What I Learned Teaching Sunday School

Mark 7:31-34

2012-02-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

Mark 7:31-34 31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”).

Jesus goes to a new area next: Decapolis. It’s on the other side of Galilee from Tyre. There “some people” brought a deaf mute to Jesus and pleaded with Him to heal the man. Again, intercession. The man couldn’t ask for himself, he was deaf and dumb. There are people who are deaf to the Gospel and who won’t ask for themselves because they don’t know. They need someone to intercede for them.

He looked up to Heaven with a deep sigh. The word for sigh here means groan. Because He partners with us in His compassion He suffers with us.

Instantly the man could not only hear, but speak plainly. He may never have heard anything in his life, so to speak clearly was even a bigger miracle.

Next Jesus gives them orders not to tell anyone about this. He didn’t come to physically heal people and He didn’t want to be known for that so people would only come to Him for that purpose. But they were so excited they had to share. Every time God changes a heart we should get just as excited and run share the news!

Mark 7:24-30

2012-02-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Mark 7:24-30 24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus was a traveling Rabbi and it would have been unusual for Him to travel outside of the Jewish area. But here He did. He went to Phoenicia and met a Gentile woman who gives us an example of intercessory prayer. She was begging Christ to help her child and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Intercessory prayer is persistent.

She fell at His feet and pleaded with Him. In the Matthew version she says, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” On behalf of her faith she’s asking Him to have mercy on her child.

Matthew 15 tells us that He actually ignored her. And when He finally says something, it’s very strange and seemingly very mean. “Let the children be satisfied first” refers to the nation of Israel. Jesus is clarifying His mission. He came to the Jewish people first and foremost. Even after all their rejection of Him, He is still patient with the Jews.

BUT, even though He came first and foremost to the Jews, He WAS in Tyre – a Gentile region.

Next He basically calls her a dog. The difference between this and someone just insulting someone else is; Jesus knew her heart and He was drawing her faith and humility out of her. This was actually a merciful action. You have to be humble with God. You have to need Him. To know He is the only thing that can help you. He is the only answer.

And her answer was right. She was fine with letting the Israelites get help first. She just wanted the crumbs. She somehow understood there was more then enough and would settle for being under the table if that’s what it took to get into the room!

Sometimes God doesn’t give us a yes answer right away. He may be trying to tease some faith out of us. We need to be persistent, humble and have faith.

Everyone who needs Christ is Called

2012-01-19T13:26:00.001-08:00

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

Come to me – ALL! God isn’t looking for perfect people, but people who want to be perfected. People who know they need Him. Come!

Mark 7:14-23

2012-01-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

Mark 7:14-23 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16]

17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Jesus wants us to live life for the Glory of God. He tells us that our hearts are basically wicked. EVEN Christian’s hearts still have sin and rebellion in them. God changed our hearts when we were saved, but there’s still much work, much growth needed. We still fight everyday to become more pure. More like Christ.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

This verse is often misunderstood. The new heart has a new capacity. That we can walk in righteousness. There’s hope.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Today we say our emotions come from the heart. But the Bible says everything does. From our hearts come our actions. Our feelings too, but conscience, attitudes, lusts, desires, intellects, thoughts, spirit, understanding, etc. In a non-Christian all of these usually cause bad choices. They’ll provoke bad actions. Hopefully a Christian makes good choices. But it takes work.

We’re still surrounded by worldly influences. But we have to realize and admit we aren’t victims. We sin because we want to! But God will forgive us and help us. Always! He’s already given us the Holy Spirit. We need to listen to Him and read the Bible instead of our own thoughts and desires.

Galatians 5:16-17 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

Here’s 4 responses for us to take from this passage:

1. Understand your heart’s influences.
2. Distrust your heart. “Follow your heart” really isn’t all that good of advice! Proverbs 28:26 says “He who trusts his own heart is a fool.”
3. Work on your sanctification.
4. Walk in repentance everyday.
We still need Christ. We will always need Christ! If you aren’t a Christian you need Jesus. If you are a Christian you need Jesus!

God Is for Us

2012-01-05T10:17:00.001-08:00

The following was in our church newsletter this week and I thought it was not only well said, but good to remember:

Scripture: Romans 8:31-34

Throughout life, there will be times when our sins and failures lead us to conclude that God is disappointed or angry with us. How can He still love me after what I've done? If I'm really forgiven, why do I still feel so guilty? At such times, we need to
fix our eyes on the truth of Scripture and ask the questions Paul posed in Romans 8.

If God is for us, who is against us (v.31)? Our heavenly Father proved His loyalty to us when He delivered His own Son over to death in order to save us. Without Christ's atoning death on our behalf, we would face eternal separation from God.

Who will bring a charge against God's elect (v.33)? No accusation against us can stand, since at the moment of salvation, the Lord justified us. This means we were legally declared righteous, while still in our sinning condition. No one can reverse this transaction and make us guilty again. To doubt our blameless standing in Christ is to declare His atonement insufficient to cover our sin.

Who is the one who condemns (v.34)? Although Satan rails against us, Jesus' death and resurrection are proof that we are right with God. Christ took our condemnation and gave us His righteousness in return. Now He sits at the Father's right hand, interceding for us. When doubts about the Lord's love and faithfulness arise, focus on truth. If we judge His loyalty to us by
our circumstances or feelings, we will never get an accurate view of God. True security lies not in our good performance, but in our relationship with Christ, and no one can take that from us.

John 4:31-38 Doing the Will of God

2011-12-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Christians have a mission statement. A guiding light of how we should operate. Jesus told every one of us to “go and make disciples of every nation baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28: 19)

We are to be reaching souls for the sake of Jesus Christ. We are to spread the Gospel.

To make disciples we have to first be a disciple. A follower of Christ who puts God first. Jesus always did the will of God. He was always about His Father’s work. Nothing derailed Him from sharing God’s message: not hunger or thirst or weariness or the fact that the person in His path may or may not have been receptive.

The will of God is that people are saved! When we participate in His will, the reward will be eternal!

2 Corinthians 6:3

2011-12-05T13:40:00.001-08:00

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

This is something we need to remember every single day. Always consider what our actions say about Jesus!

Malachi 3: 7

2011-12-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

How do we return to God?

1. Turn back to God’s love and love people as He expects us to.
2. Ministers and leaders need to return to righteousness
3. Start calling sin sin
4. Return to the Word of God
5. Return to being a godly people

Mark 7:1-13

2011-11-18T14:24:00.000-08:00

Mark 7:1-13 1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God) 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

Bible Belt Religion is full of apathy. Of doing little things with rote response and religious rituals. It thinks that Jesus is “too nice” to judge us.

But Jesus shares in this passage that it’s our hearts that are important. Jesus shows His love in two different ways: caring for the people with His healings and miracles, but also speaking critically of the people who need it.

The Pharisees stood for legal righteousness. Of being righteous themselves. They say here that the disciples weren’t “walking in the tradition of the elders.” They were putting the traditions ahead of Jesus. These traditions were the multiplied laws that they had invented and added to God’s laws.

Here are some Bible verses that show how God looks at the heart:

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

1 Chronicles 28:9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

Proverbs 16:2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.

Proverbs 21:2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Revelation 2:23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

God searches our motives. When He looks into our hearts, does He see love and worship? Does He see us obeying the one great commandment? To love and worship God with all of our heart and soul and mind and to love other people as ourselves?

He is Sovereign!

2011-11-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

Mark 6:53-56 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

They landed at Gennesaret and the people recognized Him. And everyone came from everywhere bringing the sick to Him.

Jesus didn’t come to earth to heal people physically. He came to save our souls. People loved Jesus the giver of food and Jesus the healer. But only Christians love Jesus the ruler.

The crowd wanted full stomachs and well bodies. That’s wasn’t Jesus’ plan. God is not like us! He is sovereign. He is Savior!

Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you—
majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

2 Samuel 7:22 “How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears."

1 King 8:23 “LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way."

Isaiah 40:18 and 25 18 With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? 25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

God made us in His image, but we keep trying to make Him into ours!

Jesus Walks on Water

2011-11-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

Mark 6:45-52 45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

The world today tears Jesus down. As Christians we need to have a right view of who He is and fight to show others a high view of Him. If God is just like us, how can He save us?

In this section neither the disciples nor the crowd appreciated who Jesus really was. Jesus had a different plan from both the crowd and the disciples. In John 6:14-15 (Right after John’s account of the feeding of the 5000) we see that the crowd wants to make Him king. If He could keep them fed, they figured they could get out from under Roman rule. The disciples wanted Him to be made king too, because if He rose in power they figured they’d move up with Him.

So Jesus separates the disciples from the crowd. He makes them get in the boat and sends them off and then sends the crowds home. Then He goes up the mountain to pray for most of the night.

One thing we need to remember about when Jesus prays: He is an interceder. He prays for US! All the time! Read John 17 sometime realizing that is one of His prayers for us!

Jesus sent His disciples out on the Sea of Galilee at night. The fishermen in the group knew you don’t do that because it was common for fierce storms to come up at night. But Jesus wanted them to learn something. And He gave them a great miracle to do it.

It was pitch black, yet Jesus saw them straining at the oars. He knew of their fear. And He went to them. He sees our fear and distress too. He knows what we are going through. Where it says in verse 48 “He was about to pass them by”, means that He came along side of them so they could all see Him. And they did all see the miracle.

John 6:21 tells us that when Jesus stepped into the boat they were immediately where they were going. He could have gotten them there without walking on the water. But this showed them something. First they were terrified thinking He was a ghost: they still didn’t know who He was. But then Jesus said “Take courage.” Take courage is in the New Testament eight times and every time it’s Jesus saying it because He is who gives us courage.

Then He says, “It is I.” This was the Greek equivalent for the name of God in the Old Testament: Yahweh. He was telling them that Yahweh was there!
Jews were afraid of oceans and seas.

Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

Psalms 77:19 Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

Habakkuk 3:15 You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.

God has majestic power over the water. Who else can calm the sea that He made?

When God came to them in their hour of need and in this way it was a changing point for them. It clicked. All the other miracles they had seen were for other people. This was for them in their own desperate need.
Matthew 14:33 says they worshipped Him saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” To know something about God, if you don’t worship, causes hardness of heart. He changed their hearts by putting them into this unusual difficulty so they would need Him and He would meet that need.

A soft heart wants to follow God’s plan and worship Him.

God is Giving a Dinner Party

2011-11-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

A missionary from Romania visited our church Life Group tonight. After telling us about all the work he is doing there and in Armenia and Serbia and Spain he used the following parable to explain why he was a missionary:

Luke 14:16-35 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

God is giving a dinner and many people who have been invited have made up excuses for not going. And according to verse 24 they won’t be invited again.

Jesus answers these excuses that we have to put Him first in order to be His disciple. God is sending us out to fill His table

Mark 6: 30-44 The Bread of Life

2011-11-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

Mark 6:30 – 44 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

The disciples are just getting back from their travels and want to tell Jesus all about it. They had probably had a lot of rejection and were in need of some R&R with Jesus and He wants to talk to them too. But as usual the crowds wouldn’t leave them alone.

They got in a boat to go from Capernaum to Bethsaida about four miles east. The people could see them sailing along the shore and recognized them, so figured out where they must be going and ran ahead to get there! It was eight miles by land so they must have been running really fast to beat the boat!

The story says 5000 men, so with women and children there were probably 20,000 people running!

Jesus wanted time with His disciples, but He had compassion for the crowd. He knew they were needy. Only people who are needy hunger for Christ. Hunger arises from a lack of satisfaction. The disciples hungered for Jesus Himself though while the crowd hungered for what He could do for them.

Psalm 63:1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

When you totally yearn for Christ Psalm 63:5 is your promise:

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

If you are hungry for Christ you will never miss an opportunity to commune with Him. The world never satisfies us – for long!

We know from the Matthew and Luke accounts of this story that Jesus was teaching and healing for hours. So now, in verse 38, it’s gotten late. The disciples want to send them away. In the John account we see it’s Philip who goes to tell Jesus this idea.

Jesus tells the disciples to feed them. And asked, “How many loaves do you have?”

5 loaves and 2 fish. That’s all they came up with! Jesus sat the people down in groups of 50s and 100s. He blessed the food and broke the loaves. As they passed it out from the basket, it never lessened! Jesus was miraculously multiplying the food as it was being passed out. Jesus performed the miracle to show His ability to provide for everyone. And the Bible said they all ate until they were satisfied.

The lesson to the miracle is the Lord Jesus satisfies. He is the only one who can spiritually satisfy. He is the bread of life. This is the 1st miracle in Mark that is repeated in all of the Gospels. In John, after the miracle is a confrontation with the crowd. The crowd follows them back to Capernaum and Jesus says to them in John 6:26 “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

And in John 6:32-35 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

They wanted more free meals. They had the bread of LIFE in their midst and they were worried about their next meal. We will never want for anything when we come to Him. Christ plus nothing. He’s ALL we need!

