m already in outer space. I make the most money, and
I could buy you as a pilot for my private jet.”
Next comes the NBA player. “I think that I should go first. I make as much money as the
rock star and play to a big crowd every night all season doing something physical, which is better
for you.” More cheers.
The doctor walks up to make his case. “I should go first because I fix all of you when you
are injured or sick, and I make good money.” Light applause.
The lawyer takes a try. “I’m the best because I can put you in jail or keep you out of jail,
and you have to pay all of your money to me.” Big cheers.
Up walks the mother. “I really am first because I brought all of you into the world.”
Again, just light applause.
The baby comes next. “Shouldn’t I really be first in line? All of us were babies before we
were mothers or anything else.” Nods and cheers.
Do you know who never tries to make it to the front of the line? The janitor. Those who
play the janitor role don’t even try for first because they know they will be laughed at if they do,
though it’s just a game.
That’s the way the game of life goes in this world. There is pushing and shoving to see
who is going to win, who is number one, who is most important, who is most powerful or most
successful. People go through their lives being miserable because there always seems to be
someone ahead of them, and it eats away at them.
If you are a person who can see people not for their earthly status, but for their stature in
Christ, you are more likely to see the nearness of God through the people around you. Take a
look at Colossians 4:9 where Paul writes about another name in his circle.
Paul says that Tychicus is coming with Onesimus, “our faithful and dear brother who is
one of you.” Turn to the letter of Philemon, just a few books further back in your Bible.
Onesimus was a runaway slave whom Paul had urged to return willingly to his owner,
Philemon, as a sign of his obedience to Christ. We’re about to see in a tangible way here that
what makes the new community of faith so unique is that the old divisions, boundaries, and
hostilities are just obliterated in Christ.
Beginning in verse 8, Paul writes to Philemon, “Therefore, although in Christ I could be
bold and order you to do what you ought to do”—in other words, Paul is saying, I could
command you to be reconciled and receive Onesimus back—“yet I appeal to you on the basis of
love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for
my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.”
Look at the skill and the heart and the care with which Paul works toward reconciliation:
“Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.” A little
note here: the name Onesimus meant “useful.” So Paul is making a sort of play on words. In fact,
the name was very rare name among freed people and given almost exclusively to slaves.
“I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him
with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I
did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous
and not forced.”
Even though he could, Paul is not going to use pressure or authority. “Perhaps the reason
he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good—no
longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.”
Those were radical words in those days, friends—“He is very dear to me but even dearer
to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” That is, he would now be a brother, not a
slave, both in their earthly relationship and in the church.
“So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.” Then look at
what Paul says. When Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” you’re seeing one in action
here.
“If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing
this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do
wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”
Onesimus could have been tracked down and killed, but Paul couldn’t bear to think of
disunity or enmity in the body. In Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse, he wrote, “Here there is
no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is
all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11)
Imagine how Onesimus, a runaway slave, felt knowing he had come back to his master,
Philemon, but that Philemon and the congregation at Colosse would hear these words from the
apostle Paul: “This is my faithful and dear brother.”
I’ll share a postscript with you. Several decades later, a church father named Ignatius
referred in his writings to a bishop of Ephesus named Onesimus. Now, we don’t know for sure,
but because this was a name pretty much restricted to slaves, it may well be that this same
Onesimus, a nothing, a slave in the eyes of the world, went on to become one of the great leaders
of the church.
Learn to look beyond the status or the role and see the stature of the person in their
relationship with Christ.
Then there’s Aristarchus. Paul writes just one phrase about him here in Colossians—“My
fellow prisoner”— but, along with a couple of other New Testament passages, it’s sufficient to
provide us with our third indicator:
3. If you observe Christ-followers who stick close to those who are in trouble, you might be
seeing God through the people around you.
In Acts 19:29 Paul is at Ephesus and there’s a riot, and we’re told that Aristarchus is one
of those with Paul, a loyal traveling companion who shared his trouble there.
Later, in Acts 27:1, it says, “When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and
some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the
Imperial Regiment.” And then we find out in verse 2 that they were accompanied by Aristarchus.
It may well be, some scholars think, that Aristarchus attached himself to Paul as Paul’s slave so
that the Roman soldiers would allow him to stay close by.
Often we do well when people are in a short-term crisis. For a week or two we’ll offer
support. But what about when people have long-term needs, ongoing financial or career
problems, or an extended illness? How loyal are you within your circle in such situations?
There’s a saying in Proverbs, a piece of wisdom that goes: “A friend was born for times
of adversity.” Does that describe you? That’s Aristarchus. Paul says, “He’s my fellow prisoner.”
He was in prison with Paul, almost certainly voluntarily.
Aristarchus reflects Jesus’ promise that he will be with us “always, to the very end of the
age.” When you see people who stay close in times of trouble, you are seeing God’s presence
through them.
Then there’s Mark. Paul says, “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does
Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you’ve received instructions.” This is
interesting—“If he comes to you, welcome him.”
In Mark’s life we find the fourth indicator:
4. If you see someone who has failed and is being restored, you might be seeing God through the
people around you.
Some of you know the story of Mark, also known as John Mark. In Acts 13:6, we’re told
that he set out along with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey. But in verse 13, Mark quit.
He deserted them.
Then in Acts 15:36–40, we read this:
“Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the
towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’
“Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it
wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in
the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.”
As we find out, Barnabas reclaims Mark, and over the ensuing years Mark doesn’t give
up. He returns to God and to the ministry, and proves himself faithful. In fact, Paul makes this
comment about him in 2 Timothy 4:11: “Get Mark and bring him … because he is helpful to me
in my ministry.” What a turnaround!
Eventually, Mark is called by God to be one of the writers of Scripture and the gospel of
Mark bears his name. Mark’s second chance is a picture to everyone around him of God’s
restoring grace. It certainly was powerfully evident in his life.
Maybe you’re here today and your story includes failure. You’ve tried ministry and
involvement, but it didn’t work out. Or you had a relationship or even a marriage failure, or you
lapsed in sin of one sort or another, and you’ve been feeling guilty. You’ve responded by
withdrawing from people and withdrawing from ministry.
Maybe you need some time for further healing, but if you’ve had enough time, get back
in the game. It’s been done before. Determine you will not spend the rest of your life on the
sidelines. And, if you know of somebody who’s failed, don’t give up on them either. Remember
the story of Mark. Because, through people like Mark, God’s presence is seen and experienced
by those around them.
Next Paul talks about Jesus, who was also called Justus. Justus, along with Aristarchus
and Mark, were called by Paul “the only Jews among my fellow workers.” But because they
lived among and ministered to the Gentiles it meant that they faced ostracism and being expelled
from the synagogue. Paul’s comment on Justus and the others is this: “They have proved a
comfort for me.” It’s a real tender word.
The fifth indicator to consider is:
5. If you see people who are bringing comfort to those who are hurting, you might be seeing
God through the people around you.
Paul likewise shared the fate of being ostracized, of being expelled from synagogue after
synagogue. We sometimes think of Paul as this real tough, calloused character, but he was not.
He needed to be comforted, and Justus, along with others, saw that. They brought comfort to
Paul.
Is there anybody in your small group or Sunday school class who you know needs
comfort? Is there anybody around you going through a loss of one sort or another who needs a
phone call or a note or a meal or just an embrace? Maybe there’s somebody here today who just
needs to be touched by you.
What a wonderful thing to have said about you what Paul says about Justus—“He’s a
comfort to me. I was wounded and hurt and lonely, and he brought healing to me.” It could be
part of what you bring to your little circle.
The sixth indicator is a powerful one that affects you and those around you, but is a
gateway to seeing God’s presence in and through the people around you:
6. If you pray bold prayers on behalf of the Christians you know, you might be seeing God
through the people around you.
Take a look at Colossians 4:12: “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ
Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all
the will of God, mature and fully assured.” The word Paul uses for “wrestling” is used one other
time in Colossians to describe his own struggles on behalf of the church.
It’s the Greek verb agonizomai. We get our word “agony” from it. The biblical picture of
wrestling you might best remember is the Old Testament story of Jacob in Genesis 32. Visited by
the spirit of God, the angel of the Lord, Jacob wrestles with him and says, “I will not let you go
until I have your blessing.” Transfer that particular mental image to Epaphras and you get the
idea.
Paul goes on to say of Epaphras in verse 13, “He is working hard for you,” but what’s
most interesting is, he brings that work ethic to prayer. He prays bold prayers.
When you pray bold prayers on behalf of the Christ-followers you know, God opens your
eyes to seeing them as he does. You see needs, strengths, and his hand working in ways that you
would otherwise be unable to recognize. You see God’s presence in their lives as you experience
prayers you prayed answered on their behalf.
Are you praying boldly for the faces and names around your circle? That’s what
Epaphras does. Though separated from the Christians in Colosse by so many miles, he struggles
and wrestles and agonizes for them in prayer.
The next character Paul talks about is Luke with just the phrase, “Luke, the beloved
physician.” Some of you may know about Luke being a physician. It’s the only time that he’s
called this in the New Testament. In our day, with all the feelings about HMOs and so on, it’s not
often that somebody gets called the “beloved physician”!
In Paul’s day, medicine was just emerging as its own discipline. Here’s apparently what
happened—Luke gave up a medical career to travel with Paul. Apparently, he felt God’s call to
leave the marketplace and enter ministry. Not everybody does, not everybody should, but Luke
did.
I’ll tell you an interesting theory. Paul talks in another letter about his “thorn in the
flesh.” He never specifies what that thorn is, but it may well have been a physical affliction. And
it’s very possible that the reason Luke has such a place in Paul’s affection is that Luke decided to
travel with Paul to give him medical attention.
Luke makes an incredible sacrifice for the cause of Christ and for Paul. Paul says this is
Luke, the beloved physician, who gave up his whole career. Of course, God had another career in
mind for Luke beyond missionary—that of an author. Luke went on to write the gospel of Luke
and the book of Acts.
The seventh indicator on how well we recognize the presence of God in the people
around us is:
7. When you observe people who are willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ, you might be
seeing God through the people around you.
It could be that sacrifice comes in the form of caring for someone who is homebound. Or
nurturing the youngsters in the nursery at church. Or serving Jesus in another country. Or living
on less so that they can give more. When you see sacrifice, you are seeing the character of God
through the people around you. Because God’s character is to give until it hurts—to the very
point of sacrificing his very own Son for you.
This year God is going to call some of you to sacrifice. Maybe it’s a big one. Maybe it is
a job change. Maybe you know that, and your heart’s kind of thumping right now. How are you
going to respond?
Maybe it’s a smaller sacrifice. Maybe it involves time devoted to ministry. Maybe it
involves money. Maybe it involves a difficult confrontation with somebody around your circle.
Will you do it? Will you say, “I will be like Luke and make a sacrifice. I will endure some pain
for the cause of Christ”?
Our eighth indicator to consider in this diagnostic of seeing God’s presence in the
people around us is:
8. If you observe someone whose first love is Jesus, you might be seeing God through the
people around you.
The next name is a very sad one. It’s Demas. He is the antithesis of what we are
diagnosing through this indicator. Take a look at verse 14 again, “Our dear friend Luke, the
doctor, and Demas send greetings.”
You’ll notice Demas is the one name in this whole passage with no description
surrounding it, but he has a story too.
There was a time when Demas was counted by Paul as a fellow worker. Here in Colosse,
he’s simply called Demas. The last mention of him is in 2 Timothy 4:10, where Paul writes about
him, “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”
Once Demas stood shoulder to shoulder with Paul. But there was a pattern of drift in his
life that went unchecked, and eventually he just drifted out of that little circle and drifted away.
We never hear of him again.
Some of you today need to do a heart check. What’s your first love? Honestly. Is it God?
Is that first love fresh? Or is the truth right now that you are drifting, perhaps consumed by a
career or financial issues or levels of achievement or comfort or security, and in the process
being pulled away from God, becoming detached from your circle?
God was not seen in Demas’s life. But God wants your life and mine to be marked by a
growing and unmistakable presence of a love for him. When you see someone drifting, step into
their life and call them back to their first love. If you ever see yourself drifting, run to God and
tell him: “I don’t want to drift. Help me to stop now.”
In verse 15, Paul says, “Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha
and the church in her house.” Nympha probably was either widowed or unmarried. Otherwise, it
wouldn’t be called her house, but the house that belonged to her husband. Her house was large
enough, apparently, to host the church. [Note: Some manuscripts translate this as the masculine,
Nymphas, but it is more likely feminine.]
Up until about the middle of the third century, the church did not have property, did not
have buildings like we have today, so it was dependent on somebody with a substantial enough
house for all the Christ-followers to meet in.
It’s through Nympha that we get our ninth diagnostic:
9. If you see men and women serving indiscriminately in the church, you might be seeing God
through the people around you.
Life in the church was different than life in the synagogue. You see, in Judaism, in order
to have a quorum for a synagogue, you needed to have at least ten men. Without that number,
you couldn’t have a synagogue. Women didn’t count. You could have a thousand women and
nine men, and no synagogue. Only men mattered.
Not in the early church. In fact, the Christ-followers chose another word to describe their
meetings. They didn’t have to. “Synagogue” was a generic Greek word that meant “gathering
place,” but is it used only once in the New Testament to describe a Christian gathering—James
2:2.
The Christians felt they needed a new word to describe their gathering, so now there is
the ecclesia, the assembly, the church. In this new community, the woman not only counts, but
here in Colosse, she’s the host. She’s like a quorum all by herself for the church.
In fact, one New Testament scholar, James Dunright, says because Nympha was the
householder and the only one named in the connection with the church in her home, she was
probably the leader of the church there. In the new community, there’s a new role for women.
Let me ask, are you part of a circle where men and women increasingly are relating as
brothers and sisters; where there are ministry opportunities and encouragement based solely on
giftedness, regardless of gender?
The tenth diagnostic is seen in the life of Archippus. Paul writes to him in verse 17: “Tell
Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.’”
The final diagnostic is:
10. If you see Christians who are faithful to finish what they begin, you might be seeing God
through the people around you.
We don’t know what Archippus’s task is, but apparently he was not following through
with something, or it looked like he might not follow through. Paul is concerned about this, so he
says, “See to it that you complete the work you have received.”
What a difference it makes in community when someone not only takes on a task, but
follows it through to completion. Many of us have lived in families where things like
procrastination or committing and not honoring the commitment were acceptable or
commonplace.
To be the person that we want to be in our little circles, some of us here need to do a heart
check on this issue and resolve, Whatever ministry I’m involved in, whatever task I have
undertaken, whatever commitments I have signed up for, I will see through to the finish. I’m not
going to let barriers or discouragements or obstacles stop me. When I promise to the community
to take on something, you can depend on me.
Friends, communities are built on this. God himself is the God of the covenant, the God
who promises and keeps his promise. Paul’s word to Archippus and to all of us is this: “See that
you complete the task that you have received. Don’t lose enthusiasm. Don’t just let it slide.”
When you see faithfulness, you are seeing God’s presence in that person. In a letter to the
church in Philippi Paul wrote about God’s faithfulness with these words: “He who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
In his final words in Colossians 4:18, Paul says, “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own
hand.”
Most likely he dictated his letters, but here at the end he says, “This part I write with my
own hand.” This is so poignant. Paul says, “Remember my chains.”
As Paul wrote these words, it was his chains that were dragging across the letter. He
heard them every time he moved his pen. It was his chains that bound him to a Roman guard
who never left his side. But this is not a plea for sympathy.
Paul didn’t even bother to ask people to pray that he be released from his chains, because
his chains—a sign of disgrace and weakness in that world—had become for him a symbol of the
power of the gospel. They were part of his story.
What’s amazing here is that Paul doesn’t say, “Remember my brilliant words; remember
that I am an apostle; remember my leadership; remember my amazing spiritual maturity.” He
says, “Remember my chains. It’s because of those chains that the gospel is being spread to Rome
itself. They could chain me, but couldn’t chain the gospel.”
Paul in effect says, “Remember my chains, for I do not write as one who doesn’t know
the cost of following Christ. I, too, have my own little cross to bear, for my story is not a story
about a title or a position or a diploma or glory.”
Paul was in chains because he wanted people to know the nearness of God to them
through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God shows you through the people around you his
nearness, his presence, his character, and his love. And, if you live out these ten diagnostics in
your life, you may be helping other people see that God is closer than they think as well.

