Category Archives: Sermons

Pressing On!

Gallery March 17, 2004 David

Pressing On!
March 17, 2004	Sermon by DRW	Passage Philippians 3.10-4.1

I really like Boba. It is a milk tea with balls of tapioca in it. I remember giving Coach Brent, Coach Jackie, and Mr. McGee an opportunity to taste it a few years ago. They refused to take a drink. Most places that sell Boba don’t sell it before ten in the morning. I wanted one to drink, stopped in, and ask Joe if he could make me one. I told him that I really wanted one. He told me it would take ten to fifteen minutes. That seemed like quite a bit of time. So, I told Joe to forget about it and the wait wasn’t worth it.

Why did I change my mind? I really wanted one and then when I found out what it would cost, I didn’t think it was worth it. How often we say we want something. And then we find out how much it’ll cost – in terms of time, or trouble, or money or whatever. And suddenly it doesn’t seem worth it.

There is a verse in Philippians 3.10 that is wonderful. It presents us with a goal in life that is magnificent. Paul tells us the thing he most wanted in life: “I want to know Christ.”

And when you think how much he’d lost for knowing Christ, that is remarkable. Just think what it had cost Paul to be a Christian. Think what he was in Philippians 3.5: he’d been a respected Pharisee. He’d studied at the best Jewish theological college; he was a rising star; he was well-respected.

Then think of him now. He’s in prison because the Jews didn’t like what he said about Jesus. His old friends had disowned him. He’s on trial for his life. He’s no longer respected or liked or popular or comfortable. And all because he’s a Christian. And still he says, v10: “I want to know Christ.”

For most of us, I don’t know what it costs us to know Jesus as Lord. What it costs at home – trying to be a witness to parents or family and friends; trying to bring friends to know the Lord, with no guarantees that they’ll ultimately want to. I don’t know what it costs at school – what issues we’ve had to take a stand on, what isolation we’ve experienced, how we may have been disadvantaged or discriminated against. I don’t know what the public struggle with peer-pressure has cost you, or the private struggle with temptation. I don’t know what knowing Christ has cost you emotionally, mentally, physically, socially.

But I do know that if you’re a Christian, it has cost you. And that either you have faced, or sometime will face, the question: “s it worth it?”

And Paul must have known that that question would be in the minds of the Philippian Christians. In Philippians 1.27-30, Paul tells us:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then… I will know that you stand firm in one Spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you… For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

They knew what it was to be poorly received as Christians; to be argued against for what they said and how they lived; to be frightened by how negative the reaction could be. They knew what it was to wobble in their faith. To ask, “Is it really worth it?” And to help them, Paul lets them in on what kept him going.

Let’s return to Philippians 3.10:

“I want to know Christ,” he says, “And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” [ie, I want to keep going whatever the cost – even if it is death.]

Well, what gets someone to that point of Christian maturity where they can say, ‘I want to know Christ, whatever it costs’? The answer lies in this morning’s passage: the person who says, “I want to know Christ whatever it costs,” is a person whose eyes are fixed on heaven, and on the cross.

1. Press on all the way to heaven (v12-16)

To people who were wobbling in their faith, Paul says, in verse 12-16:

“The way I keep going is this: I press on with my eyes fixed on heaven. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect. But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”

He’s just been telling us what his goal in life is. Verse 10: to know Christ personally; to experience God’s power so that he can serve Christ as he should, and be the person Christ wants him to be; to be willing to go all the way in obedience – no half-measures or half-heartedness.

That was Paul’s goal. But he wasn’t claiming to have achieved it: “NOT that I have already attained all this, or have already been made perfect” (v12); “Brothers, I do NOT consider myself YET to have taken hold of it” (v13) Paul knew that that would be true only beyond the grave. So he says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” So we can know Christ personally. But we can only know him imperfectly this side of heaven. We are going to experience what it is to be raised from the dead in a new resurrection body when we’ll be sin-free. But not yet, not this side of heaven.

And because that’s the way things are, Paul says “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (v12), and “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus” (v14). [And by the way he doesn’t mean he has to earn his place in heaven. He’s just using an illustration to make the point that his eyes are on the finishing line.]

And our mistake as Christians is to forget the not yet. We forget that most of the benefits of knowing Christ come beyond this life. So we get dissatisfied, and feel like giving up, and ask, “Is it worth it?” And that’s the mistake Paul is out to correct.

So, for instance, we say (rightly) that the Christian life is a personal relationship with Jesus. But it’s a “long-distance” relationship with someone we can’t see. It’s indirect, praying and reading the Bible and living by trust. And Paul says, “Yes, but we haven’t got it all yet. One day we will be with him. We will see him. We won’t struggle with doubt any more. But that’s future, not yet.

Or take the struggle of witnessing for the Lord. The lack of interest or negative reactions to invitations keep us from telling people about Jesus. When heaven comes, this struggle will end, as well. But that’s future, not yet.

Or take the struggle of personal holiness. The sinful nature doesn’t get any less sinful as the Christian life goes on. The strength and frequency of many temptations remains the same. They’re quite a bit like the Energizer Bunny. They just keep coming and coming and coming. But, says Paul, we haven’t got it all yet. But we will. We will have resurrection bodies in which we are perfectly sin-free. No more letting the Lord down. No more shame-faced confession, over and over again. No more despairing with ourselves and giving up. That struggle will also end. But that’s also future, not yet.

Paul is saying: don’t calculate the” worthwhile-ness” of the Christian life purely on the present. No-one in their right minds would be a Christian purely on the strength of the difference it makes in the present. Because the difference it makes in the present is that it makes it harder. It gives you struggles and problems you didn’t have as a non-Christian. It’s like that quote about marriage: “A wife is a great help to a man in all the problems he’d never have had as a bachelor.” Well likewise, knowing Christ creates new problems in the here and now. And no-one would be a Christian purely on the difference it makes to the here and now. At least, that’s what Paul says elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 15. Where he says: if Christ wasn’t really raised from the dead, nor will we be. And if that’s the case, there’s no life after death; the here-and-now is all there is. And then he says this. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor 15.19). But there is a heaven. It’s real. And Paul says in verses 13 and 14:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

So he forgets what’s behind. He doesn’t dwell on what he’s lost. Position, popularity, freedom, comfort. Why dwell on the state of your prison cell when Jesus has said, “In my Father’s house are any rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14.1-3)? He doesn’t dwell on the cost because it looks very small against the certainty of heaven. And nor should we. The Lord never trivializes the cost. Jesus knows from experience how real it is. But he calls us to get it into perspective.

Nor does Paul dwell on his regrets. Remember verse 6: he had more than most to regret. He persecuted Christians to death in his non-Christian existence. He had blood on his hands. But he’s a forgiven man. And Paul knows that if God has forgiven the past, he can put it behind himself, too. And so can we.

Maybe some of us need to hear that, particularly. I can’t remember how many times I have had people who became Christians later in life or who were Christians but squandered away their youth come up to me and tell me with tears in their eyes that they wished they had gotten right with God sooner. “I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time,” they tell me. People need to hear verse 13: from now on, “One thing: forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, press on…heavenwards’

Or maybe there’s a particular thing in our past which dogs our footsteps. Something on our consciences for which we find it hard to accept forgiveness. Well, regrets are right and proper. But they can keep us from the other right and proper thing, which is to believe God’s forgiveness of our past – our pre-Christian past, and our past since coming to Christ. “Forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, I press on…heavenwards,” said Paul. And so should we.

That’s what kept Paul going. Don’t calculate things as if the here and now was all there is, he says to us. The best is yet to come, so press on all the way to heaven.

Then verse 15:

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Doesn’t that overturn our natural ideas of what makes a mature Christian? We tend to think of ourselves as “nearly there” in the Christian life; almost “arrived’; bordering on first class holiness. We grow very easily satisfied with ourselves. We lose the urgency we had in our early Christian days for holiness and serving the Lord more. Perhaps we even look back and think we were a bit foolish when we first became Christians. But that isn’t maturity, according to Paul. That’s stagnation.

And I guess we tend to think that older Christians or Christian leaders are “nearly there’. They’ve pretty much arrived, we tell ourselves, putting them up on a pedestal. I remember thinking that leaders and pastors don’t struggle with pride or lust or envy or temper anymore because they have grown so much in Christ. I then became a pastor and realized what dangerous nonsense those pedestals are. And how dangerous it is as a leader of any sort to let people put you on a pedestal.

What a contrast with verse 15. The mature people are the ones who know they haven’t arrived; who are dissatisfied with themselves; who are still pressing on in holiness; who are more concerned, not less, to find time to read the Bible and pray; who as they get to know the Lord better detect more within themselves, not less, that’s imperfect and needs God to change it. And Paul says, literally, “If somehow you think differently, God will reveal this to you.” In other words, if you think differently about maturity, you need God to change your mind. Because the really mature are the ones who know how far they still have to go.

Then verse 16:

Only, let us live up to what we’ve already attained.

We’re all at different stages in the Christian life. Some know God better than others. Some know better what to aim for than others. That’s not the point. I’m to live up to how well I know the Lord, and you’re to live up to how well you know him. What matters is not so much where we’ve got to, or what we know, but whether we’re moving forwards.

Press on all the way to heaven.

The second point I see in this passage:

2. Beware here-and-now religion (v17-19)

Paul knew that there were other religious voices in Philippi apart from his own. And he knew they’d be attractive to hard-pressed Christians for one simple reason: the religion they offered was much easier. So he has to say, verse 17:

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

I take it that the pattern Paul gave is in Philippians 2.6-11. That passage is really the centrepiece of the letter – the jewel at the heart of Philippians. It’s the pattern of Jesus death and resurrection: costly obedience NOW, and glory LATER. That’s the pattern that Paul lived by. So he could rejoice in a prison cell facing death – because he knew the deal was: suffering now, glory later. Back in chapter 2, Timothy could happily work his socks off for the gospel (2.19-24) and Epaphroditus risk his life for it (2.25-30) – because they knew the deal was: suffering now, glory later. If the Lord Jesus had been obedient to the point of death, what right did they have to a more comfortable ride in the Christian life? “No servant is above his Master,” after all. (John 13.16, 15.20)

And Paul says (v17): follow those who live by that pattern: costly obedience now, because they’re sure of heaven to come. And he has to warn them against following others in verses 18 and 19:

For, as I have often told you before, and now say again with tears, there are many who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their “god” is their stomach and their “glory” is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

In other words, beware: there are plenty of religious people who live according to a different pattern – a pattern that makes for an easy life, here and now. He’s talking about people who had a religion, but a religion without the cross of Christ.

You see, the trouble with the cross is twofold. For one thing, it’s humbling. It tells us we’re not good enough for God, however good we think we are. It says our sin is so serious it deserves the judgment Jesus faced when he died for us. It says we need saving from judgment and can’t save ourselves. Very humbling. Which is why the message doesn’t go down well. The other thing is that the cross is demanding. If Jesus did that for me, how can I say to him, “I’ll follow you, but only up to this point’? If I follow a Lord who suffered for me, it will mean suffering for him.

So, if you want an easier religion, an easier message and an easier ride, just forget the cross.

And basically, these people in verses 18-19 did exactly that. They had a message about a God with whom you’d be OK if you did the right things. Nothing very humbling there. Nothing that ruffles human pride and says things like, “You’re a sinner and you need to be saved.”

We’re all natural suffering-avoiders. We’d love a more acceptable message that went down better. I remember being with a group of people and I was introduced as a pastor. Everything was great. People were having a great time. People were talking with me about Jesus. Everything was easy-going and jovial – until one guy said, “But you’re not saying that the Jews and Buddhists and Muslims are all wrong, are you?” That’s the crunch, isn’t it? Either I opt for a continuing easy, jovial time. Or I tell the truth. So I said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. According to the Christian message, they’re all wrong.” And the joviality disappeared. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The cross goes down like a lead balloon.

Isn’t that a choice we all have to make on a day-by-day basis. We are having a great time. Then someone says something that goes against what we believe. Our choice is to continue as if nothing happened or to stop and stand up for Jesus. Tough choices.

We’re all natural suffering-avoiders. So we’re all attracted to easy religion: religion that amounts to just a few “add-on’s, but doesn’t actually demand anything of us. I can recall junior high students coming to Christ at camp, all excited, went home and told their parents. And the parents told them, “That’s lovely, dear. I just hope you’re not going to go religious on us.” In other words, don’t take it too seriously. A little bit of Bible reading, yes. But no more. Nothing demanding. Nothing life-involving.

We’re all attracted to easy religion: either other religions, or false versions of Christianity. Versions of Christianity that say you don’t have to speak for Christ, because everyone’s way to God will get them there in the end. That “P.C.” version makes for a quiet life. Or versions of Christianity that say God affirms us as we are, so we don’t actually use words like sin or call on people to repent of sin. Or versions of Christianity that say that God is out to fulfil us completely in the here and now, or to bless us materially or physically without fail in the here and now.

All very easy. All totally false. And if -end of v19 – our minds are on earthly things, if we have no eternal perspective, if in practice we too only really believe in the here and now, we will buy in to them. We will miss out the cross, because that’s what makes for trouble in the here and now.

Which brings us to the last point:

3. Only firm conviction about heaven will make us stand firm in the present (3:20-4:1)

In a way, this just brings us back where we began, pressing on to heaven: Verse 20:

But our citizenship is in heaven [ie, that’s where we belong, we’re just temporary residents down here]. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body.

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord dear friends!” (3.20-4.1)

Back in 1:27, Paul’s main command to them was: stand firm. And after another two chapters he sums up, 4:1 “There you have it. That is how you should stand firm. That’s the secret to standing firm.’

And the secret is to be convinced about heaven. That’s what this whole passage has been about – from verse 12 down to 4:1. We’ll only be able to accept costly obedience now if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only press on in personal holiness if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only witness to Christ in a way that could lose us friends if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only stand up for what is right when all others opt for what is wrong if we’re convinced about heaven. We simply can’t and won’t live the Christian life on “here and now” reasons and incentives. It just doesn’t work.

What gets you through the costliness of knowing Christ? What keeps you going as a Christian? Paul says: the prospect of heaven. The Christian life isn’t just life here and now. This is just the waiting room, there is heaven to follow.

Martin Luther was once asked how he lived the Christian life the way he did. He said this: “I live as if Jesus died for me yesterday, rose today, and is coming to take me to heaven tomorrow.” And I said Paul would have said “Amen” to that. Do you?

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

1 Corinthians, John, New Testament, Sermons

Communion-The Lord’s Table

Gallery March 7, 2004 David

Communion-The Lord’s Table
March 07, 2004	Sermon by DRW	Passage 1 Corinthians 11.23-26 and John 13

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

If you were to attend all of the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services in all of the churches in this area and witness the celebration of our Savior’s sacrifice, you would probably be surprised at the variety of practices, beliefs, and names associated with the service.

You may attend one church where people gather in an informal meeting and practice an earnest exhortation and self-examination before they ate of the bread and drank of the cup. They may use a single loaf and single cup, or they may use small pieces of bread and small individual cups. The people may come forward to an altar where they receive the bread and the cup, or they may have it brought to them in the seats.

You may attend another church where you would witness a priest with attendants dressed in colorful vestments. The priest alone would drink from the chalice of wine and the people would receive only the little white wafers. After the priest utters the words of consecration, “This is My body” — hoc est corpus meum in Latin, the elements are believed to actually become the flesh and blood of Jesus.