Following God's Will

2011-10-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Every believer must choose whether he will live by the principle of obedience or whether he will follow his own preferences.
When a person commits to doing the Lord’s will, then every situation and decision is sifted through the standard of “God said it, so I’m going to do it—and that’s the end of it.”

He may complain, weep, or argue, but, in the end, he will be obedient, no matter what.

Our lives are about fulfilling God’s purpose. Many people miss His awesome plan for them
because they choose to follow their own preferences. Obedience is sometimes hard, but the struggle and sacrifice are worth it. There is joy and peace for the believer who pleases the Lord and lives by His principles.

Becoming Like Christ

2011-10-27T09:21:00.001-07:00

You might know so much about the Bible, but at the end of the day, do your actions make people say, "Being with you is like what being with Jesus must have been like"? Do you love people so much that it hurts? That you sacrifice? Wasn't that supposed to be the goal of all this knowledge we have of Christ? That we become more like him?

Mark 6:19 – 29

2011-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mark 6:19 – 29 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. 21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

No well bred Jewish girl would have danced in public like this. Apparently it was a very suggestive dance. But these were just really wicked people all the way around! Herod has this huge party filled with important people and lots of wine flowing. He’s bragging in front of them when he promises her anything. He was showing off.

And then the party took a horrible turn. Just like sin often does. The people at the party never expected to see the head of Israel’s greatest prophet on a platter that night. Sin never tells us how bad it’s going to get.

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who are never forsaken by God and those who are. Herod was forsaken. John was not. Even as he sat in prison and was then beheaded. Don’t let worldly circumstances confuse you. John was at peace with God. Herod Antipas wasn’t ever at peace. That’s why he thought maybe Jesus was John back from the dead. Because of his guilty conscious. Even when John was alive he was afraid of him. He feared his popularity, he worried about the crowds, he worried about John’s message. That too is what sin does. It leaves us worried, uneasy and paranoid.

How different John was. He was a great man and yet ego free. He was truly humble. He said about Christ, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Most people are filled with pride and most often for no reason! He lived to honor Christ. To point to Him.

Luke 3:15-17 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God coming to take away the sins of the world.”

Our lesson from him is to always magnify Jesus. Always point people to Him.

In Luke 23:8-12 Herod Antipas also had a lot to do with Jesus’ death: 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

He was pleased to finally see Jesus because he could finally see he wasn’t John risen from the dead! But then after Jesus wouldn’t entertain him, he mocked Him and “sent Him back to Pilate.”

Mark 6:14 – 18

2011-10-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Mark 6:14 – 18 14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Jesus had just sent out the 12 disciples and Herod heard about all their healings and miracles. He also heard about Jesus, but had never seen Him. He thought Jesus was John the Baptist back from the dead!

John’s background is covered in Luke 1:5-24; 57-80. John was a relative of Jesus’ and brought to earth to bring the message of Christ’s coming.

Matthew 3:1-4 tells of his spartan lifestyle. He lived in the wilderness and ate locust and honey. The wilderness was mostly in the area of Perea along the Jordan River where he baptized people. There was nothing in this area; yet it’s been estimated that one million people made the trip out there to hear his message of repentance.

Luke 3:7-9 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke 3:18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

His was a call to God! He told the Jews it didn’t matter that they were part of God’s chosen race; it was their individual heart that mattered. He exposed their sin and didn’t beat around the bush while doing it! “If you desire to draw near to God you must repent of all sin, which keeps you from Him.” His was a single focus – God!

John also reprimanded Herod because Herod had married one of his own brother’s wives. So Herod threw him in prison. At first he doesn’t kill him mostly because of John’s wild popularity, but later we’ll see that he does.

Herod was a family name so there are several Herods in the Bible. Herod the Great was the father of Herod Antipas (the Herod in our Mark story.) The father’s rule ended in 4 BC and it was he who had ordered the slaughter of all the baby boys when he heard that a king had been born. He was a wicked man and a descendent of Esau. He was made a king of the Israelites by the Romans. The Romans had one Caesar, but lots of kings. These were lesser rulers with no true authority. They were really magistrates who called themselves kings to seem more important then they were. The Romans could dethrone them on a whim.

Herod the Great built a lot, including the great temple. And he had many wives and LOTS of children! He was totally paranoid, even killing family members because of his paranoia. He “ruled” many years, but died a horrible death, his body filled with disease, probably caused by his lifestyle.

Before he died he broke down his kingdom into four sections; one for each of his four favored sons. He had two different sons named Phillip. One got a section, but the one that Herodias married was just a regular citizen. Herod Antipas got Perea where John the Baptist was and also Galilee where Jesus was. Herod actually lived in Tiberius in Galilee, but he also had both a palace and a prison in Machaerus in Perea.

Herodias was also both her husbands’ niece so the situation was also incestuous! And she had great ambition! Philip, the regular brother, wasn’t good enough. Herod divorced a woman to marry Herodias which caused a huge problem with her people too, but that’s another story! Herodias’ brother was another Herod you may have heard of; Herod Agrippa. In the end her ambition gets them exiled to Gaul. They would lose everything.
But not yet: we'll continue in tomorrow's post.

Sending the Disciples Out

2011-10-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Mark 6:7-13 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Christians are meant to be out in the front lines. Jesus had trained His disciples for two years at this point and now He sends them out. But He sent them out in pairs because Christianity is not a solo life. We need each other for encouragement and fellowship.

This section is the fulfillment of Mark 1:17 where Jesus told His then future disciples, “follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” They were now sent out to fish.

Jesus has also already commissioned us to go out and spread the gospel. We need to ask ourselves, “How am I doing this?” “Who can I share with today?” We have been saved and taught to be sent out! We are Christ’s ambassadors.

In Luke 10:2 Jesus sends out 70 disciples, telling them they are “like sheep among the wolves”! Sheep can’t run, kick or bite. They are totally defenseless. And yet when Jesus sends them out He tells them to take nothing but a staff, their sandals and one tunic! No bag, no food, no money! Jesus was telling them “you are going to be completely vulnerable.”

Why? Because God would take care of them and they didn’t need anything else. The world is harsh and things happen to us that we often can’t do anything about. Jesus wants us to know that He alone is our supply line.

Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

We need to get rid of pride and self sufficiency and trust God.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

In verse 11 when He talks about shaking the dust from their shoes: Jesus was often rejected and treated badly. He was warning them that they would be too. (John 15:18-20) And if they had presented the gospel and still been rejected they needed to turn the results over to Him. To give God room to be God!

In shaking the dust off their shoes they were creating a word picture to tell the people of that town that God had visited them and they had rejected Him and the disciples weren’t going to be stained by their unbelief. They were leaving it in the town.

In verse 12 it tells what they did. They preached repentance. (Some places in the Bible it talks about them preaching that people must believe, but belief and repentance go hand in hand.) And they cast out demons and healed. The disciples weren’t known in these towns so they needed to do miracles that would get people to listen to them. Today we have the Bible and bring the good works of Christ; integrity, love, compassion, etc.

A Prophet in His Own Town

2011-10-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

Pastor Kurt came back to the Gospel of Mark in his sermon today:

Mark 6:1-6 1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

This text asks us, “Do you miss Jesus or do you get Him?”

Jesus went to Nazareth, His hometown. Nazareth was very small; only about 300 people lived there. And it was off the beaten path. Jesus went back there during His three year ministry one other time and it didn’t go well. That was in Luke 4:15–30 when He was preaching in the Synagogue on the Isaiah passage that said “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And then said “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The crowd was so angry then that they were going to stone Him. But He escaped and now several months or maybe even a year later He comes back. Jesus is merciful and compassionate. He was giving them another chance. Jesus pursues sinners!

The people were astonished at His teaching, His ministry and His life. Astonished in a shocked, doubtful way. They saw who He was: Son of Mary, brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon, but they wanted to know who taught Him. In those days Rabbis learned from other Rabbis. But Jesus learned from God Himself.

They could see He had authority, but attacked Him because He hadn’t gotten it from another Rabbi, that He acted like it came from Himself. They acknowledged His wisdom, but weren’t listening to the message.

Then they questioned His miracles: His power. By this time He had healed the woman who had been losing blood for 12 years and also brought the young girl back to life. And they would have heard about that, but they assumed His power came from demons. They said it was obviously not from God because “we know this kid!” He’s “just a carpenter!” They also called Him the son of Mary not Joseph pointing out their belief He was even illegitimate.

Two of His brothers; James and Jude ended up writing books in the New Testament, but even they didn’t believe who He was until He was resurrected.
Jesus does have power. He does have authority and He does do great miracles. Don’t look at Jesus as a man and miss that He is God! They took offense to Him when they should have been bowing the knee and submitting to Him. Worshipping Him!

People who deny Jesus really just don’t want a Lord over them.

In verse 4 Jesus says He is looking for honor. In verses 5 and 6 He says He wants our trust. For us to depend on Him instead of ourselves. He wants us to believe in Him!

Jesus wasn’t unable to do miracles there; He was just disinclined because of their lack of belief. He wouldn’t do physical healing because He was dishonored by their lack of faith. Again, He is more interested in our spiritual teaching then our physical healing.

The last sentence in this section is “He went on teaching.” He moved on from Nazareth. He went on to someone who would listen. This was their second chance.

And it was the last time He went to Nazareth.

God delegates His passion to reach the world through believers

2011-10-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here’s what I learned in Sunday’s sermon:

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We have been given reconciliation so we can give it to others by sharing the message of the Gospel. We aren’t saved for just our own pleasure! We are God’s ambassadors. If the Word is to be extended it’s on our backs and with our mouths!

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Romans 1:14-16 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Pastor Kurt said the ministry of reconciliation is the service. Service is passing it along. Faithfully passing on that which has been prepared by someone else. It’s not our job to mess with the message.

We should always be prepared and ready. While it’s important to speak with our lives (walk the talk) we must be able to tell people the good news.

Paul says in verse 20 that God is making His appeal through us. He’s begging us to be reconciled to Him!

If we don’t think we can go out into the mission field or even door-to-door, here are a couple ideas that each of us can do:

1. Care for people. Call them when they are hurting. Bring them food when they are ill.
2. Make every comment we make ring with God’s love: “Aren’t we blessed by God?” “Hasn’t God given us a beautiful day today?” “God bless you!”

The Psalmist wrote, “I will make mention of your righteousness.”

Praise God!

The Psalms

2011-09-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading a Psalm a day lately. So it will take me awhile to read all of them (150 days to be exact!)

But I came across this list about some of the Psalms that speak to different things going on in our lives:

To find comfort Psalm 23
To feel closer to God Psalm 103
To learn a new prayer Psalm 136
To learn a new song Psalm 92
To learn more about God Psalm 24
To understand yourself more clearly Psalm 8
To know how to come to God each day Psalm 5
To be forgiven Psalm 51
To feel worthwhile Psalm 139
To understand why you should read the Bible Psalm 119
To give praise to God Psalm 145
To know that God is in control Psalm 146
To give thanks to God Psalm 136
To please God Psalm 15
To know why you should worship God Psalm 104

Faith and Works

2011-09-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

John 14:12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

Our works pour out of our faith. Christianity begins with faith alone.

Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Grace isn’t Grace if you have to earn it!

If we try to get to Heaven on our good works, it’s like saying that what Jesus Christ did wasn’t enough. Salvation is based on His work. What He did!

But Ephesians 2:10 says that as believers we are to work for Him though. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Once we are born again, good works will flow out of us. We don’t do them because He needs it, or because we should. It is a privilege to serve the King of Kings!

I had a thought about when Jesus said that “he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do”… our Pastor had explained that greater just meant more because Jesus was only on earth for a short time and we would have longer. But I thought about Christ’s works and He says that His work is to Glorify the Father. So that means that’s our work too.

It was easy for Jesus to Glorify God because He was perfect and had lived with Him in Heaven. But every time we do something that’s hard or we don’t want to do, because we feel like it’s what Jesus would do, whether it’s giving up our time to help someone, or forgiving someone or sharing the gospel when it would be so much easier to be quiet, then we are glorifying God. So God may very well see our efforts as great works when we do them with the right motive.

Dead Sea Scrolls now Online

2011-09-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

I think it's amazing we can see and learn more about the Dead Sea Scrolls online. When you have some time, check it out here:

Dead Sea Scrolls

You Can’t Stop God from Loving You!

2011-09-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

The following was in our church newsletter last week and I wanted to share it because it explains why we feel the way we do about God’s love.

1 John 4:7-10 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This islove: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

One of the biggest struggles many people face is a feeling that the Lord couldn't possibly love them. Yet the Bible clearly tells us that He does. Far from just saying so with words, God has also given us ample proof. Creation itself is an expression of His awesome care for us. He designed this earth as the perfect habitation for humanity and provides us with the necessities of life. But the highest expression of His love is manifested in His provision for our eternal needs. He sent His Son to redeem us from sin so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God—and then live with Him in heaven forever.