God is closer than you think pt 4

2010-09-28T02:32:00.000-07:00

Week 4: The Voice
I want you to think for a moment about expectations. When Christmas or your birthday
comes, you have expectations about the gifts you’ll receive. When you’re about to receive a visit
from a friend you’ve not seen for a long time, you have eager expectations about what that visit
will be like. When a relative has long overstayed their welcome—you have even greater
expectations about when they will leave!
But there’s another side of expectations—the expectations that are placed on you by
others—and your own expectations as well. Someone from John Ortberg’s church made a list of
unspoken expectations that the average person in their community and church has, based on the
culture in which they live: [Pastors, feel free to make your own list that fits your community.]
• You will have good health, live a long life, be slim and physically fit, be toned, have
great hair, make-up, and body shape.
• You will be intelligent, articulate, and computer savvy.
• You will get into a good school and do well in school. Of course you’ll be popular.
• You will be sexually desirable without being promiscuous.
• You will pursue all your gifts and talents to the point of mastery.
• Of course you’ll marry a Christian (who has met all these criteria).
• Once married you’ll communicate wonderfully, your life will be filled with romance,
and as a couple you’ll share chores and have regular date nights.
• Your home will be beautiful (all the walls are naturally painted this year’s cool
colors).
• Your home will be clean, well-decorated, and organized. The landscaping (and your
home will be landscaped professionally) will be picturesque.
• All your meals will be gourmet, low-fat (or low-carb, or high-protein). When you
have children, all the baby food will be made from scratch.
• The kids will be naturally cute, healthy, smart, well-behaved, get into the right
schools, escape all danger of peer culture but still be well-liked and popular.
• As a Christian you’ll do ministry, be wise, respected, humble, have a daily quiet time,
be a prayer warrior and a knowledgeable Bible student.
• Your goal is to be rich without being snotty, confident but not abrasive.
• You will create family traditions, with your holidays being beautiful and meaningful.
• Your children will be raised in the faith, and you won’t do anything to damage their
spiritual relationship with God.
• You will maintain deep friendships, extended family relationships, write letters,
remember birthdays and anniversaries and send gifts, keep in touch with old friends,
come to Bible study, stay relaxed, friendly, and easygoing … did I leave anything
out?
All of these expectations are the result of various voices that have spoken into our lives
through the years.
There are other voices which speak into our souls that shape us as well. Some are voices
of affirmation:
“I believe in you.”
“You are important to me.”
“I know you can do it.”
“I love who you are.”
And others are voices of minimization:
“You’re an idiot!”
“You can’t do anything right!”
“You’ll never accomplish much in life!”
“Why aren’t you as good as your brother (or sister)?”
Painfully, some of those negative voices may have even come from home. A demanding
parent. A demeaning sibling(s). Or a parent who wasn’t demanding—they were silent—and you
never heard their voice of love or affirmation.
Add to those voices the voices we hear from TV, radio, print media, work, etc.—and
there are a lot of noises competing for our attention.
Out of all the voices … what if the voice that was booming through your heart and mind
was God’s and you heard it clearly? What if, during the course of every day, you recognized and
responded to God’s voice speaking directly to you? Do you think that might have a reorienting
effect on your days? How can we hear the voice of Jesus—our Shepherd—and lock in on that
voice and follow him?
When we talk about being fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, it means that we know
what he desires and we follow through. We can pick his voice out from all the others—and we
don’t veer away from where our Shepherd leads. Jesus had some pretty profound things to say
about this. Listen to how he describes the relationship he has with his true followers:
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father
knows me and I know the Father.… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow
me.” (John 10:14–15a, 27)
In the original language, the word that Jesus uses for “know” doesn’t mean to simply be
aware of something. It means to have an intimate relationship that is trusting and safe.
Around here we talk a lot about becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus. How do you
know if you are one? How do you really know? What’s the indicator? According to Jesus, a key
indicator of our followership is if we are listening for his voice and responding immediately to
what he says. We’ll talk a little later about how to distinguish his voice.
In the New Testament, the word for a fully devoted follower is “disciple.” It means to be
a student or an apprentice to someone. It was quite easy to tell if someone had entered into that
kind of learning relationship in the first century. Disciples like Peter, James, and John had made
a decision—to spend every day with Jesus to learn from him how to be like him. They watched
him, studied him, talked with him, worked with him. He had invited them to be his students—his
friends and partners. That’s how they spent every day. That’s what it meant to be a fully devoted
follower.
It’s important to understand that mostly they did the same activities as everyone else.
They ate, slept, worked, played, and learned. They just did them all with Jesus, and they couldn’t
believe they got to do this. Sure, they had left a lot of things—jobs, families, friends,
security—but they did that with great joy. They couldn’t believe they had an opportunity to be
with Jesus and listen to him.
For the disciples, the worst day of their lives was Good Friday when Jesus died. They
thought their lives had died with him. The best day of their life was Easter Sunday, when Jesus
defeated death and was raised again to life. Jesus said that now nothing—not even death
itself—nothing could keep his friends, his students, his disciples from being with him. Jesus’
final words, recorded in the gospel of Matthew are, “I am with you always, even to the very end
of the age.” Always.
That promise of Jesus is just as true for you and for me today. If you have asked Jesus to
be your forgiver and to lead every area of your life, then you can be assured that he is with you
and will never leave you. And not only that, but he desires to be in a conversational relationship
with you as well.
It’s strange and scary that in many Christian circles we have lost touch with the fact that
God actually speaks to us. In fact, that thought alone can be a bit unnerving for most of us. We
feel like it would be presumptuous to think that we might possibly have “heard” from God. And
even scarier that he may want us to either do something or change something. So like a little
child, we theologically stick our fingers in our ears and make noise with our life so that we can’t
hear his voice.
Besides, many of us have been taught through our religious upbringing that God only
speaks directly to the “paid professional”—the clergy—who will interpret what God said for
everyone else.
When it comes to hearing God’s voice, one of the things that holds us back from
believing he could be speaking to us is the list of misguided, wrong, or evil deeds done because
someone has claimed to have “heard” from God.
A guy named Roger Barrier has written a book called Listening to the Voice of God and
in it he tells about an experience he had with one of these misguided persons before he got
married. Here’s how he tells it:
“One evening I was sitting beside my fiancée in a little church we occasionally attended
during college. Shortly before the service began a woman spoke quietly to Julie.
“‘I have a word from the Lord for you,’ she said. ‘You will be like the prophetess Anna
in Luke 2. You will be widowed after seven years and spend the rest of your life ministering in
sweet service to God.’
“My first instinct was to tell the intruder I doubted God told her anything—that she had
imagined it. If God had something to tell Julie, he was perfectly capable of telling her himself,
but I held my tongue and looked at the young girl who would soon be my wife.”
Barrier continues, “I hate to admit that I worried occasionally during the first seven years
of our marriage. On the evening of our eighth anniversary, I intentionally stayed awake until
midnight. As I stood in the bathroom, I finally knew that woman’s dismal forebodings were
nothing more than a figment of her misguided imagination.”
Think about that … over seven years of worry because someone claimed to have “heard”
from the Lord. Even so, far worse things have been done in humanity because some person or
group claims to have “heard” from God.
On a personal level, every one of us knows the sin and junk in our lives, and we think
that there’s no way that God would choose to speak to us. We begin to subconsciously—and
sometimes consciously—rule ourselves out from the possibility that God could even want to talk
to us. We think:
• I’ve done too many wrong things in my life … there’s no way that God would have
much interest in me.
• I’m not a good enough Christian yet. When I get to the place where my act is cleaned
up … then maybe I’ll be ready for God to speak to me—but he wouldn’t choose to do
that any sooner.
• I don’t know enough of the Bible … when I know more, then he might choose to
speak to me.
• God wouldn’t be interested in me … I’ve never done much good in my life—it’s not
like I’m an important person in the church or anything.
I’ll try to say this as subtly as possible: DON’T YOU BELIEVE A WORD OF IT! Those
are the voices that need to be ignored, discounted, and rejected. If you have those words or
anything like them going through your mind when we talk about hearing from God, then it’s
your place to say something like:
“On the basis of the authority of the Bible I reject those ideas as contrary to it. When I
asked Jesus into my life, he joined me right then. Imperfect, a sinner, not knowledgeable about
the Bible—he loves me ‘as is’ and wants a relationship with me just as I am.”
Over the last three weeks we’ve talked about God’s promise to pursue a relationship with
us. We’ve spent time studying about our choice to be with Jesus—that he doesn’t force us into a
relationship with him, but it’s entirely up to us. And we talked last week about the Holy Spirit’s
role of guiding and empowering us each day. Each of these builds on the other.
And if all this is true—and it is—that God wants a relationship with us, that we can
choose to have a relationship with him (or not), that God places his Spirit in us to guide us, then
we’d best become students at hearing God talk to us.
The truth is that God is not distant, but close—closer than you think. Listen to these
verses from the pages of the Old and New Testament which reflect God’s ongoing voice being
heard:
“And [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the LORD God …” (Genesis 3:8)
“The LORD … said to Abram …” (Genesis 12:1)
File: Week 4_The Voice.doc Page: 8
“God said to Moses …” (Exodus 3:13)
“The LORD said to Joshua …” (Joshua 1:1)
“The LORD said to me [Isaiah] …” (Isaiah 8:1)
“The word of the LORD came to him [Jeremiah] …” (Jeremiah 1:2)
“The word of the LORD came to Ezekiel …” (Ezekiel 1:3)
“The Spirit told me [Peter] …” (Acts 11:12)
The same God who spoke in the Bible is the same God who speaks today. As we talked
about last week, for those who are Christ-followers, God has placed his Spirit within you as a
gift to lead, guide, empower, convict, comfort, and equip you. It is a gift you can never lose—but
one which you can quench, subdue, and ignore because he will not force his way on you.
In fact, you have to decide if you want to hear from God or not. The writer to the
Hebrews writes this warning: “See to it that you do not refuse him [God] who speaks.” (Hebrews
12:25)
Pay very close attention to this: the desire to hear from God also means a desire to obey
him and not refuse him. So if we really desire to hear his voice, it means that we are ready and
willing to submit to what he is going to say and follow through with immediate obedience. It
does not mean that we are going to weigh it out and decide through selective listening what
we’re going to do with it.
We’re going to take a closer look at a couple biblical accounts of God speaking and then
list some guidelines to help us discern God’s voice through each day.
One of the most famous Bible stories of God speaking and making his presence known is
centered around the prophet Elijah. The incident occurs in 1 Kings 19, but first let’s get some
context by checking out 1 Kings 18, which describes a huge spiritual victory that takes place on
Mount Carmel.
There Elijah meets evil King Ahab and a huge gathering of people, including 450
prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. Elijah sets up the ground rules for the
confrontation about to take place. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to set up an altar of
rocks, sacrifice a bull and put it on the altar—and pray for Baal to send fire from heaven to
consume the sacrifice. When they are done, he gets a turn. Whoever gets an answer has a real
God. Fairly straightforward rules of engagement.
To make a long story short—but it’s worth your reading when you go home—Elijah
wins. God sent such intense flames from heaven that even the rocks of the altar burned up. The
prophets of Baal lost big-time. In fact, they didn’t survive the day.
However, even though Elijah won, even though God got glory … the king and queen
were pretty angry about losing their prophets and so they were gunning for Elijah’s life. So he
takes off and hides in the desert wanting to die. Now take a look at 1 Kings 19:9–13:
“There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him:
‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
“He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have
rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.
I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’
“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the
LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and
shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was
an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the
LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he
pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
“Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
God was showing Elijah that, yes, he can do huge and spectacular things to make his
presence known—like sending down fire from heaven. But lasting spiritual work doesn’t happen
in big “extravaganza” moments of God’s power, but in the ongoing quiet of his voice and
presence in the lives of his followers.
One of the best books you can read on discerning God’s voice is called Hearing God by
Dallas Willard. In it he writes: “The still, small voice—those inner promptings—is still the most
preferred and most valuable form of individualized communication for God’s purposes.”
Another account of someone hearing God’s voice in the Old Testament occurs in 1
Samuel 3. It’s the story of a young boy who was dedicated to serving God at the tabernacle by
his mom. Beginning at about the age of three, Samuel grew up serving in God’s house.
Eli is the high priest and Eli and God are watching out for this little boy, Samuel. One
night Samuel is lying in bed, and he hears his name. And he figures Eli called him, so he runs
into Eli’s room. “Here I am.” And Eli says, “I didn’t call you.” It happens again, and he runs into
Eli’s room again and Eli says, “I didn’t call you.”
Did you ever know of kids who interrupt their parents’ sleep at night for all kinds of odd
reasons? But Eli finally realizes what’s going on. Look at 1 Samuel 3:7:
“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been
revealed to him.”
So when it happens a third time, Eli knows that God is speaking to Samuel, but Samuel
does not know it’s God.
In other words, it’s possible for God to speak to somebody and for that person not to
know it’s God speaking. Learning to discern the voice of God is an acquired skill. It’s learned
behavior. And the ministry of Eli is to help Samuel learn to recognize the voice of God in his
heart.
I want to point out right now one of the most critical variables in entering into a life of
partnering with the Holy Spirit, and it is a beautiful phrase. Take a look at 1 Samuel 3:19.
Samuel is learning from Eli how to discern God’s leading, God’s guiding, God’s whispers in his
life. The Bible says:
“The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up”—and here’s the phrase—“and he let none of
his words fall to the ground.”
In other words, Samuel let none of God’s words go unheeded. Anything God said,
Samuel did. Any time God said, “Go,” Samuel went. Any time God said, “Speak,” Samuel
spoke. He let none of God’s words fall to the ground. He caught them all. He said, “God speak,
your servant listens.”
I want to tell you, in this whole business of learning to discern the voice of God, being
immersed in Scripture, having wise friends to get counsel from, and so on—those are all
important. But perhaps most important is that you make the decision to say, “God, speak, and
whatever you tell me to do, I will do. Even if it feels a little awkward or a little hard, I will let
none of your words fall to the ground.”
If you have a prompting and you think its from God, and it’s consistent with Scripture,
and it moves in the direction of the fruit of the Spirit—toward love and toward joy and peace,
etc.—do it! Don’t let a single word fall to the ground.
If it’s to encourage somebody, to share your faith, to do an act of kindness, to confront in
love, do it. Don’t let a single word of God fall to the ground. And some of you today need
guidance. And your prayer today just needs to be, “God, guide me.” God really does that.
In his book, Listening to the Voice of God, Roger Barrier offers ten excellent guidelines
for discerning God’s voice. You might find these helpful …
1. God tends to speak with gentle leadings. Don’t be looking for the spectacular “fire from
heaven,” but listen for the gentle whisper, the inner promptings. Let your spiritual ears
become sensitized to God’s voice.
2. God’s voice produces freedom. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:30)
3. God tends to speak when I am seeking him. The prophet Jeremiah reported God as saying:
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek
me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12–13)
4. When God is speaking, there is a sense that everything is under control. God wants us in
control of our faculties and decisions. God related that “the spirits of prophets are subject to
the control of prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:32). Paul warns in 2 Timothy 2:24–26 that Satan
wants to ensnare and control people when he speaks. Paul’s hope is that the Christians “will
come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his
will.” When self and Satan speak, there is an inner sense that something is out of control.
5. God convicts of specific sins. John 16:8 teaches that the Holy Spirit “will convict the world
of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” As Barrier writes: “My experience
is that when God convicts of sin, his voice is quite specific: ‘Yesterday at 2 p.m. you did
this.’ Satan and self, on the other hand, often accuse in broad generalities, leaving me with an unfocused sense of haunting guilt centered around poor choices, questioned priorities,
unfinished responsibilities, or unmet expectations. Now when I feel accused or have a
nagging sense of unspecified guilt, I pause and consider why I feel so guilty. If there is not a
definite sense of conviction about a specific sin, I know the feelings are not from God’s
Spirit.”
6. God speaks with 100 percent truth that can be tested by the Bible. Make sure that your
prompting is in agreement with the overall teaching of Scripture and with basic biblical
themes. Anybody can pick one or two verses out of context, twist it around, and build a cult.
You want to try to keep it all in balance with Scripture. That’s why it is so important to be
sure that you’re spending regular time each day reading the Bible, building it into you, so that
it’s the framework for your thinking, for your responding.
7. God’s voice always leads to a deep, abiding sense of peace. Sometimes that peace comes
when we surrender to his voice and not let his words “fall to the ground.” Obedience
sometimes precedes peace. For example, Philippians 4:7 promises, “The peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
That sounds great and it’s a very true promise from God. And yet many people claim
that verse and wonder why they don’t have peace. But they don’t realize that it’s predicated
on the obedience of the previous two verses. Philippians 4:4–6 says: “Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
8. Get wise counsel from Christ-followers you trust!
9. Make sure that what you are sensing is from God really agrees with the character and nature
of God. For example, God’s voice wouldn’t approve of a couple living together outside of
marriage or of an extramarital relationship so that a person can be “happy.” Those things
would be contrary to what the Bible teaches and contrary to God’s holy and pure character
and nature.
10. Ask yourself, “Does this agree with my conscience?” You need to know that it’s real natural
to ask yourself, “Is it possible that maybe, just maybe, after going through this checklist—I
could be mistaken about God’s promptings? Could I possibly have missed something and be
heading way off-base?”
I love what Dallas Willard says about this. He writes: “Of course you could be wrong.
God doesn’t intend to make us infallible by his conversational walk with us, but you are
usually correct.”
In other words, don’t minimize, don’t rationalize. Don’t compromise.
So here’s how it’ll play out in our lives this week—how we’ll make the choice to be with
Jesus and listen for his voice—to begin to increase our sensitivity to hearing the voice of our
Shepherd.
Tomorrow you’ll have some leisure time. Of course, in our society, there’s one primary
activity that people engage in during leisure time, so it leads to the question: “Would Jesus watch
TV?” Well, it depends on what’s on.
If you watch TV, watch it, but watch it with Jesus and talk to him about what you see. If
he wants to change your habits, he’ll speak to you about that. You can trust him to do that. He
really will.
When you read tomorrow, read with Jesus. Talk with him about what you’re reading. The
newspaper then becomes an invitation to pray for the world, for what’s happening on the streets
of your neighborhood, your city, in Washington, in Afghanistan, and in the West Bank. Just talk
to God about the world.
Tomorrow, whatever the day holds—household errands, interruptions—every one of
them is an opportunity to be with Jesus. When you forget, and you will, when you mess up, and
you will, here’s a real important rule just for tomorrow: no beating yourself up. No failing
tomorrow because every moment is another chance. God just keeps sending them. That’s grace.
Every moment is a chance for you to be with him.
Tomorrow night when you lay down your head on the pillow, review the day. Thank
Jesus for going with you. Thank him for his gentle whispers. Remember the moments when you
heard his voice. Decide if you’d like to spend another day with him on Tuesday. If you would,
invite him because he’d love to.
One thing you must do is decide. You will not drift into this way of life. Our culture will
not make it happen; you must decide. So I’m going to give you a moment right now to decide.
I’m going to invite you to write one last thing on your bulletin right now, so take your pen.
Maybe it’s just one word like, “yes,” to express your heart or, “together,” to remind yourself that
you’ll go through the day together. Maybe it’s a phrase, “I’ll walk with you.”
Right now, as you write that on your bulletin, tell Jesus, “I want to spend tomorrow with
you, listening to your voice.” Put that paper someplace where you’ll see it all day, maybe on
your desk, taped to a mirror, or maybe in your calendar. Remember that this same offer came so
many years ago to Peter, James, and John, and it changed their lives.
This is the best offer you’ll ever have. You will never in your life—I don’t care what
happens, I don’t care how much money you make or what ladder of success you climb—you will
never have another offer like this one. People miss it all the time. People miss it every day, day
after day, until the end of their lives. Some people go through their whole lives and they never
take it. It’s your day. Don’t miss it.
Let’s pray. [Let the room become still and silent] “Speak God … your servants are
listening.… [LONG PAUSE] … Amen.”

God is closer than you think pt3

2010-09-28T02:24:00.000-07:00

Week 3: The Presence
The late Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ told this story of a famous oil field
called Yates Pool:
“During the Depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr.
Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on
the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his
family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.
“Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no
doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil
company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission
to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.
“At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a
day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, thirty years after the
discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000
barrels of oil a day.
“And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and
mineral rights. Yet he’d been living on relief. He was a multi-millionaire living in poverty. The
problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it.”*
I think that many Christians today—though they have salvation through Jesus
Christ—are still living in spiritual poverty because they haven’t begun to live in the power of
God’s presence within them. It is as though we are living in the land of Christianity, but unaware
that beneath the surface—in the depths of our souls—there are riches at our disposal which God
has made available to us.
Two weeks ago we talked about God’s promise and desire to be with us. From cover to
cover the Bible talks about God’s steps to have that relationship with you and with me. Last
week, we looked at our choice to be with him—that it isn’t pushed on us, but that we make the
decision on whether or not to be with him.
After that decision is made, how do we move toward living in God’s riches instead of in
spiritual poverty? The very premise of our adventure during these six weeks is that we desire a
closer relationship with God, right?
Do you know one of the most amazing verses in the Bible? It’s John 16:7. It is when
Jesus tells his disciples that instead of coming closer to them, he is going away from them. As he
tries to prepare them for his departure, he says these words:
“I tell you the truth: it is for your good that I am going away.”
Just for a moment, consider the disciples’ shock. Imagine if you were in their place.
Your life has been turned upside down by this man.
For three years you’ve been captivated by his every word.
You lived to hear him teach.
You lived to watch him heal.
You lived to see him love.
You left everything to follow him, convinced that he held the key to the future of the
human race. You’ve bet the farm on it.
And now he says he’s going to leave? That’s the end of your world!
You’ve sacrificed everything for him … and now you’re going to lose him!
But then Jesus has the audacity to add: “—and it’s a good thing.”
Sure. Kind of like what parents say before they spank their child: “This is going to hurt
you, but it’s good for you.”
But Jesus is quite serious and gives the reason why it’s a good thing that he leaves. He
says: “Because unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him
to you.”
Now I want you to think about that for a moment. That’s a staggering statement.
We often think: “I’d give anything to have lived when Jesus did—to hear his voice; to see
his face; to watch him perform miracles.”
But Jesus says, “No. It is better to live in the era of the Spirit than it is to walk with me on
the earth.” Jesus is saying we are more fortunate than the disciples were. You and I have an
advantage over those who actually walked with him!
Since Jesus says it, it must be true … so doesn’t it make sense that if we want to be close
to God we had better thoroughly know and lean on the person of the Holy Spirit? Shouldn’t we
be crystal clear on his identity and ministry?
For Christ-followers to miss this would be disaster.
In the Bible, the image Jesus uses of the Spirit in our life is a river.
Take a look with me at John 7:37–39:
“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If
anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has
said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those
who believed in him were later to receive.”
The King James version reads: “Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.”
The word that’s used for “belly” is koilios—it means the “center of your being; the
deepest part of your authentic self.” The belly is that place that gets tied up in knots when you’re
anxious, where squadrons of butterflies fly in formation when you’re afraid, where you are
angry, or unsatisfied, or unhappy.
You may be able to manage your face. You maybe be able to make it look confident
when you’re dying inside. You may fool people by forcing your body language to appear relaxed
when you’re under stress. But your belly is not fooled. It is your inner core. It is where every
major emotion gets registered. It is where you carry the real truth about strength and weakness
with which you face life.
Jesus is basically saying, “If you follow me right down in your guts, your belly—you will
be flowing with energy, hope, love, and power.”
Did you notice in verse 39 what this picture of flowing waters stands for? The Holy
Spirit. This new kind of life is tied to the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. He’s in you.
For the most part, Israel is desert. The audience to whom Jesus was speaking didn’t see
many rivers. What they saw were wadis—troughs that ran through the sand. Wadis were usually
just dry gulches, but after a rain storm they would be filled with water.
So for the people Jesus was teaching in Israel, a full river is life. The opposite, a dry
gulch, is death.
The Bible uses the images of rivers and streams to depict spiritual reality: there is a flow
of God’s presence and power that gives life.
For example, Psalm 46:4 reads, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
God.…”
In Jeremiah 17:7–8 the prophet wrote:
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be
like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat
comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear
fruit.”
If a river flows unobstructed, all kinds of good things will happen. It will nourish trees. It
provides a home for fish and plants. It gives drinking water to human beings.
But if a river gets dammed up; if it gets blocked, obstructed, polluted, cut off—there’s
death:
“As the deer pants for the water,
So my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
In the desert country, when all the wadis are dried up, a deer is going to die if it doesn’t
find water.
The way this applies to our lives is to understand that it is not primarily a statement about
our level of desire. It’s not primarily talking about how much we want to come to church and
sing songs of worship.
It’s a simple observation of fact. It is the predicament of the human race, even if we’re
not aware of it. If the water—availability of Spirit—is blocked off, we will experience loss,
unsatisfied desire, spiritual death.
We see this again in the very last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:1–2:
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from
the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of
the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And
the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

From the opening scene of Genesis to the closing chapter of Revelation, God creates,
redeems, and then re-creates a world that is to be full of life. The life he creates and offers flows
like the power and purity of a river.
Jesus says that he came so that you would be filled with life—that if someone asked how
you’re doing you would say, “I’m living the most complete, filled up, God-centered, peaceful,
empowered life you could imagine.” I wonder how many of us would answer that way today?
Let’s look at exactly what Jesus said. Turn in your Bibles to John 10:10…
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full.”
Over the years I’ve noticed something quite interesting. In some churches almost the only
thing they say about Jesus is how he’ll get you into heaven after you die. They don’t elaborate
much about life on this side of heaven. It’s almost like a fatalistic, foregone conclusion that we
simply slog along until we finally die and go to heaven.
Yet when you read the Gospels Jesus almost never talks about getting people into heaven.
Jesus talks about getting people into life.
Of course that includes life beyond the grave. But it always starts here.
Who does the thief represent? The thief is the Evil One, Satan. We should expect
opposition as Christ followers, but not be fearful of it. The Bible reminds us that “the one who is
in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
Turn to any book in the New Testament, and you see this picture of amazing life painted.
For example, 1 Peter 1:8 says:
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now,
you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