No doubt you would find many other practices as well. And you would also find many names by which these services are designated. Some, from a Greek tradition would refer to it as a “mystery,” from the Greek word mysterion. Other Christians with a Latin background may call it the “mass.” This is taken from the words of dismissal (missa = mass) which are used by the priest. You may also hear it referred to as a “sacrament,” which comes from sacramentum, a Latin word meaning “pledge of allegiance” which itself is a translation of the Greek word mysterion. Congregations influenced by the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century usually call the service the Lord’s Supper, or Lord’s Table. Some refer to it as the Eucharist, from the Greek eucharistia which means thanksgiving. Others refer to it as Communion, from the Greek koinonia which means fellowship or communion. As you can see, practices and beliefs vary.

Some attach an almost magical significance to the Lord’s Table. There are those who believe it is in itself a grace imparting act. Some churches teach that partaking in this meal is a literal receiving of Christ’s body and blood and guarantees salvation. To them, it is essential.

On the other hand, there are others who ascribe almost no significance to this memorial meal. While they rightly reject the mistaken positions of those churches which make the meal more than it is, they, in doing so to such an extreme, make it less than it is. To some, this memorial meal is not as significant as it should be.

From the Bible, we understand that the Lord’s Table is not a magical rite which itself imparts grace, but neither is it simply a nice ceremony filled with nostalgic memories. Rather, it is an ordinance of the church, which, if properly understood can bring us into the presence of God, help us deal with our sin, restore fellowship with God and one another, give testimony of the significance of Christ’s sacrificial death, and point to the Second Coming of our Lord.

I would like for us to look at Easter by looking at the Lord’s Table today. By way of reminder, the last meal that Jesus had with His disciples in the Upper Room had as part of it this ordinance we are looking at today. We will examine the meaning of communion through an understanding of the two elements we partake, the bread and the cup.

1. Christ’s Body Broken

In this memorial meal, we partake first of the bread. The bread is symbolic of Christ’s body broken for us.

When we behold the bread, we see a dual truth. The bread speaks to us both of Christ’s suffering and His sufficiency. He is both the Savior who suffered for us and who Himself is sufficient to meet our every need.

When you think of and hold the bread, see Christ’s suffering. This, of course, is a central message of this memorial meal. The Lord’s Table speaks to us of the death of Christ. It was a painful death. It was a death full of the suffering which paid for our sins.

[show clip of Passion?]

What does that suffering reveal?

a. For one thing, it reveals the gravity of sin.

God must consider sin to be so serious if Jesus had to die for God to forgive sin? The fact that Jesus had to die for our sins to be forgiven indicates that God hates sin. The psalmist says as much. In Psalm 5:5 we read, “Thou dost hate all who do iniquity.” The prophet Habakkuk says of God in Habakkuk 1:13, “Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor.” Our God is a holy God. He is too pure to condone sin. Indeed, He hates sin because sin destroys His work. But more than that, sin is a moral plight which nothing less than the suffering of Christ could cure. The sacrifice of Christ speaks loudly of the gravity of our sin.

Have you thanked Him? Let’s take time to do that right now.

Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank You for forgiveness. Thank You for making us stand pure before You through Jesus. Bring to our minds, Father, those areas of our lives that we are consistently sinning in. We pray Your Holy Spirit show us these things. In Jesus name, Amen.

b. But the suffering of Christ also reveals the love of God.

We are all familiar with the passage in John 3:16 which reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” It was because of the love of God that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross. This is why He came. This is why He died. Charles Wesley expressed it this way:

Amazing love! How can it be

That Thou, my God shouldst die for me?

We sing of amazing grace — we should also sing of amazing love! When Jesus died on that Cross, it was the greatest expression of God’s love that could ever be given.

[see if the music set has a song that would fit here; if so, have them play it here instead of in the order given]

c. Finally, His suffering reveals the provision of God. It reveals that Christ’s death is sufficient for our every need.

Romans 8:32 says,

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

The God who gave Jesus for us will not withhold anything that we need.

When Jesus allowed His body to be broken, He was doing so for our sake. We are told in Isaiah 53:5,

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.”

Because Christ’s body was broken for us, we can now experience the provision of God. Our needs can be met through the Lord Jesus. Paul tells us in Philippians 4.13:

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

So, today as you partake of this broken bread, understand that it symbolizes both the suffering and the sufficiency of Christ. Do you need His sufficiency? Do you need more than you can provide for yourself? Jesus is what you need. He called Himself “the Bread of Life.” He is the Living Bread which meets the deepest needs of our spiritual hunger. Feed upon Him. Feast upon His sufficiency. Don’t partake today if you do not need His sufficiency. But if you do, then in sweet surrender to Him, partake of this bread, and by faith receive the Living Bread.

If you have been baptized, we ask you to please come forward, take a portion of the bread, return to your seat. Before we partake of the bread, consider the areas of your life where you have sinned, failed God. Confess those before we partake. I am going to lead us in a prayer. When I am finished, I ask Ben to pray over the bread.

Father, we have asked Your Holy Spirit to show us those areas where we have sinned. We ask that You now forgive us of those sins and strengthen us not to do them again. Confess your sin before God today. Tell Him, that you have [tell Him your sin] and that you need Him to strengthen you to overcome it. Thank Him for forgiveness and restoration. Thank You for the work You have done in our lives and the work You are doing now. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ben prays

Let us partake in remembrance of Him.

2. Christ’s Blood Poured Out

The second element of the Lord’s Table of which we partake is the cup. The cup is filled with the fruit of the vine which symbolizes the blood of Christ. The blood itself is symbolic of life. So when we speak of Christ’s blood poured out, we are speaking of His life being poured out. And when His life was poured out, it was poured out as a payment for our sins.

We see the truth of this in Leviticus 17:11,

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”

A life had to be given, blood had to be shed for there to be forgiveness.

What we see in the Old Testament, we also see in the New. In Hebrews 9:22 we read,

“And according the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

This is why a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins had to be made. In the Old Testament it was the sacrifice of an animal. But this was not sufficient. What was needed was not the sacrifice of a lamb, but the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Jesus is the Lamb of God! It was at the celebration of the feast of Passover when Jesus instituted this Lord’s Table. The Passover feast commemorated the time when God spared Israel from the Angel of Death during their captivity in Egypt. A lamb was slain and the blood was placed on the doorposts and lintel of each house. When the Angel of Death saw the blood, he passed over each house.

Jesus is called “Our Passover” in 1 Corinthians 5:7. Christ, the Lamb of God, has been sacrificed as our Passover. His blood was shed for us.

a. Christ’s blood poured out speaks of the forgiveness for sins.

Because of His shed blood, we can now be fully and freely forgiven by God. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says,

“. . . you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

b. Christ’s blood poured out speaks also of a New Covenant of grace.

The Old Covenant was not sufficient for salvation. To be saved under the Old Covenant, we had to keep the Law perfectly. We could not err in any one point. Our righteousness had to be absolutely flawless. But that was our problem, we could not keep the Law.

Now, under this New Covenant of grace, our salvation does not depend upon our works. Our salvation depends upon Another’s work. It depends upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. He did what we could not do. He died so that we would not have to die. He paid the penalty for our sins by His blood poured out on Calvary’s Cross. Now we can enter into a New Covenant with God, based not upon our own works, but based upon His grace offered to us because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

In this New Covenant, we now live for Christ by letting Christ live in us. It is what some have called “the exchanged life.” When we receive Jesus, He gives us His life in exchange for ours. Now we live on the basis of His life being lived in and through us. This is what salvation is all about.

We are saved through Christ’s blood poured out. We are forgiven through Christ’s blood poured out. We are kept through Christ’s blood poured out. So, when you partake of the cup today, understand that Christ’s blood poured out has purchased your salvation. If you do not need His salvation today, do not partake. Unless you are willing to trust Christ alone for your salvation, do not partake. But if you are, then receive the cup with gladness! When you receive the cup, by faith drink deeply of His Spirit as well. By an act of surrender, commit yourself fully to Christ. Confess your sins to Him. Receive His grace.

If you have been baptized, we ask you to please come forward, take a cup, return to your seat. Before we partake of the cup, thank Him for paying a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

Tell Jesus out loud, “Thank You, Jesus!” Let’s say that together. “Thank You, Jesus!”

I ask Mike to pray over the cup.

Let’s tell Him again: “Thank You, Jesus!”

Let’s us partake of the cup.

The Lord’s Table is rich in meaning. It pictures for us the sacrificial death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are told to do it in remembrance of Christ. As we partake, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” The Lord’s Table is not only a look back, it is a look ahead. The same Lord who died to save us is coming again to receive us to Himself. Until He comes, let’s commit ourselves to live for Him.

Father, thank You for commanding us to set aside time to remember what Your Son, Jesus Christ, did for us on the cross. Thank You for freeing us from the power of sin, thank You for changing our lives, and thank You for what You have promised to those who love You. Amen.

Matthew, New Testament, Sermons

I Can’t Do It!

Gallery March 9, 2003 David

I Can’t Do It!
March 09, 2003	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 7.24-27

Our 8^th grade class has been studying through the book of Proverbs through out this school year. We have read through the book a few times. We have found many interesting things throughout our studies. We have been learning about diligence, humility, pride, contentment, patience, anger, foolishness, poverty, wealth, and the like. It has been somewhat overwhelming to learn all this.

One of the things I have been trying to accomplish, is to get each student to practice at least one of these a week. The goal is to have them make the positive character traits part of their life and to overcome, through Christ, the negative ones. What I have been trying to do is to allow them to see the truth of the Bible and find ways to apply it to their lives. They wrote a paper on a positive characteristic from a Bible hero. Their Memory Quiz final from Romans 12 included an application of one verse or section from the verses they had memorized. For many, this part of the final was very difficult. I will be asking them how they are doing in the completion of the application this coming week. I wonder how they did.

In all the years I have been in ministry and in teaching, I have found applying the Bible to be the most difficult. Just doing what it says is so hard. Most of us want to follow what the Bible says but find it difficult. I have often been asked why that is so. I can see at least four reasons why this is so.

I. Forget to do it

James 1.22-25

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

We really mean to do it, but we don’t memorize the Word, we don’t put it into our hearts, we don’t seek to know the author of the Book. In so doing, we end up forgetting what to do. It is much like the student that places his homework assignments in his assignment book but forgets to look at the book.

[tell the shaving story here]

II. Don’t follow instructions (do it our own way)

2 Timothy 3.10-17

10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All through Scriptures we find God calling out to us to follow His instructions, to do things His way and not our own. He has called us to be followers of the Word of God not the word of man.

It would be as if I were to ask you to collect 250 of these water bottles and place them into a single trash bag for me. You would look at me, say it couldn’t be done and walk away. You would look at the size of the bottle, the size of the bag, and conclude that it is impossible to accomplish. We do this in our lives as-well. God asks us to overcome a sin through Him, and we say we can’t because it is impossible for us to do so. We look at our own situations and tools we have, but we forget to follow the instructions in the Bible. God says what is impossible for man is possible for God. He commands us to be pure, He will give us the power to be pure. He commands us to be victorious, He gives us the tools to be victorious. We need to read the instructions and follow what He says. This is where Hebrews 12.1-2 comes into play. God calls us to focus our eyes on Jesus, when we do we will overcome the impossible. [tell the Peter walking on water story here].

By the way, if we follow the instructions on the bottle (crush the bottle here), we have no problem getting more than 250 in a trash bag.

III. Don’t want to

Most of the time, we don’t live the life God has called us to because we just don’t want to.

James 4.17

17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

For example, let’s see how we maintain purity from Psalm 119.1-9.

1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD .

2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

If we want to remain pure we need to keep God’s Word and to seek Him with all our heart. If you were to recount the times that you have sinned this week, and asked yourself the question: Why? You probably will find out it is because you willingly disobeyed one or more of His commands and sought the things this world has to offer and not God. Sometimes we know the right thing to do and still refuse to do it, we sin.

IV. Building on the wrong foundation

This brings us to our passage today.

Matthew 7

24″Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

We need to build our house on the Rock of Jesus Christ, nothing else will do for all else will collapse under the weight of the world.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

All too often we are building our live upon what we think, what others tell us, what we remember to be what God wants. If we were to truly analyze our lives, the foundation upon which we live, we would come up short and realize we have been building upon the wrong foundation, upon the wrong rock.

What is His foundation? Jesus Christ according to Isaiah. What does He build with? According to Psalm 89.14

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you

Luke 6.46-49

46″Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

This passage shows us the importance of building our lives on Jesus Christ and that involves doing what He tells us to do, applying His Word. We need to take time out to memorize, study His Word so we can know the truth that will set us free to do His will. How can we do His will if we don’t know His will? We need to evaluate our lives to see if we are truly living our lives according to His will or our own way. If we are living our own way, we need to turn back to Him in repentance. Jesus promises us if we live our lives following His Word, our lives will be blessed for He will be glorified. We will become wise, for we have hid His Word in our hearts. And, we will be living the life He has created for us to live.

I want to ask you one question today: What are you building your life upon?

If your life were to come crashing in on you what would happen to you? Would you remain standing firm in your belief or would your life fall to pieces?

1. ___________________ to do it (James 1.22-25)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

2. Don’t ___________________ instructions (2 Timothy 3.10-17)

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

3. Don’t ___________________ to

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. James 4.17

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD .

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalm 119.1-9.

4. ___________________ on the wrong foundation

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7.24-27

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before youPsalm 89.14

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Matthew, New Testament, Sermons

I am a Child of the King

Gallery June 16, 2002 David

I am a Child of the King
Who Am I
June 16, 2002	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 7.24-27

The people in South Central L.A. are having an identity crisis. They have based their hopes on a King, named Rodney. Their whole history was culminated in this one man. They based 27 years of tension, 130 years of frustration and over 400 years of hopelessness in this country in one man, a King. He, through the faulty verdict, proved to be a false hope for them. Their identity as humans and citizens on equal footing with others was literally beaten and the world saw this, and the verdict affirms this, and now they “know” this. What followed was a re-action which the stereotype of these people predicted: they lived up, or down (depending upon your perspective), to what others thought of them. They re-acted as “hoodlums.” The world around them, namely the US and specifically LA, considers most blacks to be gang-bangers: they acted as “gang-bangers.”

Allow me to illustrate this point. I grew up in Carson, home of the Crips and Pyroos. As most know, I was mugged on a daily basis for money and durable goods. My attitude towards blacks has been coloured. Yet, now, my best friend is black. This shows me that my attitude toward blacks have changed. But an interesting incident occurred this past Thursday (30 April 1992) that showed me that I, too, agreed with the stereo-type. One of the people from EFCSB was driving in South Central on Wednesday night, after the riots began. He was one of the many who was injured in the rioting. He was shot in the chest. After Dan bribed a local family, they took him to Martin Luther King Hospital in Compton. On Thursday, Dan and I decided to visit him and present the Gospel to him. Such noble and grandiose plans fell victim to stereo-type. We were heading up Wilmington Blvd. and ran into the locals looting a liquor store. We passed them with great expediency, then came the test. A rather large gentleman was crossing the street with his hand in the air displaying the Crip hand signal (a “C” in sign language). I notice this real quick and told Dan, who was driving the church van. He immediately rabbited out of the area. With much fear and stupidity we did leave the area but not after having objects thrown at the church van. We never did get to see Jean to present the Gospel to him.

We all hold to some stereo-type and we do expect people to re-act to that stereo-type, in one way or another. The people of South Central LA, with sinful re-actions to their false identity, will cry out the truth of the poem in the bulletin.

Lend me your hope for awhile,

I seem to have mislaid mine.