So why, with all this evidence, do so many of us still doubt His love? Perhaps the reason is that we are looking at it from our own limited perspective: since we cannot love others unconditionally, we doubt that the Lord can. After all, human logic considers it reasonable to be loving towards people who measure up to our standards—but to hold ourselves aloof from those who don't. Or maybe we just feel unworthy of His love.

Well, I have news for you: no one is worthy. God's love is not based on whether we're deserving or not. It's a demonstration of His commitment to our greatest good. Divine love is conditioned not on our performance but on God's nature. It's like the ocean's tide. You can stand on the shore and say, "I don't believe in waves," but that doesn't stop them from coming. Likewise, nothing you do or feel will stop the Father's love from washing over you.

God’s Hands and Feet

2011-09-22T13:28:00.001-07:00

Ephesians 4:11-16 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Christianity is designed to be a community. Each of us can make a difference in the life of someone who needs that difference.

God has made the church to be the workers of His Grace. When we are born again we are to be conduits of His blessings to other believers. If someone needs the Gospel, he sends a believer to share the Gospel. If someone needs strength and encouragement, we as the church are to be God’s hands and feet and meet that need.

When God works in us we are blessed. When He works through us we are blessed and He is glorified.

Becoming a Worship Catalyst

2011-09-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Pastor Kurt Gebhards at Harvest Bible Chapel, Hickory, challenged us last week to be worship catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that causes or accelerates change or activity. And he said that if we are born again we are meant to be a catalyst: a person whose talk, enthusiasm or energy causes others to be more enthusiastic, energetic or friendly. And we should be helping others praise God.

To do this we should be praising God ourselves continuously. Bless, praise, boast, magnify and exalt God are words mentioned over and over again in the Bible. He is glorious and we as His children need to do something about this! Worship Him for who He is and what He’s done for us!

Isaiah 43:7 says He created us to glorify Him. People should be able to recognize Him in us, so we must live our lives in a way that puts Him on display. If we aren’t doing this we aren’t doing what we were created to do!

We should also be doing this corporately. Romans 15:5 says, “O magnify the Lord with me” and “let us exalt His name together.” Our worship is designed to stimulate each other.

Also when we go to church we should be prepared. Arrive early with a heart that is prepared for worship. Prepare yourself for impact with God! Pray for the service. Greet people. Ready yourself for a meeting with the King of Kings!

We aren’t at the service for ourselves, but for God and others. So be a spiritual catalyst in someone’s life so they can be drawn closer to Christ. Because Christ’s glory hangs in the balance. He doesn’t deserve lukewarm worship. We want other people to glorify and honor Him!

How much glory and praise is God deriving from your life?

Feeding Your Soul

2011-09-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last night The Institute for Faith and Learning at our local college brought in author/speaker Mark Yaconelli. He gave a program on our souls.

He said the world has so much noise that we don’t hear God or each other anymore. And we make shallow things important: what we wear, what we do and how we look. We weren’t born that way. We all were born with souls that know God.

So how do we allow God’s presence to move in our lives?

First, slow down. Hang on to your sense of wonder and awe. The journey matters! As children we wander off the path noticing flowers and bugs. We laugh and play. Then the world trains us to only see the goal. We’re told that what matters is what we accomplish. But our soul wants to watch the sunset!

We were given the Sabbath to take a day off: to read, to think, to dream, to reflect, to worship. To just receive the gift of life. Never feel guilty for taking that day!

Second our soul is compassionate. Let it come out. Be present for someone who is hurting. We don’t have to DO anything or be a Biblical scholar, just notice and care and love.

Third, the soul is the place in you that waits for joy. It knows that in the midst of darkness life is coming. That God has a plan and will bring a resolution. Even when it makes no sense.

Our soul knows this. Our true name, hidden in our soul, is beloved!

God’s Story, Your Story

2011-09-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Pastor and author, Max Lucado has written another wonderful book. This one is called God’s Story, Your Story, and in it he talks about embracing God’s plan for your life.
He says God is up to something big! Here’s what Max says it is:

“He’s up to building a new kingdom that will take place not in this life but in the next in which he will restore this universe to its original splendor. And he will populate that kingdom with human beings who have on this earth voluntarily signed up to be a part of the new kingdom. They will have been redeemed by the death of Christ.

Their bodies will have been restored to their intended state by the power of God and they will reign with God, we will reign with God forever in the new kingdom.”

He adds, “If God’s goal is just to make this life comfortable and happy then either there is no God or he’s failed miserably. So if however God’s goal is to not just prepare a kingdom for us but to prepare us for a kingdom then he’s going to use difficulties to prepare us and to equip us so my struggles have a purpose. They have a reason. They’re not just distractions. There’s something in these tests and struggles that can prepare me for what is yet to come. So then I begin seeing the challenges of life not as some accident or random happening. No, I begin to see them as really from the hand of God used to equip me for something in the future, something that I’ll need to serve him in the kingdom.

Trust Jesus, he says that this world is not the end, that this world is just the beginning. He endorses all of scripture so I try to trust all of scripture and I’m just trying to live my life according to his will.”

Gospel Knowledge Demands Gospel Living!

2011-09-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

We were in Charleston, SC for Labor Day weekend, so missed our home church service. However I listened to Pastor Kurt online when we got back and as usual he shared a powerful lesson.

What you believe dictates what you do.

As Christians we believe in the promises of the Gospel. But then our agenda must be Gospel living: following the precepts of God.

There are 1260 promises in the Bible (250 in the New Testament)

There are 6468 commands in the Bible (1050 in the New Testament)

2 Peter 1:1-8 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 1 tells us that Peter’s readers share a common faith. We believe the same thing as Peter. One faith no matter the time or place. Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith and He never changes. The Word of God keeps us stable and strong. Its boundaries keep us safe. It’s designed to help and support us.

Jude 1:3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.

This faith was passed down through the Bible. And we get this faith by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His work, His power, His accomplishment!

Back to our 2 Peter verses: looking at verses 2 and 3. We believe a complete knowledge. A knowledge that comes to us because of our pursuit of it. Our desire for it. Grace and peace will be multiplied to us when we have true knowledge of God and His promises. Stay in the Scriptures daily!

Verse 5: God calls us by His moral excellence and then asks us to live by moral excellence. He doesn’t save us to stay in our sin. He changes us! The Gospel changes us!

Verse 4 shows that the Gospel is based upon His precious and magnificent promises. The Gospel tells us that God has done everything for us and if we trust in Christ, these promises are ours. If we do He causes us to change both on the inside (a new nature) and on the outside (our behavior, our attitude, our actions). “Partakers of the divine nature means we are born again.

The end of verse 4 tells us we’ve also escaped the penalty of sin! But 1 Peter 2:11 tells us there are still lusts within us that are waging war. Believers are soldiers. Sanctification is an ongoing work.

We have positional sanctification – He has received us. But we are working on practical sanctification – waging warfare and putting to death our lusts and sin.

If you are saved, apply it! Make God’s difference for His Glory. If we believe our lives must say so! After all we want to be useful to the King. Don’t we?

Explaining the 3 Heavens

2011-09-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jimmy DeYoung explained the 3 Heavens the last night of the Prophecy Conference.

2 Corinthians 12:2-3 gives evidence that there are 3 heavens:

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows

The first heaven is what we see in the daytime: the sun and clouds
The second heaven is what we see at night: the moon and the stars
And the third heaven is where God is.

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

These principalities and evil spirits are gathered in the first two heavens and dispatched to earth to wage spiritual warfare.

2 Corinthians 11: 14- 15 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Satan has his own ministers doing things for him. That’s why we have to compare everything we hear and read with scripture.

We know that before war breaks out in heaven, that Satan has access to the third heaven by these 2 verses:

Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

Christ’s Judgment and Rewards

2011-09-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jimmy DeYoung talked about Christ’s judgment at the Prophecy conference:

1 Corinthians 3:10 – 14 talks about the judgment seat of Christ and our rewards.

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their 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 person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

The gold, silver and precious stones are the works we did for His Glory and in His power. The rewards we get will be:

An incorruptible crown –

1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

A crown we will rejoice over –

1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?

A Crown of life for not yielding to temptation –

James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

A crown for helping the body grow –

1 Peter 5:1-4 ¹ To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

A crown of righteousness –

2 Timothy 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

After this judgment we will lay our crowns at His feet and attend the marriage supper of the lamb for seven years!

Who are the Palestinians? And why do they hate the Jews?

2011-09-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Night three of the Prophecy Conference:

On the 20^th of September the Palestinians are going to the United Nations to declare their Palestinian state. There has never been one before. And they want it to be in Jerusalem.

On May 14, 1948 the United Nations allowed the Jewish people to have a state. 500,000 Jews established Israel. Within an hour they were surrounded by about 2 million Palestinians, who attacked.

The Palestinians had sent their wives and children across the Jordan thinking they’d come back after they defeated the Jews. But that didn’t happen, so 70% of the area across the Jordan is made up of Palestinians.

Yasser Arafat came in to that area to form terrorist groups to go after the Jews. Fatah was his organization and PLO was a group of organizations he put together. Eventually he was driven into Jordan where he tried to overthrow King Hussein. The king killed 10,000 Palestinians in one day. Arafat then took his people and went to Lebanon first and then Tunisia.

In September of 1993 he went to the White House to sign the Oslo accords peace treaty between he and

Israel

. Then Arafat came back into Israel, first to Jericho where he built a palace, but then decided he really needed to be in the Gaza strip where so many Palestinians were.

The Palestinians control the Temple mount, which we saw in yesterday’s post has a long and strong Jewish history.

The story of the feud between the Jews and the Palestinians goes all the way back to Genesis 25:19-25 when the twins Jacob and Esau struggled in Rebekah’s womb. God’s plan was always for the elder (Esau) to serve the younger (Jacob) and he told Rebekah that. But she and Jacob plotted and connived to steal Isaac’s blessing to Esau anyway.

Esau said he would kill Jacob for stealing his birthright and his descendents have been trying to do that ever since!

In 1^st Samuel 15 King Saul was told to kill all the Amalekites and their animals. (The Amalekites were descendents of Esau) But Saul didn’t and on that day he lost his authority as king. Every personality in the Old Testament who ever wanted to kill the Jews was also a descendent.

In the New Testament, Herod the Great who killed all the baby boys trying to kill the King of the Jews, was also a descendent. There were even descendents from Bosnia fighting with the Germans in World War II. In more modern times? Yasser Arafat and Suddam Hussein.

Satan uses the Palestinians because he wants every Jew dead. If he can do this that means that God’s promises to the Jews won’t be fulfilled, which would make Him a liar.

These promises are found in the four covenants that the Lord made with the Jewish people down through the years. The first was the "Abrahamic Covenant", Genesis 12, made to Abraham that God would make him a great nation through the "sons of promise", Isaac and Jacob.

The "Land Covenant", Deuteronomy 30 is the eternal for the Jews and the "land" that God will give them at the time of the Kingdom.

Speaking of the Kingdom, it is to be an eternal Kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem with the Messiah, Jesus Christ on the "throne" in a "Temple" on the Temple Mount, as promised by the "Davidic Covenant", 2 Samuel 7.

The "New Covenant" is given, not to the Church, but to the Jewish people, Jeremiah 31:31, and it will be fulfilled when the Lord puts His Word in the hearts of the Jews and they become His people and God becomes their God.

Prophecy Conference Night Two – The Importance of Jerusalem

2011-09-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem is the spiritual capital, the physical capital and the eternal capital of the world.

Psalm 132:13-14 says that God chose Jerusalem for His people. In Zechariah 1:12 Jesus appeared to the prophet and said, “I am jealous for Jerusalem,” (Meaning “I am aggressively possessive of Jerusalem.”) “and displeased with the heathen (the nations) who are against it.”

And in Ezekiel 5:5 God put Jerusalem in the center, surrounded by the other countries, who will one day attack her. But Zechariah 12:1-9 says that God will deliver Jerusalem from those nations.

2^nd Samuel 7:13 and 16 tells us that God promised David Jerusalem will be there forever.

Zechariah 1:16 says that Jesus will come back and build His temple there and rule!

Why is Jerusalem key? This is where Abraham offered up Isaac on the Temple Mount. The same spot was also where David paid for the site. And where Solomon built the first temple. After it was torn down the second temple was built there. All the sacrifices took place there.

And! It’s where the Garden of Eden was!

In Genesis 1:26 God told Adam and Eve to rule the first kingdom, Eden. At the end, the last Adam and His bride (the church) will rule from the Garden of Eden (Jerusalem)!

Prophecy Conference Night 1

2011-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

John and I went to a four night prophecy conference that a group of Baptist churches in Taylorsville, NC hosted. The speaker was Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, a radio favorite of mine.

The first night he talked about understanding Revelation by studying it chronologically.
In Revelation 1:1 God gave the revelation to Jesus who gave it to an angel who gave it to John.