A little later Peter says of the people he’s writing:
“You have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your
brothers.” (1 Peter 1:22)
Peter is saying that these first-century Christians have rid themselves of malice, deceit,
hypocrisy, envy, and slander. They have humbled themselves under God’s mighty hand.
How many here would say this pretty much describes you?
That you are filled with inexpressible joy?
You are ridding yourself of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander?
When people are around you, they notice your belly is flowing with rivers of living
water?
If you’ve more or less mastered humility—raise your hand!
Here’s what I think happens.
Many people hear about the good news of Jesus Christ. They are overwhelmed by this
vision of hope, and they say, “Yes! I want Jesus in my life!”
And so, for a time, there’s a kind of honeymoon period. They are drawn toward Scripture
in a new way. They get excited and want to tell other people about Jesus. They love to worship.
And some things change in their life. Coarse language gets cleaned up. Certain addictions
may be overcome. They get involved in serving in the church.
But over time this process of change seems to stall. And instead of my life looking like
this amazing picture painted in the New Testament, it looks like this:
—I yell at my children.
—I worry too much about money and my job.
—I get jealous of people more successful or attractive than me.
—I use deception to get out of trouble.
—I pass judgment on people all the time.
When I read the New Testament words about putting off the old nature and being a new
creature in Christ, I’m not jumping with joy at the change. Instead of feeling inspired by them,
these words make me feel discouraged or guilty or confused or just tired.
I get overwhelmed with all the stuff I’m supposed to do. And so I’m stuck with this gap
of what I’m supposed to be as a Christian and what I’m actually experiencing. Have you ever
been there?
Do you know what people do when they’re not closing the gap? These are real strategies.
A lot of people try harder.
They think, “The problem with this gap in my life is I’m just not being heroic enough in
my effort.”
I see this in a lot of you. “I’ll close the gap by sheer spiritual elbow grease—I’ll get up
earlier, pray longer, read another book, listen to more tapes, learn new disciplines, serve more,
work hard to be nicer to my family.”
Then you hear about somebody else who gets up at 4 a.m. to pray, and you feel
guilty—so you resolve do that too. Even though you’re not a morning person.
Even though at 4 a.m. you’re dazed and confused and groggy and grumpy and nobody
wants to be around you. Even Jesus doesn’t want to be with you at 4 in the morning!
But you say to yourself, “This is hard, exhausting, and miserable—so it must be
spiritual.”
You do your absolute best to keep it up for days, weeks, or even months—but you can’t
sustain it. And when you stop, you feel guilty. Pretty soon you start something else.
I’ll tell you a secret that deep inside you may already know, but are afraid to admit—
You’re tired. Not just physically tired. You are weary in your soul.
You are one of those to whom to whom Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Those are confusing words to you right now, because for you, coming to Jesus is
exhausting. But he wants to close the gap. He wants you to experience rivers of water … the
Spirit … flowing through you. And trying harder isn’t going to sustain you in your journey.
Other people who aren’t closing the gap between who they should be in Christ and who
they are simply pretend.
They know they’re supposed to be different, so they decide to “fake it till they make it.”
When you talk to them, their life is a miracle a minute. They smile a lot. Every prayer
gets answered. Every decision is a word from God. Every sentence ends with “praise the Lord.”
These Christians get good at impression management. One woman John Ortberg knows
had a son who was going through severe depression. But his depression violated the family
image of everything they were trying to portray as “Christian.” And do you know what her
counsel was to her son? She told him to smile because “fake happiness is better than genuine
depression.”
For the pretenders, inside … when everything’s quiet … and they’re alone—the gap’s
still there.
Others try to close the gap by rededication.
One of the places you’ll especially see this in some churches is in their youth groups.
John Ortberg experienced this quite often when he grew up. Here’s how he describes it:
“We’d be sitting around a campfire and the speaker would tell a real emotional story.
He’d say, ‘Last year, there was a group of teenagers who were driving home from this very camp
who got in a car crash and died.’
“Every year it was the same story. By the end of high school it was amazing we had any
teenagers left to go to camp—they apparently kept dying in crashes on the way home!
“But the rededication didn’t close the gap between who we knew we were supposed to be
and who we were.”
Some people try to close the gap by switching spiritual venues.
I have seen this hundreds of times.
Somebody grows up in a non-charismatic church and thinks, “If I just go to a charismatic
church, where they take a different approach to tongues/healing/prayer/worship—that will close
the gap.”
Someone else grows up in charismatic church and thinks, “Things here are so experienceoriented
and shallow; if I just to a church that’s got some deep theology.…” And so they go to
real “heady” church.
Some people choose to go to a church that takes some particular approach to teaching or
evangelism or the sacraments or social action—and they think, “If I just went to another kind of
church—that would close the gap.”
Sometimes it’s like watching a giant game of musical pews.
And some people don’t try to close the gap any longer—they just give up.
They’ve tried all the supposed solutions and feel completely discouraged. Or hopeless.
So inwardly they decide such a different way of life is really not possible. They stay a
Christian. They keep going to church. They maintain their involvement in church life. They sure
hope they’re going to heaven when they die. But they decide that not much can be done about
that gap in this life. So secretly, they give up.
Some of you have.
[PAUSE]
But what if there is another way?
What if Jesus was right?
What if it is possible for you to come increasingly alive with love, joy, peace—and it’s
not by trying harder?
What if the Spirit of God is like a river, flowing all the time in your life?
What if your job isn’t to try harder or run faster or get up earlier?
What if God is at work all the time, in every place that you are?
What if your job is simply to jump in the river?
Your job is to figure out, from one moment to the next, “How do I just stay in the flow?
How do I not do those things that close me off to the Spirit? How do I keep myself aware and
submitted—so that those rivers of living water are running through my belly? How do I learn to
flow with the Spirit?”
Let’s take a look at John 16:12–15 where Jesus teaches about some of the roles the Holy
Spirit has in our lives:
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only
what he hears, and he will tell what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what
is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the
Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”
The Spirit is a funnel through whom the blessings of God come to us. The Christian life
is life lived in the Spirit.
In the passage I read earlier from John 16:7, the word Jesus used for “counselor,”
referring to the Holy Spirit, in the original language is parakletos. This is an extremely rich
word.
It comes from two different Greek words: kaleo—which means “to call” and
para—which means “alongside.” The picture is of someone called to come alongside another
person and stand by them.
It could be translated “comforter,” “helper,” or “advocate.” It was a word which was used
in that day in the legal arena. The parakletos was one who would serve the defendant, acting as a
character witness or a kind of legal counsel.
This word is used only one other time in the New Testament. It’s found in a shorter letter
of John called 1 John, where he writes:
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we
have one who speaks to the father in our defense [parakletos]— Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole
world.” (1 John 2:1–2)
With the Spirit as our counselor we do not have to live in fear about judgment of God, for
Jesus stands next to us, in effect saying: “On the basis of the cross, this one is mine. They are
innocent. This one belongs to me.”
Turn to John 14:16–18 and let’s look at it together. Jesus is talking with his disciples and
he says:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you
forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows
him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I
will come to you.”
He says he’ll send “another parakletos”! Who is the first one? It’s Jesus. And he tells his
friends that he won’t leave them as orphans. They won’t be alone and on their own. In fact, he
gives them this amazing promise about the Spirit:
“For he lives with you and will be in you.”
Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit of almighty God is inside you. He takes up residence
in your life!
Think about your need for a good counselor. Have you ever made a dumb decision? Do
you ever worry about things even though worrying didn’t do you any good? What about people
problems?
I once saw a cartoon of a woman with frazzled hair. She wore a haggard expression and
had dark circles under her eyes. Her face was lined with care and she was saying: “When I woke
up this morning I had one nerve left and now you’re getting on it!”
Does anybody here have people problems? Do some of you have a problem managing
anger? Do some of you beat yourselves up all the time for things that aren’t your fault?
Jesus says he will send what Lloyd Ogilvie calls “the Greatest Counselor in the world.”
I believe there is a deeper adventure of the Spirit open to us. I’m jealous of that for you
and me.
Let me ask you, if you had the ideal counselor—whether a professional counselor or a
trusted friend—wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing?
For example, you would know that you are accepted. With the perfect counselor, you
could say anything and they would always listen. They’d never turn away or reject you or laugh
at you. As you spent time with that counselor, healing and change would begin to take place.
Time spent with the perfect counselor would yield perfect wisdom in your life. Your
ideal counselor could diagnose you with great accuracy. You would find yourself filled with
insight and clarity, guided toward truth and able to make decisions which yield far less negative
consequences and have exponential benefits.
With the ideal counselor, you wouldn’t be stuck with the status quo … but empowered
for change and better living.
It would be nice if you didn’t have to pay for your counselor’s time. Better yet, it would
be nice if your counselor could just go with you wherever you are.
All of this is what the Holy Spirit does.
I have said to the Spirit,
“I want to be your counselee.
I want to have deep, private sessions with you.
I’m tired of trying to solve my problems myself.
I’m tried of carrying life-draining anxieties.
I want to ruthlessly follow your counsel.
I want you to be my counselor.”
The greatest counselor in the world helps us grow. And some of the ways that people
grow in the knowledge of God and insight into the Bible is through the work of the Spirit within
them. That’s why, when someone becomes a Christ-follower, the truths in the Bible become
more clear to them—there’s a partnership taking place because of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
Listen to what the apostle John writes about this in 1 John 2:20 and 27:
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.… As for
you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach
you.”
Does this mean we don’t need pastors or sermons anymore? (I know some of you are
getting excited.) Does this mean we can just stop paying their salaries? (More of you are getting
excited.)
The answer to both questions is no! You see, there were people in the church who were
teaching false doctrine—they were creating dissension and fear. These false teachers claimed
that they had special authority based on a superior anointing of the Spirit.
John is encouraging the Christians to whom he was writing (and us today) by basically
saying: “You all have the Spirit. Don’t just be like sheep. Don’t let someone intimidate you by
claiming superior spirituality. You as much as anybody are in direct contact with Spirit of God.”
Another role that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is that of guiding us.
When Jesus was teaching he referred to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s role
of guidance by saying:
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
To illustrate, let me tell you about a young man named Scott. Scott had asked Christ into
his life when he was young, but through the years he just drifted away from God and desired to
simply control his own destiny—call the shots—live his life however he wanted regardless of the
consequences.
By the time he was in his mid-thirties everything he held onto for security was slipping
through his fingers. As a result of back surgery he could no longer work. His closest friend had
died. He was losing his home … if there was a bottom to be hit in his life he was there and
excavating to go deeper.
Full of despair, Scott was driving around town asking God to show him what to do. He
saw a road sign that said “Dead End” and that was how he felt. For some reason, he decided to
see what was at the end of the road. When he reached it, he found a church.
It wasn’t Sunday, but Scott pulled into the parking lot to cry and pray. He had tried other
churches through the years and never felt accepted. But because of his prayer for guidance he
decided to give this one a try the next Sunday.
He showed up and continued to come, week after week, and found the healing and hope
through Jesus and that community of Christians which he had longed for all his life.
The Holy Spirit can even guide drivers to their destination. You may have a GPS in your
car or use Mapquest—but they fall way short of the directing work of the Spirit of God!
What was prompting Scott to turn down that road? The Holy Spirit.
The Spirit gives us insight into truth. The Spirit gives us guidance. The Spirit also gives
us wisdom. Listen to this promise from the Bible found in the book of James:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without
finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)
God gives wisdom that we need through the Spirit.
Usually we’ll approach someone and say, “I have a problem.” Then we proceed to lay it
out in great detail and finish by saying, with great emotion: “I need your wisdom on this. Please
give it.”
The Bible is quite clear that it is good to seek counsel from wise people around us. But
wouldn’t it make sense to first go to the Greatest Counselor?
Here’s what we should do.
This week when you face a situation that needs wisdom, insight, and guidance, whether
it’s a:
• Significant decision
• A tough parenting situation
• A relational challenge
• A dilemma at work
• A need for time management
First, stop. Be still—even at work, just take a moment to quiet your heart.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and insight.
And listen.
The Spirit will bring Scripture to mind. You will have insights—sometimes a nudge to
make the right choices. He’ll guide! But you must listen.
When we partner with the Spirit through the course of each day, a greater dependence on
him builds within us. We become sensitized to his presence. It is as though he is flowing through
us with the freshness of a mountain river.
No longer will we be seeking to close the gap by trying harder, or pretending, or
switching, or even giving up. But we will discover that from within rivers of living water are
flowing from our belly … and the fullness of life that Jesus promised will be ours because God is
closer than we think.
*SOURCE: Untapped Spiritual Resources, by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, IL. Citation: Bill Bright, “How to Be
Filled with the Spirit” (Campus Crusade publication)

god is closer than you think pt2

2010-08-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Week 2: The Choice
Pastor John Ortberg, who wrote God Is Closer Than You Think, tells of a relative of
his—a young woman and her husband—who bought an older home a few years ago and were
fixing it up.
The husband was going through the attic during one of those fix-up days and found an
old paper bag. Knowing it wasn’t something they had put there—and out of curiosity—he
decided to look inside. There was money in the bag. In fact, it turned out to be thousands and
thousands of dollars!
They looked at the dates on the bills and they were all from many decades ago—that bag
had been up there for ages. There was no way to track who put it there first—if it was a miser’s
savings or left over from some bank heist.
The husband said, “What are ethics of this—what do we do with it?”
John’s relative replied, “Maybe we should call John.”
The husband paused for a moment and said, “No—he’s a pastor. He’ll tell us we have to
give it back.”
Instead, they decided to call a lawyer so they wouldn’t get any ethical advice at all! He
said they could keep it.
They did end up calling John anyway. He also said that they could keep it … as long as
they tithed … to a pastor that they were related to.
[PAUSE]
Here’s the strange thing … somebody put a treasure in the attic and then forgot it was
there.

Just think about all the other owners between then and now, living in that house for years.
Imagine the flood of financial obligations and crises that existed during that time: bills, mortgage
payments, taxes, debt. There were, no doubt, some sleepless nights and anxious moments in that
house about financial concerns.
And the whole time there was a treasure in the house.
Here’s the point:
There was a huge gap between the riches available to those people … and the reality in
which they lived. They never made the effort to go to the attic. They never saw the treasure.
The reality for many people today is that there is a gap between what they are
experiencing in their relationship with God and what they know they could be experiencing.
It is as though they are living and walking around in the house knowing that there is
treasure in the attic—but it is a treasure that they have rarely, if ever, experienced. They know
that there’s something more, but haven’t been willing to visit the attic.
The choice is theirs, but they haven’t made the choice to be with God.
Last week we talked about God’s desire from the beginning of creation to be with
us—and all the different ways he has expressed that. But even with all his desire and effort, he
still leaves it up to you and me to make the choice to be with him.
And remember, God is closer than you think.
Today we’re going to talk about our choice … to go to the attic … to move toward God.
And we’re going to consider what it means to pursue a relationship with him.
Jesus said anyone who makes his way into the kingdom of God is like a man who finds
treasure buried in a field; in his joy he sells everything he owns because this is the one thing he
needs.

This guy didn’t go out treasure seeking. He wasn’t some Indiana Jones or on a hunt for
“national treasure” … it was discovered through the natural course of doing life—of working the
fields. And when he invested in the field he got a lot more in return than just a plot of land.
You see, when we make the choice to be with God, it doesn’t mean that we have to go
and sit on a mountain and learn how to chant; or eat one meal a week; or read our Bibles and
pray twenty-three hours a day … we can learn to be with Jesus through every part of every day.
As Christ-followers, as disciples, there’s a treasure to be found by being with Jesus and it
is worth everything we can invest to spend every day with him. A disciple is someone who seeks
concretely to make each day a chance to be with Jesus, to learn from Jesus …
To become like Jesus.
As we consider what it means to make the choice to be with Jesus every day, I’m going to
cover four aspects of life which illustrate how interwoven this concept can be in the fabric of our
days.
Let’s start with work. How do you work with Jesus?
Did you know that the single largest block of waking time in most of our lives is spent
working? How we work—and the way we approach our work—can actually be a life-or-death
decision for us.
This is very significant. There was a survey done which discovered that outside of
genetics, the single most important predictor of longevity of life was work satisfaction!
[PAUSE]
Now that you know that, are some of you wondering if you’re going to die at any
moment?!

Since work is such an important part of our lives, I think it’s important that we say a bit
about what work is from a biblical perspective.
Over the last few centuries, arising from the Industrial Revolution, we’ve come to equate
work with having a job which in turn yields our paycheck.
The result has been that we have sort of distinguished between those who “work” and
those who “do not work.” In fact, many people—those who are retired, or stay-at-home parents,
or the unemployed—are thought of as not working.
Do you remember in school when you were told, “There’s no such thing as a stupid
question?” Oh yes there is …
Go ask a mom of young children: “Do you work?” THAT’S a stupid question!
We have to reclaim the biblical definition of work because it encompasses far more than
our culture has defined. The biblical perspective is that work is the creation of value as I serve
God, as I care for his creation, and as I seek to benefit the lives of other people.
Work includes our paid employment. And work also includes doing household chores. It
includes study and schoolwork. It includes our volunteer service at church or in the community.
Here’s a simple test you can take right now to evaluate whether or not you are
functioning with a biblical perspective of work. Ask yourself this question:
“If tomorrow, Jesus were to show up while I’m working, looking just like me, would
things go any differently?”
Every day, no matter what work you are doing, equals an opportunity to learn from Jesus
how to do your job as he would. Every day we should be working a little bit better than the day
before. Some days it’s no more than an incremental improvement in our attitude. Other days, it’s
not robbing our employers of the energy, or focus, or time for which they are paying us.

There’s a fundamental statement about work in the Bible which serves as kind of a
recalibrating directive that I try to remember in all that I do. Here it is:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.…
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24)
Rate yourself on a scale of 1–10, with 1 representing “Whatever I do I do as little as
possible when I do it” and 10 representing “I have ‘HWJW” on a bracelet, on my screensaver,
and on posters around my office and home that remind me: “How Would Jesus Work?” Where
are you on the scale?
Here’s a true story—I’m not making this up:
A husband was at home on the couch reading the newspaper. His wife, who was eight
months pregnant, was in the kitchen—on her hands and knees—waxing the kitchen floor.
His mother-in-law walks in and exclaims: “How can you let my daughter do this?”
He peers over his newspaper and replies, “I tried to help. I told her if she’d tie a rag
around her middle, she’d get done twice as fast.”
[PAUSE]
No one ever saw him again!
Dallas Willard writes this about work: We “routinely sacrifice our comfort and pleasure
for the quality of our work, whether it be ax handles, tacos, or the development of a student
we’re teaching … We do the job well because that is what Jesus would like, and we admire and
love him. It is what he would do.”
Here’s a few more questions to ask yourself:
Am I making an idol of my work?
Do I sacrifice time and energy that ought to go to my family, or friendships, or rest, or to
prayer?
How do I treat my coworkers?
If I’m in a position of authority, do I treat those who report to me as Jesus would? Am I
truthful and fair? Do I work for their growth and development?
Do I regularly ask God for help, wisdom, and guidance in my work?
Am I scrupulously honest in my work? Am I careful with expense reports? Do I
reimburse the company for personal use of phone or equipment?
Is my work in line with my sense of how God has gifted and called me? If not, what steps
can I take to move in the right direction? How can I continue to serve with diligence in the
meantime?
Whatever activity may constitute work, how we choose to do it reflects our choice to be
with God or to move away from God.
It’s important to remember that work is one of best learning opportunities most of us
have to discover truth about ourselves. It is an intensive environment which God uses to test and
shape us to become more like Jesus.
When we receive feedback, or performance reviews, and when there’s an honest
assessment of our attitudes and habits it can be very significant—if we’re truly open.
Attitude is huge.
Concerning attitude, how many of you are defensive?
Perhaps you are sitting next to someone who is so defensive they won’t admit it … so
why don’t you just raise your hand for them in a spirit of community?!

Teachability in the workplace is a key attitude which honors Christ. Asking for and
learning from honest feedback in your work is one of the greatest growth opportunities you’ll
ever have.
So tomorrow when you go to your work, take a moment before you start and say:
“Here’s my chance to learn from Jesus how to live in his kingdom.”
Now let’s turn the corner and talk about the opposite of work. Another area where we can
make the choice to be with Jesus is in our …
Recreational activities and leisure time
God did not make you to work all the time.
This may come as a shock to some of the “type A’s” here, but part of God’s will for you
is to rest, relax, create, play, and be renewed.
Each moment of free time that you have equals a chance to be with him.
But we need to be intentional, because the default mode with our time often goes toward
what one sociologist calls an eight-hundred-pound gorilla of leisure: the television. Time
researchers John Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey found that television took almost 40 percent of
American’s free time in 1995—and that was an increase of a third from thirty years earlier!
Robert Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, writes, “Dependence on television for
entertainment is not merely a significant predictor of loss of community; it is the single most
consistent predictor I have discovered.”
Nothing—not low education, not full-time work, not long commutes, not poverty or
financial distress—is more broadly connected with loss of community and relational
disconnection than is dependence on TV for entertainment.

People who rely on TV for entertainment are least likely to volunteer, least likely to stay
in touch with friends, least likely to attend church—and most likely to give another driver the
finger.
Television is surely habit forming and may be mildly addictive. In 1977, the Detroit Free
Press was able to find only five out of one-hundred and twenty families willing to give up TV
for a month in return for five-hundred dollars.
People who do give up TV report experiencing boredom, anxiety, irritation, and
depression. One woman observed: “It was terrible. We did nothing—my husband and I talked.”
So why are we so hooked on it? Does it produce high levels of joy, growth, and meaning?
No.
In fact, in one study, researchers had subjects carry beepers, and when the beeper went
off they’d write what they were doing, and how they felt. Here’s what they discovered: TV
watching was associated with feelings of passivity and lowered alertness. It was rated below
every other leisure activity—even below work!
So why are we devoted to it? In Putnam’s book he quotes British researchers Sue
Bowden and Avner Offer who say that: “Television is the cheapest and least demanding way to
avert boredom.… TV’s dominance in our lives reflects not its sublime pleasures but its minimal
costs.”
So how can you reclaim your recreational and leisure time—and choose to be with Jesus
instead of Hollywood?
Limit how much you watch. We have rule in our house about how much the TV can be
on—decide on a limit.
Limit the number of TVs in your house.
Here’s a shocking factoid: In 1970—6 percent of all sixth graders had TVs in their
bedrooms. But by 1999—77 percent of sixth graders had their own bedroom TV!
Perhaps you would choose to go for a day/weekend/week of no TV. Take it even further
and go on a “media fast.”
As you are reclaiming the time lost to TV, ask yourself: “What are some of the activities
that God uses to breathe life into me? What do I engage in that produces gratitude, joy, and
renewal?”
Some people love to get out into nature—either riding a motorcycle, hiking, or biking.
Others enjoy cooking—so for them reading cookbooks and creating new dishes is their
way of feeling refreshed and renewed.
Maybe your deal is eating—you need to find someone whose deal is cooking and strike
up a spiritual friendship!
Tomorrow you’ll probably have some free time. Before you pick up the remote control,
stop … and say, “Here’s my chance—to be with Jesus, learn how to become like him.”
A third area where we can make the choice to be with Jesus is through our …
Lifestyle choices
We all make choices about the way we’ll spend our time. The way we spend our money.
What our pace of life will be. How much debt we’ll live in. How many commitments we’ll
make. How much pressure we’ll be under—
These have an enormous impact on whether we’re able to get closer to God, or if we are
moving farther away.
The apostle Paul basically said: “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” (Romans
12:2)

But what happens is that the world says: “Move faster!”—and so we do!
But when we move faster it cuts us off from prayer. We become more anxious and
increasingly angry … and eventually unable to love.
Media tycoon Robert Maxwell was being picked up at the airport by an employee. But
the employee was late picking him up, so Maxwell fired him. The employee was Maxwell’s own
son.
It’s not just media tycoons who wrestle with this. If Satan can’t make you defy God
outright, he’ll settle for just making you real busy.
John Ortberg tells about a time when he was in Germany for a weekend ministry
assignment. It was a full weekend—he flew out from Chicago on a Friday night and arrived
Saturday afternoon. Here’s how he describes the weekend:
“I arrived Saturday afternoon and did four talks, a question-and-answer session, a couple
of magazine interviews, and a radio broadcast in forty-eight hours. There was still one interview
left to go, so we decided to do that in the car on the way to the airport.
“On the autobahn—where there is no speed limit—we didn’t have much time to catch the
plane. I looked up—and we were driving 230 kilometers—something over 140 miles per
hour—and I’m saying into the tape recorder—
“hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day …
“you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life …
“Next to me the German countryside is an absolute blur out the window. The guy from
Willow with me was in the front seat and he sat there thinking: This is how I’m going to die;
traveling at the speed of sound in Germany, listening to someone drone on in the backseat about
eliminating hurry from my life.”

So what’s the pace of life at which you can live and still be intimately connected to God?
What’s the pace of life at which you will be able to effectively love people and live with joy?
Another lifestyle choice has to do with our stuff. Our world says: “Accumulate more.”
We live in a consumer culture:
—Holidays, which once existed for rest and worship, are now primarily excuses to shop
and consume.
—Malls have replaced churches and town squares as gathering places.
And the rise in consumerism has led to an increase in clutter in our lives. One of the ways
that we can choose to be with God is to clear out the clutter so that we are freer to focus on him.
Go on a forty-day de-clutter campaign in your home. Clean out your closets and donate excess
stuff to charity.
Dr. Paul Pearsall writes, “You may need help with this assignment, because many of my
patients cannot seem to bring themselves to get rid of their stuff. You may require a closet
exorcist experienced in dealing with the demons of closet clutter. A trusted friend can also
prevent the ‘restuffing phenomenon.’ Restuffing happens when in the process of cleaning out
closets and drawers, we somehow are stimulated to acquire more stuff.
“One of my patients said: ‘Until I tried to get rid of all my junk I didn’t need or use, I
didn’t realize how much I didn’t have. I really had to go out shopping.’ This ‘stuff logic’ can
sometimes be blocked by a friend who is better disciplined in simplification.
“Beware of the stuff co-addicts who may see a closet cleaning as a chance to acquire stuff
for themselves from your stuff supply. Such friends are likely to go with you on a restuffing
expedition or even to trade stuff with you.”