Lost and hopeless feelings accompany me daily,

pain and confusion are my companions.

I know not where to turn;

looking ahead to future times does not bring forth images of renewed hope.

I see troubled times, pain filled days, and more tragedy.

Lend me your hope for awhile,

I seem to have mislaid mine.

Hold my hand and hug me;

listen to all my ramblings, recovery seems so far distant.

The road to healing seems like a long and lonely one.

Lend me your hope for awhile,

I seem to have mislaid mine.

Stand by me, offer me your presence, your heart and your love.

Acknowledge my pain, it is so real and ever present.

I am overwhelmed with sad and conflicting thoughts.

Lend me your hope for awhile;

a time will come when I will heal,

and I will share my renewal, hope and love with others.

(author unknown)

Allow me to ask you a question: Who are you?

Picture this dialogue as an answer to that question:

1. Excuse me, but, who are you? Have you thought about that?

2. Well…sure. I’m Fred Smith.

1. No, I mean who are you? Not just your name.

2. Oh…well, I live in Monrovia, and–

1. Excuse me. But let’s try again. Who are you?

2. You know. I’m the guy who drives the red Mitsubishi. I work at Denny in Arcadia. My sister married the son of the owner of Carl’s Jr.

1. No–you misunderstand me. I’m asking you who you are–way down deep inside. Who are you?

2. Come on now, this is getting stupid. I’m a member of the human race. What planet did you come from?

1. Let’s try it again, who are you?

2. Who am I? I’m a Baptist. Sure am. No–wait–I get you now. I’m a Christian–you know.

1. Tell me.

2. Well, he’s a person who has accepted Christ.

1. But I didn’t ask you what you’ve done. I asked you who you are.

Is who you are determined by what you do, your name, your address, your church, your height and weight; or, is what you do determined by who you are? The people in South Central LA lived up to the stereo-type of who-you-are-is-determined-by-what-you-do syndrome and forgot the what-you-do-is-determined-by-who-you-are truth. We as Christians sometimes forget as-well.

When we think of who we are, we think in terms of what we have done or hope to do. We think in terms of: I’m a student, a businessman, a teacher, a basketball player; I’ll be a father or mother.

What happens though when what you do is taken away?

“I’m a student.” What happens to your identity when you graduate, if you graduate? Then, who are you?

“I’m a businessman.” When the economy goes sour, your place burned down and you are looted, what becomes of your identity? Who are you?

“I’m a singer.” What happens when your voice goes, who are you then?

“I’m a mother.” What happens when the children leave or die? Who are you then?

“A cross-country runner.” What happens when you are kicked off the team or incur an injury, who are you then?

This was my goal, my way of being somebody in high school. While there I was classified as a “nerd”. I had above average intelligence (sometimes I wonder if I still have it). One thing I was not and that was popular. In my senior year I tried for popularity. If I could run far and fast I would finally be somebody, popular.

Believe it or not, I became somebody during those first few months of my senior year. I wasn’t the fastest but I was exciting to watch. I knew how to play the cross-country crowd. I was six-feet tall and weighed 150 pounds–grace in action. I would run the first two-and-one-half miles at a decent pace, with the crowd–even to where I fell behind: 14 minutes. That last half-a-mile was mine. This is where I stood out. I was a fast 200 meter runner and a good half-miler. As we said back then, I booked in that last leg. I ran as hard as I could and as fast as I could. Passing everyone. Hearing the wild cheers of the by-standers (usually cheerleaders). Then with the keen sense of victory in my grasp, I would cross the finish line and tumble to the ground appearing dead tired but soaking the popularity. One thing, it didn’t even matter that I was running with the Junior Varsity.

I was somebody: the number three JV runner at Narbonne High School in Harbor City. Until, when we count on things and people for our identity there is always an “until”, that fateful day. That day when I lost the league championship for our school. They finally brought me up to the big leagues–Varsity. It was the CIF finals. We were to run a course we had never seen before. The course was easy but unfamiliar. Well, as my usual I stayed with the pack, toward the back. I thought the course was longer. All I needed to do was finish sixth and we had victory. I thought the course was longer. “After this corner,” I thought, “after this corner I will speed to victory and steal it from the clutches of the ‘enemies.'” Well, that corner, that lousy corner, was 100 feet from the finish line–no glory only frowns and jeers. I was no longer somebody.

Anthony Campolo once said, quoting from psychologists and sociologists, that we tend to react and think according to what we think the most important person in our life or a large group of people thinks of us. That is, our identity, who we are, is determined by those we uphold as most important or influential in our lives.

He says, if everybody I think is important or a large group thinks that I am brilliant, I will be brilliant; if they think I will be stupid, then I will be stupid. How long, he continues, do you think it would take for me to think I was the best looking person in the entire world, if I was in a room full of people who considered fat white guys to be handsome? It would take no time at all. That room full of people would affirm me.

We will falter if our parents are the most important people in our world. We will falter, like South Central LA, if we place others opinions as our most important influence. We will falter if we hold ourselves to be the most important in the world. Each of these, and others, will fail us, give us wrongs ideas and hopes, will destroy our feelings of self-worth, at one time or another in our lives.

We will not falter if we hold God as the most important person in our life. As Christians, if we believed that God was the most important person in our life, our life would change. Because what He thinks and knows of us is far greater and magnificent than any society or person, including self, could ever be–He calls us His children, we are children of the True King.

Who we are is far more important than what we do or what others may think us to be.

Scripture: 1 John 3.1-3

1 John 3:1-3 tells use something exciting. Lets read those words together. I don’t want you to miss the excitement that John must have had as he was writing. Lets look again at those verses. He said in verse 1, “See how great God’s love is for us, for we are called the children of God.” He must have been really excited as he wrote those words. What follows is an exciting exclamation. “For this is what we truly are!”

Have you ever thought about that? If I were to repeat the question, “who are you?” This should be your answer: “I am a child of God.” When you don’t understand the doctrinal truths pertaining to your position in Christ, you have no ground for success in the practical arena” (Anderson, 2000, 54).

If you remember three weeks ago we talked about who we are. Linus, you remember that sermon, it was called “Butterflies and Kings.” In that we learned that we are not called sinners but saints. We do God an injustice when we call ourselves sinners for He calls us saints.

We need to realize that a Christian is not simply a person who gets forgiveness, who gets to go to heaven, who gets the Holy Spirit, who gets a new nature. Remember this a Christian is a person who has become someone he was not before. He becomes a saint. Isn’t this the truth that Jesus spoke of in John 3 to Nicademus? He told him, “You must be born again.” He said to him, “Unless you are born again, you will not see the Kingdom of God.”

What does Jesus mean by being born again? He says, “That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He makes this new birth analogous with physical birth. Let us consider the similarities. When we are born or conceived we are not being added to something. Being born physically is becoming something that was not there before. Therefore, being born spiritually is to become something that was not there before. It is not getting something added on. In other words, when we received the Holy Spirit, He was not an addition but He caused a transformation. He did not make us to be sinners going to Heaven (Heaven would be the addition). Instead, He transformed us like the caterpillar becoming the butterfly: we once were sinners but now we are saints. I realize that this concept is easy to understand. But the truths of it we seem to miss. We are like the bird who was mysteriously hatched into a family of rabbits. He never knew he was a bird. Oh, he realized he didn’t look like the rest, but they accepted him. He thought he was a rabbit. He hopped with them, ate with them, slept with them. One day another bird came up to him, he said, “Why are you hopping, don’t you know you can fly?” The little bird thought about this. “Sure, I guess if I hopped high enough it would look like I was flying.” But the bigger bird showed him his wings and said, “No, with these you can really fly.”

This is where we are right now. We have just learned an exciting truth. What we do with that truth is of utmost importance. We can either continue thinking we are rabbits or we can start flapping our wings and fly away. Whichever choice we make, the truth will remain the same, we are birds or in this case, saints.

We most remember, who we are is more important than what we do. We must understand who we are. When we understand who we are then we can do the right things. “A productive Christian behaviour system is the by-product of a solid Christian belief system, not the other way around” (Anderson, 2000, 53).

For example, many times in the past few months people have asked me how to get along with people. “… getting right with each other begins with getting right with God. And getting right with God always begins with settling once and for all the issue that God is your loving Father and you are His accepted child” (Anderson, 2000, 56). Therefore, we need to know who we are before we know what to do.

This is seen in Paul’s writings where he writes to the believers who they are before he tells them what to do. Too often we jump ahead to see what we should do instead of waiting to see who we are. We desire to know how to be in right relationship with people. So we jump to Eph 4-6. We forget to read Eph 1-3 which tells us who we are in Christ and the basis for those right relationship. When we skip the first three chapters and try to practice the last three chapters we will fail. Romans 12.1 shows us this in a simple fashion. Paul writes “Therefore”. A rather trite saying concerning this is, “What is the therefore there for?” Paul is saying by that “therefore”, everything that you’ve learned about who you are to God and in God by Christ is now to be applied to your life. In other words, if you don’t know chapters 1-11 of Romans don’t even think you can do what he asks in the rest of the book of Romans.

Can you see how easy it is to understand this and yet how hard it is to practice. The reason why is it’s too great a truth for us to understand. Eph 2.10 tells us that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ. And yet we don’t believe it. We think we’re still a rabbit, nothing but a sinner saved by grace. Yet He says we are his workmanship. Is God’s masterpiece created by simply adding something spiritual onto sinful clay? 2 Co 5.17 tells us that if anyone is in Christ he is a brand new creation; the old is gone, everything is brand new.

At the beginning of the message I talked about being somebody. The only way we can be somebody is to be in Christ. If we are a teacher one day we will no longer able to teach. If we are a parent someday we won’t be. If we are an athlete one day we will be old, fat, and injured; we are no longer an athlete.

Jesus said all things will pass away. This includes jobs, childhood, parenthood, and activities. But he also said in that same breath, I will never pass away. When our identity is in Christ that identity is forever.

The people in Christianity are having an identity crisis. They have based their hopes on a King, named Jesus. Their whole history was culminated in this one man. They base their lives filled with tension, frustration and hopelessness in one man, a King. He, through the faulty verdict, proved to be a false hope. Our identity as humans was literally beaten, crucified and buried while the world watched, and the verdict upon Him affirmed this, until He rose from the dead. What should follow is a re-action of our true identity in this risen King. Do we live up to what God has stereo-typed us to be or do we live down to what others think of us? Do we re-act as “saints” or “hoodlums”?

Today is a simple message of the truth we find in God, a truth tha will never change. Have you ever thought of yourself as something lower than what God does? Some people think that we are more noble than angels yet lower than the worm. This is not so for God calls us His child–now we are His children. Praise Him.

Anderson, N. T. (2000). Victory over the darkness. Ventura, CA: Regal.

1 Corinthians, New Testament, Sermons

Communion March 2001

Gallery March 3, 2001 David

Communion
March 03, 2001	Sermon by DRW	Passage 1 Corinthians 11.17-29

Teddy Roosevelt, the man who would become the 26th President of the United States, was afraid to go to church when he was a child because of a creature he called “The Zeal.” His mother eventually realized the reason for Teddy’s fear was a Scripture verse he had heard the pastor read, John 2:17, “It is written, ’’The zeal of thine house has eaten me up.’’” Teddy did not really know what that verse of Scripture meant. There are other parts of the Bible, however, which can cause some fear even when we do understand what they mean. One frightening Bible passage is our text today, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. I remember reading this portion of Scripture when I was a teenager and getting a little nervous. What disturbed me was verse 11:27

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. And also verse 11:30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

I understood that this passage is about sharing in the Lord’s Supper. I also knew that “a number of you have fallen asleep” was really just a nice way of saying that “some of you have died.” I got concerned that every time I took communion, I might be risking my life. What would happen if I ate the bread or drank the cup in an “unworthy manner”? And how was I supposed to know what an “unworthy manner” was? Well, eventually my fears subsided, but it was not until quite a few years later that I really started to understand what the Lord is saying to us through this text. As that has happened, I have also grown to realize what a wonderful privilege we as Christians have in coming to the Lord’s Table together. So, let’s pause and pray that God would use His Word to help us grow in our understanding and appreciation of this important part of our Christian life.

We start with the Lord’s Supper in 1st Century Corinth.

11:17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

Throughout the book, Paul has been addressing problems in this church and now he turns his attention to some more.

11:18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. He’s mentioned various divisions in the congregation a couple of times already in this letter. 11:19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

That is a God-inspired use of sarcasm on Paul’s part and then he makes a point.

11:20-22 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

Christian congregations in the 1st Century liked to eat together. That is one tradition we’ve kept up real well. Apparently they would gather regularly, maybe once a week, for what they called an Agape Feast, or a Love Feast. To close their meal together, they would share the bread and the wine, the elements of the Lord’s Supper. But, it was not working out in Corinth. I don’t know what type of picture came to your mind as we read these verses, but it sounds pretty chaotic. They are all trying to grab food and drink for themselves, afraid there will not be enough for everybody to get what they want. The result in Corinth is that some gorge themselves on food and get drunk, while others get nothing to eat. Paul finds the whole thing totally disgusting. And so does God.

In verses 23-26, Paul reminds the Corinthians what the Lord’s Supper is really about, and we will come back to that later.

11:27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Now, what is the “unworthy manner” of which Paul speaks? That is an important question. The word, “therefore” probably gives us a big clue. Does “therefore” refer back to something Paul said in verses 23-26 where Jesus’ words at the Last Supper are recorded? I don’t think so. I think “therefore” refers back to verses 20-22, where Paul is talking about the conflict and division in Corinth. Thus, I am convinced Paul is saying that those who take part in the Lord’s Supper after they have been grabbing everything they can at the meal; who mistreat others in the fellowship; whose lives are characterized by total selfishness and lack of concern for others, those folks are eating and drinking in a manner which is unworthy of the Lord.

Paul then says,

11:28,29 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. Participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is not a good thing to do.

So, he says, before you eat…examine yourself. Make sure you are qualified to participate. What should we look for in a spiritual self-exam? Should we look for sin? Some folks say, “Examine yourself to make sure there is no sin in your life.” No sin in my life?? Remember, 1 John 1:8 says,

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves…”

Or, we are lying. Others say, “Make sure you don’t have any known sin or any serious sin.” Really? Are there types of sin which are not serious to God?

Whenever I examine my heart, I find some sin, either something I have done, said or thought that I should not have, or something I have not done, said or thought that I should have. I guess I would think I was a pretty rotten, creepy person if I didn’t know that almost all the Christian leaders I admire—Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, Billy Graham—all say the same thing. We are sinners saved by grace. So, if the prerequisite for coming to the Lord’s Table is that we need to have stopped sinning before we come, I don’t think anyone would be worthy to partake.

Others say, “Yes, we all sin, but the way to prepare for taking communion is to confess those sins. When we confess our sin, God cleanses us, and makes us worthy to come into His presence.” Now, that is essentially true, but is that what Paul has in mind here? Or do we need to look at our relationships with other Christians? I believe a key phrase in understanding this passage is in verse 29,

“without recognizing the body of the Lord.”

What does that mean? Maybe you have heard that it has something to do with thinking about Jesus’ physical body as we share in the Lord’s Supper, but I don’t think that fits the context. Rather, I would suggest “the body of the Lord” is the body of Christ, the church, people who are believers in Jesus. I think the person who participates in the Lord’s Supper without recognizing the relationship he has with other Christians, who is interested not in serving people but in using them, is the individual who is participating in an unworthy manner and may face God’s judgment. Thus, I would say that when we examine our lives before we eat at the Lord’s Table, the focus should not be so much on our vertical relationship with God, but on our horizontal relationships with other Christians. Obviously the two are connected. In many ways the vertical relationship is more important, but in this passage, I believe Paul is saying we should make sure we are treating those within the body of Christ in the right way, make sure we don’t have bitter or hateful attitudes toward a Christian brother or sister before we eat and drink the Lord’s Supper.