I’m not one of those people who think about angels being around us all the time, but Dr. DeYoung says they not only played a big part in Christ’s first coming; they’ll also play a big part in the second coming. Angels deliver 14 of the 21 judgments in Revelation. He also made the comment they are often in church because angels come to hear every teaching about God. And apparently there are millions of angels!

Chapter 1 of Revelation tells us about the person and power of Jesus Christ. Chapters 2 and 3 are the last words of Jesus to the church. (The 7 letters to the 7 churches.) Chapter 4 is the Rapture of the church. Starting with chapter 5 is the 7 years of tribulation before Christ returns. The church is not mentioned in chapters 5 – 18 because they are no longer on earth.

After Christ returns, there’s the 1000 year reign, then the Great White Judgment where the unbelievers are sent to the lake of fire. Then the eternal heaven and the eternal earth.

http://www.prophecytoday.com

In a Garden

2011-09-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

My husband and I were in Charleston this past weekend and went to a Gallery Crawl on Broad St. Friday night. On the way back to the car we stopped at another gallery on East Bay where I met a really delightful Christian artist named Ellen Bass.

I think we could have talked for hours! She's written a devotional book using her paintings called "In a Garden" and I thought you would enjoy seeing it!

Click to view book

Laura Story Concert

2011-08-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Last night John and I went to Morganton, NC to hear Laura Story in concert. I was amazed at how many of my favorite songs were written by her! Excellent concert!

Heaven

2011-08-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just finished teaching a six week Sunday school lesson from the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn. It’s a wonderful book and I condensed it down to about fifty pages for my lesson. But here’s one thought from it I really wanted to share. It’s from the section “Living in the light of Heaven”

Once we are saved we should ask ourselves what we can do today, tomorrow, next week or next year to live a life that pleases God and also stores up treasures on the New Earth to be laid at Christ’s feet for His glory. All of our choices and decisions should exalt Christ.

What will last for eternity? Every service to the needy, all money to feed the hungry, every cup of cold water given to the thirsty, every investment in missions, every prayer for the needy, every effort invested in evangelism and every moment spent caring for children.

Galatians 6:7-8 tells us we’ll reap in eternity what we’ve planted in this life.

What else will last for eternity? God’s Word and people. So invest in people and spend time in His Word.

Peter wrote: 2 Peter 3:11-14 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Revelation 21:1, 3-5 1Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

We were all made for a person and for a place. Jesus is the person and Heaven is the place.

How a Christian Should Act In Trials

2011-07-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 2:21-23 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Christ is our example. He committed no sin, but He never opened His mouth to hurl back insults or defend Himself. He made no threats, but trusted in God. We need to keep quiet, keep going and keep trusting.

Keep reading the Bible. In fact read it more! Keep serving, keep close to God. God wants us to come to Him as our refuge. If we hold on long enough we’ll see Him meet our needs. He will either make the suffering go away or support us through it.

1 Peter 5:6-10 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Ask what is God trying to teach me in my present suffering? Sometimes it may be to see consequences of our actions so we’ll turn from sin. But, we should always continue to praise Him and love Him through it all to show people Christ in us. That our faith is strong and not dependent on “happenings”, but on the knowledge that we are saved.

God Wants You to Grow

2011-07-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our associate pastor, Mark Schmitz, preached on James 1:2-4 Sunday. It’s a popular topic for sermons, but one I feel I need to hear over and over!

James 1:2-4 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Pastor Mark began by reminding us that we believe in the sovereignty of God. That His hand is in everything that happens in our lives. He went on to say that healthy things grow and that God wants us to grow.

Our faith shows up when we face the unplanned events in our life. People watch how we go through trials. In order to get through them the right way we need a firm foundation. We need to know God, His promises and have a relationship with Him.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

We also need to ask ourselves if we are truly saved.

2 Corinthians 13:5 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

Once we are saved and in a relationship with God, He begins to grow us. To perfect us. To fill us with the spirit. Being filled with the spirit is letting God have free reign over our lives. Being spirit filled is confirmed by our service to others.

God also wants us to be submissive.

1 Peter 2:13-15 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

And God wants us to have a positive attitude no matter what we are going through, because it reflects our faith in Him. His goal is not our happiness, but our joy and our joy is based not on our circumstances, but our relationship with Him. Our attitude is a choice!

Know upfront that trials are inevitable, but they are an opportunity to show how strong our faith is. The more we depend on God, the stronger it is.

Always remember James 1:12 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

To read more on these verses visit: James 1

2 Random Thoughts

2011-07-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

1. If you will honor God, He will honor you. Ask in every situation, “will what I do honor God?”

2. If you want to learn the lesson God has for you, you must humble yourself.

Deuteronomy 8:2 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Philippians 2:12-13 – How do I become more like Jesus Christ?

2011-07-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

Our church has a brand new youth minister: Adam Ashoff, who preached a terrific sermon this week on two little verses:

Philippians 2:12-13 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

These two verses give us the perfect summary of the Christian life. Our goal in life is to become more like Christ and they show us how to do that.

While we know we aren’t saved through works, once saved we do have something to do with our sanctification. We are to put our greatest effort into Christian life. We are to work out what God works in.

We are to obey God just like Jesus always did.

Verse 12 looks back to Philippians 1:3-5 to see how they have obeyed. They took partnership in the gospel. 1 John 2:3 tells us we know Him if we keep His commandments. (Whether anyone is watching or not.)

This obedience should be done joyfully. And it’s a 24/7 lifestyle.

And then we work it out with fear and trembling. Realize it is God who is at work in us! God began the good work. To make us more like Jesus, He works on our will and then our interests and affections begin to change and our work changes. God changes our desires to fit His desires.

And His glory is seen in our lives. Our work points to Him.

Click here to shop for more inspirational magnets

Living Prayer

2011-06-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

I get an e-newsletter from Our Prayer and wanted to share (and remember) this wonderful article by Marci Alborghetti.

The last time I visited my good friend Gwen in Key West, she told me, “I’ve been pursuing peace for a long time. What I’ve finally realized is that peace isn’t something to pursue, it’s something to grow inside myself. Now I don’t have to stop whatever I’m doing to pray. I feel that every moment of my life is a prayer.”

As Gwen continued to talk, I realized that “living prayer” was more a way of life than a formal prayer. And I understood that living prayer was the next step toward complete trust.

In saying that her life was a prayer, Gwen meant that everything she did, every thought she had, every word she spoke, grew out of her sense that God was with her. Gwen’s living prayer was the result of many years of praying and searching. Those of us who haven’t yet experienced that level of prayer can at least dedicate a particular period of time to try living prayer.

The process may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but it can teach you a new way to be close to God, even if you’re not able to continue it indefinitely. However, if you do commit yourself to this kind of prayer, you may find it becoming more natural and easy every day.

It’s important to know that living prayer won’t be the answer to all your problems. Gwen’s life isn’t perfect. Like everyone else, those who practice living prayer sometimes feel down, discouraged and as if they’ve failed. But living prayer isn’t about living in a dream world where everything is exactly right. Living prayer is about living always in the presence of God.

A day of living prayer, whether expressed in words or thoughts or both, might go something like this:

* Wake up and thank God for your day, for your life. Ask for help as you face the day’s challenges. Thank God that you are able to get up and start the day. Ask His help in dealing with your aches, pains and other health problems.

* As you eat your breakfast, savor the taste even if you’re in a hurry, thanking God for food and drink. Pray for those who are hungry, and ask God to help you to help meet the needs of all of His children.

* As you begin your daily work, whether it’s at home or elsewhere, manual or mental, thank God for your colleagues and family members, even those who irritate or frustrate you. If you work alone, give thanks for the peace of solitude. Offer your labor to God, asking Him to help you to perform it well. Pray particularly for anyone you will meet today who is likely to be difficult and for the grace to handle the situation.

* As you interact with the people around you, pray for them and pray that you will be a good influence in their lives. Offer special thanks for those who have a positive influence on you.

* As you notice the weather, thank God for the miracle of nature, for good weather and for shelter in bad weather.

* When you read or hear the news of the day, thank God for the peace and stability in your life. Pray for those who have no peace, and that world and local leaders will be guided by the Lord.

* When you break for lunch, gratefully taste whatever food and drink you have, thanking God for the chance to rest. Praise Him for the flowers, the trees, the snowflakes or whatever of His good creation you encounter.

* If you have time for exercise during the day, ask God for a healing, healthy workout and thank Him for your body.

* When you return to work, recommit yourself and thank God again for the opportunity and ability to work.

* When you’re returning home from work, offer thanks for your transportation whether it’s a car, bike, train, subway or your own feet. Pray for the safety of all who are traveling.

* Begin your evening by praising God for time to eat, rest or complete any of the day’s unfinished work. Give thanks for those you’re enjoying your evening with. If you’re alone, remember that God is with you and thank Him for His presence. Pray for the people you know who are troubled and for patience with them.

* At dinner, enjoy your meal slowly, praising God again for His provision. As you finish your chores, thank Him for the chance to get them done and for rest from labor.

* If you read before going to bed, thank God for eyes to see and a mind to discern. If you watch television or a movie, thank God for the time and technology that allows you to enjoy them.

* As you lie down to sleep, thank God for the day. Ask for forgiveness for your failures and mistakes, thank Him for your successes and ask Him for healing rest. Occasionally God blesses those of us who are on the path but have not yet arrived at the place of trust with a glimpse of what it is like to live prayer, to live in Him. If we are ready for these glimmers, if we can accept them, they can prove to be breathtaking catalysts for our journey.

What John 10:27-29 Tells Us About Being a Christian

2011-06-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Pastor Kurt Gebhards continued his series: Signed, Sealed and Certain today.

John 10:27-29 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

The first thing this tells us is we are His sheep. In other words, we are under His care. We are His and He guides us.

The second thing is: we hear His voice and we immediately act in obedience to what He says.

And third: He knows us! Salvation includes an intimate knowledge and relationship with Christ. John 17:3 says that to know Him is eternal life: Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

We also learn that we are saved forever, protected by Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit!

Jesus says that NO ONE can snatch us from His hand. We will never perish. John 5:24 says, 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. And Romans 8:1: 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And God has given believers to Jesus who says “No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” So God is holding us tightly too.

We can look at Ephesians 1:13-14 to see the Holy Spirit’s part: 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

I think we’re pretty secure! Don’t you?

All believers are eternally secure in Christ.

2011-06-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday our Pastor shared some great Bible verses to support a believer's eternal security:

We are secure because it is God’s Will and Purpose.

John 6:39-40 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Ephesians 1:4-5 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

Romans 8:28-30 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

John 1:12-13 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The security of the believer has everything to do with God’s plan. Salvation is His will, His purpose and His plan.

We are also secure because we are God’s gifts to Jesus.

John 17:2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
Revelation 19:6-8 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”

And because He went through too much to lose us now!

John 17:12 and 18:9 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[a] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

And we can trust Him. His last words were “It is finished”!

Ashley Judd Quote

2011-05-30T09:54:00.001-07:00

I just read an interview with Ashley Judd where she was asked about what she wanted to do with her life and she said “To make my life an act of worship.”

I love that! And I wish more people who are so in the spotlight would not only think that way and act that way, but come right out and say it too!

Mark 5:25-34

2011-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Mark 5:25-34 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Whatever is wrong in our lives there is a God solution to help us. This story is all about our need for God. And about how the world can’t help us. This woman had been to doctor after doctor for years and had not only gotten worse, she was now broke.
And desperate. It took being desperate, just like Jairus was in the last story, to make the right choice. She came to Christ.

Romans 3:9 -18 tells us that without Christ all of us are lost in sin. That our paths are ruin and misery. We need Grace. When we finally realize this, the desperation will drive us to Christ. There is no other hope.

When we do come to Him, Romans 3:23-24 tells us that He offers us Grace as a gift. The woman touched Christ and the healing was immediate! Jesus felt power leave Him, showing that His healing, His salvation cost Him something. The cross cost Him.

In Mark 5:32 He looked to see who had touched Him. He knew who it was, but He was reaching out to give her spiritual blessing. She bowed to Him and told Him the truth, a beautiful picture of how we need to come to Him. Bow down, confess and repent. She had already believed.

And Jesus said, “Daughter”. In that moment she was saved and part of the family of God. When He told her to go in peace He was saying the warfare for her soul was over and she was at peace with God.

Romans 5:1 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Mark 5:21-24; 35-43

2011-05-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Pastor Kurt continued his sermon serics on The Gospel of Mark Sunday.

Mark 5:21-24; 35-43 21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

We’ve heard Bible stories like this one so many times in our lives that we don’t really “get” it anymore. We say how awesome God is, that we are amazed at His power, but we don’t live like we think that way. When we read stories like this one, we should get down on our knees and worship the One who can bring us back from death!

Jairus was a synagogue official. He was successful, wealthy and a big deal in Capernaum. But this didn’t keep him from having a terrible problem. For him to come to Jesus, the problem had to be bad. He had to be desperate. The Jewish leaders hated Jesus; Jairus risked his position in going to Christ. But he loved his little girl and he had no where else to go.