Obviously that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to shop. It’s fine to love beauty and enjoy
excellence and fine design—those are good things.
The point is, we each need to come to the place where we can say: “I will need God’s
help to make purchasing decisions wisely.”
Carry that wisdom principle into other areas of life. A job change. Relocation. A new
relationship. Any time you make a major life decision, you need to ask the question: “How will
this impact my ability to follow Christ—as a worker, dad, friend, husband, and so on.
If you are going to make the choice to be with Jesus through your lifestyle choices,
saying yes to Jesus means you are going to have to say no to some other things.
What do you need to say no to?
—Maybe you say no to debt. Perhaps you’ll want to take a financial management course
at your church. Start to make the move from financial pressure to generosity.
—Maybe you say no to certain time commitments. There could be an activity you or the
kids are involved in—and it’s not a bad thing in itself, but it’s contributing to an overall
pace of life for you or your family that is not healthy.
—Maybe it’s a major purchase that could put you under financial pressure that would not
be healthy.
—Maybe it’s a need to honor the Sabbath.
Be sure to have times of rest or vacation with people you love that will be renewing to
you and remind you of God’s goodness. Bring a healthy rhythm to your life’s pace and balance
with your stuff. Make the choice to be with Jesus in your lifestyle choices.
The fourth area where we can make the choice to be with Jesus is in our …
Relationships

Have you ever considered that when you are with other people, you are making the
choice to either be with Jesus in those relationships or to exclude him?
Every day you are interacting with people. Every interaction is a chance to learn from
Jesus how to form a loving heart.
For instance: The moment of greeting is a very important moment. Every culture has
certain expressions or rituals or questions used in greeting that say:
“You are significant. You matter to me.”
The Bible says a lot about greetings. There was a standard greeting in the Old Testament
which was simply “peace.” The Hebrew word is shalom, which means, “I hope you flourish in
God’s good order.”
Now apparently, some people got overly zealous with their greeting and it was anything
but “peace.” In the book of Proverbs there’s a warning not to get super-spiritual in your greeting.
It says, “If a man loudly blesses his neighbor in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.”
Jesus warns of the religious leaders, saying, “They … love to be greeted in the
marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at
banquets.” In other words, the act of greeting for these pious folks was all about being sure their
sense of status and importance was propped up. Am I being greeted by the “right people” in the
“right way”? Do important people remember my name? Do they say nice things to me?
Four times when Paul wrote to the churches he instructed them to “greet one another with
a holy kiss.” It was part of their culture.
It sounds kind of weird to me. Though I’m not sure we have a lot to brag about. In our
culture, we’ve become the first in history where the standard greeting is: “Whassssup?”
Here are some ways to make the choice to be with Jesus when you greet someone:
—As you greet them, say a silent prayer asking God to bless them (I would recommend
that you not drop to your knees, clasp your hands, and close your eyes—doing this may actually
keep them from ever choosing to meet you!).
—Consider the gift of a touch. Some people never get touched. A handshake or a hand on
a shoulder can make a huge difference in a person’s life.
Go through the New Testament and see how often Jesus touches people. He especially
touches people who didn’t normally get touched—sinners, lepers, children—and they expressed
authentic joy as a result!
Another facet of choosing to be with Jesus in our relationships is through our friendships.
On March 3, 2000, the Wall Street Journal printed an article called, “Whatever Happened
to Friendship?” In it, Nancy Ann Jeffrey states that we’re living in the midst of what could be
called “the marginalization of friendship.”
“People are saying—‘It’s the one thing I can give up,’ says sociologist Jan Yager.
“They’re diminishing the value of friendship.”
Even though the TV comedy Friends was a hit, the reality is that friendships are
becoming less common. When friendships are formed, they are more short-lived and more
superficial.
A friendless life is not God’s plan for human life. When we make a choice to live with
marginalized friendships—or no friendships—we are choosing to be less “with” Jesus—because
he reveals himself to us through the community of friendship. The Bible says, “A friend loves at
all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Friendship is necessary for spiritual growth. In the book of Proverbs it says: “As iron
sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Are you devoting enough time, attention, and energy to cultivating deep spiritual
friendships?
Another kind of relationship where we not only make the choice to be with Jesus, but
cling to him is when we have to deal with difficult people.
You may not believe this, but you need difficult people in your life.
Jesus was very emphatic about this. He said (and I paraphrase), “Love your
enemies—those who are difficult for you to like. If you love only those who love you
back—where’s the goodness in that? Even the mafia does that much. And if you greet only your
brothers, what are you doing more than others? Drug dealers do the same thing.”
The ability to love difficult people is like a litmus test of spiritual growth.
This means—you need difficult people in your life. It is absolutely necessary for your
development. Through those relationships you are drawn more closely to Christ because your
new intention is to treat these people the way Jesus would, and you can’t do that apart from him.
If you’ve got some difficult people in your life—be glad.
If you don’t—we have a list here at the church. We can assign you some.
I want you to think of someone who is difficult for you to love:
Maybe someone at work.
Maybe someone in your family.
Maybe an ex-spouse.
Maybe it varies—a relationship that sometimes goes smoothly, sometimes doesn’t.
Every time you have an encounter with someone who’s difficult for you to love,
remember:
Here’s my chance to learn from Jesus how to live in his kingdom. Here’s my chance to be
with Jesus in the stuff of everyday life.
Every day, woven into the fabric of our activities and relationships, are choices to be with
Jesus or to attempt life on our own.
Every day we face choices to go into the attic where the treasure is, or to go through that
day missing the richness of life found in the choice to be with Jesus.
Moses once prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, so that we may gain a heart of
wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
I pray that God would help us to wake up every morning and say, “Here’s my
opportunity…
To be with Jesus,
To learn from Jesus,
How to become like Jesus.
And treasure this day.”

god is closer than you think pt1

2010-08-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Week 1: The Promise
How many of you would like a closer relationship with God than you have right now?
(me too)
How many of you have ever thought that it seems as though God is distant or removed
from your situation? (me too)
How many of you would be willing to engage in a journey of discovery over the next
forty days that could set you on a course to grow closer to God and recognize his presence? (me
too!)
Over the next six Sundays we are embarking on a spiritual adventure. And I expect that
every single person who authentically engages in this endeavor will discover that …
God Is Closer Than You Think!
For some of us this will mean a course correction in our spiritual journey. Somewhere in
the past we started to spiritually drift away from the vibrant relationship with God that we once
knew.
For others it’s going to be a season of discovery. Maybe you’ve never been close to
God—but you’ve desperately wanted to have a relationship with him.
It could be that your relationship with God is perking along just fine. But because of your
closeness to God there is an inner drive to be even closer—for prayer to be more personal, for a
sharper awareness of his activity in and around you.
Wherever you are on your spiritual journey … the next six weeks are designed to bring us
even closer in our relationship with God.

I’m going to ask you to pray with me as we ask God’s blessing on our spiritual
expedition.
[PRAYER]
A woman at Willow Creek Community Church was telling John Ortberg about her threeand-
a-half-year-old daughter. This woman overheard the little girl talking to her sibling and
going over some ground rules for life.
“Obey God!” she said. “You must obey God! You gotta obey God! I want you to obey
God!”
After a moment’s pause, she said: “I’ll be God.”
I want to give you a chance to put yourself in God’s place for a moment.
Given all the pain and grief it caused him, why did God create the human race?
What’s he after? What’s his purpose in it all? In a sense—what does he want to get out of
it?
I’m going to tip my hand. Let me read you a recent quote from the best Christian
philosopher I know:
“The Bible is all about life ‘with-God.’ It is about how God made this ‘with’ life possible
and will bring it to pass. The unity of the Bible is discovered in the development of life
with God as a reality on earth, centered in the person of Jesus.”
For example, let’s consider the very first relationship God had with any people.
God creates Adam in the garden of Eden.
I think most people picture it this way: Adam lived in the garden—and God lived
someplace else far away called heaven and occasionally came down to earth to visit. But it was
not that way.
You see, the Bible is real clear that God is omnipresent—he isn’t restricted to any
location.
So in the garden of Eden, God and Adam—in a sense—hung out together. When Adam
worked—God was right there.
When Adam named animals, God was right there. The Bible says that “whatever the man
called each living creature—that was its name.”
God would say: “Hey Adam, good name. You’re a good namer.”
When Eve was created, and Adam first saw her—God was right there.
Adam said: “God—nice job on the woman! I had no idea you could do that.”
Adam and God were—among other things—inseparable friends.
What Adam did—he did with God.
Where Adam went—he went with God.
Until Adam and Eve’s fateful decision to disobey God. A day some people call “the fall.”
After the fall, God comes to the garden to walk with Adam in the cool of the day.
Apparently, that was part of their routine together. They’d go for a walk.
But this time, Adam is not there. And God calls out: “Adam—where are you?”
There’s a rustling behind some shrubbery and a timid voice answered God: “I heard you
in the garden, and I was afraid. So I hid.”
God wanted to be with Adam. But Adam didn’t want to be with God.
And God’s heart breaks. But God does not give up.
You see, God’s great desire was to be with Adam. And even though the relationship had
been violated because of Adam and Eve’s choice—because of their sin—God continued to want
that relationship restored. God longed for the intimacy of their walks—of just hanging out
together.
So God worked with Adam’s descendants. And every once in a while one of them would
get it. For example, the Bible says of Enoch: “and Enoch walked with God.”
Later, the Bible says of Noah: “and Noah walked with God.”
God wasn’t being elusive or developing huge hoops for a person to jump through to be
with him. The simple truth of the matter is that most people didn’t want to be with him. Mostly
they hid.
But God kept wanting to be with people.
One day, it’s kind of like God said to the angels: “Now watch this. I’m going to start a
new people—called Israel. I’m going to teach them to be with me, so everyone will want to be
with me.”
And the Bible records a new pattern of relationships with God. Talking about a
grandfather, his son, and his grandson it says that “God was with Abraham. God was with Isaac.
God was with Jacob.”
And in those relationships, God would do surprising things to teach people about what it
meant for them to be with him.
Jacob had a son named Joseph for whom life didn’t work out well for a long time, but the
strangest thing kept happening.
Joseph was sold into slavery, but “the Lord was with Joseph” in slavery.
He was put in prison, but the text says: “but while Joseph was there in the prison, the
Lord was with him.”

Later on, when the people of Israel were led out of Egypt, the text says the Lord was in a
pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night—so the people would know he was with
them.
It’s like God just keeps saying:
• I want to be with you. I want to hang out with you.
• I’ll be with you in the garden.
• I’ll be with you in the flood.
• I’ll be with you in prison, in slavery, in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the Promised
Land—
• I just want to be with you.
Moses came to prize this “life-with-God” so much that once when Israel was in the
wilderness, God told them they could go on to the Promised Land.
“Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from
here. How will anyone know that you are pleased … with your people unless you go with
us?’” (Exodus 33:15–16)
In other words: I’d rather live in the wilderness with you than in the Promised Land
without you.
Are you picking up on the great desire of God’s heart? On and on this theme goes, until
finally God wants to be with his people so badly he comes up with a really wild idea.
It’s like God says to the angels: “I can’t stand it anymore. I’m just going to go on down
there my own self.”
And the angels say: “You can’t do that. How are you gonna do that?”
And God says, “Watch this!”
He sneaks down. And in the middle of the night, he is born in a manger. He grows up in a
one-horse town. And then he gets a job pounding nails eight hours a day.
Do you remember the conversation the angel had with Joseph when he informed him
about Mary’s pregnancy? The angel said that Jesus would be called “Immanuel.”
Do you know what that means? It means: “God with us.” In fact, I believe a central theme
of the Bible could be called the “Immanuel Principle.” The Immanuel Principle is God’s
constant desire that we should be in every aspect a dwelling place for him.
At the end of his ministry Jesus confirmed this when he said: “Surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
When you asked Jesus to be your leader and forgiver, God sent his Spirit into your life to
always be with you. Your body really is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Think about it: you can be
Beth-el, the house of God.
It’s like God is saying: “I just want to be with you.”
God’s desire is so central that at the very end of the Bible—when God sets everything
right—the fulfillment of human existence is described in the same terms:
“Now the dwelling of God is with[ human beings], and he will live with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” ( Revelation 21:3)
God’s desire and plan leads all the way to eternity! Now, let’s get specific and talk about
what this means for us today—and this week.
When the Bible says “the Lord was with Joseph,” what exactly did that look like? How
do we experience that?
God can use an infinite variety of ways to express his presence: creation, other people,
Scripture, teaching, art, solitude, world events, even the joy of eating a greggs doughnut!

But the place where we always must record these expressions of his presence is in our minds and
our thoughts and feelings.
My part is to learn to continually focus my attention on God. I think about him, talk to
him, ask for his help, tell him my plans, pour out my heart; I complain about my problems; I give
thanks for what makes me happy.
So this week, start here. When you’re at work and you sense anxiety or worry—think
about the greatness of God. He’s big enough to take care of you through whatever is looming.
Talk to him.
When you’re faced with some kind of temptation—be up-front with him about the
temptation—he already knows what you’re facing. Ask for his help to show you the best route of
escape and then the courage to take it.
If you’re facing problems in your life—pour out your heart to him. He is waiting to hear
from you … let him know from your perspective how difficult or impossible it seems.
If you’re thankful or happy—tell him … and be specific.
Are you getting the idea? If I were going to boil down the practice of all spiritual life in a
single statement from Scripture, it would be this:
“I have set the LORD always before me.” (Psalm 16:8)
When I do that, there are certain thoughts that are characteristic of God that settle into my
soul. When these are present, there is a good chance that they are the result of God’s presence
with me. I want to walk through these signs of God’s presence so you can recognize them when
they come.
Start to set God always before you. One of the indicators of God’s presence is:
1. Reassurance
When God was talking to Joshua, just before Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised
Land, God reassured him of his presence and said:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the LORD
your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Somebody sent me a list of statements that are supposed to be actual quotes from
employee performance evaluations:
—I would not allow this employee to breed.
—This employee is not really so much of a has-been, but more of a definite won’t-be.
—He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle.
—This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
—He doesn’t have ulcers, but he’s a carrier.
—If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he’s the other one.
I mention this because for a lot of people, when they think about God, they think about
him primarily as a kind of divine performance evaluator. If you think about God in this way, you
will find yourself avoiding him in your mind. You won’t talk to him much.
Understand—in the history of the universe, God has never asked anyone to do something
by themselves.
Whatever God calls you to do, he calls you to do in partnership with him. And one of the
ways you will know God is present is when you experience his reassurance.
—Somebody rejects you, but in the midst of the pain the thought occurs to you: I am
loved by God.
—You face a challenge at work—maybe even losing your job—but in the middle of all
that anxiety an idea comes into your mind: I can handle this. This will not destroy me.
—You’re in transition. Facing a big change, not sure how it will work out, suddenly you
have this sense that you’re not alone.
—It hit a man named Paul in prison one day when he realized: “I can do this. I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.”
When those thoughts come into your mind—whether through Scripture that you know,
through a book or tape, through another person—be open to the possibility that this is not a
random occurrence.
This is “God-with-you.” This is the “Immanuel Principle” at work.
A second sign of God’s presence with you is his …
2. Guidance
The psalmist wrote: “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me, even at night my heart
instructs me.” (Psalm 16:7)
Sometimes guidance will come to you:
—You’re in a store, there’s a clerk behind a counter that everyone treats like a machine,
and you get a sudden inclination to look her in the eye, to say an inner prayer of blessing.
—You’re stumped at work and all of a sudden an idea breaks through that is just what
you need.
—You’re feeling distant from your child, all of a sudden an opportunity to build a bridge,
reconnect is just dumped in your lap.
—You’re about to say something stupid/self-promotional/damage-inflicting when a still,
small voice in your head whispers, “Shut … up.”
Remember the Immanuel Principle and be open to the possibility that God is doing what
he said he would do. He is with you. He is reassuring you. He is guiding you.
The third sign of God’s presence with you may not feel like he is “for” you. But it is one
of the greatest expressions of his love and desire to be with you and that is …
3. Conviction
Jesus said that when the Spirit of God is present “he will convict the world of guilt in
regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8)
This is the hardest aspect of God’s presence.
The truth is: my desire for God can be pretty selective. Sometimes, I want God not to be
around.
An example of this is seen in children’s behavior when they’re doing something they
know they shouldn’t do.
two-and-a-halfyear-
old Larissa who was enjoying water in the backyard with “Nana.”
Nana gently counseled her to water the potted flowers, but she had just discovered mud
for the first time by pouring the water on a small patch of dirt. Nana told her not to put water on
the dirt because it makes mud and mud will “get everything dirty.”
Well, mud it was anyway, and the little girl even put the mud into a small tub of water
nearby, calling it “warm chocolate.”
Nana, who had been reading facing away from the action, soon discovered and cleaned
up what to her was a mess. Then Nana returned to her reading, but now she was seated so as to
be facing Larissa.
But the little girl soon resumed her “warm chocolate” routine, saying sweetly: “Don’t
look at me Nana. OK?”
Nana of course agreed (Nana was a little codependent) and continued her reading. Then
Larissa would make black mud, and put some of it in the tub. Then some more.
Three times she said as she continued her work, “Don’t look at me Nana. OK?”
The tender soul of a little child shows how necessary it is to us that we be unobserved in
our wrong. Most of the evil and darkness in our lives requires hiddeness to continue to exist.
The soul that chooses wrong runs from God.
The Scripture writer says that when the face of God will no longer be avoidable, the soul
will cry out in agony “to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of
him who sits on the throne.’” (Revelation 6:16).
You know, it may be that out of all the prayers that are ever spoken, the most common
one, the most quiet one, the one that we least acknowledge making, is simply this:
Don’t look at me, God.
It was the very first one spoken after Adam and Eve’s sin.
God came to walk in the garden, to be with the man and the woman, and asked: “Where
are you?”
“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, so I hid …”
Don’t look at me, God.
A businessman on the road checks into motel room late at night. He knows the kind of
movies that are available to him right there in the room.
No one will know. His wife won’t find out. His kids won’t see. (He knows the drill and
that hotels have a disclaimer, “The name of the movie you watch won’t be on your bill.”) Go
ahead. No one will know.
But first he has to say a little prayer: “Don’t look at me, God.”
[PAUSE]
A mom with an anger problem decides to berate her kids because she’s so frustrated,
because she will get a twisted rush of pleasure from inflicting pain—
But first she has to say a little prayer: “Don’t look at me, God.”
[PAUSE]
• An executive who’s going to pad an expense account
• An employee who is going to deliberately make a coworker look bad
• A Christ-follower who makes financial decisions that will keep him from tithing,
keep him from being the kind of steward he knows God wants him to be
• A student who looks at somebody else’s paper during an exam
• A longtime church attender who relishes the opportunity to pass judgment on
somebody else
• A couple who claims to follow God but refuses to give up sleeping together
• A participant in a bitter divorce who chooses to hang on to resentment and selfrighteousness
First you have to say a little prayer.
You don’t say it out loud, of course.
Probably don’t admit it even to yourself.
But it’s the choice your heart makes:
Don’t look at me, God.
Here’s a key question when you experience the sign of God’s presence through
conviction—will you at that moment stop?
Listen to God’s Spirit.

Be honest with God: “God—the truth is I don’t want you here right now. I want to do
what I want to do. But I’ll stop. I’m willing to surrender. I’d rather let go of my
anger/addiction/pride than let go of you.”
Spiritual growth, in a sense, is simply increasing our capacity to experience the presence
of God.
The fourth sign of God’s presence is…
4. Joy
The Bible says: “You have made me to know the path of life; you will fill me with joy in
your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
Rate your joy-capacity on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “Some people actually mistake
me for a mannequin” and 10 being “You have to paint a frown on my face for it to exist.” What’s
your capacity for joy?
[PAUSE]
Jesus said to people who refused to follow him, refused to be with him—it’s like this:
“We played the flute for you—and you wouldn’t dance.”
Sometimes, when God is present with you, you’ll know because a little voice inside your
head will say: “Dance!” —Some of you will be in your car, driving away from the church service, music playing
that makes you happy—you will be singing and dancing and looking like a fool: that will
give you joy.
—Some of you will be driving next to someone who is singing and dancing and looking
like a fool—that will give you joy!
—Others of you will have put in intense effort at work and accomplished something
significant—it’ll be really good. You get a surge of satisfaction and that will give you
joy.
—Or you see a sunset, or a tree in a forest preserve, or the face of a friend you love—that
will give you joy.
—You will feel a rush of gratitude for no reason at all. Just the sheer goodness of being
alive. And you feel joy.
God’s great desire is to be with you! He has expressed it from cover to cover in the pages
of the Bible. He has gone to extreme lengths to be sure you know it. He is showing you signs
through every day of his presence.
This week … experience the reassurance … the guidance … the conviction … the joy of
his presence.
Let’s make a commitment together … that we’ll do everything in
our power to show up for a small group—even if it’s way outside our comfort zone.
That we won’t miss a Sunday if it’s at all within our ability to be here.
That we’ll be faithful to do our reading of the book.
And that we will stretch out our hand to grasp the hand that is reaching down to us from
heaven.
God is playing the flute for you.
You’re at the foot of Jacob’s ladder.
You’re living in “Beth-el,” the house of God.
God is closer than you think.

The prodigal God pt5

2010-04-08T04:20:00.001-07:00

The Feast of the Father
Text : Luke 15:11-32 NIV
Al t erna t e Ti t le: We Had to Celebra t e
Int roduc t ion: We have looked at the story of the younger brother, then we put it into its context
with the story of the elder brother. Then we put the story of the two brothers into the context of the
whole chapter. Each time we saw another important part of Jesus’ message. But we are not quite
done. We need to see the story in the context of the whole Bible. Jesus was immersed in the
Scriptures, and in this story he is giving us the essence of the whole Biblical storyline in one vivid
narrative. If we see that, we will get a 30,000 foot view of what the Bible is all about. We learn about
1) the human condition, 2) the divine solution, and 3) the new communion.
1. The human condi t ion—verses 13-17.
• The younger brother’s sin turned him into an exile from his home. He had disgraced his family
and the entire community would have been outraged. He would have had to take his money and
go far away, and he did.
• When he did so, he became an image of the human race. For we were made for life in the Garden
of Eden. Our true home is in the presence of God. But we have lost our home. We are all exiles.
• “Home” is the place that truly fits and suits us. We were made to know and serve God, to live in
his presence and enjoy his love and beauty.
• However, because we wanted to be our own Saviors and Lords, we lost God, and therefore
we wander in the world and experience what the philosopher Heidegger called
unheimlichkeit. The word is translates as “eeriness” or “uncanniness” but literally it means
“away from home.” Heidegger is referring to the anxiety and spiritual nausea that comes
from never feeling at home in the world.
• This world doesn’t address the needs of our heart. We long for a love that can’t be lost, for
escape from death, for the triumph of justice over wrong. But such things will never be
found here.
• When the younger brother “came to his senses” he realized that he needed to go home, but
how? He realized he was an outcast, so why would they receive him? Still, he went home.
2. The divine solut ion—verses 31-32.
• The centerpiece of the parable is a feast. The father throws a feast, filled with “music and
dancing” and the greatest delicacies, to mark the reconciliation and restoration of his son. He
says that when the younger son came home, “we had to celebrate.” There was no choice. Why is
the feast so important?
• In the Old Testament, meals ratified covenants, celebrated victories, and marked all special
family occasions and transitions, such as births, weddings, and funerals. Also, a feast was
established to mark the greatest event in the salvation history of God’s people to that time—the
Passover. Why were meals so important?
• In ancient times, meals were prolonged affairs that lasted all evening, usually until bedtime—
since there was little else to do after the sun went down and after a strenuous day of
labor. So evening meals became the center of family life and therefore both a symbol and
practice of intimacy.
• But we don’t need to be people of the first century to grasp all this. It is at meals that you
most feel at home. In a meal your body is getting what it needs—the pleasure and
nourishment of food and rest. But also, at meals your heart is getting what it needs—
laughter and friendship. Even today, if you have a family reunion or some kind of
homecoming—you eat. And it is at those great feasts that no matter what else is going
wrong in our lives, we feel almost at home.
• The feast means that God will bring us home some day.
• As Jesus says: “Many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the
feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 8:11). Because of our
true elder brother, God will some day make this world home again. He’s going to wipe
away death, suffering, and tears, and will give us bodies that run and are never weary.
• And when we get there, we will say something like what Jewel the Unicorn said at the end
of the Chronicles of Narnia: “I’ve come home at last! I belong here. This is the land I’ve
been looking for all my life, though I never knew it!”
• The younger brother did not expect to be brought back into the family, he did not expect a
feast, since he had sinned. But that is what he gets. And the elder brother objects. Why?
• Because meals signified acceptance and relationship, the religious leaders forbid believers
from eating with “sinners.” To eat with someone was to receive him, virtually as family.
How could you do that for someone who has rejected God? Besides that, didn’t everyone
know that you become like the people you love and spend the most time with? If you eat
with sinners, it was reasoned, you would become a sinner.
• The Jewish dietary laws were extremely elaborate. They were seen as quite effective in
keeping Jews from being polluted by the pagan practices of their neighbors. In fact, during
the time between testaments, leading up to Jesus’ day, preoccupation with ritual purity
increased, as Judea came under the boot of one set of pagan masters after another. Meals
more and more became boundary markers between the righteous and sinners.
• But Jesus shattered this practice, as we see in Luke 15:2. He eats with the notoriously
wicked and the marginalized. How can he do this? How can sinners be included in the
feast?
3. The new communion—“thi s brother of your wa s dead and i s a l ive aga in.”
• Jesus leaves his own true home (Phil. 2), wanders without a home (Matt 8:20), and is finally
crucified outside the gate of Jerusalem, a sign of exile and rejection (Heb. 13:11-12). Jesus
experiences the exile that the human race deserves. He is alienated and cast out so we can be
brought home.
• On the cross, Jesus loses fellowship and communion with the father. He cries out, “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:45). He is forsaken and “cast out” of the family, so
that we can be brought in.
• As we can see from the parable itself, Jesus calls younger brothers to repent. He does not only
eat with them for the sake of “inclusiveness” or just to defy convention—rather he calls people
to change.
• And he gives us the foretaste of that great feast, what we call “The Lord’s Supper” or
Communion. To sit at the Communion table you don’t have to be perfect, only repentant. So
anyone can come, and anyone does come.
• Think of it like this—the ultimate son, who was dead and cut off, is now alive again. So we have
to celebrate! And the way we celebrate what he has done for us, is to create a new community of
forgiven sinners, in which anyone can be a part. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve
done, it doesn’t matter what your race or class or background is. Any repentant sinner can come
and be a brother and a sister, because of the death and resurrection of our true elder brother,
who took our exile and punishment upon himself.
• The death and resurrection of the Son, and the love of the Father, create a new community of
men and women who regularly break bread together to celebrate the new life and common
union they have through Jesus. It is not enough just to have an individual personal relationship
with God through Christ. You have to be an active part of the feast, the new community, the
family of God. That is where together we become conformed into the image of the one who did
all this for us.