I suspect a number of you are thinking that my explanation of these verses seems a little different. Let me give you some reasons why I think what I have said makes sense. The first reason is Matthew 5:23,24

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Now, certainly Jesus is not talking about the Lord’s Supper here. But it makes sense that God might want us to follow the same procedure when we do come to the Lord’s Table. “First, go and be reconciled with your brother, then come to eat and drink.”

The second reason is the context of 1 Corinthians 11 and really the whole letter. Divisions, factions, conflicts were ripping apart the church in Corinth. Certainly Paul saw those as urgent problems with which to deal.

Thirdly, the New Testament teaches that bad attitudes toward other Christians is a very serious spiritual problem. Ephesians 4:27 says that to be continually angry with someone gives the devil a foothold in our lives. That is why Paul says, Ephesians 4:31

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

What better time to do that than before we eat together at the Lord’s Table.

The fourth reason is: I believe that part of the purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to remind us of the unity we ought to have as believers in Christ. Yes, we come together to remember the Lord’s death, but I think we also come together to remember that through His death, Jesus has taken down the walls that divided us from each other and made us members of one family. Observing the Lord’s Supper is not something we do individually at our kitchen table or something like that. It is something we do together as a congregation, as a group of Christians. Roger Williams, the fellow who started the first Baptist church in North America in Providence, Rhode Island, separated himself from so many folks that he was only willing to take communion with his wife, and eventually he was not sure about her either. It is not supposed to be that way. Sharing in the Lord’s Supper is intended to be a corporate activity, something we do together, and that is why it makes sense that Paul would tell us to examine our relationships with other Christians before we eat.

Well, what will happen if we participate in communion in an unworthy manner? In Corinth, this was a sin which God dealt with rather severely. 11:29,30

For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Is Paul saying what he seems to be saying? Yes, “fallen asleep” is a 1st Century euphemism for death. Some of the people at Corinth had gotten sick and even died because of their abusive attitudes they exhibited at the Lord’s Table. That certainly seems like a harsh punishment. Maybe you are thinking, “But, Pastor Dan, God is a loving God; He would never do anything like that.” Yes, God is a loving God, and out of love He sometimes disciplines very harshly, as we see in other parts of the Bible, including Acts 5 where the Lord strikes Ananias and Sapphira dead for lying. But, remember, 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. This is our Heavenly Father disciplining His children. The pain that is experienced by those who receive it is intended to keep them from experiencing greater pain in the future.

Now, it is a mistake to think that God always disciplines those who abuse the Lord’s Supper in this way, or to think that He would never do something like that. There may be people here today who have brought some terrible, hateful attitudes to the Lord’s Table, and who are in perfect physical health. I am certain there are plenty of Christians whose sickness or death had nothing to do with punishment for this or any other sin. It would be foolish for someone to think, “I bet the reason Jim got the stomach flu last month was because he did not have the right attitude when he took communion.” But at the same time, it would be foolish for us to try to take out of God’s hand the right to discipline very directly a sinner whom He loves. If I have a cold, there is nothing wrong with just making sure and asking, “Are my attitudes toward my brothers and sisters in Christ what they should be?” If they are great, the cold will be gone in seven days or one week, whichever comes first. If my attitudes are not what they should be, it is time to get them straight, whether I am sick or not. 11:33,34

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

Paul is very practical. Instead of fighting with each other over food at the Agape Feast so that you are bringing bad attitudes to the Lord’s Table, eat at home before you come. Make sure your hearts are full, not of jealousy or bitterness, but of love for those who, like you, have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ.

OK, that is what our text says. What does this mean for us?

1) Remember, the Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are Christians, believers in Christ. Being a church member, or a religious person, or a nice guy doesn’t qualify one to participate in this event. How does one become a Christian? By trusting in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you have never done that, I encourage you to do so today. As God’s Spirit enables, you need to turn away from your sin and pride, stop pretending you are good enough the way you are and instead, by believing in your heart, receive the marvelous salvation that the Lord offers. If you do that, if you have done that, then the Lord’s Supper is for you. In our church we require Christians to be baptized before they participate in the Lord’s Supper.

2) We need to make sure we have good relationships with other Christians. If there is any hatred, bitterness, jealousy or, as Paul said, “any form of malice,” we need to get rid of it. It doesn’t matter what the other person has done to us, what they have said about us, or what they are like. If I am hateful, bitter or jealous, I have a problem. These are destructive attitudes. When a rattlesnake is cornered, it can become so frenzied that it accidentally bites itself with its deadly fangs. In the same way, a Christian who harbors hatred and resentment poisons his own soul. As we have seen today, bitterness makes us unfit for the Lord’s Table. Paul’s specific concern is our relationships within a local congregation. It is not good to have bad attitudes toward someone who attends another church, but bad attitudes toward someone else here at EFC Cerritos is especially destructive. Now, this doesn’t mean we need to be great friends with everyone else in the church. We are all different personalities, and we will naturally get along better with some folks than with others. We are called to love every fellow Christian. We need to keep working on that, but the first concern is to get rid of bad attitudes that so easily seep into our souls. Michelangelo and Raphael, the painters, were commissioned to paint the inside of a cathedral at the same time. They were so jealous of each other that they never spoke, even though they were both supposedly working for the glory of God.

Is there someone in this room that, if you see them somewhere, you turn around and go the other way? It is not supposed to be that way. If there is any form of malice toward a Christian brother or sister, I encourage you to confess this to the Lord, ask for His help and then, if necessary, go to that person and seek reconciliation. Even if the other person hates you, you need to do your part in getting rid of every form of malice.

3) We should not participate in the Lord’s Supper if we have a wrong attitude toward a Christian brother or sister. If there is bitterness, jealousy or hatred in your heart toward someone else in this room, it is best that you don’t eat and drink with us today. If you do, I am afraid you might be eating and drinking in an unworthy manner and would be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Jesus. Now, whether or not you choose to participate is really up to you. Paul says, “A man ought to examine himself.” It is up to each individual to determine whether or not they can partake in a manner worthy of the Lord.

4) We should approach the Lord’s Table with joy. Taking part in communion should not be a fearful experience. If we have examined ourselves and don’t see any obvious bad attitudes, we can approach the Lord’s Table with confidence knowing that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. As we do, we are reminded in our minds and hearts of the most magnificent reality in the world, God’s love and grace, given to us through the death and resurrection of His own Son, and experienced by all who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Let us enjoy a joyous communion with each other today.

What is the _______________ _______________ ?
What does it mean to “eat in an ______________ manner?”
How do I _______________ my heart?
1. _______________ 5:23,24
2. 1 _______________ 11
3. _______________ 4:27, 31
4. The _______________ of the Lord’s Supper
What does this _______________ for us?
1. The Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are _______________ .
2. We need to make sure we have _______________ _______________ with other Christians.
3. We should not participate in the Lord’s Supper if we have a wrong _______________ toward a Christian brother or sister.
4. We should approach the Lord’s Table with _______.
  1. What is the _______________ _______________ ?
  2. What does it mean to “eat in an ______________ manner?”
  3. How do I _______________ my heart?
    1. _______________ 5:23,24
    2. 1 _______________ 11
    3. _______________ 4:27, 31
    4. The _______________ of the Lord’s Supper
  4. What does this _______________ for us?
    1. The Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are _______________ .
    2. We need to make sure we have _______________ _______________ with other Christians.
    3. We should not participate in the Lord’s Supper if we have a wrong _______________ toward a Christian brother or sister.
    4. We should approach the Lord’s Table with _______.

1 Chronicles, Old Testament, Sermons

The Prayer of Jabez

Gallery January 7, 2001 David 1 Comment

The Prayer of Jabez
January 07, 2001	Sermon by DRW	Passage 1 Chronicles 4.9-10

What could I bring to you today, this first real Sunday of the Millennium? I was thinking that I could offer you seven steps to being a great student. Maybe, how to deal with parents with three easy words. Or, 4 ways to wisely choose friends. But, as I thought about these things, I began to think about you. What is your greatest need? It isn’t success in school or at home or with your friends. What is it that will bring about the greatest change in your life, whether it is school, home, or friends? We learned three weeks ago that Jesus is the only option we have in this area. But what can I bring to you today that will effectively bring this about? When you become my age, I want you to be able to look back over your lives and see the pivotal points in your life. I want you to be able to see the handful of people who have brought you to those pivotal points that turned you around to become the people you will be. And, I want this time to be one of them.

I want to direct your attention to a little prayer in 1 Chronicles 4, verse 10. I would like to read it to you. There is a long set of people’s names that the Bible gives us, then it stops at this person and say this:

He was more honorable than his brothers.

The writer then writes one sentence about him and then continues with his long list of names. Wouldn’t it be incredible if God were to stop at your name and say that you were more honorable than the rest? Wouldn’t you want to be known as the one who stood out in your generation, who God used to change the lives of many people?

At the end of today’s message, I am going to ask you to join me in the prayer of Jabez. I will read it to you now. It has four parts and each of these four parts are exactly the opposite of how we have been taught to pray.

“Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will not cause pain.”

Take a look at the first one: “O that you would bless me indeed!” We don’t ask God for blessings because we feel He already does. We feel that there is a limited amount of blessings and that God dispenses only as He feels like it. Jesus tells us there are innumerable blessings that we don’t receive because we don’t ask for them. [Mr Jones story?]. Somehow we think it is wrong to ask God to bless us. I can only imagine what I would do if Joshua would come up to me and ask me to bless him. There would be an emotional charge going through me. This is how I imagine our Father in heaven might feel when I go to Him to ask Him to bless me. When you ask God to bless you, really, time will pass, as you are praying for His blessing, that you will sit down and will think about the blessings that God has given you and you will weep over the knowledge of the fact. There may even come a time when you will ask God to stop giving the blessings, because you are overwhelmed by them.

“God, my Heavenly Father, will you bless me a lot.” Don’t specify what the blessing should be but pray for His blessing. He will bless you. I can almost imagine that most of you haven’t prayed for a blessing today. That you haven’t asked God to bless you today while you are here.

The second part is for God to enlarge his business, his borders, or whatever. It is right for me to ask God to increase the amount of people who come here. It is right to ask God to bless my wife’s work. It is right for me to ask for more ministry opportunities today. When was the last time you asked God to give you more ministry?

Let me tell you a few stories about how God helped me to have more ministry. There was a woman at the Chevron station by my house. I had prayed that God would bless me with an opportunity to minister to someone that day. This woman got out of her car and began to swear over the Camaro. I was remembering my prayer of the morning and, looking to heaven, I thought that this couldn’t be it. God wouldn’t want me to minister to this cranky, cursing woman. So, I continued to pump the gas and she continue to swear at the car. I was getting ready to go. I thanked God that this wasn’t the ministry opportunity that He had for me. But, being the nice guy that I am, I asked Him one last time: “God, if this woman is someone that You put into my path, let me know that she is without a doubt in my mind.” Don’t ever do that, because God will answer that prayer. The woman quit swearing for a brief moment and look around the gas pump and looked at me. She asked me to help her. I did, she was still cursing at the car. I left that area not telling her about Jesus, but I did help.

Another time, I was praying on Christmas for opportunities to help people. I find it hard to be around Karen’s grandma because of her mental condition. But that night, she was walking around frustrated and confused, so I talked with her. I then found myself doing something that I thought that I would never do, I hugged her. It was so difficult for me, but that was what God had planned for me.

One last story, I have been praying that God would bless this ministry. About four weeks ago I specifically asked God to bring people to FNF. I decided to set up 12 chairs to see what would happen. Well, 12 people came. That next Sunday, I printed 31 bulletins (I normally make 25). I had asked God to bring more people. He brought 31 that day. The next Friday, the amount of chairs I had set up was the amount of people that came. The next Sunday, the amount of bulletins I printed (35) were the amount of people present. I don’t know what that means, but Karen told me to print 1,000 bulletins. I guess she has more faith than I do.

The reason God left you here on earth was for more ministry. Don’t define how the ministry should come but merely ask for more opportunities. Beg Him for more. Tell Him you want to do more for Him. He will bless you with that ministry. Press beyond your comfort zone and ask God to enlarge your ministry. That He would give you more opportunities. Think of Isaiah 6. “Who will go for us, who can we send?” He is looking for people to be used in miraculous ways. There are so few people who are willing to say, “Here am I, send me!” Beg Him for more ministry. That He would put people within your borders, that He would direct people to you; that He would bring the opportunities to you! He will! “Lord, give me somebody who needs You.” He will bring somebody to you that has a need that needs to be met. When that person comes, ask them what you can do for them. Ask them, “How can I help you?” That person is your ministry for that moment. You have been called to meet his need. Then you tell them, “That’s why I am here!”

I remember just this past week. I was asking someone how they were doing and they wouldn’t answer me. I thought about it for a bit, I asked them, “How can I help you?” It was at this point they started to share with me how I could help them. It was interesting to watch God at work.

When was the last time you asked God to send somebody to you that needs Him? He will send the ministry to you. God will send you this appointment, if you ask Him. God won’t send someone to you that you are incapable of helping. He knows your abilities.

What would your life be like if you started praying this on a daily basis? God would give you the wisdom and the knowledge to help those He sends to you.

You need God’s blessings, so ask for them; you can have ministry opportunities that He will bless you with, if you ask Him for them. This will get you to live beyond your box of comfort. He will enlarge your borders. This will bring you to your uncomfortable zone. In the box, you are comfortable. When your borders are enlarged, you will become uncomfortable and you will feel fear and you will be overwhelmed. You will be uncomfortable, as I was hugging Karen’s Grandma, because you have never been there before. It is not a pleasant feeling and will make us not to want to go there. We don’t want to go there because we are so used to comfort and peace that we don’t want to step out of it and begin to lose control of the things around us. You are telling God that you want to enlarge your ministries, to move you out of your comfort zone. God is excited about this and He gives you the opportunities. Now you are faced with giants that you have never faced before. This is why God always told the leaders before He sent them out not to be afraid because He would be there with them (Joshua 1).

Listen to this, it is so important. When you break through from the comfort to the discomfort zone, that will become the comfort zone. And God can now use you in this bigger box. If you don’t stop and you continue to ask Him to give you more ministry, your box will grow larger. You will find yourself saying, “Change me so You can give me more ministry.” God will then give your ministry and will change you and you will grow. “Take me from the comfort to the discomfort zone.” The fear of being overwhelmed comes at every single point that you are about to break through from comfort to discomfort. It doesn’t matter how many giants you have killed before, they will get bigger. Most people become uncomfortable and think that God couldn’t be calling them to this and they back off. This is not true. God takes you to the uncomfortable so you can rely on Him to break through in your life and the lives of others through you. Through this come miracles in our life. How many times has God sought to move you and you refused because you thought you weren’t able to do so? He will then ask, as He did with Moses and others, “I created all things and I can use all things, so let Me! If I can use a donkey to convince Balaam, I can use you. I indwell you, what makes you think that I can’t do this? Get your eyes off of yourself and get them on Me!” If you do this you will never question whether your life is significant or not. But, you have to ask for God to bless and enlarge your sphere of influence.