In Luke 7 there is a story about a centurion who had a valued servant that was sick and about to die. He sent some Jewish elders to Jesus, who came and healed the servant. Jairus may very well have been one of the elders. He would at least have heard about that healing. So he knew Jesus could heal his daughter, if He would.

The interesting thing is, seeing the healing of the servant didn’t bring him to Christ. It wasn’t until he had a need of his own that he threw himself at Christ’s feet. He had to be desperate.

When he asked Jesus to come heal his daughter, Jesus turned toward the house. But he was delayed to help someone else (we’ll look at that story next time). During the delay, the daughter died and word was sent to Jairus that there was no need to bother Jesus anymore. It was over.

At least that’s what they thought! But Jesus went to the house and said “She’s not dead.” That they should not fear, but believe.

Fear won’t do anything for you. Believe and trust only in Christ. Then watch what happens!

Jesus was calling upon them to become believers. Fear is the failure to trust in God. They were being told the Gospel in a couple words: repent and believe! Fear not and believe!

Jesus has conquered death. Isaiah 25:8 says it has been swallowed up. Hosea 13:14 asks death “where is your sting?”

Jesus brings her back and then He tells her to get something to eat. He knows everything we need and cares about every part of us.

When He told the people not to go and tell what happened, He was telling them to not make too much of the physical miracle. This was really about the spiritual miracle. Physical is always sensational, but spiritual is way more important!

Mark 5:1-20

2011-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Mark 5:1-20 1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Jesus and His disciples were now on the other side of the lake. This was a Gentile region where the people wouldn’t have heard about Him and the miracles He was doing yet. Jesus was beginning to extend the Gospel beyond the Jews.

The demon possessed man was violent and very strong. A legion is a Roman garrison of 6000 soldiers so the reference here shows how vast and strong in number the demons inside this man were. Human effort would be no match for them.

The man ran to Jesus as He came ashore. He needed to be rescued! We ALL need to be rescued!

Ephesians 2:1-3 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

All non-believers are given over to the flesh and controlled by Satan.

The demons actually showed honor to Jesus here. When He showed up they began to be tormented. They ran to Him and bowed down. They confessed who He was. (They knew!) They responded obediently when He asked them their name. And they begged Him for grace.

The Demons are forced to act this way by His presence, His sheer power and because they really know who He is. We bow down, confess who He is, respond obediently and beg for grace because we love Him.

Sometimes people ask why Jesus said yes to the demons and sent them into the herd of pigs. It was because it would show the people who was in control and therefore honor Him the most. In doing this, He cleansed the man from the demons, He cast out the powerful legion with one word commanded and showed how powerful the demons were because they got 2000 pigs to react in a split second. He performed this miracle so they would make no mistake who He was!

The townspeople were very afraid and asked Him to leave. He said yes to this request also. The request He didn’t say yes to was from the man who wanted to go with Him. Jesus told him to stay and tell his story to his own people.

In His mercy, Christ left a missionary to the people who rejected Him. This also tells us not to be discouraged by His “no” answer. If He says no it’s because His plan is better: for His glory and for our good. He has all the pieces of the puzzle. And it commands us to tell our own story. We all have a testimony. We need to share with others how God has had mercy on us.

Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.

Jewelry to express your faith

2011-05-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Show who's special in your life (or what's close to your heart) with this stylish and attractive friendship bracelet. With a personalized, printed charm, this bracelet is a great way to express yourself. You can choose from one of my designs or send me your own idea and I’ll create a unique bracelet or necklace just for you.

http://www.givitup.com

An Asheville Night of Worship

2011-05-09T05:56:00.001-07:00

John and I went to The Cove’s open house on Saturday. We went last year too, but what a difference a year makes! In 2010 900 people attended. This year 2900! But the staff and volunteers couldn’t have been more gracious and as always the grounds and buildings were beautiful!

We also went to the Asheville Night of Worship there that evening. Robert Williams from Seacoast Church in Asheville did a terrific job as the musical director for the evening and brought the Seacoast band along. Will Graham gave the message.

Mark 4:35-41

2011-05-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm continuing with posts from Pastor Kurt Gebhards' sermon series on The Gospel of Mark. To read all of them type Gospel of Mark into the search bar at the top of this blog.

Mark 4:35-41 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Storms happen and will continue to happen! It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or not, because note; the disciples were right where Jesus told them to be and He was with them and they were still in a storm! James 1:2 says “when” the storms happen, not “if”. And he was talking to believers.

The Sea of Galilee gets very windy every evening. The disciples would have known that, especially the fishermen. Most people didn’t take a boat out on it in the evening. But Jesus wanted to get them away from the crowds for some small group time, so this is what they did.

Then he proceeded to go to sleep. Where the Bible says “that day” we need to go back to Mark 3:20 to see where the day began and how many things happened. It was a LONG and BUSY day. And Jesus was exhausted. So exhausted he was sound asleep in an uncomfortable boat with waves splashing over the sides and His disciples in a panic all around Him.

When the storms come our attitude is important. We need to be prepared. Many people play the blame game and that’s what the disciples did here. “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” This is a natural human response, but not a good one. Of course He cares! He loves all of us deeply and to suggest otherwise is rebuking His very nature!

But in spite of their reaction, Jesus mercifully stopped the wind and waves. We need to remember how big our God is. We need to come to Him, turn our problems over to Him and trust that He’s there for us. He has authority over everything. Trials remind us of the one who can actually do something about them!

But then we have to allow Him to work in His way not ours.

Mark 4: 26-34

2011-04-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Mark 4:26-34 26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus wraps up His teaching for the time being with these two parables. In verses 26 to 29 the Kingdom of God is a phrase that encompasses all of God’s redemptive activity. Today it’s the church. God saves souls and builds His church.

Man plays his part in the process of kingdom planting, but God is the genius.

In verse 26, the farmer is sowing seed. Christians are called to take the seed of the gospel and spread it. In verse 27: after you “seed” you rest. But God isn’t sleeping. He grows the seed. The farmer knows that it happens, but he doesn’t know how. Here we trust God. If He can make a tree come from a tiny mustard seed, He can change our hearts. He is an amazing miracle worker! We can trust that if we cast the seed, He will make it work.

In verse 29 the farmer harvests. Harvesting or reaping is disciple making. And that’s another of Jesus’ commands for us. To go and make disciples. We do this once they’ve heard the message and God starts His work. We engage them, encourage them, and help them.

In verses 30 through 32 the birds nesting in the trees are the souls of men coming to the church. The church (tree) shelters them from the sun, gives them rest from their flight and protects them from hunters. The church needs to be big and strong to support its members. And the members can’t just sit next to the tree or fly around it, they have to come close and commit.

From this section we learn we must know the gospel well and spread it liberally. Then trust the Savior with all our heart and commit to the church with all our might.

Mark 4: 21-25

2011-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Mark 4:21-25 21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

There are three reasons to spread Gospel Seed.

1. The gospel light is designed to shine. We need to share and shine the light of Christ. Sometimes we hide it because of false modesty, sometimes because we are timid or embarrassed by the gospel and sometimes we say we don’t know enough. (But if we know enough to be saved we know enough to tell someone else how to be saved!) Or we hide it because we are selfish. We are to draw near to Christ by trusting in His work and turning from our sin.

2. The gospel message is made for broadcast. Verse 22 in this passage tells us that it’s not meant to be hidden or kept for an elite group. It’s designed to be shared with everyone! The knowledge of the gospel isn’t ours to accumulate, but to disseminate. And we should have a strategy to spread it. To share with boldness and joy.

3. The gospel message is primed for reward. Verses 24 and 25 show us that a minimalist approach to Christianity will lead to a painful life. But a generous approach will lead to a fruitful life of reward and blessing. We just need to be who He designed us to be!

How much seed are you spreading?

Mark 4:1-20

2011-04-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Mark 4:1-20 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

In Mark 1 through 3 we saw Jesus’ examples and miracles. His love. Starting with chapter 4 we hear His teachings. And it’s easier to embrace the love of Jesus Christ then it is His truth.

A parable has only one meaning. The sower is the evangelist, who takes the see (the gospel) and scatters it. The soil is the human heart.

Jesus gives us the purpose of the parable in verses 11 and 12. There were a lot of people following Jesus at this time, but many were only there for what they could get from Him or see more miracles. They had hard hearts. They had a spirit of judgementalism. If you have a hard heart you won’t understand what He said.

Psalm 18:25-26 25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

If you come to Jesus, come for what He wants to give you! The point of this parable is to test the quality of the soil of our hearts. Jesus is asking us to consider our faithfulness and our fruitfulness.

He gives us the four different responses to His message:

1. Non receptive. A hard heart. It rejects the gospel.
2. Shallow heart. It springs up fast, but because it has no roots it dies. We have to go beyond the admiration and interest and engage.
3. Strangled heart. It’s receptive, but divided. Too many other cares and interests in the world. From the surface it looks clear, but there are roots and weeds below.
4. Fertile heart. They hear it, accept it and bear fruit.

The others all heard too. The difference here is the fruitfulness. The test for how our hearts are is how fruitful we are.
Seeds are designed to make more fruit that have more seeds. Christians are designed to make more Christians. Scatter your seeds liberally!

I've written about this parable before: Parable of the Soils

Ephesians 2:1-10

2011-03-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:1-10 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

These 10 verses are the Gospel in a nutshell.

Unity and Evangelism

2011-03-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

John 17:23 I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

“So that the world will know you sent me.” In the Bible “so that” tells you the purpose.

Luke 19:10 tells us that the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son so that whoever believed in Him should not parish, but have eternal life.

This is the message that gets spread when people see unity in the church. When an unbeliever sees a church serving together, loving and helping and caring about each other they are attracted. They want to know more and it opens the way for God questions.

God has poured out His love on us so that we in turn can pour it out on others. He has reconciled believers to Himself so that they will reconcile themselves to others.

Ephesians 2:19-20 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

We are fitted together to grow a Holy Temple. We are placed next to each other to grow His church.

Unity Helps us to Experience God’s Glory

2011-03-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

John 17:22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.

God’s glory is visible because God works through His church!

God the Father has glory and gives it to His Son and the Son gives it to the church when we are united. We learn in Exodus when Moses asks God to show him His glory that God’s glory is His goodness and His character. God had to show up for Moses to see it.

When we say, “Lord I want to glorify You” we mean we want to show Him with our life. His traits and character: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. We manifest Him.

The church shows by touching people, sending food, singing, praising, sharing the world, being there to help others.

We have to become part of a church and really integrate ourselves in it. Unity requires “death to self”. We say no to our own interests and pride and go out of our way for God’s interests and helping others. Being involved in church gives us the opportunity to experience God’s character. To feel like He designed us to feel, to love how He designed us to love, to do as He designed us to do. God is love, so we are sowing His attributes when we love and thus glorifying Him.

When we use our gifts, we are doing so by the enabling of the Holy Spirit so that we can spread the glory of God. And God shows up when we are obeying Him and glorifying Him.

Unity

2011-03-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Our Pastor, Kurt Gebhards, is spending three weeks on three verses in the Gospel of John. Below are some of the thoughts I took from the first week:

John 17:21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

The unity of our church says something about God. It says something to the world and drives home the Gospel.

John 17 is a very important chapter in the Bible. Not only is it Jesus’ final chance to be with His disciples, but this is a prayer of God talking to God! And the capstone of the ministry in the upper room.

In John 17:1-5 Jesus prays for Himself. That He be glorified.
In John 17:6-9 He prays for the Apostles. Their safety and “keeping them in God’s name”.
In John 17:20-26 He prays for future believers. (Us!) Our sanctification; that we become holy and more like Christ. That God would grow us. And unity. He says it over and over. “That they may be one”, “that they may be all one”, “perfected in unity”, “loving one another” and “ministering to one another”.

Pastor Kurt described this as the web of unity. In verse 21 the Father is in Jesus. We are in unity with each other. Jesus is united with God. All of us are united with the trinity. And Jesus is in us. Unity is beautiful and multifaceted.

Trinity actually comes from tri and unity. They are three and there is diversity between them: for example God has no body, Jesus does. God is the head and Jesus is the Son who shines a spotlight on God. But they are entirely unified in essence:

Jesus prayed, “Glorify me that I may glorify You.” God AND Jesus raised Jesus from the dead. God AND Jesus created the world. Jesus is the image of the unseen God.

They are also united in purpose. Jesus often said He was doing His Father’s work or His Father’s will.

And they are united in love. John 14:31 says “so that the world may know I love the Father I do as He commanded.” Because we love God we should obey Him. (To show our love for Him.)

In verse 26 Jesus gives us the love that is between the trinity. "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

What we can take from John 17:21 is to love unity and hate division in the church. Hate slander, malice, self-seeking, etc. Hate factions! It’s the work of the devil.

Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Proverbs 6:16-19 16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Do not spread strife among others! Especially in church! We should be unified as the trinity is. They completely love each other and are each other’s cheerleaders.

Philippians 2:1-2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

A Tenacious Faith

2011-03-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

I’ve adapted the following from www.christianity.com/devotionals

Mark 6:56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment and as many as touched Him were made well.

Tenacity means to cling to a belief without doubting. It is a set kind of faith, a determination that doesn't waver. Our Father made divine healing a commodity through Jesus. In the marketplaces — the center of business—divine healings were common and useful for building people's faith and winning souls, for setting people free from the bondage of disease, for restoring them to productivity and for the purpose of spreading the good news. Miraculous wonders of healing were evidence that Jesus was who He said He was.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us that when we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find
Him. And in His presence, His hem is available to us.

Surely, God has called us to tenacious faith.

That we humbly present or "lay" family members, friends and loved ones and/or people from our assigned workplaces before Jesus. That we beseech Him for a healing touch. That we have a heart for others to be healed, a heart for doing the work of Jesus.

Actions speak louder than words: So often, the Lord has shown us that when we step out in faith and pray for the restoration of others, He rewards us by caring for our needs. Tenacity is about selflessness. It is about choosing to believe the truth of God's divine precepts over natural circumstances. And it's about taking courage to journey forth with Jesus no matter what. Tenacity means we must stand up for what is right even if it means making someone angry or upset with us. Sometimes this is a hard thing to do, but it is pleasing to God.

What is the Will of God?

2011-03-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Psalm 40:8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

Pastor Kurt Gebhards gives us 6 verses that clearly tell us what God’s will is:

John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

So first that we are saved!

Ephesians 5:16-18 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

Be filled and led by the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 4:4-6 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.

That we have self-control and are sanctified.

1 Peter 2:13-16 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

Submit to the authority we are placed under.

1 Peter 4:19; 5:10 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Stay steadfast. Continue to do what is right.

Psalms 37: 1-7 1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Seek God first! Trust Him always!

Mark 3:31-35

2011-03-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

Our Pastor, Kurt Gebhards, continued his sermon study of Mark:

Mark 3:31-35 31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus calls us in this passage to be part of His spiritual family. He told His listeners that those who were following Him and listening to His teachings were more His family then His physical brothers and mother.

We are adopted sons and daughters of God by His Grace.

How are we related to Him spiritually? We might answer that it happens because we believe in Him. But in verse 35 Jesus says something quite different. “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

This has confused people in the past. Can’t you just hear people say, “Wait, I thought you only get to heaven because of your faith? Are you saying it’s works now too?”

No! Jesus wasn’t describing here how to become a Christian. He was describing a Christian’s walk. Salvation is authenticated by our service. We are saved (justified) by our faith, but grow (are sanctified) by our good deeds.

John 3:36 says, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life: he who does not obey the Son shall not see life.” Belief must include obedience. True belief includes action.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says we are saved by grace alone. Not works, lest we boast. But verse 10 goes on to say we are created in Christ Jesus for good works.

That’s why Jesus describes Christians as those who do the will of God. In the next post Kurt tells us how to know if we are in God’s will.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

2011-03-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

John and I went to Lenoir Rhyne University last night to hear a lecture by the Dean and Professor of New Testament and Preaching at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Dr. Gail O'Day, on "Friendship and the Gospel of John: Love as Christian Practice."

It was really interesting and I always love how people can pull so many different things out of a book or even just a passage. To me that just shows that the Word really is living and breathing.

Dr. O’Day used John 15:12-15 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

This is right in the middle of Jesus’ farewell discourse, which falls in John 13 – 17It takes place right after the last supper and before the arrest. And we see not only from His words here, but His entire life that friendship, to Christ, is the ultimate relationship with God and one another.

Therefore it should be a model for Christian practice.

Friendship was very popular in ancient Greece and Rome. It was how you built a good society. And it was broken down into 3 aspects.

1. It was a relationship between equals that contributed to the city state. Aristotle said that the definition of a friend is one who would lay down his life for the other. Jesus wasn’t saying something they hadn’t heard before. The difference is, the philosophers talked about it and Jesus did it!

Dr. O’Day brought up Christ's parable of the Good Shepherd from John 10 about how a shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. She said Jesus’ arrest has echoes of this. He led His disciples into an enclosed garden (like a sheep pen) and a thief (Judas) was there. In John, Jesus stepped forward. In the other 3 Gospels Judas came up to show which one Jesus was. But John made a point that Jesus lay His life down willingly.

2. Friendship in antiquity was also boldness of speech. A willingness of the friend to speak freely. A friend would tell the truth. They didn’t flatter and they didn’t hold back. In John 15:15 Jesus says “I do not call you servants any longer.” The disciples were now His friends because He spoke to them openly and told them everything from the Father.

3. Friends have all things in common. Luke used this in Acts when talking about how the church was formed. How people shared everything they owned. John 16 says, “All that the Father has is mine and will declare it to you.” And prayed that, “they may be one as we are one.” Jesus said He told them everything and the Greek word for everything is all things. All in common. He also invited them to be one of heart. To “love as I have loved.”

They weren’t commanded to do this to make Jesus their friend, but because they were His friends. He was the model for them, but He was also the source. By speaking openly and having all things in common.

The mark of friendship with Jesus is what we do for Him. We can use the well known phrase What Would Jesus Do? Because He is our guide to decision making. For John though there is no point in asking what would Jesus do because Jesus has already done! He gave His life in love.

John would ask, “What would friends of Jesus do?” And the answer would be to love one another as He has loved us. Give love freely and generously without counting the cost.

Mark 3:28-30

2011-02-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

Mark 3: 28 – 30 28"Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- 30because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

Jesus exposes here what the scribes were really saying. That He was the devil. The unforgiveable sin is the rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit as He bears testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.

John 16:7-10 tells us that the Holy Spirit came to help us. To live inside of us. An unlimited, internal influence. He brings conviction of sin and our need for a Savior to us.

There is one reason and one reason only that people perish in Hell, and that’s because they don’t believe in Jesus’ work of salvation. The unforgiveable sin is rejecting the Holy Spirit’s prompting and therefore rejecting Jesus.

John 3:18 18"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

As Christians we can take great comfort in the first part of this passage. That ALL sins shall be forgiven believers!

Mark 3:20-27

2011-02-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

Mark 3: 20 – 27 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."
22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."
23And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25"If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26"If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
27"But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

Jesus “came home” to Capernaum, where He spent most of His ministry days. As always, massive crowds came to surround Him. His people, His family, had traveled from Nazareth to take Him back because they thought He had lost His mind! At that time, except for Mary, His family didn’t believe in Him. They didn’t understand His mission. Jesus was focused on magnifying God and sharing His love with others. Loving, blessing and teaching the truth. He didn’t take time for personal rest or even meals sometimes. He spent His time on the task of redemption.

In verse 22, the scribes, who were the law experts and often Pharisees, had traveled down from Jerusalem. (No matter what direction you were going, you always came “down” from Jerusalem because it’s on a mountain.) They said he was inspired by Beelzebul, which was a pagan name for the devil.

The scribes could not stand His authority! They refused to submit to Him and had to come up with a reason to dispel His authority. There are many people on earth today who feel the same!

The two groups of people in this passage either felt like Jesus was deranged or of the devil! When WE see what He’s doing we need to ask ourselves, “Am I interested in being like Jesus Christ? Glorifying God with our obedience and by sharing the gospel with a single minded focus?” If we have a genuine love for Jesus Christ, shouldn’t we have a genuine passion for His ministry?

John 5:17 says that God is working even now to accomplish His redemption. We need to be doing that too. That is OUR work. Every single Christian is called to a life of active ministry. Jesus set the example and we follow Him.

In the next verses Christ asks the question, how can Satan cast out Satan? In verse 27 He uses the image of a strong man. In the story Satan is the strong man and Christ is the one who comes into the house, binds him and makes him powerless. The property in Christ’s story of the strong man are the souls of men.
All unbelievers are under the power of the devil and their own sinful impulses. But Jesus controls the devil every time! If you notice in the Bible demons obeyed Him everytime!

Hebrews 2:14 – 15 14Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Mark 3: 13-19

2011-02-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

Mark 3: 13-19 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Verse 13 says that Jesus called the ones He wanted! Even though they were so very ordinary! We see often in the Bible that they had doubts, they lacked faith, they ran when He was betrayed and they were afraid.

Just like us.

But Jesus can take these early vessels and change them! In Acts they became bold.

Acts 4:13 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

They could tell these men had been with Jesus. WE can tell who spends a lot of time with Jesus!

Luke 6:40 says that once we have been fully trained we fill be like Jesus. We need to draw close to Him. Let Him train us! Let Him fill whatever we lack.

1 Peter 2:21 says that Christ is the example. We follow in His footsteps. The way He did things is the way we do things!

There’s a popular Christian song out now which says, “Where You go I will go, who You love I will love, how You serve I will serve.”

Mark 3: 7-12

2011-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Pastor Kurt Gebhards continued his sermon series on The Gospel of Mark this week and I'm splitting my notes over the next 4 posts.

Mark 3:7-12 7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

This large crowd probably consisted of thousands of people! They would have been pushing and shoving to get right up in His face because they were desperate to be healed. And these were all kinds of people: Jews from Judea and Jerusalem, mixed races from Idumea and even pagans. People had heard of Jesus’ miracles and healings and they wanted help too.

Some of the people who came had unclean spirits in them and they fell down before Him. What’s so astounding about the demons is, every time they talk to Jesus they tell the truth. They believe, but they don’t worship. They do tremble because of the judgment that is due them.

The demonized people falling down and crying out in loud voices would have added greatly to the mayhem.

In spite of the chaotic scene, Jesus never lost His patience. He never rebuked them for coming to Him. He suggested the boat to create a little space so that He could give them what they needed even more than physical healing: spiritual healing. He wanted to teach them.

Many of us have to be desperate to come to Christ. To literally have nowhere else to turn. And God will use the broken.

2 Corinthians 4:7 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are the jars of clay and the treasure is knowing Christ. Our lives are frail. We need Christ. We are mere vessels that allow His works and message to pour through us. All the surpassing power of our lives is attributed to God.

But 2nd Corinthians goes on to say in verses 8 – 10, 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Christianity is always dying daily so that Christ can fill us with His life. So that His life is manifested in our bodies.

Everyday we should ask Jesus, “How can I draw near to you so you can teach me Your precepts?” Desperation strips us of pride. And that’s a good thing!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

John 3:16

Best. Love. Ever!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't be a Speed Bump!

2011-02-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed at Harvest Bible Chapel, Hickory to have a pastor who teaches us the Bible and convicts us to follow God's Word. Today's post is from Pastor Kurt Gebhards' sermon today, continuing in his study from the Gospel of Mark:

Mark 3:1-6 1 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

So far in the Gospel of Mark the Pharisees have attacked Jesus 4 times. This is the
5th. The Holy Spirit uses repetition to teach us a lesson. And this lesson is that the Pharisees were hard hearted, but we are to have soft hearts that can be shaped by His instruction.

The first time they attacked Him they said He was blasphemous. The second time, that He was a friend of sinners. The third time, that He was different from their laws and the fourth, that He was a Sabbath breaker.

This time, He is a renegade healer!

The Pharisees showed their hard hearts by constantly looking at Him with a critical eye. They were always judging Him because of their pride. They were always looking for a reason that they might accuse Him. In fact Jesus rebuked them in Matthew 23 by telling them that they were so focused on the little bits and pieces, but totally missing that God’s work for His people is giving Him their hearts; fully and freely.

The Pharisees wanted to destroy Him. They were so blinded by their self-righteousness they couldn’t see that what they were trying to stop was healing, love, mercy and grace!

There is reason to believe that this might have been a set up. Usually a man with a withered hand, or any physical defect, would have kept away from the synagogue. At the very least he would have hidden his hand. Yet Jesus knew immediately what was wrong with the man.

They hated Him for the question He asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” Of course it’s right to do good and not harm. How could they answer any differently? But the reason they were silent and angry was because while the first half of the question (about doing good or harm on the Sabbath) had to do with healing the man with the withered hand, the second part (about saving a life or killing) had to do with their plotting to kill Him. He knew what they were thinking and He let them know He knew!

The Pharisees reacted the wrong way. When the Word of God exposes our heart, we must step in to it in humbleness. Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."

We need to receive the wisdom of the rebuke!

This passage also teaches us more about Jesus. That He is merciful and felt grief. Jesus could have healed this man on another day. But, in His mercy He healed him right then. His mercy cost him. Just as His mercy for our salvation cost Him His life on the cross! We worship a God who is merciful to the point of personal cost!

But the funny thing is. He didn’t break the Pharisee’s Sabbath law because He didn’t lift anything and He didn’t work! He merely said to the man, “Stretch out your hand” and when the man did his hand was restored! Just by Christ’s thought! That is His power!