The prodigal God pt4

2010-04-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

The True Elder Brother
Text : Luke 15:1-6, 25-32 NIV
Al t erna t e Ti t le: Everything I Ha ve Is Yours
Int roduc t ion: We have been looking at the story traditionally called “The Parable of the Prodigal
Son.” We’ve said that you will miss the radical message of the story if you don’t see that it is about
two sons—one immoral and “bad”, one very moral and “good”—who are both alienated from the
father and therefore spiritually lost. That is a remarkable message. But there is much more—though
it too is easy to miss. We must remember that this is the third of three parables, told to the same
audience, meant to be pondered all together. What do we learn if we do that? We learn: 1) the cost
of reconciliation, 2) that there is a missing elder brother, and 3) that we have a true elder brother.
1. The cost of reconc i l i a t ion—verses 29-31.
• What did it cost to bring the younger brother home?
• At first glance, it seems not to have cost anything. There is no punishment—he is just taken
in. The father opens his arms, puts new clothes on him, and that’s that. It’s free.
• Many people have pointed this out and then argued like this: “God in heaven is like this
father. He just accepts and forgives anyone who asks. There is no need for the classic
Christian doctrine of the atonement. Christians have taught that God cannot simply
forgive, that there must be payment for sin—but here we see that reconciliation is
completely free.”
• However, this is a great mistake. The reconciliation is free to the younger brother. But it is
very costly for someone else.
• The elder brother is furious with the father for receiving his younger brother back into the
family. He alludes to it when he says, “you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate
with my friends. But… you kill the fattened calf for him!” The elder brother is angry because of
the cost of this reconciliation.
• Remember—the father had given the younger brother his entire legal part of the
inheritance. And it was all spent—all gone.
• Yet now the father is restoring him into the family. He has already put a robe on him, and
given him a ring, which was probably the signet ring with which family members ratified
contracts. The younger brother’s fair share of the wealth is all gone, but now he is back, and
every robe, ring, fatted calf is coming out of someone else’s pocket.
• Everything the father has, now is legally the elder brother’s. He is the only heir of all the
father has left. So every robe, every ring, every fattened calf, every cent of the father’s, is
ultimately the elder brother’s. When the father says to the elder brother, “everything I have
is yours” (v.31) he is speaking the literal truth.
• So the salvation of the younger son is not free after all. It has already been extremely expensive—
look at the feast. And it will be extremely expensive. The father cannot forgive the younger
brother, except at the expense of the elder brother. He is the one who must bear the cost of the
reconciliation.
2. There i s a mi ssing elder brother—verses 1-10.
• The elder brother knows all this—that forgiveness and reconciliation is never free. Someone has
to pay. Either the younger brother has to come and earn his way back into the family, as he
offered to do (see verse 19) or he can come back in immediately, through forgiveness, and then
the elder brother will have to bear the cost. Salvation cannot be free. Someone has to pay, either
the sinner or his elder brother.
• The elder brother knows this and refuses to do it. So we listen to the story and see the elder
brother “being a Pharisee,” and we are saddened. But that is not where Jesus wants our minds
and hearts to remain.
• Jesus told his listeners three parables together—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.
• In each of the first two parables there is a lost object and someone who goes out, searches
for it, and brings it home with joy. The shepherd searches until he finds the lost sheep. The
woman searches until she finds the lost coin. So when we get to the parable of this lost son,
the listeners fully expect that someone will set out to search for the lost brother and bring
him home.
• To our surprise, no one does. Jesus is leading us to ask, who should have gone out to search
for this lost boy? And the answer would have been quite clear to 1st century listeners: it
should have been the elder brother.
• That was the reason that the oldest son got the lion’s share of the estate. It was his job to
sustain the family’s unity and its place in the community. It is the elder brother in the
parable who should have said something like this: “Father, my younger brother has been a
fool, and now his life is in ruins. But I will go look for him and bring him home. And if the
inheritance is gone—as I expect—I’ll bring him back into the family at my expense.”
• Jesus doesn’t put a brother like that into the story. Instead the younger son and the father have
to deal with a recalcitrant, resistant, self-righteous elder brother.
• But we don’t. The elder brother in the story is there to make us long for a true elder brother,
one who, if we go astray, won’t hold it against us but seek us and bring us back at any risk and
any cost to himself.
3. We ha ve a t rue elder brother.
• Think of the kind of elder brother we need. We need one who would not just go into a far
country, but who would come all the way from heaven to earth to find us. We need one who
would not just open his wallet for us, but pour out his life. One who would pay not just a finite
cost but an infinite debt, to bring us back into God’s family. And we do! It’s Jesus.
• See! When the father says to the elder brother “everything I have is yours” that is literally true of
Jesus. Jesus had all God’s glory. He had equal glory with the Father, but he emptied himself
(Phil 2:4-10.) He lost it all—for us.
• How do we get the father’s robe? Because Jesus was stripped naked on the cross. How do we get
the father’s feast? Because Jesus took the cup of wrath that might have the cup of joy. He is our
true elder brother—and he says so. Hebrews 2:11 says, “Both the one who makes men holy and
those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers’.”
• Jesus came to earth and truly obeyed his Father and never disobeyed his orders. He truly had the
right to all the Father owns. But instead, he came out and searched for us, and found us in the
pigsty, and carried us home on his shoulders singing with joy. And he gave us his robe, his ring,
his place, his wealth—it is all at his expense.

the prodigal God pt3

2010-04-08T04:16:00.000-07:00

The Elder Brother
Text : Luke 15:25-32 NIV
Al t erna t e Ti t le: He Refused to Go In
Int roduc t ion: Most people who read and study The Parable of the Prodigal Son concentrate
completely on the character of the younger son, his repentance, and the father’s forgiveness. And yet
look at the text. It doesn’t end with the return of the prodigal. Almost half of the story is about the
older son. The story is about two sons, who are both alienated from the father, who are both
assaulting the unity of the family. Jesus wants us to compare and contrast them. The younger son is
“lost”—that is easy to see. We see him shaming his father, ruining his family, sleeping with
prostitutes, and we say, “yes, there’s someone who is spiritually lost.” But Jesus’ point is that the
older son is lost too. Let’s learn from the text: 1) a startling new understanding of lostness, 2) what
the signs of it are (so we can recognize it in ourselves), and 3) what we can do about this condition.
1. A st a rt l ing new underst anding of lostness—verse 28.
• The elder brother would have known that the day of the prodigal’s return was the greatest day in
his father’s life.
• The father has “killed the fattened calf”, an enormously expensive extravagance in a culture
where even having meat at meals was considered a delicacy.
• The older son realized his father was ecstatic with joy. Yet he refused to go into the biggest
feast his father has ever put on. This was a remarkable, deliberate act of disrespect. It was his
way of saying, “I won’t be part of this family nor respect your headship of it.”
• And the father had to “go out” to plead with him. Just as he went out to bring his alienated
younger son into the family, now he had to do the same for the older brother.
• Do you realize what Jesus is saying to his listeners, and to us? The older son is lost.
• The father represents God himself, and the meal is the feast of salvation. In the end, then,
the younger son, the immoral man, comes in and is saved, but the older son, the good son,
refuses to go in and is lost.
• The Pharisees who were listening to this parable knew what that meant. It was a complete
reversal of everything they believed. You can almost hear them gasp as the story ends.
• And what is it that is keeping the elder brother out? It’s because: “All these years I’ve been
slaving for you and never disobeyed...” (v.29). The good son is not lost in spite of his good
behavior, but because of his good behavior. So it is not his sin keeping him out, but his
righteousness.
• The gospel is neither religion nor is it irreligion; it is not morality nor is it immorality. This
was completely astonishing and confusing to Jesus’ hearers at the time—and it may even be
astonishing and confusing to you.
• Why is the older son lost?
• The younger brother wanted the father’s wealth, but not the father. So how did he get what
he wanted? He left home. He broke the moral rules.
• But it becomes evident by the end that the elder brother also wanted selfish control of the
father’s wealth. He was very unhappy with the father’s use of the possessions—the robe, the
ring, the calf. But while the younger brother got control by taking his stuff and running
away, we see that the elder brother got control by staying home and being very good. He
felt that now he has the right to tell the father what to do with his possessions because he
had obeyed him perfectly.
• So there are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord.
• One is by breaking all the laws and being bad. One is by keeping all the laws and being good.
• If I can be so good that God has to answer my prayer, give me a good life, and take me to
heaven, then in all I do I may be looking to Jesus to be my helper and my rewarder—but he
isn’t my Savior. I am then my own Savior.
• The difference between a religious person and a true Christian is that the religious person
obeys God to get control over God, and things from God, but the Christian obeys just to
get God, just to love and please and draw closer to him.
2. Wha t the signs of thi s lostness a re—verses 29-30.
Some people are complete elder brothers. They go to church and obey the Bible—but out of
expectation that then God owes them. They have never understood the Biblical gospel at all. But
many Christians, who know the gospel, are nonetheless elder-brotherish. Despite the fact that they
know the gospel of salvation by grace with their heads, their hearts go back to an elder-brotherish
“default mode” of self-salvation. Here’s what the elder-brotherish attitude looks like. It is:
• A deep anger (v.28—“became angry”). Elder brothers believe that God owes them a
comfortable and good life if they try hard and live up to standards—and they have! So they say:
“my life ought to be going really well!” and when it doesn’t they get angry. But they are
forgetting Jesus. He lived a better life than any of us—but suffered terribly.
• A joyless and mechani c a l obedienc e (v.29—“I’ve been slaving for you”). Elder brothers
obey God as a means to an end—as a way to get the things they really love. Of course, obedience
to God is sometimes extremely hard. But elder brothers find obedience virtually always a joyless,
mechanical, slavish thing as a result.
• A coldness to younger brother-t ypes (v.30—“this son of yours”). The older son will not
even “own” his brother. Elder brothers are too disdainful of others unlike themselves to be
effective in evangelism. Elder brothers, who pride themselves on their doctrinal and moral purity,
unavoidably feel superior to those who do not have these things.
• A l a ck of a ssuranc e of the fa ther’s love (v.29—you never threw me a party). As long as
you are trying to earn your salvation by controlling God through your goodness, you will never
be sure you have been good enough. What are the signs of this? Every time something goes
wrong in your life you wonder if it’s a punishment. Another sign is irresolvable guilt. You can’t
be sure you’ve repented deeply enough, so you beat yourself up over what you did. Lastly, there
is a lack of any sense of intimacy with God in your prayer life. You may pray a lot of prayers
asking for things, but not sense his love.
• An unforgiving, judgment a l spi ri t . The elder brother does not want the father to forgive
the younger brother. It is impossible to forgive someone if you feel “I would never do anything
that bad!” You have to be something of an elder brother to refuse to forgive.
3. Wha t we c an do about thi s spi ri tua l condi t ion.
• First, we have to see the uniqueness of the gospel.
• Jesus ends the parable with the lostness of the older brother in order to get across the point
that it is a more dangerous spiritual condition. The younger brother knew he was alienated
from the father, but the elder brother did not.
• If you tell moral, religious people who are trying to be good, trying to obey the Bible so
God will bless them—that they are alienated from God, they will just be offended. If you
know you are sick you may go to a doctor; if you don’t know you’re sick you won’t—you’ll
just die.
• Moralistic religion works on the principle, “I obey, therefore God accepts me.” The gospel
works on the principle, “I am accepted by God through Jesus Christ, therefore I obey.”
• These are two radically different, even opposite, dynamics. Yet both sets of people sit in
church together, both pray, both obey the Ten Commandments, but for radically different
reasons. And because they do these things for radically different reasons, they produce
radically different results—different kinds of character. One produces anger, joyless
compliance, superiority, insecurity, and a condemning spirit. The other slowly but inevitably
produces contentment, joy, humility, poise, and a forgiving spirit.
• Unless a person and a congregation knows the difference between general religiosity and
the true gospel, people will constantly fall into moralism and elder-brotherishness. And if
you call younger brothers to receive Christ and live for him without making this distinction
clear, they will automatically think you are inviting them to become elder brothers.
• Second, we have to see the vulnerability of Jesus.
• Remember, again, whom Jesus is speaking to (vv.1-2). Jesus is speaking to his mortal
enemies, the men he knows will kill him. On the one hand, this is an astonishingly bold
challenge to them. He’s talking to those who want to kill him and telling them that they
are lost, that they fundamentally misunderstand God’s salvation and purpose in the world,
and that they are trampling on the heart of God.
• But at the same time, he is also being so loving and tender. When the father comes out to
the older brother, that is Jesus pleading with his enemies. He is urging them to see their
fatal error. Jesus does not scream at his enemies, or smite them, but lovingly urges them to
repent and come into his love.
• And so we have a foreshadowing of that great moment on the cross when he says, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). This love toward
his enemies made him vulnerable and cost him his life. On the cross, instead of blasting his
enemies, he lovingly took the penalty of their sins on himself. While we were his enemies,
Christ died for us (Rom 5:10).
• Knowing what he did for us must drain us of our self-righteousness and our insecurity. We
were so sinful he had to die for us. But we were so loved that he was glad to die for us. That
takes away both the pride and the fear that makes us elder brothers.

the prodigal God pt2

2010-04-08T04:14:00.000-07:00

The Two Lost Sons
Text : Luke 15:11-32 NIV
Al t erna t e Ti t le: Give Me My Sha re
Int roduc t ion: The third of Jesus’ three parables is the longest and most famous. It is a story about
a family—a father, an older son, and a younger son. The story begins when the younger son comes to
the father and says, “Give me my share of the estate.” In ancient times, when the father died, the
oldest son always got “a double portion” of what any other child got. If there are two sons, the
older would get two-thirds of the estate and so the younger would get one-third. So the story opens
with the younger son asking for his one-third share of the inheritance. Let’s look at: 1) the meaning
of the request, 2) the response to that request, and 3) what difference it makes for us.
1. The meaning of the request—verses 11-12.
• The younger son’s request was stunning, because the inheritance, of course, was not divided up
and distributed to the children until the father died.
• As Kenneth Bailey writes: “In Middle Eastern culture, to ask for the inheritance while the
Father is alive, is to wish him dead.”
• The request would therefore have been a disgrace to the family name, because of the
younger son’s extraordinary disrespect for his father. It would have also been a blow to the
economic standing of the family, since the father would have to sell part of his estate in
order to give him his share.
• In short, this request ripped the family apart. It was a relational and economic act of
violence against the family’s integrity.
• Why would the younger son make such a request?
• In his Confessions, Augustine gives us a theory of why we do what we do, and especially
why we sin. He makes this startling observation: “A man has murdered another man—what
was his motive? Either he desired his wife or his property or else he would steal to support
himself; or else he was afraid of losing something to him; or else, having been injured, he
was burning to be revenged.” Augustine goes on to say that even a murderer murders
because he loves something. He loves romance or wealth or his reputation or something
else too much, inordinately, more than God, and that is why he murders. Our hearts are
distorted by “disordered loves.” We love, rest our hearts in, and look to things to give us
the joy and meaning that only the Lord can give.
• The younger son may have lived with his father and may even have obeyed his father, but he
didn’t love his father. The thing he loved, ultimately, was his father’s things, not his father.
His heart was set on the wealth and on the comfort, freedom and status that wealth brings.
His father was just a means to an end. Now, however, his patience was over. He knew that
the request would be like a knife in his father’s heart, but he obviously didn’t care.
• Here is a great irony, which we will return to later in our series.
• The two sons look very different, on the surface. One runs off and lives a dissolute life, one
stays home and obeys and serves his father.
• Yet at the end, the older son is furious with the father and humiliates him by refusing to go
into the great feast. This is the older son’s way of saying that he will not live in the same
family with the younger son. So again the family’s integrity and the father’s heart are under
assault—this time by the elder brother.
• Why? The elder brother objects to the expense of what the father is doing, as we will see.
He shows that he has been obeying the father to get his things, and not because he loves
him, since he is willing to put him to shame. Both the older and younger sons love the
father’s things, but not the father.
2. The response to the request—verse 12b, 20-24.
• The younger’s son request to the father would have shocked Jesus’ listeners, but the father’s
response is even more remarkable. This was a patriarchal society, in which you were required to
show deference and reverence toward those older or above you. This kind of contempt and
insolence would have ordinarily met with outrage. The listeners would expect the father to
explode in wrath, to drive the son out with blows.
• Instead, we read the simple words, “so he divided his property between them.” We need to put
ourselves into the historical context. In those days, most of a family’s wealth was in their land
and property. Indeed, their family land was part of their very identity. It is likely that the father
had to sell some of his land in order to become “liquid” and give his younger son his share.
• This is reflected in the unusual Greek word used in verse 12 translated as “property.” It is the
word “bios” which means “life.” It says, literally, he divided his “life” between them. Why use
that word? Probably it was a way to convey what it felt like for the father to lose his land, his
family’s good name and status, and the presence of one of his two sons. The father is being asked
to tear his very life apart—and he does.
• The older son and anyone else in the community would have thought that the father was being
foolish to give in to the younger son’s request. But looking back, we know better. If the father
had become embittered, and had perhaps beaten the young man or done something else severe
to him, no restoration would have ever happened. The father’s heart would have been too
hardened to ever receive him back, and the son may never have expected or wanted the father to
do so.
• By bearing the agony and pain of the son’s sin himself, instead of taking revenge, instead of
paying the son back by inflicting pain on him, the father kept the door open in the relationship.
The father was willing to suffer for the sin of the child, so that some day reconciliation would be
possible.
3. Wha t di fferenc e i t makes for us.
• First, it means that whether we are irreligious, free-wheeling, “younger brother” types or moral,
religious “elder brother” types, we have a problem with what Augustine calls “inordinate love”
or idols of the heart.
• For example, imagine a wife who has a husband who spends hours with another woman
talking about all his and her problems, and he goes traveling with this other woman, and
talks and thinks about her incessantly. So the wife confronts her husband and he says,
“What’s the problem? I married you, didn’t I? I pay the mortgage, don’t I? I do all my
duties, don’t I? If someone asks, I say you are my wife. Why are you so upset?” The wife will
say (rightly) that someone else has captured his heart and imagination.
• Many of us are like the elder brother. We may obey all the rules, but our real heart and
passion is something else—our career, or making money, or our children, or peer
acceptance. If any thing has a controlling position in our heart, if any thing is more
important to our happiness than God—then that thing is a “god” to us, an “inordinate love.”
• Recognize these things for what they are. Do you see them in your own heart and life? Once
we see these things for what they are, what can be done about them?
• Second, it means that our Lord has done for us what the father in the parable did for his son.
• When God came into this world, we would have expected him to come in wrath, to appear
and drive us out with blows. But he did not. He didn’t come with a sword in his hand, but
with nails in his hands. He didn’t come to bring judgment, but to bear our judgment.
• Jesus went to the cross in weakness, and there, voluntarily, his life was literally torn apart.
And for his only property left, his garment, they cast lots. But he did it so that, when we
repent, like the younger son, forgiveness and reconciliation is now available.
• And how does this help us with our “disordered loves”? Objectively, it means there is real,
true forgiveness for them. Our guilt is dealt with by Jesus’ blood. Subjectively, when we see
the absolute beauty of what Jesus has done for us, it captures our hearts. Money can’t die
for us, popularity can’t die for us. There is nothing more beautiful in all of reality than the
picture of a perfectly happy Being, leaving all the bliss of heaven, and sacrificing everything
for the sake of rebellious, undeserving, ungrateful people. The more you look at Jesus doing
that, the more you will love him above anyone or anything else. He will capture your heart
so that nothing matters more than he does. When you see what he’s done for you, it makes
the worst times bearable and the best times leave-able.
• As John Newton wrote,
Our pleasure and our duty,
Though opposite before,
Since we have seen His beauty,
Are joined to part no more:
It is our highest pleasure,
No less than duty’s call,
To love Him beyond measure,
And serve Him with our all.