The third part of that prayer sounds wrong if we focus on the prayers of today. Lord, bless me greatly. Lord, give me more ministry. Think about this next statement. See, when the Lord blesses us and gives us greater ministry opportunities, we will be overwhelmed. We will be so overwhelmed that we will shout out that we cannot do it. This is where you will pray the statement that Jabez prayed next. “That Your hand might be with me.” When was the last time that God expanded your ministry so much that you had to exclaim, “Lord, unleash Your strong arm on my behalf. I can’t do this!”

Think about this: when was the last time you were so overwhelmed with what God had for you to do that you had to fall down and exclaim, “God help me!” The problem with Christianity today, not all Christians but Christianity in general, is that she doesn’t live this way. The majority of Christians in the world today will shrink back from the feeling of being overwhelmed until they get back to the point where they feel they are in control, where it is comfortable. God is calling us to live beyond this, He wants us to be Spirit led and not led by the flesh. Any point that we are in control of our lives, we are in the flesh. Any point where we are so overwhelmed with life and ministry that we call out to God for help, we are living by the Spirit. We wonder why we don’t see the mighty hand of God at work in our lives. Here is the reason: we won’t let it.

What does it take for God to do this. God says that He is searching throughout the earth to find a heart that is loyal to Him so He can show His arm strong in his behalf. The arm of God is shown strong as we expand our borders and our ministry. It happens when we get to the point where we say to God, “Father, I can’t do this on my own. It is too big for me. I need Your help!” There are times when Joshua realizes taht he has gotten into something to big. That is when he begins to scream and look to Daddy or Mommy to come and help him. When nothing is in his way, he is running around like crazy. He doesn’t need me there. He is comfortable. It is only in the places where he feels out of control, uncomfortable that he calls on me. When was the last time you needed God’s help? When was the last time you called out to Him to be there to help you do His work? That is what life is all about.

You ask God to bless you and He will. You ask God to expand your ministry and He will burst through your borders and allow you to influence people and change this old world. He will give you exceeding abundantly beyond what you can even imagine. If you were to pray this prayer everyday, you could never begin to imagine what He will do through you. When you ask Him to have His hand on you, here is what takes place: God will bless you, expand your borders of influence, and He will be with you.

You will go from here into darkness, to a place you have never been before. As you go into the darkness you will bring back those people who have strayed, who need your light. God will only send those people to you that He knows You can help. This will become normal for you. As you move out into the darkness, you are really moving out into the darkness. You are now in Satan’s territory. Here is what happens here. You will feel the enemy coming after you. That is why the last part of the prayer is there. The fourth part of the prayer: “Keep me from evil,” he says. Why? Because that is where you are going. Most people don’t pray this way. When was the last time you prayed to God, “Lord, keep evil away from me!” We don’t pray this way. We are not to pray to be kept through temptation. When Jesus was asked how to pray, He didn’t say, “Lord, keep us in temptation.” He said, “Lead us not into temptation.” He was praying what Jabez prayed: Keep me from evil! Keep evil away from me!

The more you do these things the more miraculous your life will become and the more you will give God glory. If this church really did this, if you really did this, you would never go back to the mundane life you had before.

This is your life as a Christian. I just want to say, “It is time for you to enjoy it.”

I am asking you to commit to praying this prayer of Jabez for thirty days. If you do commit to this, please stand. Please keep standing. Our usher has a gift for you. It is a little book called “The Prayer of Jabez.”

Please be seated. Let’s all pray this prayer together.

Dear God,

please bless me a lot,

give me more ministry,

put your hand on me

and keep me from evil.

Now, with your eyes open, look up and ask Him, mean it:

Dear God,

Would You please bless me a lot

Give me more ministry

Put Your hand on me

And keep me from evil.

Now, Father, I stand as your minister here at Cerritos and ask that You truly bless this church. That You would cause us to grow spiritually and numerically in this community. Give us a double portion of Your blessings. We ask Father that You would give us the ministry that would affect our community. We pray Father that You would keep us from evil and help us to be a light to those in darkness. Father, we cannot do any of this without You. Be with us and guide us, in Jesus name, amen!

Old Testament, Psalms, Sermons

Talking About Him

Gallery November 18, 2000 David

Talking About Him
November 18, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage Psalm 40

Scripture Reading: Psalm 70

When I was younger, our church used to have Thanksgiving breakfasts. It really was coffee and doughnuts, but nobody ever complained. We gathered together to recount the year that we had. We gave testimonies of the good things that we received and of the hard times we were brought through. For us, Thanksgiving was a time of reflection and drawing closer to those we love. We would think about where we had been and rejoiced over the happy times and mourned over the sad times with those around us. This was a time that each person in the church looked forward too. A time of gathering and thanking, a time of fellowship.

I realized during those special times, that to be truly thankful I must have two qualities in my life: truth and justice. When I am truthful, I give God the credit for all things in my life. Whether they are good or bad, I tell Him and those around me that He has freely given me all things. Justice tells me to take all things into account that God has given me and respond to Him in some tangible way. To perform some ministry as evidence that I am truly thankful to Him for what He has brought into my life.

Let’s look at the first five verses of the Psalm before us. For the sake of time, I will ask you to read these verses to yourself.

I. Does Your Life Show Him? (1-5)

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

David begins this Psalm with a profession of thankfulness. In being thankful, he shows his confidence in His God. He said: “I waited patiently for the Lord.” What follows is what David was thankful for.

1. God heard his prayers: “He inclined his ear, and heard my cry.”

2. God delivered him from some form of bondage. “He brought me out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay.”

3. God placed him in a safe place. “He set my feet upon a rock.”

4. God steadied him so he wouldn’t fall back into the horrible pit and miry clay. “He established my goings.”

5. God gave David every reason to be thankful. “He hath put a new song in my mouth.”

The first three verses offer David’s testimony of His divine rescue. The slimy pit endangered many travelers, it could be a common sin or difficulty that many people get into. It could be things like lust or financial difficulties. Many people fall into this pit, this slippery place, either from willful sin or through no fault of their own. This was David’s case. He was having difficult times in his life and God rescued him. The rescue from the slippery place to the Solid Rock was evident to all around him. It was such a dramatic change, deliverance, that David had to sing out loud for joy.

We have all experienced this. I know that there have been times in my life where I see the hand of God at work and the only way I can rejoice is through singing. I remember hearing about a friend who was in trouble. God helped him in his time of need. I had to sing, “God is so Good.” Deliverance brings joy.

The great thing about this is that other people will see this and they will rejoice, be thankful, for what God has done in your life. They may even trust Him in a greater way because of your changed life, your deliverance, your joy. When God gives you a reason to be thankful, He expects there to be a change in your lifestyle. Your life should be a steady, regular walk and conduct that displays Jesus Christ that others may see this and rejoice in Him. Or, as Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

David believes, and the Bible testifies, that a changed life becomes a living billboard for God. David says, “Many shall see my deliverance and my thanksgiving, and shall fear God, and acknowledge His grace, His providence, and protection; and because of this, they will be led to put their trust in Him.”

It is here that David provides us with a type of thanksgiving. —

He tells us two great truths:

1. David tells us that the man who trusts and relies on God is truly blessed.

1. “Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust.”

2. “And blessed is he who respects not the proud;” men who are proud of their wealth and power, or those who turn to believe in lies and not the truth.

2. David then admires God’s mercies, and proclaims God’s goodness to people everywhere.

1. He proclaims the vastness of God’s works “Many, O Lord my God, are thy works.”

2. He proclaims their divine origin “Thy wonderful works.”

3. He proclaims the wisdom God had in doing what He had done for him “Many, O Lord, are thy wondrous works; and thy thoughts to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up.”

I have listed two questions in the notes that you should think about and answer sometime today.

I. Are You Convinced God Loves You?

Do you really believe that God is in love with you, that He always seeks what is best for you? Can you say with Joseph in Genesis 50.20: “What man has planned for evil, God intended for good.” Through the good and bad times, do you see that God loves you?

II. Do Your Actions Show He Loves You?

If you believe that God loves you, that He has given you reason to be thankful, does your life show it? Do you verbally thank God, do you sing joyfully to Him, to you praise Him among all the people?

This leads us into the next five verses of Psalm 40. Although these verses are attributed to Christ by the writer of Hebrews, we see David, and ourselves, in them as-well.

II Do You Proclaim Him? (6-10)

6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

[For David’s thanksgiving, the usual sacrifices and offerings are set aside] in favor of complete obedience from the heart, and full acknowledgment, in public assembly, of the saving goodness of God (Elwell, 1989).

David acknowledges his thankfulness and expresses his gratitude to God. He was so grateful to God that he felt himself bound to be obedient to the Word of God. He felt that his best sacrifice would be the sacrifice of his very life to God, just as Paul mentions in Romans 12.1: “I urge you, therefore, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as living sacrifices—holy and acceptable to God.”

What David is showing us here is that outward worship is of little worth, if sincerity and obedience are not in it. “Sacrifice and offering thou did not require.” David brings to mind here an ancient tradition of slavery that was common in Old Testament Israel. When a slaves time of service was over, after the 6^th year, he could be freed. When a slave saw that his master was a good master, full of mercy and kindnesses, he could stay with him. If the slave chose not to leave and the master chose to keep him, the slave would have his ears opened, pierced, to show that he is now a permanent slave to his master. So, when David says: “mine ears hast thou opened,” he is referring to the opening made by the awl that would pierce the ears of the slave. This is the sign of a voluntary and obedient servant (Exodus 21:5, 6). Like Paul, David said: “I will be Your voluntary and obedient servant. Lo, I come! I am ready to hear thy commands.” David then follows with a description of his obedience. David said that he would perform whatever God asked of him with a cheerful heart: “I delight to do Your will. Your law is in my heart. The obedience of eyes, hands, and feet may be hypocritical; that which is of the heart cannot. You desire my heart, and my heart You shall have; and for that purpose I have put Your law in my heart.” David would serve God and tell others about God with all his heart, just as Paul tells us to do in Colossians.

David did this for the glory of God and the benefit of others. His life became a living proclamation of Good News, the Gospel. David says, “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation.” And, “I have not stopped my lips from proclaiming your goodness” And, “I have not hid Your righteousness within my heart.” But, “I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation.” Because “I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and truth from the great congregation.”

The questions that I ask you to ponder as you think about these verses are:

A. Is Your Life Set Apart for Him?

This is asking whether you have given all that you are to Christ. Is your life a walking testimony of God? If it is, praise Him; if not, why not?

B. Do You Profess Him to Others?

The answer to this question determines the answer of the first question. There is no way your life is set apart for God if you are not proclaiming Him to others. A life of thanksgiving is a life that shouts out the greatness of God for all to hear.

If I were to put these verses into something that you could take home, something that would remind you of Thanksgiving, I would put it into an acronym that spells Thanksgiving.

Trust God to be their in every situation that you are in. Whether you are going through good or bad times, trust the goodness of God to bring only those things into your life which will produce a life that is good (Romans 8.28)

Honor God by giving Him the praise that is due His name. Praise Him for all that He has brought you through. Glorify His name for the good times and the hard times. Whatever has happened in your life, honor Him with praise (Colossians 3.17).

Acknowledge your joys and your pains. Don’t merely thank God for the joys in your life, but remember even the pain. This is what makes you, you. In every aspect of your life, acknowledge that God is taking an active part in your life (Proverbs 3.5-6).

Notice the hard times and the good time. This tells us to learn from every situation that comes into our lives. Don’t allow a day to go by without thinking through the day and giving God glory and learning a lesson for it. We should never let a day go by, with all the joys and pains that God allows in it, without acknowledging that it is for a purpose (Psalm 119.71, 73; Isaiah 29.24).

Know you are a part of God’s plan (Genesis 50.20). We need to come to a realization that all that happens in our lives is part of God’s greater plan to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ. Everything that comes our way is to bring us closer to His image. This is God’s plan. Just a cookie is made from both good tasting and bad tasting ingredients, so our life is made. Just as it takes time, heat, and energy to produce a cookie from cookie dough, so it will take time, heat and energy in us to produce Christlikeness.

Set yourself apart for God. We are to give our lives over to God for Him to do as He pleases in it. We are to be people of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4.13).

Give praise to God. Daily we are to offer Him praise, no matter the situation. For us to be truly thankful, we need to praise God much as David did (Hebrews 13.15).

Initiate healing of the hurts you may have. Just as David went before God (Psalms), so we must go before God and tell Him our hurts, pains, griefs. We are to come before Him with everything. We can freely come to Him with all our problems and joys.

Validate your feelings. Once we realize that we are in God’s plans, we must take our feelings into that. We must recognize our emotions and deal with them in the knowledge that God is in control and has a plan for my life. This doesn’t mean I deny my emotions, but I express them to God in a healthy manner. God is concerned with them (Jeremiah 8.21). He allows them to come into our lives and wants us to talk to Him about them.

Invite the Holy Spirit to be active in your life. If there is sin in your life, confess it; if there is a hurt in your heart, have Him cleanse it; if there is joy in your life, let Him enhance it. Allow the Holy Spirit to be active in your life (Ephesians 5.18).

Nail your hurts to the cross. For those who have sinned against you and have caused you pain, forgive them just as Christ has forgiven you and forget them just as Christ has forgotten yours (Psalm 103).

Glorify God in all things for this is the will of God for your life (1 Corinthians 6.20).

For a truly memorable Thanksgiving, let us live out the acronym above just as David has shown us in Psalm 40 to do. I would like you to consider what David has taught us from Psalm 40 during this Thanksgiving time. During this week, ask yourself the questions from the outline, look at the acronym and ask God to give you the strength to live a life that shows Him, proclaims Him, and relies upon Him.

Let us pray

Father, I thank You for caring for each one of us. For bring us good things for us to rejoice in and for allowing hard times so we may grow in them. I pray, that You would enable each one of us to take time this week to be truly thankful to You for all that You have done for us. Show us ways to express our thankfulness to You this week. In Jesus name, amen.

Trust God (Romans 8.28)

Honor God (Colossians 3.17).

Acknowledge your joys and your pains. (Proverbs 3.5-6).

Notice the hard times and the good time. (Psalm 119.71, 73; Isaiah 29.24).

Know you are a part of God’s plan (Genesis 50.20).

Set yourself apart for God. (1 Thessalonians 4.13).

Give praise to God. (Hebrews 13.15).

Initiate healing of the hurts you may have. (Psalms).

Validate your feelings. (Jeremiah 8.21).

Invite the Holy Spirit to be active in your life. (Ephesians 5.18).

Nail your hurts to the cross. (Psalm 103).

Glorify God in all things (1 Corinthians 6.20).

Exodus, Old Testament, Sermons

Alfred, I’m Tired

Gallery October 22, 2000 David

Alfred, I’m Tired
October 22, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage Exodus 20.8-11

In Chuck Swindoll’s book “To Laugh Again,” he writes this anecdote.

“The population of this country is 200 million. 84 million are retired. That leaves 116 million to do the work. There are 75 million in school, which leaves 41 million to do the work. Of this total, there are 22 million employed by the federal government.

“That leaves 19 million to do the work. 4 million are in the armed forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work. Take from that total the 14.8 million who work for state and city governments and that leaves 200,000 to do the work. There are 188,000 people in the hospital at any given time, leaving 12,000 to do the work. Currently, there are 11,998 people in jail. That leaves just two people to do the work – you and me. And you’re just sitting there listening. No wonder I’m stressed” (Swindoll, 1992)!