But they hated Him all the more for it. When you are hard hearted, nothing satisfies. Our lesson as the church is: we must be merciful! We must be focused on Christ and His purposes. Individually we must ask ourselves, “Who can I bless? Who can I minister to? Who can I bring God’s kindness and His grace to?”

We also need to ask ourselves if we are helping others find God or are we speed bumps in their journey. The Pharisees were speed bumps! Jesus hated hypocrites. If we say we are for God, but don’t live like it, we are hypocrites. Serving with a bad attitude is hypocritical. Gossip, slander and dismissiveness all impede people from coming to Christ. We need to lay down our lives in humility, so that others are drawn to Christ.

Christians, if you take the name of Christ, are you acting like Him?

Don’t be a speed bump!

What do I say when I pray?

2011-02-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

Pastor Chris Rollins of Coastal Community Church in Charleston, SC addressed this question in his weekly email to members. (I get the emails because we visited the church and signed the guest pad. And I enjoy reading them!)

He wrote:

I've discovered over the years that many people simply "don't know what to say" during their prayer time. That's okay. Usually it's because no one has ever taught them how to pray.

I always start off by telling people that prayer is simply a conversation between best friends. You don't need to talk to God in a special voice or a special language. He simply wants you to talk to Him like you would talk to anyone else.
But then people want to know what exactly do you talk to God about? The short answer is - everything. But sometimes, like a lot of conversations, it's good to have a general plan.

Here's an easy plan to follow for your morning quiet time:

1. Relax. Be still. Be quiet. Slow down. Prepare your heart. Take a couple of deep breaths. Ask God to open your heart and your mind and to speak to you. Tell Him that you are listening and will do whatever He asks of you.
2. Read. Read a section of scripture. Follow a systematic plan, in a modern, readable, understandable translation.
3. Reflect. It's not about how much you read, but what does God say to you from this passage. So, take a moment, think about what this passage means to your life and then even write down your thoughts. How does it apply to your life? What will you do?
4. Pray. A simple prayer plan that literally thousands of Christians have used over the years is: ACTS

• Adoration - spend a few minutes just praising God for who He is, His character. You might have read something in your Bible reading that stands out about God's character - His love, His grace, His power, etc.
• Confession - spend a few minutes confessing your sins. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal every sin. Confess each sin specifically. Make restitution when possible. By faith, accept God's forgiveness.
• Thanksgiving - similar to adoration, but this is more about what God has done and all we have to be thankful for. You might even consider making and keeping a Thanksgiving List to record the blessings and good things God has done in your life.
• Supplication - this is praying for needs: yours and others. What needs do you pray about? Absolutely every one of them. There is nothing too great for God's power to take care of and there's nothing too small for His concern. Pray for family, friends, people you know that you'd like to see become Christians, your spiritual leaders, government leaders. And of course, yourself.

I hope this helps. Remember, prayer really is an ongoing conversation. Share your heart with God all throughout your day. He is always there wanting to hear from you!

Mark 2:23-28

2011-02-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Pastor Kurt Gebhards covered Mark 2:23-28 in his sermon today:

Mark 2:23-28 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Christians know that what is required of us is to love and worship God and love other people. The Pharisees worshipped the law more than they did God. They took God’s law and added to it and then they judged everyone on how they were keeping their law. Their hearts were filled with criticism because their hearts were filled with pride.

They spent much time spying on Jesus, and this passage is His response.

Sabbath is the Hebrew word for 7. God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. He gave the 4th commandment which said we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Moses said we shouldn’t work or be burdened.

The Pharisees added 39 laws on top of this describing what people might do that would be considered work or a burden. Meals had to be made specifically for the Sabbath ahead of time as they weren’t allowed to cook. They weren’t even allowed to carry anything heavier than a dried fig. All of this they made up. And it made them judgmental, critical and bound to the law. The law of their making.

God’s law was given to show us we could never keep it on our own and so point the need to Jesus. In turning to Him and accepting His gift of salvation through the repentance of our sins and His work on the cross we are free!

Jesus used the illustration of when David, after being anointed King, but still fleeing for his life from Saul, needed to find food for his men who were starving. It’s a story from 1 Samuel 21:1-6. He knew that there were always 12 loaves of bread in the temple that were meant to symbolize the 12 tribes. They were huge: made with 6 and a quarter cups of flour each! And they were replaced weekly.

While he lied to the priests saying that the King had need of the bread, the Pharisees didn’t blame him because; a – he was the anointed King and b- human need superseded the law. Jesus knew the Pharisees thought this way. So He pointed out that He is the anointed Son of God and could break any of MAN’S laws. That He was Lord over man, the laws and even over the Sabbath!

Romans 10:3-4 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

God’s righteousness is Jesus Christ! Our work is to believe in Him. Not being obedient to the law. This belief is a total and complete life reliance on God. Handing our lives over to Him.

Romans 8:1-3 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,

The law of sin and death is Moses’ code. The commandments! The Pharisees laws! Romans 13:10 tells us that love is the fulfillment of the law.

Jesus says man is more important than the Sabbath. The Sabbath, time for worship and rest, was made to bless man. In Matthew 12:1-7, which is the parallel passage to this Mark passage, verse 7 says, “I desire mercy.”

It’s all about our heart, not our works. Not following the law. We honor Him with our hearts. God doesn’t need us to keep all the laws; He needs us to show compassion. Then we have a spirit of profound gratitude not egotism.

Mark 2:21-22

2011-01-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

This is the 2nd part of Pastor Kurt's latest sermon on the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 2:21-22 21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Verses 21 and 22 tell us that Christianity was radically different then the old religion. Jesus was not reforming Judaism. He was coming to do something radically new!

So what’s new about it?

Matthew 23:23 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Jesus wasn’t anti-law, but we need to fulfill it with our hearts. Do it from justice, mercy and faith.

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

“As I have loved you”! We could almost love like others love us. Or maybe even as we love ourselves. But loving like Christ has loved us elevates the command to the near impossible. How does Christ love?

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

We don’t live for ourselves! We live for others! It glorifies God when we do. We are to walk in Christ’s love. However He loved – we should love! Christianity is to take the heart beat and love of Christ and give it to as many people as you can.

This is the test of love:

1 John 2:7-77 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
9The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 4: 7-11 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

God loves us unconditionally. That’s how we are to love others. It was sacrificial. How do we give ourselves up for others? His love is selfless: all for the glory of God and benefit of others. His love was lavish!

There is no limit to the love and grace of God!

Mark 2:18-20

2011-01-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

Below is Part 1 of another sermon on the Gospel of Mark by Pastor Kurt Gebhards:

Mark 2: 18-20 18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

Jesus was crucified in the 1st century because He wasn’t religious enough. Today He would be crucified because He is too pious, too focused on God and considered “exclusive”. No one goes to the Father except through Christ. Our world today is profoundly inclusive. Meaning whatever anyone chooses to believe should be ok.

The Pharisees were fasting. The Old Testament tells the Jews to fast once a year. The Pharisees were fasting twice a week! They took the law and because of their pride and wanting others to admire them they took it to an extreme. They missed the whole point of what Jesus was teaching though. That it’s our hearts God wants. Not rote “religious” habits and rituals.

Fasting is a sign of mourning, internal sorrow. Jesus says in this passage, “I’m HERE! There is no reason to do that. There is every reason to be joyful!”

In verse 20 He says there will be a time for fasting. When the bridegroom is taken away. He used a verb for taken away that means taken away violently. He was prophesying here how He would be taken from them.

And they did mourn…but only from Good Friday until Easter Sunday! We are still in the season of joy!

Here are the differences between Religious formalism and Christianity.

Religious formalism:

1. Duty
2. Easily see the sins of others
3. Listless singing
4. Humdrum routine
5. One day a week
6. Bad attitude
7. Going through the motions
8. Looking good
9. Change of behavior around spiritual leaders
10. Surface devotions

Christianity:
1. Delight
2. Searches heart for personal sin
3. Zealous worship
4. Privileged service to God
5. Trusting God every hour of your life
6. Joy filled!
7. Fighting for holiness
8. Integrity

The First 15 Minutes

2011-01-29T14:11:00.000-08:00

Last week we were visiting our daughter in Charleston and went to her church, Coastal Community. The pastor, Chris Rollins was just starting a new series called Get Fit. He challenged people to begin everyday by spending the first 15 minutes with God. It was an awesome sermon.

Psalm 5:3 “Lord, every morning you hear my voice. Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer.”

He started by saying that the beginning of a year is a good time to get fit spiritually. (Seems to be a common theme this month!) But then he asked, “What’s a “win” going to be like for you this year?” And I was immediately able to think of my answer:

To make my life a positive witness for Christ and to serve as an act of worship.

Somehow just the way he asked it, I was able to get beyond the “spend more time reading the Bible” and “go on a mission trip.”

He said when we have our answer, then we need to make every step we take full of purpose toward that. No wasted steps!

1 Corinthians 8:26 So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.

And that’s where the first 15 minutes of our day come in. Let God speak to you before you start your day.

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer.

How we start our day will impact how the rest of the day goes.

The pastor went on to say we are to give God the first part of our week. Meaning we should be in church every Sunday! And not with the motive, “What can I get out of church today?” but to encourage others and to worship God.

Next we are to give God the first part of our relationships. We need to build relationships and then share our faith with those people. All of life is an opportunity to make a positive witness for Christ. And wayward people coming home are very dear to God’s heart!

And lastly give God the best part of your energy. We don’t just go to church, we are the church.

Romans 14:17–19 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

In every situation you can test yourself by asking, “Am I willingly doing this as an act of worship to You, God?”

Mark 2: 13 -17

2011-01-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, but Pastor Kurt Gebhards picked up his sermon series on Mark again last Sunday. We were out of town so I listened to it online and as usual was blessed by it:

Mark 2: 13-17 13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Christ was unconventional. The people didn’t anticipate who He would be and they didn’t understand who He was. Jesus came to call the sinners, not the righteous.

Jesus taught in Capernaum because it was a major trade route and the news of what He said and did would spread. He was doing what Rabbis did back then. Walking and teaching. But the difference was, other Rabbis would gather with the most influential people in a town. Not Jesus.

Levi was a Jew and he betrayed his people by not only working for the Romans, but working in a job that stole from the Jews themselves. This made him a traitor. The very worst, very lowest person in their eyes.

In those days the Romans let people buy a tax franchise, which allowed the owner to tax anything they wanted. The more they taxed, the more they made. And the people, understandably, hated them for it.

According to the Jews a tax collector could not testify in a court of law. His very touch would make an entire house unclean. And he was banned from the Synagogue. The tax collectors were daily reminders of the oppression of the Romans.

And Levi partnered with them!

Levi would have been sitting out in the public places where he could do his business. And that’s where Jesus taught. So Levi would have heard whatever Jesus had to say. And when Jesus looked at Levi and said, “Follow me” that’s all it took. He immediately got up and followed Him. Leaving a lucrative business behind.

He left more than that behind, though. Changing his name to Matthew, which means “gift of God” showed that he was leaving all of his old life and letting his Lord take over.

Like Matthew we are being called to follow Him. We must immediately give up whatever is holding us back, repenting of our sin and follow Him completely with obedience and abandonment.

In verse 15 Matthew had a party for other sinners to meet Jesus. In those days hospitality was a sacred duty and if someone accepted your invitation for dinner it meant you were willing to become a close friend. By Jesus attending he conveyed His willingness to extend forgiveness.

Jesus pursued the company of criminals so He could extend the gospel. He is still looking for the outcast. He is looking for us!

Colossians 1:9-12

2011-01-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

Colossians 1:9-12 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

On the first Sunday in January, our associate minister, Mark Schmitz, said the New Year is a great time to decide to submit our will to God. And He used these verses to show us how.

These verses are all about wanting wisdom from God and then getting it and what to do with it. In verse 9 the “for” refers back to verse 4 “because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people". Verse 9 is also a great prayer you can pray for yourself or anyone else: “ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in knowledge of God.”

The Holy Spirit and the Bible guide us in learning about God and His will. What pleases Him. What His point of view is. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to do God’s will and we will bear good fruit when we do it.

Pastor Schmitz also said that when we do this we will be able to bear adverse reactions in the way we should. He said this is important because, “If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has called you to minister to people.” And most likely you are already where He wants you to be to do that! One way we minister is by being a good example. And people who face adverse circumstances “in the Lord” can be a great example.

We are accountable to God. We can honor Him by what we do.

The Grace Card Movie

2011-01-26T17:26:00.000-08:00

The Grace Card Movie

John and I were able to attend a pre-viewing of the movie The Grace Card, coming to theaters February 25th. I am so glad to report that Christian movies are getting better and better! Years ago the quality and acting just weren’t that great, but that’s all changed.

And of course the message is always excellent!

Suicide Q&A

2011-01-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

A member of our church congregation committed suicide this month and the church had a question and answer type program to try and help the rest of us.