the prodigal God pt1

2010-04-08T04:12:00.000-07:00

The People Around Jesus
Text : Luke 15:1-10 NIV
Al t erna t e Ti t le: He Wel comes Sinners
Int roduc t ion: Luke 15 begins with the religious leaders noticing something—that Jesus seems to
attract and befriend “tax collectors and sinners,” moral outcasts of respectable society. We read in
verse 2 that they “mutter” to one another about this. We can almost imagine them saying: “He
welcomes sinners! This kind of person never comes to our meetings. This must be because he is
telling them what they want to hear. He is not calling them to repent or change.” In response, Jesus
tells them three parables. By listening carefully to all three parables, and especially to the last one,
traditionally called The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus challenges his listeners’ fundamental
assumptions about God, sin, and salvation. He gives them an entirely new way of thinking about
God, themselves, and the whole world. This week we look at the first two of these parables. Let’s
notice three sets of characters: 1) the unwilling listeners, 2) the lost things, and 3) the joyful seekers.
1. The unwi l l ing l i st eners—verses 1-3.
• There are two groups of people around Jesus—“tax collectors and ‘sinners’”, and “Pharisees and
the teachers of the law.”
• The religious group is especially offended that Jesus eats with sinners. Table fellowship was
considered a sign of acceptance and friendship. How, they thought, can he be so open to them?
Doesn’t he realize that they are the “bad people”— who are the real trouble with the world?
(And, therefore, that we are the “good guys”?)
• Jesus does not give a direct, compact answer. Instead, he responds with three stories or parables.
It is important to realize that these parables were not spoken in a vacuum. The purpose of all
three parables was to challenge the Pharisees’ point of view.
• When we get to the final parable, we will realize that both groups of people—“sinners” and
“religious people”—are actually in the parable. That is why the last story, the story of the
prodigal son, is Jesus’ final answer. But that is to come later. For now, let’s notice how he begins
to challenge the Pharisees’ attitude and categories of thought in the first two stories.
2. The lost things—verses 4-5, 8.
First, Jesus confronts their categories about sin.
• In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd goes out to find the sheep. A sheep is a stupid
animal that is completely helpless when lost. In the second parable the lost object is a coin, even
more incapable of finding its way home.
• The three lost “objects”—the sheep, the coin, and (in vv. 11-32) the son—all represent people
who are spiritually lost, far from God. This is Jesus characterizing the people the Pharisees view
as “sinners.” They are lost, yet they are lost in quite different ways. The sheep is lost through
foolishness, the coin through thoughtlessness, and the son through willfulness.
• Taken together, this is a nuanced, multi-dimensional view of sin.
• Here’s an example. Mr. Smith has a problem with abusive anger—he often flies off the handle
and is verbally abusive and sometimes physically so. Why?
• Is his problem genetic? Is it a matter of brain chemistry? Is it just part of his inborn nature,
as in the example of the sheep?
• Or is his problem the result of a bad environment? Perhaps the result of poor parenting and
family life? Was he, like the coin, mismanaged by his “supervisors”?
• Or does his problem stem from selfishness and pride, as with the prodigal son?
The answer is that usually, in varying degrees, it is all of the above.
• Sin is deeply complex. It is inborn in you, it is magnified by sinful treatment, and it is deepened
and shaped by your own choices. Jesus’ view of sin is more comprehensive and multi-dimensional
than that of many psychologists, sociologists, and many religious leaders. It is certainly more
comprehensive than the view held by the Pharisees listening to him.
3. The joyful seekers—verses 6-7, 9-10.
Second, Jesus confronts their categories about salvation.
• Most people think of religion as “humanity’s search for God.” We like to think of ourselves as
spiritual seekers, as honest inquirers. We look at the religions of the world and, while giving
somewhat different directions about how to do so, they all seem to agree that if we sincerely
search for God we will find him. Millions of people the world over believe that by believing and
obeying God’s law in the Bible, they can find God.
• The problem is that anyone who feels they have searched for and found God will naturally
disdain those who seem to be making no effort at all. They will look at “sinners” and say, “I
found God! If you try, you can. I did.”
• But the Biblical gospel turns this idea on its head. The shepherd (whom Jesus obviously identifies
with) must go out to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). Likewise the coin cannot
search and find its owner, the owner finds the coin.
• And here is the first great blow to the world’s categories. Every other religion says that we can
search for and find God if we try hard enough. Only Christianity says, no, God had to come
down into the world to seek and save us. Salvation must be by his grace, not our achievement.
• The end of each parable challenges not just the categories of the Pharisees but their heart and
attitude. A theme through all three parables is the joy of finding the lost. God does not look at
spiritually lost people the way the Pharisees do. Because the Pharisees do not see themselves as
lost sinners saved by grace, they disdain “sinners”. They feel superior to them. But heaven
rejoices when “sinners” are reached and found.
• Jesus is the Great Shepherd, even more intent and joyful than the shepherd of the parable. For
Jesus knew that he would have to die to bring the lost home, but “for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame” (Heb. 12:2). The joy he had in doing his Father’s will,
and the joy he had in finding us, was so great that he was willing to endure the cross.

Ten Principles of Christian Giving

2010-03-11T01:48:00.000-08:00

It is well known that the apostle Paul organized a collection from the
Greek churches of Achaia and Macedonia for the benefit of the impoverished churches of Judea. It may seem extraordinary that he should have devoted so much space in his letters to this mundane matter, referring to it in Romans 15, 1 Corinthians 16, and 2 Corinthians 8-9. But Paul did not see it as a mundane matter. On the contrary, he saw it as relating to the grace of God, the cross of Christ and the unity of the Spirit. In fact, it is very moving to grasp this combination of profound Trinitarian theology and practical common sense.
Moreover, Christian giving is an extremely important topic on the contemporary church’s agenda. For I doubt of there is a single Christian enterprise in the world, which is not currently hindered and hampered by lack of funds. Only this past week I heard of two Christian organizations both of which are threatened with closure unless their income dramatically increases.
In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 the apostle develops 10 principles of Christian giving.
1. Christian giving is an expression of the grace of God (8:1-6).
And now, brothers we want you to know about the grace that
God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.6So we urges Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
You will notice that the apostle Paul does not begin by referring to the generosity of the churches of Macedonia in Northern Greece. He refers instead to the generosity of God, to ‘the grace, which God has given to the Macedonian churches’ (v.1). In other words, behind the generosity of Macedonia, Paul saw the generosity of God. For grace is another word for generosity. Our gracious God is a generous God, and he is at work within his people to make them generous too.
More remarkable still is the fact that three tributaries contributed to the river of Macedonian generosity, namely (v.2) their severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty. In consequence, the Macedonians gave even beyond their ability (v.3). And they pleaded for the privilege of sharing in this service to God’s people in Judea (v.4).
Indeed, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to Paul and his apostolic band (v.5). Also Paul had urged Titus to complete what he had begun in Corinth, the capital of Achaia, a little while ago (v.6). What was this? It was this same ‘act of grace’.
This then is where Paul begins–with the grace of God in the
Macedonian churches of Northern Greece and with the same grace of God in the Achaean churches of Southern Greece. Christian generosity is fundamentally an outflow of the generosity of God.
2. Christian giving can be a charisma that is a gift of the Spirit
(8:7).
But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
Thus, as they excel in the spiritual gifts of faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness and love, the apostle urges them to excel also ‘in this grace of giving’. Similarly in Romans 12:8 Paul includes among another list of charismata ‘contributing to the needs of others’.
Why is it important to draw attention to this? It is because many of
God’s endowments are both a generous gift given to all believers and a particular gift (charisma) given to some. For example, all Christians are called to share the gospel with others, but some have the gift of an evangelist. Again, all Christians are called to exercise pastoral care for others, but some are called to be pastors. Just so, all Christians are called to be generous, but some are given the particular ‘gift of giving’.
Because they have been entrusted with significant financial resources, they have a special responsibility to be good stewards for the common good.
3. Christian giving is inspired by the cross of Christ (8:8, 9).
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of you love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
The Corinthians were not being commanded, still less browbeaten, to give generously. Rather the sincerity of their love was being put to the test by comparison with others and especially (it is implied) by comparison with Christ. For they knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We take note of this further reference to divine grace. Not only is the grace of God at work in us (v.1), but the grace of Christ challenges our imitation (v.9).
Here are two references to poverty and two references to wealth.
Because of our poverty Christ renounced his riches, so that through his poverty we might become rich. We must not misunderstand this by supposing that material poverty and wealth are in mind. No, the ‘poverty’ of Christ is seen in his incarnation and especially his cross, while the ‘wealth’ he gives us is salvation with all its rich blessings.
4. Christian giving is proportionate giving (8:10-12).
And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter:
Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
During the previous year the Corinthian Christians had been the first not only in giving but in desiring to give (v.10). So now Paul urges them to finish the task they had begun, so that their doing will keep pace with their desiring. And this must be according to their means (v11). Thus
Christian giving is proportionate giving. The eager willingness comes first. So long as that is there, the gift is acceptable according to what the giver has, not according to what he has not (v.12).
This expression "according to his means" reminds us of two similar expressions which occur in the Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 11:29 members of the church in Antioch gave to the famine-stricken Judean
Christians "each according to his ability." In Acts 2 and 4 members of the church in Jerusalem gave "to each according to his need."
Does this ring a bell in our memories? In his Critique of the Gotha
Programme (1875) Marx called for a society, which could "inscribe on its banners 'from each according to his ability' and 'to each according to his need' ”. I have often wondered if Marx knew these two verses in Acts and if he deliberately borrowed them. Whatever our politics and economics may be, these are certainly biblical principles to which we should hold fast. Christian giving is proportionate giving.
5. Christian giving contributes to equality (8:13-15).
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little’.
Paul’s desire he explains to his Corinthian readers, is not that others may be relieved while they are hard pressed, for that would merely reverse the situation, solving one problem by creating another, but rather that there might be equality (v.13). He goes on to repeat his argument. Now at present Corinthian plenty will supply the needs of others, so that in turn Paul illustrates the principle from the supply of manna in the desert. God provided enough for everybody. Larger families gathered a lot, but not too much, for nothing was left over.
Smaller families gathered little, but not too little, for they had no lack
(v.15).
Thus Paul put the affluence of some alongside the want of others, and then called for an adjustment, that is, an easing of want by affluence.
Twice he concluded that this was with a view to isoles, which can mean either ‘equality’ or ‘justice’.
What is this ‘equality’ for which Paul calls? It may be said to have three aspects.
First, equality is not egalitarianism. God’s purpose is not that everybody receives an identical wage, lives in an identical house, equipped with identical furniture, wears identical clothing and eats identical food – as if we had all been mass produced in some celestial factory! No. Our doctrine of creation should protect us from any vision of colourless uniformity. For God the Creator has not cloned us. True, we are equal in worth and dignity, equally made in God’s image. True, God gives rain and sunshine indiscriminately to both the evil and the good. But God has made us different, and has given his creation a colourful diversity in physique, appearance, temperament, personality and capacities.
Secondly, the equality we seek begins with equality of educational opportunity. Christians have always been in the forefront of those demanding literacy and education for all. For to educate is to lead people out into their fullest created potential, so that they may become everything God intends them to be. For example, equal educational opportunity means not that every child is sent to college, but that every child capable of benefiting from a college education will be able to have one. No child should be disadvantaged. It is a question of justice.
Thirdly, equality abolishes extreme social disparity. Julius Nyerere, ex-
President of Tanzania, said in his Arusha Declaration that he wanted to build a nation in which ‘no man is ashamed of his poverty in the light of another’s affluence, and no man has to be ashamed of his affluence in the light of another’s poverty.’
The same dilemma confronts missionaries. Should they ‘go bush’, becoming in all things like the nationals they work among? Or should they continue to enjoy western affluence without any modification of their lifestyle? Probably neither. The Willowbank Report on ‘Gospel and
Culture’ (1978) suggests that they should rather develop a standard of living ‘which finds it natural to exchange hospitality with others on a basis of reciprocity, without embarrassment’ (Making Christ Known. Eerdmans/Paternoster, 1996, p. 82.
In other words, if we are embarrassed either to visit other people in their home, or to invite them into ours, because of the disparity of our economic lifestyles, - something is wrong. The inequality is too great. It has broken the fellowship. There needs to be a measure of equalization in one or other direction or in both. And Christian giving contributes to this equality.
6. Christian giving must be carefully supervised (8:16-24).
I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.
And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.
In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honour to
Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.
The handling of money is a risky business. Throughout church history religion has too often been commercialized. Paul is evidently aware of the dangers. So he writes both that ‘we want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift’ (v.20) and that ‘we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men’ (v.21). That is, he was determined not only to do right, but also to be seen to do right.
So what steps did Paul take? First, he did not handle the financial arrangement himself, but put Titus in charge of them (vv.16, 17) and expressed his full confidence in him (v.23). Secondly, Paul added that he was sending along with Titus another brother, who was ‘praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel’ (v.18). Thirdly, this second brother had been ‘chosen by the churches to accompany’ Paul and carry the gift (v.19;cf. 1 Cor. 16:3). Thus the people who carried the offering to Jerusalem had been elected by the churches because they had confidence in them.
In our day it is wise to take similar precautions against possible criticism. In this connection we have reason to be profoundly grateful for the wisdom and integrity of Billy Graham for declining to handle his organization’s finances, for accepting a fixed salary and refusing all ‘love offerings’, and for ensuring that audited accounts are published after every crusade. Similarly, we are grateful for the formation of ECFA (the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) which sets standards of financial accountability for Christian organizations.
7. Christian giving can be stimulated by a little friendly competition
(9:1-5).
There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we – not to say anything about you – would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Paul had been boasting to the Macedonian churches of Northern
Greece (e.g. Philippi) about the eagerness of the Achaean churches of
Southern Greece (e.g. Corinth) to give, and the South’s enthusiasm has stirred the North to action (v.2). Now Paul is sending the brothers already mentioned to the South (especially Corinth) in order to ensure that his boasting about the South will not prove hollow but that the
South will be ready as he had said they would be (v.3).
For if some northerners were to come south with Paul, and were to find the south unprepared, it would be a huge embarrassment to Paul, and even a public humiliation for him (v.11). That is why Paul was sending the brothers in advance, in order to finish the arrangements for their promised gift. Then they would be ready and their gift would be generous and not grudging (v. 5) First Paul has boasted of southern generosity, so that the northerners will give generously. Now he urges the southerners to give generously, so that the northerners will not be disappointed in them.
It is rather delightful to see how Paul plays off the north and the south against each other. He boasts of each to the other, in order to stimulate the generosity of both. True, competition is a dangerous game to play, especially if it involves the publication of the names of donors and the amount they have donated. But at least these verses provide a biblical base for the concept of matching grants. We can all be stimulated to greater generosity by the known generosity of others.
8. Christian giving resembles a harvest (9:6-11a).
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor: his righteousness endures forever.’
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, …
Two harvest principles are here applied to Christian giving.
First, we reap what we sow. Whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly, and whoever sows generously reaps generously (v.6). ‘Sowing’ is an obvious picture of giving. What then can we expect to ‘reap’? We should not interpret Paul’s point with excessive literalism, as if he were saying that the more we give the more we will get, and that our income will keep pace with our expenditure. No. Each donor should give ‘what he has decided in hi heart to give’. Neither reluctantly, nor under compulsion, nor for that matter calculating what he will receive in return
(Luke 6:34, 35), but rather ungrudgingly, because ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (v.7).
If then we give in this spirit, what will happen? What harvest can we expect to reap? Answer: ‘God is able to make all grace abound to you’ so that ‘in all things’ (not necessarily in material things) on the one hand you may have all you need, and on the other you may ‘abound in every good work’ because your opportunities for further service will increase
(v.8). As Scripture says, the consequence of giving to the poor is to have a righteousness, which endures forever (v. 9; Ps. 112:9).
The second harvest principle is that what we reap has a double purpose. It is both for eating and for further sowing. For the God of the harvest is concerned not only to alleviate our present hunger, but also to make provision for the future. So he supplies both ‘bread for food’ (immediate consumption) and ‘seed to the sower’ (to plant when the next season comes round). In the same way God will ‘supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness’ (v.10).
These verses are the origin of the concept of ‘seed-money’, expecting God to multiply a donor’s gift. But it has been much abused by some TV evangelists. Paul is not preaching the false prosperity gospel. True, he promises that ‘you will be made rich in every way’, but he adds at once that this is ‘so that you can be generous on every occasion’ (v.11a) and so increase your giving. Wealth is with a view to generosity. This is the second principle of the harvest.
9. Christian giving has symbolic significance.
There is more in Christian giving than meets the eye. Paul is quite clear about this. In the case of the Greek churches, their giving symbolized their ‘confession of the gospel of Christ’ (v.13). How is that?
Paul looks beyond the mere transfer of cash from the Greek churches to the Judean churches to what it represented or symbolized. The significance of his collection was not just geographical (from Greece to
Judea), nor just economical (from the rich to the poor), but in particular theological (from Gentile Christians to Jewish Christians). His collection was a deliberate, self-conscious symbol of Jewish-Gentile solidarity in the body of Christ.
Indeed, this truth (that Jews and Gentiles are admitted to the body of
Christ on the same terms, so that in Christ they are heirs together, members together and sharers together) was the ‘mystery’ which had been revealed to Paul (e.g. Eph.3:1-9). This was the essence for his distinctive gospel. It was the truth he lived for, was imprisoned for and died for. It is hinted at here, but elaborated in Romans 15:25-28.
Paul writes there that the Gentile churches of Greece had been ‘pleased’ to make a contribution for the impoverished Christians of
Judea. “They were pleased to do it’, he repeated. Indeed ‘they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings (culminating in the Messiah himself), they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings’ (Romans 15:27). It was a striking example of solidarity in the Christian fellowship.
In similar ways, our Christian giving can express our theology, because our gift symbolizes our support of the cause to which we are giving. For example, when we contribute to evangelistic enterprises, we are expressing our confidence that the gospel is God’s power for salvation, and that everybody had a right to hear it. When we contribute to economic development, we express our belief that every man, woman, and child bears God’s image and should not be obliged to live in dehumanizing circumstances. When we give to the maturing of the church, we acknowledge its centrality in God’s purpose and his desire for its maturity.
10. Christian giving promotes thanksgiving to God (9:11b-15).
Through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of
God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Four times in the concluding paragraph of these two chapters, Paul states his confidence that the ultimate result of his collection will be the increase of thanksgiving and praise to God.
v. 11 ‘your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God’
v. 12 ‘this service that you perform…is…overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God’
v. 13 ‘men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity…’
v. 14 ‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’
Here is a crucial test as to whether our giving is authentically Christian or not. Truly Christian giving leads people not only to thank us the donors, but to thank God, and to see our gift in the light of his – the indescribable gift of his Son.
It is truly amazing that so much is involved in what may seem to be a straightforward transfer of money. On the one hand, the doctrine of the
Trinity is involved – the grace of God, the cross of Christ and the unity of the Holy Spirit. On the other, we see the practical wisdom of an apostle of Christ.I hope that our study of these chapters will help to raise our giving to a higher level, and will persuade us to give more thoughtfully, more systematically and more sacrificially. I for one (having preached this sermon to myself before preaching it to you) have already reviewed and raised my giving. I venture to hope that you may do likewise.

Fellowship: The implications of Koinonia

2010-03-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

- The word fellowship is overworked and undervalued, genial friendliness, psa, a superficial mateyness, a good gossip
- We have to recover it, three reasons, biblical, historical, practical
- Biblical warrant, not good for man to be on his own, not just about marriage, aloneness is not the will of God for anyone, people are built for fellowship for company, it is God’s will that they should have it!
- But this isn’t met by churchgoing alone, too often in a crowd like this you can be all alone, not a congregation rather an aggregation, church can perpetuate aloneness rather than cure it.
- There is a need for small groups in the life of the church for the life of the people, the value of small group is that they become a community of related people, the benefit and challenge of which cannot be missed or evaded
- Same for a human family, our growth into maturity according to the purpose of God takes place in the context of a family group. A complex pattern between parents, children, brothers, sisters, which more than anything else governs our development into adulthood, even with single children and on parent families there are usually relatives and neighbours and friends that mould us, those who keep alone and aloof in the Christian family are likely to damage or stunt their own spiritual progress.
- We want to grow bigger, but we want to grow deeper, it is no exaggeration that small groups, house groups, fellowship groups are indispensable for our spiritual maturity. People who hide in church or only do church on a Sunday truly miss out in belonging to the people of Christ and perhaps Christ himself
- Historical warrant, many famous movements of the Spirit of God have come from small groups, the revival in the western isles beginning with 2 elderly ladies, Methodism where John Wesley met with just a few, the fellowship meetings of the east African revival, from the small great movements have sprung up and spread. Prayer triplets!!!
- Pastoral warrant, in every church the pastoral ministry, has to concentrate on nurturing the new convert, visiting the sick, meeting with those in need of baptism, funerals or marriages, counselling, training, but they cannot hope to see all the members of the church, nor indeed should they!!!! Pastoral oversight is not the burden of the minister alone!
- The bible indicates that we are our brother’s keeper, there is a hint that each of us is a bishop, because there is an oversight entrusted to each of us to each other, Hebrews 12:15, that no one fails to obtain the grace of God (episkopountes). So realistically it is in the fellowship groups that the ideal can become a reality, it needs the minister to delegate to the lay leaders and all of us learnt to care for each other. John Wesley, Dr Dale
- Cell church, home group house church movement has been growing and growing, often it is the innovation of the Holy Spirit, there is a hunger for being real, a hunger for life that the world doesn’t give us, but what we have spoken of is far short of the Koinonia mentioned in the New Testament
- At the heart of this word (fellowship), is the adjective Koinos meaning “common”, Koinonia is what we bear together in common, it expresses what we share in together, share out together and what we share with each other, our common inheritance, common service, and our common responsibility
- Our common inheritance too often fellowship is this subjective woolly kind of word, where we have security and warmth with one another, we had good “fellowship together”, but in the bible, Koinonia is not a subjective feeling it is an objective fact, expressing what we share in together.
- Paul writes how we share in God’s grace with him, that John could say “that you may have fellowship with us and our fellowship is with the father and the son, paul spoke of the fellowship of the HS, in other words real fellowship is Trinitarian, we have a common share in the grace of God the father son and HS
- Is this not what makes us one? We come from so many different places, we have different temperaments, gifts and interests, yet we have this in common, the same God as our loving father, the same Jesus Christ as our lord and saviour, the same holy spirit as our indwelling comforter.
- It is our common Koinonia, (participation) in God which unites us together, that is why the Lord’s supper is so vital because we share together in the body and blood of Jesus we are united in him, and we can find that nowhere else in the world.
- Our common service Koinonia not only express what we have received together, but also what we give out together, our common service, in acts ch 2 we see they devoted themselves to the fellowship, first use of Koinonia in the NT, it only can come after the HS has come, Luke is speaking of the common life the church had together.
- We are called to love one another, to care for our brothers and sisters who are struggling in poverty, but Koinonia challenges us not to simply share our material wealth, but also our spiritual wealth, our knowledge of the gospel
- To give you an example Andrew, Peter, James and John were partners (koinonoi) in their fishing business, Jesus then calls them to be partners in fishing for human beings, catching them for the kingdom of God
- Yet we have a strange reluctance to share the wealth, to spread the love, how often have we sung oh for a thousand tongues to sing the great redeemers praise? What a useless wish, for one thing we will never have a thousand tongues, and for another if did we wouldn’t know what to do with them, with the one tongue we do have we share the irrelevant and hurtful and when we should speak of the hope in us we stay stubbornly quiet.
- Our mutual responsibility in the first two aspects of Koinonia we are all facing the same way, receiving or giving out, but in the third aspect of Koinonia, what we share with each other, we are not all facing in one direction, we are gathered in a circle facing each other. We are neither all recipients or givers we are in partnership with each other receiving and giving, Paul says to the Philippians since he shared the gift of the gospel they shared a gift with him
- Same with the collection he was organizing from the Greek churches for the Judean churches, was a symbol of unity, the jews had shared the spiritual blessings, the gentiles were sharing the material blessings
- Another example is romans 1, where Paul longs to visit to impart a spiritual gift and also that they all might be encouraged by each other’s faith.
- Throughout the NT there are many “one another” words, the speak of the mutuality of Christian fellowship, the most common one is of course from Jesus “love one another as I have loved you”, this isn’t romantic or idealistic, to love each other is to have very practical consequences, negative and positive
- Negative, if we love one another, we will not judge others, or speak evil against each other, we will not bite and devour each other (sheep bite), we will not provoke or envy or life to each other
- Positively if we love each other we will be kind and compassionate, we will forbear and forgive each other, we will submit to each other and build each other up, we will practice hospitality without reluctance, we will encourage admonish and comfort one another, pray for each other and bear one another’s burdens
- The place to do this is not a Sunday morning, although it comes through there, it is in fellowship found in small groups, try it!
Practical illustrations
- fellowship groups can take many different forms, our house groups, our prayer groups, the youth bible study, the guild, Yorkie, but they need key elements, of prayer and feeding on Christ, we share in together to share out, we need to also be outward looking, to look for opportunities of service, inviting neighbours to church or a special meeting, visiting the sick and the elderly, volunteering in the church, praying for the world and the church.
- Fellowship groups should also share with each other, every time they meet an opportunity should be given to members to share their joys and sorrows, doubts, fears and needs. Leaders of our groups are like mini ministers, and pastoral oversight is shared among many.
- Our groups are full of human beings and as every human is different I have no intention of dictating what our groups should be like, but I do believe that Koinonia should be allowed to unfold, to rejoice in our common inheritance, our common service and our mutual responsibility, I don’t want groups just concentrating on themselves, or only concentrating on others, we need a balance.
- So first of all, if you do not go to a group, you need to if you want to grow, take your pick we have loads, or start one! And keep asking yourselves are we growing in Christian maturity together? Are we serving the Lord, the church and the world together? Are we increasing in love and care for one another?
- Then we can say with confidence and joy, “we had good fellowship together!”