Now, that’s the perspective of a person who needs a break, wouldn’t you say? Of course, many of us from time to time have that same feeling. Many of us came here this morning stressed-out from the demands of the job, the family, school and a host of other assorted activities. The question is, what can we do about it? How can we break the power of stress and strain in our lives?

Before we begin, let me tell just how pervasive stress is in America.

1. 65 million people suffer with high blood pressure.

2. 1 million people die of heart disease, yearly.

3. Millions of people are afflicted with ulcers and stomach problems.

4. Millions of people have panic/anxiety disorder.

1. This is number one for women

2. This is number two for men (number one is substance abuse)

3. Panic attack is an out-of-the-blue attack

Stress comes from anxiety.

5. 40-50 million people have sleep disorder.

1. The average American under-sleeps an 1 ½ – 2 hours a night.

6. 80 million people suffer with headaches.

7. Millions of people suffer from depression.

This is a picture of stress. Although we will be discussing stress and its consequences, what I want to talk to you this morning about a solution that God has prescribed in the Bible. And let me come right out and say it:

God’s answer to the stress and strain on us is what the Bible calls the Sabbath, which to the best of my understanding means a “regular time of leisure” – a consistent pattern of breaking from the routine of our responsibilities.

I’ll explain that definition in a bit more detail in just a minute, but let me first show you why I say this is God’s answer to the problem. In at least two places in the Bible, God makes some amazing promises concerning the Sabbath principle.

“Happy is the one who refuses to work during my Sabbath days of rest, but honors them.” Isaiah 56:2aTLBM

“… if you call the Sabbath [in this case, a regular day of leisure] a delight and the LORD’S holy day honorable, and if you honor it … then you will find your joy in the LORD and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land …” Isaiah 58:13―14NIV

God promises that the byproducts of building a Sabbath – a regular time of leisure – into our lives are happiness and joy. Last time I checked, those were at one end of the mental health spectrum and stress was at the other.

But even at that, I have to admit that this idea of a “Sabbath” sounds a little out of place in the twenty-first century. It sounds like something associated with people who still dress in clothes from the 18th century and travel by horse and buggy. Even the word “Sabbath” has an odd ring to it, something that’s reserved for monks. In fact, when they hear the word “Sabbath,” most people think of getting up on Sunday morning, wearing uncomfortable clothes, sitting in a boring church service and walking around with a serious look on your face for the rest of the day. But that’s not what the Sabbath principle is about. The Sabbath is a direct response to the nature of stress.

Stress by nature is the fast pace of modern life. “We are designed for camel travel—but continue to behave like supersonic jets.” This has its price if pushed to the limit. It is also found in the tyranny of time where, as the song goes, “Everyone is in a hurry to get things done, we rush and we rush until life’s no fun.” It is also evident in Emergency living (urgency). Stress response is for emergencies. However, most of us live in a perpetual state of emergency, which is equivalent to great stress. We are so stressed out that our stress hormones go up and never come back

What are the effects of stress?

1. Increase in blood pressure (this causes the second effect). In an emergency this should rise (fight or flight). But it shouldn’t stay up, which is what is happening in today’s society.

2. There is an increase in blood cholesterol (the cardiovascular system is effected)

3. Release of fatty deposits in arteries

4. Narrowing of capillaries

5. Peripheral vaso-constriction

6. Fatigue where the adrenal system becomes exhausted.

7. If you are tired a lot it may be from stress

A Description of Leisure

In fact, all of those impressions are incorrect. None of them represent what God had in mind when He prescribed this stress solution. Very simply, God said ..

“Keep the Sabbath holy [by the way, that word does not mean “religious” – it means “different.” God is saying “make this day different from the other days”]. This is my command. [Here’s how it’s to be different.] Work the other six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; no work shall be done that day by you or by any of your household — your sons, daughters, servants, oxen, donkeys, or cattle; even foreigners living among you must obey this law. Everybody must rest as you do.” Deuteronomy 5:12―14TLB

In this case God is talking about a weekly Sabbath that takes an entire day. But that’s not the only pattern mentioned in the Bible. In other places God tells the people to take off several times every year and – to put it bluntly – party. A Sabbath can be something that happens for part of the day every day. The bottom line is that there needs to be a regular and consistent pattern of leisure in your life.

Well, what is leisure? How do you define it? Leland Ryken in his book, Work and Leisure in Christian Perspective, gives a great three-point definition of leisure (Ryken, 1989) He says …

1. Leisure is time devoted to activities that are freely chosen.

The first question you have to ask yourself whenever you approach any activity and wonder whether it’s leisure is, am I freely choosing to do this or am I serving someone else’s agenda?

Let’s take golf. Is golf leisure activity? If you’ve got a golf game scheduled for this Tuesday afternoon with one of your strategic clients and you’re taking him or her out to play golf in the hopes that it will make your professional relationship more profitable, it’s not pure leisure because it’s not freely chosen. It’s a “have to,” a responsibility.

On the other hand, if you’ve got a free day coming up and you don’t have any pressure or responsibility and you play a round of golf because you want to, that could be leisure. Of course, that depends on how well your golf game fits part two of the definition.

2. Leisure is time devoted to activities that are pleasurable and satisfying.

If you get angry and frustrated when you play golf, it’s not leisure, because leisure is supposed to put a smile on your face. Leisure is something that you get excited about doing. That’ll be different things to different people.

3. Finally, Ryken says, leisure is time devoted to activities that relax and refresh.

For it to be true leisure, it needs to recalibrate us. It needs to send us back to work with our batteries physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, spiritually recharged.

Lots of activities fit into this definition, don’t they?

You know what else should be included in leisure? Attending church! You should go because you freely choose to – not because you have to; it should be pleasurable – even when we address the heavy issues as we do from time to time; and it should be relaxing and refreshing.

Why Leisure Is Necessary (Dethmer, 1990)

So far we’ve defined leisure and seen that God tells us to do it on a regular basis. But why? Why is it so important that we do it? Jim Dethmer, who was a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, says …

1. Leisure is necessary because we tend to forget that we are more than what we do.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the pressure of getting a job done that we begin to think of ourselves as being merely workers — high-paid plow horses. When we make time for leisure, when we get away from the to-do list that perspective is restored.

2. Leisure is necessary because we are created in the image of God and even He “leisured.”

On the seventh day, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing, and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation. Genesis 2:2―3TLB

If I understand this verse, leisure is one of the most spiritual things we can do, because God did it. But in addition to that, because we are created in the image of God, we are designed to experience rest and refreshment and leisure. The Sabbath principle is part of what it means to be fully human. It’s part of our makeup to require that downtime.

Types of Sabbaths (Rieland, 1996)

So, let’s talk specifics – how do you integrate this idea into your life on a regular basis? Another pastor remarked that there were four areas of life where the Sabbath principle could a make real difference. He said, “there is a Sabbath of the body, a Sabbath of the mind, a Sabbath of the soul and a Sabbath of the heart.” I want to talk about them and the frequency at which I think they should occur.

3. Sabbath of the body – sleep and proper exercise on a regular basis. Sleep is a daily issue, exercise several times a week.

I want to spend a few minutes talking about sleep at this point in the message.

We need to pay attention to sleep habits. Let me ask you a question. Why did God create sleep? He created sleep to restore the immune system, because it gives tranquility to the brain so it is rested and refreshed, and it provides for growth in young children. According to some experts in sleep, a minimum of 9 hours of sleep to be maximumly effective. This is God’s provision as a valley to help us deal with success and the mountains that we travel through during the day. If we don’t get enough sleep we will begin to see more “accidents” happening because of us, our work at school and our job diminishes, etc.

How can you improve the quality and quantity of your sleep? Darken your environment. A few hours before (1-2 hours) going to bed begin to dim the lights. The invention of electricity has effectively shut down melatonin production (used for sleep). If the area is darkened, the brain produces melatonin and sleep occurs.

You should try going to bed at the same time everyday. Our body clock will go away if we don’t regulate our sleep. Bright lights will basically stop your body’s clock.

You can reduce the noise levels around you. Wear earplugs if necessary.

There is something that we often neglect and that is trying to makeup sleep. If you can’t get enough sleep during the night, you have up to a week to make-up that sleep. That is why most teenagers sleep in on Saturdays.

As for the exercising, people who sit at a desk job the whole day need to exercise; those who have a physical job or sport, need to rest.

4. Sabbath of the mind – “visionary thinking.”

It’s when you mentally step back from the details and contemplate the big picture.

A few years ago in the Final Four of college basketball, Mike Krzyzewski, the coach of Duke University, called a time-out at a critical point in the game. The pressure was intense. He gathers the players around him and he says, “Hey, guys. Take in the moment. You’ll never have another one like it'” (Dethmer). That’s a Sabbath of the mind.

In our lives, this is where we find a quiet place with a pad of paper, maybe some books, and think and write stuff down – “what am I going to do in my relationships? What about my finances? What barriers are keeping me from accomplishing my vision?”

I have a pastor friend who regularly goes to a monastery with a Bible and a yellow pad. and talks to God and thinks. I think once a month is about the minimum frequency for this kind of Sabbath. It helps us to slow down and realize that our life isn’t to be lived in a perpetual state of emergency.

5. Sabbath of the soul – fun that makes you feel alive. (some fun makes you feel dead!)

I’ve neglected this one recently. As I have neglected the day off. I’ve felt exhausted, stressed out. I realized this week that I needed a day just to have some fun.

I need that day, as do each of you.

6. Sabbath of the heart – time alone with God

I think this should happen every day. Ten minutes a day where you sit down and say, “Daddy <which is what Jesus told us to call God>, it’s me. Would you remind me how much you love me? … Thanks, Daddy for … And Daddy, I’ve got some things that are weighing me down. Could you help me?” If you don’t do anything else from this message – ten minutes of that every day will change your stress level.

Here’s what I’m saying: when I observe a Sabbath of body, the mind, the soul and the heart – when I do these things on a regular basis, I find the power of stress breaking up in my life. On the other hand, when I neglect them, I become exhausted and fatigued. Life stops being fun. I become relationally detached. I begin to see people as just another obligation or responsibility. I become suspicious, cynical, impatient and irritable. Ever feel that way?

Common Objections (Dethmer)

But the question that really bugs me is, “Knowing this is the case, why don’t I take the Sabbath principle more seriously?” I thought about it and I realized that there are two thoughts that pop up in my head on this.

1. “I don’t have the time!”

I have too much to do already without making time for a Sabbath. My stress level will only go up if I have to try and squeeze all of this in!

2. “I benefit more by working”

Working is what gets you ahead. Let’s face it: in our world, the badge of honor goes to people who worked 60 hours last week not to people who say no to work so they can say yes to, say, the Sabbath of the mind.

Those two reasons on your list aren’t the real reason you neglect the Sabbath in your life. They’re not the reason you don’t really take off on your day off. They’re not the reason you feel too rushed to sit down and talk to God during the day. It’s a trust issue.

The real reason: “I don’t trust God enough to call time out from what I’m doing and do the Sabbath stuff.”

When it comes right down to it, I’ve got the same problem with the Sabbath principle that many people have with the tithing principle. “God won’t provide.” God won’t help me to do the daily work if I take a Sabbath of the heart – 10 minutes with Him. God won’t help me enough on the other six days to be able to completely relax on the seventh.

How Sabbaths Break Stress

For me, I’m realizing that this whole thing is a trust issue. That’s why God makes such a big deal out of it in the Bible.

1. Let me put it this way: observing a Sabbath (in whatever form) is a declaration that “I am dependent on God.”

“Hallow (respect) my Sabbaths; for they are a symbol of the contract between us to help you remember that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:20TLB

Why should you keep the Sabbath? It is because you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out with a great display of miracles. Deuteronomy 5:15TLB

What’s he saying? “You didn’t do it all by yourself. I did the hard part. When you regularly build a time of leisure into your schedule, when you set up a consistent pattern of breaking from your regular responsibilities, it reminds you that I am your strength. I am your provider. You can depend on me!”

2. Guess what? Dependence on God is what alleviates stress.

“If you obey me,’ says the Lord, “and refuse to work on the Sabbath day and keep it separate, special and holy, then this nation shall continue forever. There shall always be descendants of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem; there shall always be kings and princes riding in pomp and splendor among the people, and this city shall remain forever [sounds pretty stress free doesn’t it?] … But if you will not listen to me, if you refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, if on the Sabbath you bring in loads of merchandise through these gates of Jerusalem, just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire shall spread to the palaces and utterly destroy them, and no one shall be able to put out the raging flames.'” Jeremiah 17:24―25, 27TLB

Now that’s stress!

Conclusion

What are you going to do? I challenge you to come up with a plan today.

May I suggest that you take a Sabbath of the mind to determine where you are living your life today.

1 Thessalonians, New Testament, Sermons

Living Life God’s Way

Gallery September 9, 2000 David

Living Life God’s Way
September 09, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage 1 Thessalonians

Many committed Christians wrestle with feeling like they’re just not doing well in their relationship with God. The symptoms include: a burning desire to please the Lord; a fear, no matter how much you’re doing that it isn’t quite enough; a growing anger or frustration in your Christian life; a tendency to compare your Christian life with others. (Miller, 1989).

Many Christians hold as true these words of a song quipped by Mike Warnke:

“I come before Thy throne of grace

And fall down upon my face;

I know that I am but a worm —

So, step on me God and watch me squirm!”

However, our lives in Christ are far removed from this thinking. It can be seen in an illustration of Worms and Butterflies:

Being made into a new creation is like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Originally an earthbound crawling creature, a caterpillar weaves a cocoon and is totally immersed in it. Then a marvelous process takes place, called metamorphosis. Finally a totally new creature — a butterfly — emerges. Once ground-bound, the butterfly can now soar above the earth. It now can view life from [a loftier perch] the sky downward. In the same way, as a new creature in Christ you must begin to see yourself as God sees you.

If you were to see a butterfly, it would never occur to you to say, “Hey, everybody! Come look at this good-looking converted worm!” Why not? After all, it was a worm. And it was “converted.” No, now it is a new creature, and you don’t think of it in terms of what it was. You see it as it is now — a butterfly.

In exactly the same way, God sees you as His new creature in Christ. Although you might not always act like a good butterfly — you might land on things you shouldn’t, or forget you are a butterfly and crawl around with your old worm buddies — the truth of the matter is, you are never going to be a worm again!

This is why the usual New Testament word for a person in Christ is “saint,” meaning “holy one.” Paul, for example, in nearly all his letters addressed them to the “saints.” Yet all the time I hear Christians referring to themselves as “just an old sinner saved by grace.” No! That’s like calling a butterfly a converted worm. We were sinners and we were saved by grace, but the Word of God calls us saints from the moment we become identified with Christ. (George, 2000)

The Bible speaks of holiness, or sanctification, in three phases—

1. What Happened to Me when I got Saved?

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3.1-3)

1. What Happened to Me in the Past

“That state of separation in the spiritual realm accomplished by God the Father by means of the blood of Christ instantaneously at spiritual birth for each Christian” (Fairman).

This is involvement of our position: But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and not our practice. This is freedom from the condemnation of sin: [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1); not the temporary deliverance from the effects and consequences of sin. This is the beginning of new life for the butterfly, the Christian.

2. What is Happening to Me Now

“Conformity to Christ enabled by all of the Godhead. This conformity is endeavored by the believer, continuously during spiritual growth for each Christian” (Fairman).

This is the temporal aspect as seen in verses like:

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

This involves freedom from sin’s control: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. (1 Corinthians 10:13). This is a continuing process from spiritual birth to the end of life on earth. Both God and man are involved: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. (Philippians 2.12-13).

3. What will Happen to Me in the Future

“State of perfection accomplished by the Father, instantaneously by death or rapture” (Fairman).

This is the merging of positional and present sanctification: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 1:24)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8.29-30)

Today, however, I would like to look into that area of what is happening in our lives today.

II There are Two Steps that I Have to Take in My Life Now

A. I Need to be Dependent upon God

1. I Need to Yield to God through . . .

a. Repentance

For God took the initiative to bring us into a relationship with Himself, not thαt we should continue to live in impurity, but that we should be wholly consecrated to Him. (1 Thessalonians 4.7). Before the Christian life can be lived we must acknowledge that we sin; that we have rebelled against a perfect God: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). When this is recognized we must realize that: the wages of that sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23).

When we realize that we have sinned we must repent of that sin. We all identify with Peter in his sin, but often we fail to learn the lesson of his repentance. The characteristics of repentance are:

1) It is divine, initiated by God. Being sorry that we have sinned is not necessarily penitence. Responding to God and yielding to God.

2) It is very sensitive. God always deals with us gently.

3) It is an intense experience.

4) The experience is a lonely one. In Peter’s case, only between God and Peter. Luke 22:61,62.

(Drummond, 1989).

Repentance is a 180 degree turn away from what we were doing, “crawling around with your old worm buddies,” and returning to the position God placed us in when we became Christians, a butterfly.

There is not a passage more clear on this than 1 John 1.9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

When I think about this verse I automatically recall a most vivid illustration that I have told many people:

I have always wondered why God asks us to repent in prayer when He knows our hearts. This verse has always bothered me until I realized that God is our Father. When I get married and have children (now I can idealize this because I am not there; therefore, those of you who are married and have children, don’t rain on my parade), I would discipline like this:

When Naomi hits Mephibosheth (these are the names I want to give my children and I realize that who ever I marry will voice her opinion rather strongly), and she will, and she comes to me wanting to play, talk and joke around; no matter how hard, I will have to refuse until she tells “Meph” she’s sorry. She may come to me daily and cry out to me but I won’t be able to respond until she “repents” of her sin. In the meantime Meph and I shall talk and play together. She will come up to me, hopefully sooner and not later, and tell me she’s sorry for hitting her brother. I will ask her if she told him; have her tell him; have both of them come to me and tell me so; and take both of them in my arms and play with them, talk with them, and joke around with them: love them

You see, God wants us to show our love for Him by confessing to others of the deeds we did against them, thus showing our love for them.

b. Dependance

After we repent of our sins and in confession tell God this, we need to lean on God for strength not to fall into that deed, that sin, again.

We do not need to fall into that sin again for we view life from a loftier perch: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)

2. I am Free From Sin as I Depend on God

Christians are freed from sin by God’s power from within to without: It shows on the outside what is inherent on the inside.

Illustration: “Let’s imagine that a king made a decree in his land that there would be a blanket pardon extended to all prostitutes. Would that be good news to you if you were a prostitute? Of course it would. No longer would you have to live in hiding, fearing the sheriff. No longer would you have a criminal record; all past offenses are wiped off the books. So the pardon would definitely be good news. But would it be any motivation at all for you to change your lifestyle? No, not a bit.

But let’s go a little further with our illustration. Let’s say that not only is a blanket pardon extended to all who have practiced prostitution, but the king has asked you, in particular, to become his bride. What happens when a prostitute marries a king? She becomes a queen. NOW would you have a reason for a change in lifestyle? Absolutely. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the lifestyle of a queen is several levels superior to that of a prostitute. No woman in her right mind would go back to her previous life.

As long as a half-gospel continues to be taught, we are going to continue producing Christians who are very thankful that they will not be judged for their sins, but who have no significant self-motivation to change their behavior. That’s why so many leaders have to use the hammer of the law and suffocating peer pressure to keep their people in line.

But what is the church called in the New Testament? The Βride of Christ! The gospel message is in effect a marriage proposal. And just as the prostitute became a queen by marrying the king, guilty sinners have become sons of God by becoming identified with Christ. It is that relationship and our new identity that becomes our motivation, and it is motivation that comes from within. ((George, 2000, 96-97)

This is God working within us, changing us to be like Him. We can behave like the butterfly He created us to be: Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

B. I Need to Know What is in God’s Word

“While sanctification is exclusively of God, that is, its power rests entirely on his holiness, the believer is constantly exhorted to work and to grow in the matters pertaining to salvation” (Erickson, 1998).

1. I Grow in Christ by . . .

As Christians we are to GROW not by rules and regulations and the resultant guilt, but by:

a. Pursuing Holiness

Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14). Our lives as Christians need to be characterized by that which is holy.

Holiness is God’s Word expressed in action — It is faith gone to work. — It is love coined into conduct; devotion helping human suffering, and going up in intercession to the great source of all good. (Huntington)

b. Depending on Others

In a recent article of Decision, Billy Graham asked these questions to ascertain whether a Christian was in right relationship with God:

1) Is your conversion true and acceptable to God?

2) Are you following the calling God extended to you?

3) Is your life acceptable, including prayer and daily devotional time?

4) Are your message and your delivery acceptable?

5) Do you have compassion for others?

He then asks an interesting question, that is essential for Christian living today:

6) Are your relationships with other Christians acceptable?

God asks us in Scripture to “…love one another…serve one another…be patient with each other… be courteous to one another…set an example to each other…forgive one another…not to judge each other…be subject one to another…edify one another…pray for one another.” (Graham, 1989)

Do we? This is how we grow. Proverbs says: “As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.”

2. I Need to be Active in God’s Word and the World

Blessed is the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted from the world. — Yet more blessed and more dear the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted in the world. (Jameson)

A holy life is not an ascetic, or gloomy, or solitary life, but a life regulated by divine truth and faithful in Christian duty. — It is living above the world while we are still in it. (Edwards)

Christianity is to be characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit, Jesus said that all men will know that we are His if we love one another.

Although Christianity in its various forms is the world’s largest religion, at least nominally so, Islam is threatening to take control of what used to be Europe’s Christian heartland. There are 2 million Moslems in West Germany. Germany has over 1,000 mosques and Islamic houses of prayer. Muslims doing missionary work in nominally Christian countries–where freedom of religion generally prevails–is three times that of the number of Christians working among Muslims. “The greatest weakness of Christianity in Europe does not result from the unfair rules of competition, but from the moribund state of the Christian churches throughout most of Europe.” And, therefore, the Christians within those churches.

There are times when we feel like we have blown it in our Christian lives, because we do not live up to our “Ten rules for getting to heaven,” but if we follow what we learned in today’s message we will not be defeated in this life. Remember, over and over again Christians blow it, but God is always ready to begin again. God uses disobedient, silent, unholy people for His purposes. Adam and Eve disobeyed, Noah was silent, Abraham was impatient, Joseph was self-centered and egotistical, but God used all of them. (Mars, 1989)

However, we must remember, as-well, that each one of these, in turn, were yielded to God; they were free from sin; and they continued to grow in Him. God was at work within them and they were active in the world, are you.

If we keep in mind Peter’s words in 2 Peter we shall do well. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1.1-11)

When we come to the knowledge of who we are in Christ (our positional sanctification) and what He is doing in us (present sanctification) and what He desires for us to become (permanent sanctification) then we can live in His freedom. This knowledge of who God is and who we are in Christ leads us to love Him more. The more knowledge that we have of Him, the more love we have for Him, the more dependent we become on Him. Dependency then becomes our motivation to live like Christ wants us to live. When we become motivated to serve Him, progressing in present sanctification (in Christ, by the Holy Spirit), we will desire to know more of His Word. The more we desire to know more of His Word, the more we know Him and the reality of Him in our lives becomes salient. Thus, we have come full-circle: knowledge leads to love, leading to dependency, leading to motivation to know Him and serve Him.

Where are you, butterfly?

Prayer:

Father, it is only in You that sins are forgiven, life is for real, and eternity is found. I thank you for all that You desire to do in us and for all that You are doing in us. I pray that we would come to You in our life situations. That we would come to You for strength, for help, in our times of need, that we would come to You in our times of exultation. Help us to remember You in all that we do. Keep Your Word before us in all things that we do.

Amen.

Ephesians, New Testament, Sermons

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 2)?

Gallery August 12, 2000 David

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 2)?
August 12, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage Ephesians 5.1

The question we pose this week is the same as the one from last week: What Would Jesus Want You to Do? We have already seen that we must learn the Bible, listen to the Holy Spirit, lean on the resurrection power of God, and love Jesus. But, what will we look like when we do these things? What would our life be characterized by? If we begin to do the things that Jesus would want us to do, by following those four steps, what would we look like? We know that our life would be characterized by those characteristics that were consistently demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus Himself.

When people saw Him, they knew He was different. It wasn’t because He looked different (Isaiah says He was no different than any man in appearance); not because He was wealthy (the Gospels tell us that He relied on the gifts of those who followed Him); not because He had power (His power was withheld; He told the officials that He could send down legions of angels to destroy them and yet didn’t). What made Him different was that His message aligned with His life. He was what He preached, first and foremost. If we truly want to have an impact on the world around us, we need to portray those same things that Jesus did on a daily basis.

1. What Jesus would do, I should do . . .

1. He was gracious, I need to be too (Luke 4.22; John 1.14f, John 1.18f)

Jesus was grace personified. He came to explain the Father and His words were gracious, that is filled with grace. His number one priority in life was to allow people to experience that grace in salvation. Our lives need to have the number one priority of allowing people to experience the grace of God through our lives. God’s riches at Christ’s expense for our sake is a good definition of grace. This means displaying our personal relationship with God before others and to live a life that personifies forgiveness. For this is grace, the art of graciousness.

2. He was angry, I need to be too

In a dramatic scene, Mark portrays Jesus “looking around with anger” at religious leaders (3:5). They were concerned only to see if Jesus would break their rules by healing a man on the Sabbath. When Jesus did, they immediately plotted to kill Him. But though Jesus was angry with these religious rulers, He was also “grieved by their hardness of heart.” While the cruelty of their callousness deserved His anger, the condition of their stony hearts caused Him grief.

Aristotle saw clearly that “anyone can become angry — that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not easy.” That is the challenge before us.

Jesus felt “indignant” (Mark 10:14) when His disciples did not allow mothers to bring their children to Him for his blessing. The disciples’ self-importance irritated Jesus. Jesus slapped them with stinging rebukes: “Let the children come to Me; stop preventing them.” Jesus then hugged the children, blessed them, and laid His hands on them (10:16). Jesus’ feeling of annoyance with the disciples quickly gave way to an outpouring of warm affection for the children.

In another instance, commercialism in the temple inflamed the zealous anger of Jesus and moved Him to a violent action. The words of the prophet were like fire in His bones: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa. 56:7). …Though the terrified merchants running from the crack of His whip saw only the destruction of business as usual, Jesus’ anger was motivated by “zeal for [God’s] house” (John 2:17, quoting Ps. 69:9).

Our anger is often sparked by a threat to our own self-interests and usually results in bitter hostility. We need to heed Paul’s warning: “Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). The temple-cleansing story is too often used to justify incivility and unforgiving animosity. Paul knew of our propensity to legitimize our self-centeredness, and so his words on anger are full of warning. Anger is fire. When it burns destructively, it harms and destroys life. But the anger of Jesus kindles a flame within us that warms and restores life.

It is this passion for the holiness of God that must consume us in holy rage. To be angry like He was angry is to know the Word of God so deeply that we know what angers Him and we get involved with Him. What angers Him today in your life?

3. He showed grief, I need to as-well

Think about the story we call Jesus’ “triumphal entry” (Luke 19:41-44). In Roman tradition, a triumphal procession showcased a victorious general riding in a gold-covered chariot pulled by powerful white horses. His army marched in resplendent array behind him. Wagons loaded with spoils and slaves attested to his power.

But Jesus rode on the colt of a donkey. A motley parade of peasants and children cheered Him on His way as their long-awaited king. And the emotion that best describes Jesus’ state as He rode was grief.

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem as He rode down the Mount of Olives into the city. His words describing the impending catastrophe were hyphenated by sobs. He wept, He wailed with grief over the coming desolation of Jerusalem.

Jesus also wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Witnesses said, “See how He loved him” (John 11:36). When Jesus saw Mary weeping, “He was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (11:33). When He stepped near to the tomb of His friend, “again He was greatly disturbed” (11:38). When the word “disturbed” was used for animal sounds, it denoted the loud, angry snorting of horses. When used for human emotions, it emphasized the mixture of anguish and rage. Jesus wept. His groans welled up from the depths of His spirit, racked His body, shook the tombs, and echoed back from them. He raged against death, that terrible enemy that had attacked this, and every, family.

Likewise, Jesus was “troubled in spirit” when He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him (John 13:21). He grieved over this betrayal by His friend Judas. Jesus had lavishly given His love to Judas. He called Judas to be one of the inner circle with the Twelve, to be close to Him, and to participate in His work. He gave Judas the moneybag. He washed his feet. He gave Judas the place of honor next to Him at the table. He gave him the dipped bread, a sign of love. All the time He knew that Judas would betray Him. But still Jesus did not withdraw to protect Himself. He gave himself to Judas without measure, and so he set Himself up to suffer the pain of betrayal. When Judas led the temple troops to arrest Jesus in the garden, Jesus called him “friend.”

The Gospels portray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as one who is crushed by a heavy load of grief. He did not shrink from disclosing His deepest and darkest emotions to His disciples: “I am deeply grieved, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). He begged them to stay awake and keep Him company, but they “slept because of sorrow.” His emotions were too heavy for them to bear. They escaped into sleep, leaving Jesus alone. “Terror-stricken and in terrible anguish” (Mark 14:33), Jesus agonized over the awful choice to endure or to escape the cross. As He wrestled in prayer, He was drenched in His own sweat “which ran like blood to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Jesus’ familiarity with grief should give us pause. Too often we hear Americanized versions of the gospel that offer quick fixes, easy solutions, and suffering-free Christianity. We need the reminder that the man who knew God most intimately and fulfilled His will most completely was described by Isaiah as a “suffering servant”: “Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows” (53:4).

What is grieving you today? Your sins grieve Jesus, do they grieve you? Are you hurting over the loss of a loved one, have you grieved. Today, Karen isn’t here so I can tell the story of the year I grieved. JUDI.

Do you see others around you who are grieving? Are you ministering to their hurts or adding to them by passing them up? Think of someone who needs comfort, will you comfort them today? Write them a letter, call them, e-mail them. Let them know you care.

4. He was joyful, I need to be too (Luke 10.21f)

While Jesus was a “Man of Sorrows,” Luke also paints a scene where Jesus “rejoiced very greatly in the Spirit” (Luke 10:21)—which implies more than cracking a smile. The occasion for this outburst was the return of the 70 from their successful mission. They had been given spiritual authority over all the powers of the enemy and had liberated hostages. There was good reason to celebrate.

But Jesus cautions them, “Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (10:20). No matter how much power they exercised in their ministry, the ultimate source of their joy was to be rooted in their heavenly community: their names were written in heaven. Ministry is temporary. Life in the Kingdom is permanent. Then Jesus joyfully thanked the Father for opening the hearts of the disciples to see this and to enter into the fellowship of the Father and the Son (10:21-24).

On the evening of His execution, Jesus told His disciples that all He had revealed to them was so that “My joy may be in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11; 17:13). They should abide in His love as He always abides in the love of the Father (15:10), and they should be one as He and the Father are one (17:11). Here again joy is the mark of life within divine love relationships.

Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, was also the Man of Joy. He obeyed the will of the Father and endured the cross by focusing on the joy set before Him—the joy of unshakable love relationships in heaven (Hebrews 12:2, 22).

What brings you joy? Not happiness, which is temporary, but lasting joy? Where did Jesus joy come from? It came from His relationship with the Father and His brothers. 1 John 1.1-4 reminds us that our joy comes from the same place: our relationship with God and our brothers.

How are you doing in those very important relationships? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your brother as yourself? This is your cause for joy. The way you can tell whether your relationship with God is good is if your relationships with people are good (1 John 4). If you want joy in your life, check your relationships with others. Are they godly?

5. He was truthful, I need to be too (John 1.18; Ephesians 4.15; John 14.6)

This quality of Jesus often got Him into a lot of trouble. When He told the Pharisees the truth, they sought to kill Him. If you claim to be honest, claim to have integrity, you set yourself up to be shot at. Jimmy Carter once said, “I won’t lie to you”. A correspondent on the White House staff said that as soon as the president said that, a whole group of correspondents determined to prove that he lied. They weren’t interested in anything else. This is Jesus, and needs to be us.

Jesus was honest with the rich young ruler, the Pharisees, the Samaritan woman, and many others in the Gospels. Even though this might have estranged them, He spoke the truth. It was more important to have integrity, to be truthful, than to be accepted with dishonesty. Even though He was rejected by many and accepted by few, He felt it necessary to always speak the truth in love, to wrap His words in grace.

How do you speak to your friends? Are you always truthful? What about with your parents? Your boss? Your teachers? Do these people trust you? Do they say that your word is as good as gold? I remember watching Kung Fu: The Legend Continues where Kane was asked if he was lying by someone who didn’t know him. The person asked him, “How can I believe you?” His response was, “I never lie.” That needs to be our response as-well. No matter the circumstances, we always bear a truthful witness. When we lie, we are letting others and God know that we don’t trust God. Tell the truth.

6. He was flexible, I need to be too

1 Thessalonians 5.14-we must realize that we meet the needs of people in different ways. As the old saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” Or as Paul said, “I become all things to all men that I might win some to the Lord. To the Jew, I am a Jew; to the Greek, a Greek.”

Jesus confronted the Pharisees; admonished James and John; comforted Timothy (2 Timothy 1.7); and prayed for Peter.

We must admonish the unruly; encouraged those of little faith; and support the weak. This is being flexible. How do you fare? When dealing with your brother or sister, do you treat them as if they were older, younger? Do you treat you friends, family, co-workers, etc., as they need to be treated? That is, you don’t treat a 28 year-old as if he were a 12 year-old. And you don’t treat an 8^th grader as if he held a degree in engineering. How you treat people is important, but how you change to meet their needs is even more important. That is the art of being flexible.

7. He was patient, I need to be too

1 Thessalonians 5.14 reminds us to be patient with all men. Jesus was patient with the sleeping disciples. He gave them a gentle admonition. Jesus is very patient with us because He loves us. God is waiting for people to come to know Him as Saviour; His love waits. Love motivates patience.

There is a story of a mother who took her six-year-old boy into a doctor’s crowded waiting room. As they waited their turn, he began to ask her all kinds of questions. In half an hour he managed to cover almost every subject known to humanity. To the wonder of all the others sitting in the room, his mother answered each question carefully and patiently.

Inevitably, he got around to God. As the other people listened to his relentless “how’s” and “why’s,” it was plain to see by the expressions on their faces that they wondered: “How does she stand it?” But when she answered her son’s next question, she answered theirs too. “Why,” he asked, “doesn’t God ever get tired and just stop?” “Because,” she replied after a moment’s thought, “God is love; and love never gets tired.”

How patient are we toward people? I dare say, not as patient as we should be. Our love for God determines our love for people and our patience towards them.

If we are truly patient with people we will build a hopeful future for them. Jesus was being asked many questions during the last supper. He could have tired. But He continued answering questions. In John 14 we see why. He wanted to give them a hope that tomorrow will still be there, and He will be with them in the Holy Spirit. Do we provide people with hope? We do when we show them patience.

8. He was empowering, I need to be too

Jesus enabled the 70 to evangelize, the 12 to change the world. And He empowers us to do mighty works today through the power of the Spirit who dwells in us. The Holy Spirit is our ally. He produces in us conviction, regeneration, and transformation. He is the agent of change in our lives. He enables us to do what we previously were incapable of doing.

At one time a group of men were attempting to raise an obelisk in Egypt to its base, and the work was under the supervision of a very exact and careful engineer. They had raised the great mass of granite to within a few inches of the level of the base and then were unable to lift it further. They could not get it up to the level of the pedestal by their utmost efforts. But there was a secret in nature that they did not know. There was a sailor there who knew all about it. He shouted, “Wet the ropes!” As they did so, the ropes began to groan, and strain, and shrink, and the great mass rose, and rose, till it came to the level of the base, and they could push it over and establish it firmly on its pedestal. It was a little secret, but it was an effectual one. The men had pulled at the cordage and strained away at it, but the obelisk was in mid-air, and there it hung until the cry came to wet the ropes. The instant you let the Holy Spirit saturate your soul, the Lord Jesus Christ brings into it all His infinite forces of love and power. One touch of God will do all that your tugging and struggling could not do.

This is what Jesus has done for us. Are we doing this for other people. I am not saying that we become the Holy Spirit for them. But that we enable them to trust the Spirit, that we free them to trust the Word of God by our trust, that we trust the Spirit’s power and direction so that it is contagious and others will want what we have.

9. He was humble, I need to be too

Although He is the Creator of the universe, He became a creation. Although He deserves to be praised and worshiped by all living creatures, He served those around Him even to the point of washing their feet.

How are we doing here? Are there things you won’t do because you feel it is below you to do them? Did Jesus? No. Are there people you won’t talk to because they don’t fit in with your kind? Did Jesus? No.

10. He was cooperative, I need to be too

Jesus had the 12 disciples helping Him. Today, He has us as His ambassadors to this world. We need to be cooperative with His people and with His Spirit so we can accomplish great things here in Southern California.

During World War II, over China and Burma, the Flying Tigers of General Claire Chennault were out-numbered—in the air, on the ground, and in planes, pilots, and parts. Yet they destroyed 217 enemy planes and probably 43 more, according to James Wilson in his book “The Principles of War.” Chennault had 20 operational P-40s and this remarkable record was accomplished in 31 encounters. His losses were six pilots and 16 planes.

Throughout the campaign, Chennault used a strategy that the enemy apparently never discovered. His men flew in pairs firmly committed to each other. Even when out-numbered 10 to one, Chennault never sent up 10 planes to the enemy’s 100. He sent up five pairs of two; each pair went after one enemy plane at a time. His two aircraft always out-numbered the enemy’s one.

Chennault was using the principle of concentration. Before, his pilots engaged in individual dogfights which as sport were superb, he said, but as war were all wrong.

We are at war against the prince of the power of the air—Satan, the deceiver, who can still be overcome by those who use cooperation and other sound principles found in God’s Word. Jesus used cooperation when He sent out the disciples in pairs.

Who are you in ministry with? Who do you have to confide in? Who do you know will support you? Who do you know that will back you up and help you out?

11. He was prayerful, I need to be too

One of the survival tactics of Jesus was prayer. Whenever a decision came, He prayed. Whenever a need arose, He prayed. Whenever He was hurting, He prayed. Whenever He was thankful, He prayed. This is why Paul tells us to pray without ceasing.

Why don’t we pray? There are at least five reasons we don’t pray, according to Richard Halverson:

1. Unbelief.

1. We don’t think it really works.

2. It’s just something you have to endure in church.

2. Indifference.

1. We don’t pray until a problem is huge because we think we can handle it.

3. Priorities.

1. Other things are more important to us and we think it will work itself out.

4. It is hard work to focus on God and give Him our daily life and all it entails.

5. We are focused on this world.

1. We limit our goals to what we expect here and now.

2. The things of God do not mean much to us because they deal with something other than the here and now in our minds.

We are called to be like Jesus in prayer. He prayed as if His life depended on it, do we?

12. He was goal oriented, I need to be too

Jesus was seeking change in the lives of people. Whenever He met someone, their lives changed. Simon became Peter; the Samaritan woman turned her life around; Martha quit being busy and sought Jesus; the rich young ruler refused to change. He was asking each of these to consider what they live for. If it wasn’t eternal, He asked them to change their goals.

What do you have to live for? Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that “Hope without an object cannot live.” If you have ever lost the focus of life, you understand hopelessness. Perhaps you have invested much into your job, marriage, or the struggles of life; and then you saw it all destroyed. The object of your hope is gone, and you feel dead and aimless.

Psychologist William Marston asked 3,000 people this question: “What do you have to live for?”

94 percent responded that they were merely enduring their lives, hoping someday that things would get better. This is something that we need change. This world is living for a hopeless end. The Christian has an endless hope. How can we live our lives in such a way as to offer life changing, goal oriented hope?

I like what Thoreau said: In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore . . . they had better aim at something high.

I believe this is important for us today. As people are looking for something to live for, we can offer them something mediocre or something great, depending upon what we are aiming at. I am aiming at becoming Christ-like. What are you aiming for? If it is anything less it will produce anxiety and hopelessness in the long run. If we achieve our goals, we have no purpose for living; if we don’t, we are left hopeless. The good news of the gospel is that the goal of becoming Christ-like is attainable when we reach Heaven. But, I can see the progress down here too. What changes do you need to make in order to be more like Him?

13. He was peaceful, I need to be too

Although Jesus did lash out in holy anger at times, for the most part He was a very peaceful man. When times were tough, He was at peace. When they were trying to frame Him in the courts, He was peaceful. He found His rest in God (Isaiah 30.15).

We need to know that God is in control. Then we shall have peace. If we truly want to live a peaceful life, we must know that God is in control of everything.

14. He was forgiving, I need to be too (Luke 23.34)

When Jesus was on the cross, He asked the Father to forgive the people who crucified Him. When Jesus was asked how many times should we forgive someone, He answered cryptically. We know He told Peter, 70 times 7. This doesn’t mean 490 times. It may not even imply an infinite amount of times. The book of Daniel tells us that Jesus will come back to establish His throne at the end of 70 times 7 weeks. Could Jesus be telling us to forgive until He returns, when no forgiveness will be necessary?

What happens when we don’t forgive? When somebody’s done me wrong, my gut instinct is to lash back, to let the anger burn, to plot revenge. Often, forgiveness is the last thing on my mind. But then I start to get these weird feelings. I get tense. Upset. Mad.

When I don’t forgive, those feelings get even uglier, going through a typical progression. When I don’t forgive, I often feel…

* judgmental (“You’re a jerk!”)

* hateful (“I despise you!”)

* guilty (“I feel bad about the way I reacted.”)

* unforgiven (“If I don’t forgive you, do I deserve God’s forgiveness?”)

There’s a reason, of course, that my thoughts progress to the point of feeling unforgiven:

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).

When I don’t forgive others, I’m essentially saying, “You’re a sinner, and I’m not.” But God can’t forgive me until I admit that I, like everyone else, have “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that I need his forgiveness.

When I do choose to forgive, I go through a whole new set of feelings, feelings that free me, alleviate my stress, and generally make me more fun to be around. Feelings that, pretty much, are just the opposite of the ones I’ve already described.

When I forgive, I feel:

* non-judgmental

* merciful

* guilt-free

* forgiven

Those are good things. But they’re not the only reasons to forgive. The main reason is this: God tells us to forgive.

Forgiveness is healing—not only for me, but also for those I forgive. When I choose to forgive, relationships can be restored—not only between me and others, but between me and God, too.

Now, forgiveness isn’t easy. Sometimes, it seems downright impossible—and without God’s help, it would be. God never said forgiveness would be easy. Do you think it was easy for Jesus, His hands and feet nailed to the cross, to forgive the people who so mercilessly carried out such a cruel execution (See Luke 23:34.)?

It’s not easy for us to forgive others either—even though the “trespasses against us” that we experience almost every day are pretty insignificant compared to Jesus death.

But forgiveness is the right thing to do. Not only because it brings the nice, warm feelings of freedom and joy, but because God wants us to do it. And that’s reason enough to forgive.

Who do you need to forgive today? Who do you need to seek forgiveness from?

15. He was loving, I need to be too

Love permeated, guided, and empowered the spectrum of Jesus’ emotions. He felt compassion, was angry, grieved, and rejoiced because He loved. Love is an unshakable commitment of the will. Love transcends feelings and keeps on going when feelings falter or vanish. But love also involves and expresses emotions.

Jesus loved with strong desire. He told His friends, “I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The combination of the verb “desire” and the noun “desire” doubles the intensity in Jesus’ expression of His deep longing to be with His friends.

When a wealthy young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked how he could inherit eternal life, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21). As soon as He saw him, affection welled up in His heart for him, just as sometimes when you meet someone, you get a strong feeling that this person could be your best friend.

His love led Him to suffer and die. Jesus pointed to His sacrificial death as the ultimate measure of His love. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He asks His friends to live up to that standard of love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you…. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12, 14). To live by that standard of love requires much more than emotions. It calls for total commitment to give up your life for someone else and to trust in the power of God to keep that commitment. But loving as Jesus loves also includes emotions—intense, diverse, deep emotions. His kind of love will arouse emotions of compassion, anger, grief, and joy.

Sometimes we want insurance against the heartbreaks of love. The way of Stoic “apathy” seems safer than the emotional traumas that inevitably accompany the way of loving as Jesus loved. But hardening ourselves against the pains of love kills the capacity to love. As C. S. Lewis warns us in THE FOUR LOVES: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus’ emotions: not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger; not a silent tear, but groans of anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus’ emotions are like a mountain river, cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy water or feeble trickling. Jesus invites us to come to Him and drink. Whoever is thirsty and believes in Him will have the river of His life flowing out from the innermost being (John 7:37-38). We are not to be merely spellbound by what we see in the emotional Jesus; we are to be unbound by His Spirit so that His life becomes our life, His emotions our emotions, to be “transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.”

As we follow the four “L’s” from last week (learn, listen, lean, and love), these will things that we have spoken on today will become parts of our lives. Some will come more easily than others; some will require work on our part; but the good news is that God will develop them in our lives as we submit to Him.

Father,

The gospel writers paint their portraits of Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant “emotional” colors. Jesus felt COMPASSION; he was ANGRY, INDIGNANT, and CONSUMED WITH ZEAL; he was TROUBLED, GREATLY DISTRESSED, VERY SORROWFUL, DEPRESSED, DEEPLY MOVED, and GRIEVED; He SIGHED; He WEPT and SOBBED; He GROANED; He was IN AGONY; He was SURPRISED and AMAZED; He REJOICED VERY GREATLY and was FULL OF JOY; He GREATLY DESIRED, and He LOVED.

In our quest to be like Jesus we often overlook the emotions that characterized His life. We know, Father, that Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human and made in the Your image. His emotions reflect the Your image without any deficiency or distortion. When we compare our own emotional lives to His, we become aware of our need for a transformation of our emotions so that we can be fully human, as He was.

Help us to do this. Help us to recognize our need to be more like Jesus. Look over the incomplete list before you. Ask God to take one of them and help you become more like Jesus this week in that area. Make a commitment to Him to do what Jesus would want you to do.

Father, we commit our lives to You. Help us to be more like You.

Amen.

Scriptural Truths for Today's World