Ministry: the 12 and the 7

2010-02-18T04:16:00.000-08:00

- Leg joke
- Many different leadership styles in many churches, book of acts shines a light on God’s purpose in ch 6 and ch 20 for Church leaders
- Early chapters of acts about the birth and growth of body of Christ and the strategy of satan to smother it
- Chief actor 1 and 2 holy spirit, 3-6 chief actor satan
- 3 tactics of satan, physical violence, moral compromise, social distraction, persecution, corruption, distraction, still in same old rut
Acts 6 v 1-7, An every member ministry
- Church is growing, but quarrel between Greek and Hebrews over the widows’ breaks out, danger that the apostles were getting bogged down in administration and neglecting the ministry of the word.
- They did a wise thing, they didn’t impose a solution, they called a meeting, they sought wisdom from the body, not be right to neglect ministry of word for waiting of tables, it is not beneath them, it was not their calling, they were called by God to be apostles.
- Suggestion- delegate to those “full of spirit and wisdom”, the 12 to the 7, they would stick to preaching and prayer, without prayer the seeds sown may not be fruitful
- Church agreed, 7 were appointed, commissioned and authorized, vital principle everybody cannot do everything, indeed everybody is not called to do everything
- 1. God calls all his people to ministry (diakonia)
- 2 God calls different people to different ministries
- 3. God expects those he calls to ministry of the word to on no account be distracted by social administration
- Both the work of the 12 and the 7 is diakonia, ministry, neither inferior to the other, both are ways of serving God, both require spirit filled people, both can be full time ministries, the only difference is that they are different, the pastorate is not “the ministry”
- Diakonia is the generic word for ministry or service, it is not specific, in Romans 13:4 the magistrates of the state are known as the servants of God, which could be applied to pastors or other servants of the church.
- So in this passage it is clear that all Christians are called to ministry, because we are followers of him who said he did not come to be served but to serve, it is inconceivable that we should spend our lives in any other way than ministry (service), but there is a wide diversity of gifts, callings and ministries, we have to discover ours and help others discover theirs.
- When the apostles delegated, and concentrated on their calling the word of God spread and the number of disciples increased rapidly! Logical
- It is vital for us as a church to learn this lesson! I am not an apostle, but my job is to expound what they teach what they have left, that is first and foremost my ministry, too often we let pastors get bogged down in all sorts of other stuff
- Often it is the pastor’s fault, power hungry they want to keep hold of everything and delegate nothing, but it can also be the people of God’s fault, where the general rule is well we pay him, let him get on with it!, in either case it spells disaster! Standards of preaching decline, and people do not get an opportunity to use their gifts, the church falls sick!
- We need a basic biblical recognition that God calls different people to different ministries, the people have to set the pastor free from the unnecessary and the pastor ensures the people can exercise their gifts, if this happens the church will flourish!
- The spiritual gifts that God gives to us all are for the common good of the church, to build up the body of Christ, we need to hold on to the every member ministry of the body of Christ.
The pastoral ministry
- there is a role for pastoral ministry, this is what we think of as the minister, or priest or pastor, but what are they meant to be? Are they needed if everyone has a ministry?
- Acts 20 Paul and the Ephesians, pastoral oversight, feeding the flock, a teaching ministry, how do they feed, well they don’t they lead to good pastures to feed themselves
- Plural oversight, it is not a one man band, Paul always relied on others, there is a need for a leadership team in every church, with every part of that leadership playing it’s part.
- With the pastoral and plural parts of leadership vital to churches, Paul develops a metaphor in Acts 20 that is helpful for us to not, he describes himself and the elders as shepherd, secondly he warns of false teachers and thirdly he affirms the value of the people, who are God’s sheep.
The example of the Shepherd
-Paul speaks of his thoroughness, in his teaching the themes of the gospel, in his outreach, in his methods, he taught publicly and privately, day and night, nothing could stop him, he shared all possible truth with all possible people by all possible means, the whole gospel to the whole city with his whole heart. He was an inspiration to the Ephesians as he should be to us today
The invasion of wolves
-wolves were and in some cases still are the chief threat to the sheep, shepherd could never relax, Paul calls Churches to be on their guard, a double task, to feed the sheep and rout the wolves, unpopular to speak against false teaching today, but both Jesus and the apostles told us we must, to often we get sensitive and say nothing when we should speak out if we say and do nothing we are like the hired hand who cares not for the sheep.
-we cannot leave the flock of God defenceless, we need to protect it from error and establish the truth.
The value of the sheep
- we all must see the value of the sheep, v 28 is key here 28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.[a] Be shepherds of the church of God,[b] which he bought with his own blood.
- Implicit in this is three things; one the Church is God’s church, the church of god!
- Secondly it is bought with the blood of Christ
- Thirdly it is overseen by the Holy Spirit
- It belongs to the father, redeemed by the son, anointed by the Holy Spirit, it is not our Church, it is God’s church, this should humble us and inspire us, especially to love the sheep of God
- Now sheep at a distance are lovely to look at but up close they are dirty and full of beasts! They need to be dipped often, they are obstinate and unintelligent, are God’s sheep dirty, lousy and stupid? Let’s not stretch the metaphor too far………………
- Sheep can be a trial to a pastor, but the reverse is true also! How do we love that which we can find unlovable? By remembering how precious they are, when you are struggling to deal with a difficult person say “How precious you are in God’s sight, the father loves you, Jesus died for you, the Holy Spirit guides you, if the trinity care for your welfare, it is a privilege for me to serve you!
- To be the flock of God means to be in ministry together, to walk with God, stand against the devil and love one another, it is a great privilege to seek the will of God, to do the will of God and be in the place he has called you, can we continue to walk this walk together, into eternity?

evangelism:through the local church

2010-02-02T02:05:00.000-08:00

Evangelism: mission through the local church
- Decade of evangelism…. to evangelize “is to make known by word and deed the love of the crucified and risen Christ in the power of the holy spirit so that people will repent, believe and receive Christ as their Saviour and obediently serve him as their Lord in the fellowship of his Church.
- Not a modern idea, in 1571 Bishop John Jewel of Salisbury, “if any man be a Christian and not profess his faith he gives men occasion to doubt whether or not he has the grace of the holy spirit within him because he is tongue toed and doth not speak
Forms of evangelism
- It takes different forms, Jesus with the Samaritan woman and Philip with the Ethiopian this is Personal evangelism, which is still our duty today to share with those near to us who do not know Christ
- Mass evangelism, despite some American tv evangelists, this method has been blessed by God, Jesus spoke to the masses, Paul to the pagans of Lystra and the philosophers of Athens, Wesley, Whitefield, Bily Graham, millions have found faith and grown in their faith through their ministries.
- However local church evangelism can claim to be the most normal, natural and productive method of spreading the gospel today.
- 2 reasons for this, 1 argument from scripture, according to peter the church is a royal priesthood that is to offer spiritual sacrifices to God (worship) and a holy nation to spread God’s praises (witness), so every church is called by God to be a worshipping and witnessing community
- If we truly worship God, acknowledging him and adoring his worth, experiencing his presence and his pleasure, we find ourselves impelled to make him known to others, so they can worship him, so worship leads to witness and witness leads to worship, Perpetual cycle
- Example of Thessalonians, the message came to them, they welcomed it, the message rang out from you, every church must pass the gospel on, it is still God’s principal of evangelism, if all churches had been faithful to this, the world would long ago have been evangelized!
- 2nd reason, argument from strategy, every church is set in a certain place, it’s first mission is to the people who live there. Any political party would be hugely jealous of the resources we have in terms of buildings, personnel, we have so much that if it were fired up for local mission much of what we complain about wouldn’t happen because the Church would have stood in the breach.
- Bill Hybels, the local church is the hope for the world, Stott the local church is the primary agent for evangelism, but it must understand itself, organize itself, express itself and be itself
The church must understand itself: it’s theology
- many churches are sick because of a false self image, they do not know who they are or what they are called to be (identity and vocation), the importance of having an accurate self image is vital for mental health in humans, it is equally true of churches
- at least tow false images of the church today, the first is the religious club or introverted Christianity, like a golf club but God instead of golf, they enjoy doing religious things, pay their fees and so are entitled to certain privileges, in fact they concentrate on status and the advantages of being part of the club and forget the world
- William temple, the church is the only co operative society that exists for it’s non members, instead they are introverted, like an ingrown toenail, of course we have a responsibility to one another, the NT tells us this, but our main job is worship and witness for and to God.
- The opposite extreme the secular mission, or religionless Christianity, this really began in the 60’s were understandably Christians were exasperated with the self centered nature of the church, and so they exchanged the worship services for the secular city, no longer interested in worship services only worship service, worship was mission, love for God as neighbour, prayer to God as encounter with people.
- An over reaction undoubtedly, but they have a point, all this naval gazing the church does as the bible tells us sickens God, but we must never confuse mission with worship, there is overlap but they are not the same.
- There is a third way which combines the two, where we realise there is a duty to worship God and witness to the world, this is a double identity, incarnational Christianity, Holy worldliness, we are called out of the world, to be separate, but God calls us back to the world to let them know of Jesus.
- In the world but not of it, best example is of course Jesus, fully human, but never sacrificed or compromised his own unique identity, he was the perfect example of holy worldliness
- He sends us out as the father sent him, to enter into the worlds of others, their thinking, feeling, living, this is costly, but we do not pay with our integrity, we are called to maintain the standards of Jesus.
- Seldom has the church managed in history to maintain it’s God given double identity of holy worldliness, sometimes it has withdrawn, at other times conformed to the world, but to maintain it’s calling the church must faithfully hold both it’s holiness and worldliness in balance so the will of God is done.
- The bible shows us the way to go, and what to say but we have nothing to say if we are compromised by the world, but also we have no one to serve because we are insulated and cut off, be in the world but not of it, and we can only do that in the strength of Christ
The church must organize itself: It’s structures
- too often we are organized for holiness rather than worldliness, our church is not for itself it is built for others, the centre lies outside itself, too often we are a waiting church, waiting for people to come in and then conform them to the way we do things.
- If our structures are inflexible and self centered then we I believe are heretical, because we need to be in here to accommodate us going out there, if all we do is stay in here then we are living a lie.
- Too often our structures mean that we spend all our time in here, with meetings and business, with our church, our people, we become occupied with church when being a church actually means bearing witness to Christ in the world.
- Sometimes I wonder if we should simply meet on a Sunday for worship, fellowship and teaching, then scatter for the rest of the week to get our hands dirty for Jesus. Then we follow our double identity of holy worldliness
- How then can we organize ourselves, well should we not be conducting a survey, examining ourselves, testing ourselves to see if we are reflecting our identity our vision, of asking the hard questions. To see if we are organized for ourselves or do we serve God and the community
- In fact we should also have a community survey to see whether our church is penetrating the community for Christ (that is a job for outreach!)
- Ask questions like an outsider, what does our Church building look like? Chapels in France, keep out! Church services what are we saying to visitors, Church membership do we leave everything to the minister and a few others, or do we realize that the NT teaches everyone of us has a ministry church programme do we tie people down to do things or release them to be active for Christ in the community? Do we provide training? Do you get an idea and run with it or say what a shame no one has ever done that? What changes do we need to make, many many things have come out of our vision supper, but we need to keep casting the vision to let people know that Jesus is alive and they can find him here
- Let’s make the tough decisions to step out of our comfort zones so that others are with us in eternity.
The church must express itself: it’s message
- not enough to understand and organize, we need to articulate our message, evangelism means sharing the good news, the essence of which is Jesus Christ, Philip, Paul spoke of the good news of Jesus, we must speak of him, his death and resurrection
- How do we do this? Two extremes to avoid total fixity where you have a set talk and you cannot move from this and often the words you have make no sense
- Total fluidity where people just discover it by entering into a Christian event or service.
- Middle way we have to think, see everyone we meet as a person with a need to meet Jesus, but in the same way that Jesus treated everyone differently so do we, and some will believe and others will not, but that should never stop us from telling of the hope that we have in a sensitive and loving way.
The church must be itself: it’s life
- The church is God’s new society, a taste of what is to come, the good news seen, people learn by what they see and experience much more than they hear, people have to see that the gospel we preach has transformed us!
- It is people who communicate, not primarily words or ideas, authenticity. If our life contradicts, our evangelism will lack all credibility.
- 1 john 4 :12, no one has seen God but if we love one another God lives in us and his love is made complete in us
- The Lord is invisible………he is spirit, it is still a challenge for faith today, science has shaped our age, we will believe when we see him.
- How does God overcome this? The world shows his glory, he revealed himself in his son, the third way? He is seen in Christians, God is seen through the quality of our loving of one another, if we do not love one another we do not love God, that simple.
- Nothing so damaging as a church torn apart by jealously, rivalry, slander, malice or selfishness, a church like that needs to be renewed by love, or die, image of dry rot!
Conclusion
- Church must grasp double identity, organize itself developing a mission strategy to reflect being in the world but not of it, it must express verbally the gospel by being faithful to scripture and relevant to the world today and fourthly it must be itself, transformed into a community of love that makes the invisible God visible to the world

sermon 24th Jan 2010

2010-01-29T02:39:00.000-08:00

Worship: glorying in God’s holy name
Often said evangelism is the first priority for the church, but it is not for at least 3 reasons 1. Duty to neighbour not to God, duty to God must come first.2 we are all witnesses to the gospel but evangelism is also a spiritual gift, not all have that gift, but all Christians are worshippers. 3 Evangelism is a temporary activity which will end when the Lord Jesus returns to claim us for eternity, but our worship will continue throughout eternity
Worship is the Church’s preeminent duty, we need to give it our attention!
What is worship however? Of course the whole of our life is worship, serving God with all our being, so how do we define it? Best definition is ps 105:3 to worship is to glory in God’s holy name” God’s name is his revealed character, it is holy because it is unique, set apart from and above all other names. When we see the holiness of God’s great name we see the reason for glorlying in it, reveling in it. We are to join with all the creatures in pronouncing him worthy of our praise because he is creator and redeemer (rev 5: 9-14), because of who God is, it is appropriate to worship at his throne.
True worship according to scripture has four main characteristics
Biblical worship
True worship is biblical worship that is a response to biblical revelation, Paul in Athens, mars hill found the altar where they worshipped to an unknown God to cover all the bases, he was going to tell them who that was. One of the truths of that story is they could never worship an unknown God, if you don’t know him you cannot worship him.
So Christian worship is defined as a response to revelation, so the reading and preaching of the word is central to a worship service, it is the word of God that leads us to the worship of God for it is hear we learn about God, the reformation brought the word back to the centre of worship, it is good for us to read together in church, when this happens it is like Cornelius when he received Peter into his home, “Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.
This Spirit of receptivity is a necessary condition of hearing the word of God, so much depends on how readers and preachers approach their task.
It is a great privilege to be involved in any aspect of the service, to lead in prayer, to speak to the children, to read and especially to preach, if worship is response to the word of God, the preacher must impel the people to the truth and worship will flow from the truth.
Psalm 95 for example, a call to the people to praise him, but it contains an abrupt change of mood, a call to sing for joy and shout out loud, but also in v6 the mood changes, we are to bow down and kneel before the Lord, why? Because he is our God and we are under his care, to sing for joy because he is a great God, but to bow down because he is our God, we need to sing for joy but also kneel before him in quiet. Not simply fortissimo, but piano and even pianissimo. Quiet as well as loud!

Congregational worship True worship is when God’s people are together, some say they worship easier on their own and there is a place for private worship, even in the psalms, but the psalmist focuses on corporate worship. Praise O servants of the Lord, sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. In the NT, let us not give up the habit of meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb10:25)
The worship, which is pleasing to God, is when his people are together offering it! This means participation! The reformers got it, priest at the high altar celebrated the medieval mass and the lay people spectators, the reformers brought the action into the body of the Kirk, to ensure the people were not spectators but participators. Also the mass was in Latin, the reformers insisted on the common language of the people! So everyone is involved.
Our worship should clearly express the international and intercultural character of the body of Christ. Paul was conscious of the tensions between Jews and gentiles, in ch 15 of Romans he prayed for a spirit of unity, so they could join together in the common worship of God, with one heart and moth they might glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are all different, but in Christ we are one, we have different preferences, different views, but when we worship we worship the risen son of God and as long as we sing to him with words that are biblical and true it matters not the tune! Focus on the words you sing, if you don’t mean them with all your heart, the sacrifice of praise you bring before God is nothing more than a rotting corpse and the Lord doesn’t want it.
Spiritual worship True worship is spiritual worship, scripture tells us that worship is not simply about the correct forms, rituals or ceremonies, we need to see and hear the criticism from the bible of religion. No book is more scathing of empty religion than the bible, not Marx, not even Richard dawkins.
The prophets of 7th and 8th century bc were outspoken in their criticism of the formalism and hypocrisy of Israelite worship, Jesus applied their critique to the Pharisees of his day, they honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me (is 29, Mark 7:6), This rings to clear to me and my life of worship today, and probably some of you too, too much of our worship s ritual without reality, form without power, fun without fear, religion without God. Malcolm muggeridge, “one of the greatest defences against God’s work in the world has been organized religion; churches have often provided a refuge for fugitives from God, his voice lost in the clutter of the service, his purpose obscured in the creeds and dogmas, when the voice begins “dearly beloved or with the earnest open face, God can be relied to nick off”
We need to say something about music in worship at this point. It can be a wonderful vehicle for praise but can also provoke him to cry away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps (Amos 5:23)
Every generation has gifted musicians who have brought their talent to God, from the Jewish praise that was enriched with singing and various instruments (Ps 150), so it is in the Christian tradition from the organ, brass and strings to drums and guitar of today, I have no intention of passing judgment between classical and contemporary for different styles appeal to different temperaments and cultures. What is essential is however the biblical content of the hymns and songs, for if it is not there it is too easy to descend into “babbling” which Jesus condemned in the sermon on the mount (battalogia), battalogia seems to mean any speech in which the mouth is engaged but the mind is not.
Striking that we are to offer spiritual worship, there is such hunger for spirituality in the west, the New age movement with it’s bizarre assortment of diverse beliefs, picks from everywhere, but sows that this world on it’s own cannot satisfy the human spirit, people are searching for a transcendent reality everywhere.
This quest for transcendence is a challenge to us and to the quality of our public worship. Does it offer that which people are craving, the element of mystery, the sense of awe and wonder, the immanence of God? Truth is probably not often, too often the truth is we do not know how to worship, we have little sense of the greatness and glory of God, we do not bow down before him in awe, our tendency is to be cocky, flippant and proud. We do not take our time to prepare for worship, participants and leaders, and too often we miss out because our hearts are not right, neither are our heads. No wonder people seeking God pass us by if we are more concerned about the time, or chatting to our pal or getting through the next part of the service, and that may be as much my fault as yours.
What is needed then? 1. Faithful reading and preaching of the word of God, so his living voice is heard by his people. 2 reverence and expectance when we come to the Lord’s table we really meet with him, so we may feed on him in our hearts by faith. 3 we need a sincere offering of praise and prayer that God’s people like Jacob can say “surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it”, unbelievers present will fall down and worship God, exclaiming “God is really among you”
Basically it is a great tragedy that many of our contemporaries seeking God, seeking to fulfill their craving spirits turn to drugs, sex, yoga, cults, mysticism, the new age, science fiction, anything except the Church, it is a damning indictment on us, our worship services should always experience the transcendent God, a close encounter with the living God is possible for us all, in this place if we take time to prepare and expect to meet with him.
Moral Worship The kind of worship that is pleasing to God has one more characteristic, true worship is moral worship, our words must be backed up by our actions, Samuel to Saul, to obey is better than sacrifice, to heed is better than the fat of rams. God was scathing through Isaiah, he took no joy in their sacrifices, their assemblies were an abomination to him, he would not even listen to his prayers, for their hands were full of blood, if they would stop doing wrong, seek justice and encourage the oppressed they would be forgiven (Isaiah 1), it was this mixture of religion and wrongdoing and injustice that God could not abide. Worship without holiness was hateful to him.
Conclusion Best place to finish this sermon is in Romans ch 12, at the beginning where Paul describes the Christian life as the spiritual act of worship! For 11 chapters the apostle unfolds “the mercies of God” and now in view of God’s great mercy, which by grace we have all received, Paul appeals to all the members of God’s church across the world to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God, this physical offering is our “spiritual” act of worship!
The word he uses is Logikos, which can either mean reasonable, it is logical in response to God’s mercy or rational, that is intelligent, the offering of a heart and mind, spiritual not ceremonial
Paul is clearly thinking of worship to not simply about what we do in this place, but worship is how we live our live at home, in the workplace with our friends and family, everything is to be worship, and if we do not worship in all the places we find ourselves, we limp, when God calls us to bow down and soar with him!

evening sermon 17th jan 2010

2010-01-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

Conflict
James 4:1-7
“When Conflict Gets the Best of Us”
INTRO
We all live with discord
- To be alive means to be in conflict - people fight - families fight
- Fights that can sometimes be over big things - needs in a relationship, behaviors that create hurt
- Sometimes over trivial things
Illustration:
the story of Danny Thomas - who got upset and fired 6 shots into MacDonald's after they messed up his hamburger order
Even in the church - we can fight
- We can say damaging things - we can provoke, be mean-spirited
- Here in James, it is apparent that this early church was embroiled in conflict
- Ugly conflict - the sort that spilled over into harsh, anti-social behavior - careless speech
- So what was behind it?
1 - WHAT IS BEHIND OUR CONFLICTS?
- James is asking this question – vs.1a
- From whence comes your conflicts - your acrimonious speech, your condescending words, your ungodly treatment, your abuse of one another?
James goes back to the headwaters - the source - of most conflict - whether it be marital, sibling conflict, corporate friction, church arguments – vss.1b-3
Behind their unmet needs, their frustrated desires
- Their anger strong enough to kill
- Is the same thing that is behind ours – SELF-CENTEREDNESS
Larry Crabb - in his chapter - what's wrong with our marriage?
- Makes the point that it is not the wounds we carry that is the first order of business
- It is this stubborn, pervasive, subtle commitment to ourselves
- Poor communication, anger, unhealthy responses, incompatibility - it all flows out of the cesspool of self-centeredness
We should not be surprised - selfishness is deeply entrenched in all of us - the result of a sinful nature - a fault line that runs from Adam to us
- That corrupts our capacities - thought, emotion, speech
- So that they become centers of attack
- This nature displaces God's lordship for ours
- As Plantinga puts it - like a neurotic little god, the heart keeps ending discussions by insisting it wants what it wants
2 - WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES IF THE FIGHTING DOES NOT STOP?
- Most of know the answer
- Divorce, ending of fellowship, loss of friendships - emotional and (sometimes) physical pain
- But James again goes beyond the surface - goes deeper
- To focus on the spiritual damage
A - SPIRITUAL ADULTERY – vs.4
- James reminds us that the sin of hurting each other has first and finally a Godward force
- It is something we all too often forget -- that all sin is essentially an affront to God and His will
- Which amounts to a form of unfaithfulness
- Conflict - driven by self-centeredness - ends up putting love of self over love of God
But it is more
- We have chosen to imitate the world - and the way it deals with differences, irritants, disagreements
- This was Paul's point in I Cor 3:3 - "For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you - ARE YOU NOT WORLDLY?"
- Have you not lost your distinctiveness?
- Have you not been unfaithful to God?
But there is more - our fighting amounts to…
B - TRIVIALIZING THE SPIRIT
- Taking lightly His power, His claims on us, His will for us – vs.5
- And what is that will - what is it God jealously desires to do within us?
- Isn't it to pour Himself through us?
- Release His indwelling power
- The power that can heal souls of their deepest wounds
- Mend broken hearts
- Overcome the damage due to abusive backgrounds
- Encourage the depressed to move forward
- Revitalize discouraged spirits
- James is typically pointed
- But he is simply underscoring the mindlessness of saints who war with one another
Illustration:
- Grand Canyon - an attorney gets lost, and his expensive car breaks
down in the worst possible street in an inner city
- He phones for a tow truck - but before it comes - 5 terrifying youth surround him and threaten to do some pretty awful things
- And then the tow truck driver shows up - a pretty tough guy
- Who takes the gang aside and says - MAN, THE WORLD AIN'T
SUPPOSED TO WORK LIKE THIS
- I'm supposed to do my job without asking you if I can
- That dude is supposed to be able to wait with his car without you ripping him off
- Everything is supposed to be different than it is here
This is what James was saying to them
- This is what God is saying to those of us that tend to live with lots of conflict
3 - IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR PEACE?
- Any way out of our tendency to hurt each other?
- Vs.6 tells us there is
- God grace is greater
- Greater than our sin
- Greater than our mess
- Grace that can take on our self-centeredness and renounce it and relinquish it
- Grace that can bring real change - enable us to be other centered
- That can reconcile hearts
We need His grace - because we cannot overcome our conflicts and our self-centeredness - no matter our hard work and good intentions
- But it is not automatic
4 - WHAT IS GOD CALLING US TO DO?
- The hardest thing any of us are called to do
- Humble ourselves - for grace is only given to the humble – vs.6b
- God's grace is free - but not automatic
- It is conditional to our willingness to humble ourselves - which James now fleshes out
- It means first of that we…
A - SUBMIT TO GOD – vs.7a
- Arrange under - not over
- This is our first and most important act of humility
- Exchanging our governance for His
- Submitting to His Lordship and not to our own
- It means surrendering to Jesus
- Moving from self-centeredness to God-centeredness
- Letting Him have the final word
At the same time - the heart has a second responsibility-
B - RESIST THE ENEMY – vs.7b
- "Stand against" - an admonition repeated in other places - I Pet 5:9; Eph
6:13
- For demonic fingerprints are on just about all of our conflicts
- The evil one's great desire is to destroy our peace - ruin our relationships - starting with the home, and moving quickly to our spiritual community
- Forces unseen, supernatural - that have lined up to take inject poisonous thoughts - play on our pride - induce conflict
- It is here James clarifies WHO OUR FIGHT MUST BE WITH
- This is our principal fight
So BE ON THE ALERT - APPROACH EACH DAY WITH AN
AWARENESS OF WAR
- Approach each conflict with an awareness he is there
- And so STAND AGAINST HIM --
Why?
1 - BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN DEFEATED IN THE PAST
- I John 3:8 - the Son of Man appeared - that He might destroy the works of the devil
2 - BECAUSE HE CAN BE DEFEATED IN THE PRESENT
- In light of the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus
- The devil can --
- Persuade - but he Cannot Force
- Deceive - but he has Not the Power to Control
- Tempt - but he Cannot Coerce
- Accost - but he Cannot Destroy
- Hence --
- When we resist - he must flee - because we fight with the best of help
And why must we?
BECAUSE COMMUNITY, UNITY, MATTERS TO GOD

living church pt1

2010-01-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

Essentials, God’s vision for his church
Three assumptions
- 1.Christian people, also church people- committed to both! Nothing worse (well might be) than an unchurched Christian. Church is at the very centre of eternal purpose of God.
- Church is God’s community, God’s purpose is not simply to save individuals and perpetuate loneliness, rather build his church, to call a people out of the world for his glory.
- We are to be committed to the Church because God is titus 2:14, to call people to himself, we can be dissatisfied, even disillusioned, but we are committed to Christ and the Church.
- 2. we are committed to the mission of the Church called out of the world, but also sent back into the world to witness and serve, because it is the mission of Christ “as the father sent me, so I send you”- the incarnation
- we then are to be Jesus to the world, to enter into people’s lives, to understand where they come from, to be like them, and yet not compromise what we believe, in whom we trust.
- 3. We are committed to the reform and renewal of the Church. In the world Church is growing, in the west we are stunted, stench of decay, we long to see the church being reformed and renewed by the word and the Spirit of God.
- What is God’s vision for his Church? What are the distinguishing marks of a living church?
- Early Church Acts 2 v 42-47- rose tinted specs, nevertheless radically stirred by the Holy Spirit. What was the evidence? 4 marks!
- A learning Church- we wouldn’t have picked it! The devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. Holy Spirit opened a school that day, being filled of the Spirit was not just a “mystical experience”, they did not neglect their intellect, they met constantly to hear the apostles teach! Spirit of truth, the truth matters. They still say the need to listen to human teachers, Jesus called the apostles to be the teachers of the church (shown by miracles)
- How then do we submit to the teaching authority of the apostles? No apostles in the church today, with the authority of John, Peter, Paul or James, if there were we would have to added to the New testament.
- Ignatius bishop of Syrian Antioch 110AD. Only a bishop not apostle, so if there are no apostles to submit to, how do we do it? Obvious we submit to their teaching found in the NT.
- A living church then is a learning church that submits to the teaching of the apostles, pastors must teach from scripture, expound it, explain it, and we must all soak ourselves in scripture, by reading and reflecting daily on the word
- The Spirit of God leads the people of God to honour the word of God, fidelity to the teaching of the apostles is the first mark of a living church.
- A caring church devoted to fellowship, Koinonia, what we share in together and out together, gave to any in need. V 44-45, essenes, Anabaptists, Hutterites, rich young ruler, voluntary for the church, v 46 they had homes, annais and Sapphira, greed not deceit. They had a choice as we do, we need to make a conscious decision before God what to do with our money and possessions.
- But before we breathe a sigh of relief…….. not called to poverty, but we can’t avoid the challenge of these verses, they loved one another, fruit of the spirit, they cared for the poor and so shared their goods with them. This principle of sharing is surely a permanent one, 1000 million $1 dollar a day, 24,000 die a day through hunger & related issues, how can we live with this? Many of the poor are our Christian brothers and sisters.
- We in the affluent west need to simplify, not simply to become part of the solution, but to stand with the poor.
- A living church is a caring church, generosity is always a characteristic of the people of God, Our God is such a generous God, his church must be too.
- A worshipping church devoted to breaking bread and prayers, balance! Worship formal and informal, temple and home, important lesson, many young people frustrated with institutional church, quite rightly sometimes, some church’s mantra, mission statement seems to be “as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen!
- But Holy Spirit’s way with the church seems to be more of patient reform than impatient rejection. To generalize, older likes structure, younger the more spontaneous, we all need to experience and accept one another’s preference, every church needs to follow the early church with house groups, every church needs to have the gathering of all God’s people together as well.
- Early church’s worship was reverent and joyful! V46 agalliasis, exuberant joy, and why not! A joy that perhaps we are not used to, some are like a funeral, some are like a circus, need reverence as well as joy, v 43 they were filled with awe! When God is in the midst, we like them bow with wonder and humility, this is worship
- Living church has worship that is formal and informal, joyful and reverent, we need to recover this biblical balance today
- An evangelizing Church so we have covered the things they devoted themselves to, this is the interior, not exterior, the compassionate outreach, v 42 needs v 47 committed to mission, the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved, this verse teaches 3 truths
- 1 the lord did it
- 2 two things together salvation and joining their number, salvation and membership of the church go together
- 3 The lord did it daily, not a big planned mission, but their witness was continuous and the Lord honoured it
- Need a return to the eager expectation that sinners are being saved into this church and we need more. But this means we have to witness daily and to be ready to receive them when they come in. we need to anticipate new believers and make provision for their nurture.
- Conclusion look at 4 marks, it all has to do with believer’s relationships, 1.related to the apostles, 2. They related to each other, 3. they related to God, 4. They related to the world outside, learning, fellowship, worship and evangelism, when Christians lose the Church, they lose all of this in their lives
- Don’t need to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, when he came on the day of Pentecost he never left the Church, Jesus was born once, died once, rose once, ascended once and sent the Spirit once, what we do need to do is humble ourselves before God, see the fullness, the direction and power of the Holy Spirit, if we do then our Church will be at least an approximate to the essentials of a living church in apostolic teaching, loving fellowship, joyful worship and out going, ongoing evangelism.

evening service 6th dec 2009

2010-01-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

Taming the Tongue
James 3:1-12
“What Do Your Words Say About You?”
How powerful, how impacting are our words?
- Ask James - whose overarching message in chapter 3 may be that nothing defines us like our words
NOTHING REVEALS THE HEART LIKE OUR WORDS
Here in this text James makes two broad statements --
1 - WHEN OUR WORDS ARE UNDER CONTROL - LIFE IS UNDER CONTROL
- read vs.2
- James seems to say - show me a perfect person - and I will show you one whose words are perfectly controlled
- For the person who can keep the tongue "bridled" - UNDER TIGHT REIN
- has the ability to control every part of oneself
-vss.3-5b serve to illustrate
James' point is clear - like a bit, like a rudder - the tongue has influence all out of proportion to its size
- This mere 2-oz. slab of mucous membrane can set our course
- And hence can rightfully boast of the power it has
- As God created the world with a word - so our speech can create our own worlds
Conversely --
2 - WHEN OUR WORDS ARE OUT OF CONTROL - LIFE IS OUT OF
CONTROL
- One hunter's small fire in the backwoods of San Diego so far has consumed a third of a million acres in the past 7 days - destroying 2,376 homes – and killing numerous lives
- So a tongue - like a spark, can set its own fire – vs.5b
- The tongue can become the conduit of bad things – vs.6
- It can damage, corrupt every sector of life
We're familiar with some of the ways words corrupt, devastate
1 – Gossip - words that ultimately slander - bring a certain ruin to a reputation
- “I'm told his wife dominates the family”
- “It's been said that he is very difficult to live with”
2 – Flattery - words that function like gossip
- The difference being that while gossip is saying behind one's back what you would not say to one's face-flattery is saying to one's face what you would not say behind one's back
3 – Perverse words - vulgar words - coarse talk - that dominate so much of culture
- We are no longer shocked, embarrassed anymore
- In our music, in our movies - their endless stream has had a numbing effect
- But imperceptibly - like salt air - such words eventually corrode the heart
4 – Harsh words - words with malice, with edge - words that take the heart out of people - that kill relationships, harden the heart
- Words that confuse, embarrass, hurt, assault
- Job refers to such language in 19:2
- How long will you vex my soul and break me in pieces with your words?
5 – Lying words - that overstate, exaggerate, mislead
- "Sticks and stones can break our bones, but lies can break our hearts and our careers - can ruin reputations, wreck marriages, and start riots" (Cornelius Plantinga, Not the Way it is Supposed to Be)
Do our words really matter?
- According to James -- our words are EVERYTHING!
- Under control - words can lift a heart, change a course, and liberate a soul
- Left unchecked, out of control - words can poison the atmosphere, rob us of a great relationship, spoil our day, hinder our sleep, depress our spirits
So what is to be done? How can we get the tongue under control?
The short answer is - YOU CAN'T
- Vss.7-8 tell us what we already know --
- THE TONGUE CANNOT BE TAMED
- This beast will not respond to our commands - anymore than my Airedale responds to mine
My best intentions seem to go by the wayside in the heat of the moment
- My intent to tell someone I love them seems to freeze up - my tongue will just not cooperate
- On the other hand - my tongue often speaks before I give it permission, before I think
As Dave Barry puts it –
"There are times even our dog will look at us and think to himself - 'I may lick myself in public, but I'd never say anything as stupid as that’”
Seemingly - there are inclinations from another kingdom built into our bodily existence - formed in sin and set against God - which determine our words, govern our course, our lives
- Leaving a tongue wild and out of control - TWO FACED
- A sort of Jekyll and Hyde – vs.9
a - on one hand -- the tongue is capable of the highest of human endeavors - the blessing of God
- We sing, and ordinary speech is elevated from pedestrian prose into poetry, and set to tune-and in the course, speech has been intensified and expanded
b - But then - it so quickly descends to the pits
- From scaling the peaks of praise - the tongue can lower itself to the abyss of abuse
- From toasting God in the pew - we can immediately find ourselves roasting people in the foyer
It is this duplicitous nature that makes the tongue most dangerous
- Our defenses go down in this environment of grace - and then we are blind sided by abusive language we never expected
So where is James going with all of this?
- Having declared the power of words to direct, to destroy, to be duplicitous, twofaced
- Are we stuck - condemned to whatever course our words may take us?
Not necessarily - that's the point of vs.10
- Its here the translation misses the intensity of what James is really saying
- For what James literally declares is - IT IS NOT NECESSARY
- IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!!
- In fact - settling for duplicity as the way it is --
- Is as absurd as a fountain producing one kind of water one day - another kind the next – vs.11
- As nonsensical as a fruit tree producing a different fruit – vs.12a
- As bizarre as salt water producing fresh – vs.12b
James is simply doing what all of us who know Christ must do - TAKE SERIOUS
OUR SALVATION
- That in coming to Jesus there is a radical change - A REVOLUTION OF
CHARACTER
- Not some mere tweaking of our personalities
- Not some simple rearranging of the furniture in our hearts
In Christ - one is made new
- In Christ - our hearts have been reformed - our sinful nature has been put to death – Gal. 5:24
Gone are the excuses - she made me say this - look, I'm just human
Those transformed by the Spirit should reflect good fruit, pure speech
What's necessary is --
1 - Give our lives to Christ - only He can tame the tongue
2 - Submit ourselves - OUR TONGUE - to God and the renovation He desires to do
- Placing our confidence in Him and not in ourselves
3 - Commit ourselves to enter into the spiritual disciplines
- Solitude, Word, prayer, worship
- The rigorous process of the inner transformation of the heart
- For only when this takes place has room been made for the Spirit to work
- Who then begins to surface the duplicity buried deep in our hearts
- The things that give rise to poisonous speech
4 - And then ruthlessly reject these former desires - our former habits
- Rather than coddle or pamper or tolerate or encourage -justify or give room

sermon 3rd jan 2010

2010-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 10:31
“A Verse to Live by in ‘10”
INTRO
I took a bike tube in to halfords to replace this week
-only to find that my tires were also in bad shape
-and once they checked out the bike—the brakes, the chain, the ….,
the cables, all needed replacing
-I asked if there was anything that looked good—they said—the frame is
fine
We may not be in such desperate shape tonight
-but the NEW YEAR is a moment to ask—
-what needs replacing?
-what needs to be checked? Adjusted?
-what explains some of my losses?
-what will make my life more profitable?
-what will insure that in this new year I will seize the opportunities—rather
than squander the days?
-maximize my moments—rather than waste my life?
-these are the kind of questions we need to periodically ask ourselves
-for one of the common definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over
and over and expecting different results
-the turn of a year is a good moment to re-evaluate, reconsider, reexamine
-are there things I keep doing the same way—hoping the results will be
different this next year?
-when what I need to do is readjust
-rethink strategy—modify the armor—REBOOT
There’s no better strategy laid than the one Paul mentions in I Corinthians 10:31
-a verse that if lived out—will insure this will be a year that counts—a year
of SUBSTANCE—SIGNIFICANCE
(read)
-the language tells us it is a summary statement—in this case is pulling
everything together that has been said up to this point
-“whatever”—is translated the same in every language
-there is no more all embracing term—in Greek or English language
-from the ordinary (eating) to the extraordinary
-from the humdrum to the highlights
-changing a bike tire—changing a career
-entering a petrol station to entering a relationship
-size has nothing to do with it--do anything, everything with a view to
enhancing God’s reputation
This is God saying—I want to be in every part of your lives
-there is no division of spiritual and secular
-glorify Me in your worship—in your recreation
-when you share the gospel—when you share your frustrations
-when you bake a cake —or a move—or make love
-and if there is something we do that cannot be done for the glory of
God—THEN IT SHOULD NOT BE DONE!
-10:31 is a summation of life because living to showcase God is the
purpose of our lives—the essence of our existence
-the Bible makes this unmistakably clear
-we were made by God—for God--prepared in advance for His glory—
Romans 9:23
-this is the reason behind everything, everyone God creates
-God’s deepest purpose is to fill creation with reverberations of His glory
-God created the universe—to showcase His glory—Psalm 19:1
-to bring us to a place of awe
-Piper— “The reason for ‘wasting’ so much space on a universe to house
a speck of humanity is to make a point about our Maker, not us.”
-but this is language largely foreign to us
-living to glorify God is not our natural inclination
-the adversary’s principle strategy is to blind us to His glory—orient us towards our own!
-2 Corinthians 4:4—the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ
-sin has caused us to come short of His glory—Romans 3:23
-and this explains why we are so dysfunctional—messed up—and why so many lives are wasted
God’s salvation is concerned with restoring our sight
-when we behold the glory of God, we are changed into His likeness—2
Corinthians 3:18
-and in this healing—this metamorphosis
-we enter back in to what we were created for—to be the glory to God
-back into what we were created to do—lift high His name, extend His fame, enhance His reputation, display His excellence, MAKE VISIBLE HIS
MAJESTY!
-but what does this mean exactly?
-how do I glorify God when I am shopping at tesco—standing in line at
the bank?
-glorifying God has always been vague to me
-Piper uses an illustration that moves it from the abstract to the concrete
-to glorify is to magnify—there are two ways to magnify
1. We can magnify like a MICROSCOPE
-but microscopes make something small into something bigger
-and thinking this is what it means to magnify God is very wrong
-God does not need us to make Him bigger than He is
2. We can magnify like a TELESCOPE—and that fits—for this is what
telescopes do—
a. telescopes make something immense look more and more like it
really is
b. telescopes bring into clearer detail what is otherwise a blur
c. telescopes bring something that seems so far away appear so much closer
When we magnify God—when we glorify God—we are doing the same thing
a. a-we make Someone unimaginably great look more and more like
He really is
b. b-we bring into clearer detail a Person who can otherwise seem to
be a blur
-our lives help people see the features, the particular characteristics of God that are otherwise missed
c. we bring Someone who seems so far away so much closer,
tangible to someone’s life
Here’s how it works—when we look into the telescope of His word—we see this about God—
1. He is boundless in HIS WISDOM
-there is a depth to it that is deeper than the deepest shaft into the earth—Job 28:14
-His understanding is infinite—too vast to comprehend
-in fact—He is understanding—Proverbs 8:14
-hence—He never needs our counsel or advice
-we glorify Him when we make His wisdom look more and more like it really is
-when our lives take in His wisdom—the result of a pursuit (Proverbs 2)
-and receiving it—live lives that are wise—rather than foolish
-lives that are filled with the insights, understanding, discernment He imparts to us
2. He is boundless in HIS WEALTH
-His riches are unfathomable-Eph 3:8
-reading God’s portfolio would be to look at a document whose numbers go beyond the paper that could ever be printed
-it is like looking into a vast and endless warehouse—a Costco with no walls
-His wealth is a reservoir so deep that soundings cannot reach the bottom
-we glorify God when we make His wealth look more and more like it really is
-when we live lives that declare—our God has no needs
-when we pray prayers that declare—our God’s resources can never be exhausted
-when we treat everything as if it is His—because it is!
-when we live in a manner that says to others—what do I have that has not first come from Him?
3. He is boundless in HIS JUDGMENTS
-He is none other than just in all His ways—too just to do anything unfair
-everything He does is right—even when it is hard to understand
-He is a Judge who maintains the cause of the afflicted—who will right the wrong in the perfect moment
-we glorify Him when we make His justice more and more like it really is
-we “telescope” Him when our passion for justice reflects His passion—and people see it
-we magnify Him when we protest against injustice—when we take evil very seriously
-stand with the oppressed and afflicted
-when we extend fairness to others in the workplace
4. He is boundless in HIS POWER
-there are no limits to His might
-He does whatever He pleases—Psalm 115:3
-He never runs out, burns out—never wears down
-we glorify Him when His power appears more clearly than it does—
when we see it more and more for what it really is
-when we live lives that reflect His authority
-when our worship says to a watching world—OUR GOD REIGNS
-when we live lives that are not filled with anxiety—for we believe our
God can do anything—that there is nothing too difficult for God
-we glorify Him when we are fearless to attempt great things for God
-for we hold with an unwavering conviction the words of Ephesians
3:20-21—that the boldest prayer, the wildest thought, the most
imaginative request cannot overwhelm God’s ability to act
-finally—we look in His telescope and find this—
5. He is boundless in HIS LOVE
-His thoughts towards us outnumber the sand—Psalm 139:18
-it is so deep and wide and long it surpasses knowledge—Ephesians
3:19
-announces itself most impressively in the giving of His Son—
sacrificing Him for our sakes—John 3:16
-we glorify God when we make this love look more and more like it
really is
-when His love becomes the dominant note in our lives because it is
God’s dominant note
CONCLUSION
Want your life to count in 2010?
-the answer boils down to this—will I live to put His wisdom, His wealth,
His justice, His power, His love
-and everything else about Him on display?
-or will I live with the aim to showcase myself?
-are you willing to eat, drink, OR WHATEVER, for the glory of God?

2009-10-06T01:27:00.000-07:00