A lot was talked about, but here were the top 4 concerns:

1. Please address why there are more suicides around Christmas and what can we (family, friends and church body) do to help:

Holidays are a likely time for suicides because they are looked at as family time and people who are struggling with depression are the ones who feel most unloved. Friends and church family can help by inviting them to join there celebration. “Invite the uninvited.” Hug them, pray with them and always tell them and show them they are loved.

2. I grew up hearing that suicide is a mortal sin. Meaning the person won’t go to heaven.

The Catholic Church used to teach that suicide is a mortal sin because you couldn’t confess your sin (of murder - self murder) because you were dead. This is not Biblical at all. This would be like saying that what Jesus did on the cross wasn’t enough. Romans 5:21 says that where sin abounds grace super abounds! And Revelation 1:5 says Jesus released us from our sins by His blood. Once we are saved we are saved forever! Paul tells us that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
A Christian’s faith is supposed to grow, but sometimes it’s weak. At those times, Christ covers us. 2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
3. How can we help survivors?

Just be there for them. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, 2It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. So go to them. You don’t even have to SAY anything. Help where needed. Listen. Hug. Pray with them. But BE THERE as long as they need you!

4.What do we do if we think someone is depressed and suicidal?

First you have to be aware. You have to be in their life enough to know what’s going on. You can talk to them about how God might be able to use what they are going through for good – so that they see that possibility. Let them know that they CAN get through it. Sometimes a depressed person needs to count on the faith of another person while theirs is faltering. Remind them that the definition of suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. As deep and painful as it is, it’s temporary. Let them know they are not alone and that you care. That they are loved. Try to get them to see a Dr. to make sure there isn’t an underlying physical problem. If they are on medication, see if it needs to be adjusted. If they are talking about suicide, call 911 or the suicide hotline.

The Joy of Holiness

2011-01-20T13:56:00.001-08:00

This is the last post from my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness. I hope you've learned as much as I did. And that we are both obedient to what we've learned!

God intends for a Christian’s life to be full of joy. We should not be serving with sour faces!

John 15:10-11 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Jesus links joy and obedience in a cause and effect manner. There is joy in fellowship with God.

David said: Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

True joy only comes from God. When David committed adultery and murder he lost his joy and his prayer of repentance said, Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

We also feel joy just in knowing we are obeying God. Especially if a certain sin or disobedience is something we’ve struggled with for a long time. And we have the joy of anticipated reward. Even about Jesus it is said that:

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

As we grow as Christian we begin to find that the joy of a holy walk is infinitely more satisfying than the fleeting pleasures of sin. And just that knowledge brings us ever more joy!

God has given us everything we need. When we were saved He put the Holy Spirit in us. He freed us from the reign of sin. He revealed His will for holy living in His Word. He works in us to will and to act according to His good purposes. He has sent pastors and teachers to teach and encourage us. He asks us to pray to Him for help and comfort. We have to choose to accept all of this and discipline ourselves to live a holy life. Every time we fail we have to get up again.

The farmer we mentioned way back in the beginning of this study doesn’t sit back waiting for God to send rain and sun. He does his part, trusting God will do His. We must take the step of obedience. We must pursue holiness!

Holiness in an Ugly World

2011-01-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

Almost done with the lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness!

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

We’re stuck in an evil world. Some of us have it worse than others: kids in some colleges, some work environments, war zones. Unless we’re prepared for the world’s assaults, we’ll find it hard to maintain personal holiness. But we aren’t to hide. The Bible says we are to be salt and light to the world, all the while resisting its influence. One way is to identify ourselves openly with Christ! This will spare us a lot of temptation.

But we’re still going to be surrounded by a lot of second hand smoke! So the Bible, daily, is our best defense.

Little verses like these 2 can be memorized:

Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Proverbs 27:20 Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.

But more than being on the defensive we have to be concerned with other’s destinies. As lights of the world, Christians bring the good news. We don’t do this by denouncing their sins. Our lives should be a sufficient rebuke. And we should b more interested in their need of Jesus Christ as their Savior than their sins. We’re sinners too. It’s not up to us to point out other’s sins. We all need Christ. That’s what we know! That’s what we share!

Holiness and Faith

2011-01-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

We are to obey, by faith what we believe is God’s will. Whether it makes sense or not.

Holiness is not just separation from impurity, but obedience to God. No one can pursue holiness who is not prepared to obey God in every area of his life. Even when it’s costly.

Faith enables us to claim the promises of God and it also enables us to obey the commands of God. Hebrews is the great “faith chapter” and the author of Hebrews uses the words obey (or obedience) interchangeably with faith.

The world tells us “we deserve it”, “go for the gusto”, “get ahead” and “be #1!” The Bible tells us “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. That’s Matthew 20:26-27. We’re not to have as our goal, being rich in money, but being rich in good deeds.

It takes faith to pursue such Biblical values when the society around us is pursuing goals that are totally opposite. We believe that God ultimately upholds and blesses those who obey Him and trust Him for the consequences of obedience. We must have conviction in the necessity of obeying the revealed will of God as well as confidence in the promises of God.

Think about what we do all the time:

Because we don’t believe that humility is the path to God’s exaltation, we jockey for a place of position and power in our relations with others.

Because we don’t believe that God takes note of and will in His time avenge all wrongs done to us, we work at “getting back”” at someone who has wronged us.

Because we are not convinced of how bad sin is in God’s eyes, we play with it.

And because we don’t have a firm conviction that “without holiness no one will see the Lord” we don’t seriously pursue holiness on a priority in our lives. Obeying the commands of God involves believing the promises of God.

Habits of Holiness

2011-01-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

Every sin we commit reinforces the habit of sinning and makes it easier to sin. Habits play a very forceful role as external influences on our actions. Repeated acts of sin make us slaves to sin. But Paul tells us to put off our old self and put on the new; with its character and habits of holiness. Breaking bad habits must be done in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Sheer willpower rarely works.

Make saying no to a sin a habit. Over and over as you’re tempted, say no. The more often you do it the easier it will get. You can also develop the habit of thinking good thoughts, of praying, of reading the Bible. But it will take frequent repetition.

During this time you have to be careful not let an exception occur. No “just this once” type of thinking! I know people who have gained weight on a diet thinking this! “Tomorrow will be different.” Actually tomorrow will be more difficult if you give in today!

But, also don’t be discouraged if you fail. There’s a difference between failing and failure. Failure is when you give up. God expects us to pick ourselves up and keep trying.

Guarding our Emotions

2011-01-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

We must also guard our emotions. While God most often appeals to our wills through reason, Satan usually appeals to us through our desires. Yes he attacks our reasons to confuse and cloud the issues, but that’s to enable him to conquer us through our desires. Each of us should be aware of how sin attacks us and take preventive action.

Paul told Timothy to “flee the evil desires of youth” in 2 Timothy 2:22.

But we must also take the offensive. Paul, in Colossians 3:1 tells us to set our hearts on things above. That is - on spiritual values. The Psalmist in Psalms 1:2 tells us to delight in the law of God. We have to work at directing our desires toward God’s will.

Sometimes you have to read and re-read something, not for clearer instruction, but for motivation!

The stories of Daniel, Nehemiah, Elijah, Abraham, Joseph, Noah and David can motivate us to live lives more pleasing to God.

So to summarize; we are to guard our minds and emotions, be aware of what influences our minds and stimulates our desires and stay in God’s Word to direct and motivate us.

Holiness and Our Wills

2011-01-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

The author of The Pursuit of Holiness says our wills were corrupted in the fall. The will became rebellious and stubborn and wouldn’t listen to reason and it gave in to emotion. While the will is the ultimate determiner of all choices, it is influenced in its choices by the strongest focus brought to bear upon it. These forces come from a variety of sources. Subtle suggestions from Satan and his world system, an urgent voice of conscience, a Christian friend or the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Whatever source, they reach our wills through our reasons or our emotions.

But in our rebirth, emotions and reason are renewed, not immediately, but a little at a time. James 4:7 tells us to submit our wills to God. That’s the start.

How do we guard our minds and emotions? David wrote in Psalm 119:9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.

The Word of God. The Bible speaks to us primarily through our reason and that’s why it is so important for our minds to be constantly brought under its influence. The Bible is a priority in a Christian’s life.

Solomon told us in Proverbs 2:10 – 12, that wisdom, understanding and discretion will guard us from the evil way. How do we get those qualities?

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

From God. Through His Word. His sayings, His stories, His commandments. We need to read it diligently, prayerfully and seeking to understand. Not just for the spiritual information it gives, but also for the daily application of it in our everyday lives.

Bitterness and Retaliation

2011-01-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Bitterness is another defilement of the spirit that can wreck a Christian. It happens when we don’t trust in the sovereign rule of God in our lives. Joseph’s story shows us how we should act. He had every reason to be bitter: unjustly thrown into a well by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused by his master’s immoral wife, but he never lost site of the fact that God was in control of all that happened to him and at the end good came of it.

He told his brothers in Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Bitterness toward God is because we think He’s being unfair. Bitterness toward people is the result of an unforgiving spirit. Someone has wronged us and we refuse to forgive them. And that makes us like the servant who having just been forgiven the debt of millions refuses to forgive a debt of a few dollars and throws his fellow servant into prison.

Retaliation is another sin of the spirit. Paul said in Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Leave it to God! We often tell our kids when they come to us about how mean and unfair someone is treating them, “You be the one who’s good. You set the example!” Well, that’s what our Father tells us too!

We need to pray daily for humility and honesty to see these sinful attitudes for what they really are and for the grace and discipline to root them out of our minds and replace them with thoughts that please God.

Holiness in Spirit

2011-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Continuing my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness:

Our thoughts are just as important to God and are known to God as clearly as our actions. Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that God’s commands are intended not only to regulate outward conduct, but inner dispositions as well. It’s not enough “not to kill” – we must also not hate. It’s possible to seem completely good on the outside and have all kinds of bad stuff going on inside.

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” And there’s a well known verse that goes, “Sow a thought, reap an act, sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character.”

Our thoughts are important. Paul wrote:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Holiness begins in our minds and works out to our actions. So what we allow into our minds is really important. TV shows, movies, books, magazines, music and conversations all have an affect. We need to evaluate the effects of any of these honestly using Philippians 4:8 as a standard.

Is what I’m watching, reading, listening to true, pure, admirable and praiseworthy? There are primetime TV shows that not only throw swear words around, but “Jesus” and “God”. Even child actors talk like this!

Christianity Today recently had an article about faulty theology in some of the Christmas hymns and how dangerous that is. For some people this is the only gospel they hear and it’s wrong!

Jesus also warned us about what our eyes see.

Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

In one of his letters, Paul listed some acts of the sinful nature: defilements of the body, sexual immorality, impurity, drunkenness, etc. And of the spirit: hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition. We must get rid of all of it. That’s our everyday battle. We can’t let an inner life filled with envy, pride, bitterness and a critical, unforgiving spirit go on unchecked.

King Saul was envious of David. The older brother was envious of the Prodigal Son. It causes problems. All over the Bible we are told to be content. To be grateful. That God has assigned each of us a place in life.

1 Corinthians 7:17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

Christian Discipline

2011-01-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

A necessary ingredient of Christian discipline is perseverance. We will fail, but we will keep on trying, and gradually we will see progress. Know we won’t have instant success and every time Satan puts the thought, “what’s the use” in our mind we need to resolve to try again. Sinful habits are not broken overnight.

Proverbs 24:16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

We don’t quit because God has made us righteous and we have His power in us. The author of the book, The Pursuit of Holiness, spent a chapter talking about how Christians may give in to gluttony or drunkenness or laziness and they don’t consider it sinning. But he said if we aren’t keeping ourselves in good shape to do His work then it is.

It’s interesting that the Mormons abstain from tobacco, liquor and caffeine, and the 7 Day Adventists are vegetarians, maybe even vegans, but we Christians don’t even think about that. He wrote about the Mormons, “Their religion is a practical response to their belief that their bodies are the temple of God. For the Christian, the body truly is the temple of God. How sad then that a false religion should be more diligent in this area than we Christians.”

He said that physical softness often leads to spiritual softness. And that one of the problems of always giving in to what feels good for the moment is it will extend to other areas: sexual, immorality, lust and evil desires, greed, idolatry, etc. He wrote that greed shows up in materialism and materialism makes us discontent and envious of others.

The place to start controlling the cravings of our physical appetites is to reduce our exposure to temptation.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

We are to take positive steps to avoid temptation.

Proverbs 27:12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Spending time in the Bible

2011-01-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

And still more from my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness:

Not only do we need planned time in the Bible, we need a planned method. Usually the method falls into 4 categories and we need to be doing all of them.

1. Hear the word. Through pastors or teachers.
2. Read the Bible ourselves
3. Study the passages intently
4. Memorize key passages

So one thing we can do is take a pastor’s sermon and listen. Maybe take notes. Then each day of the following week, read the passages mentioned in the Bible, look up cross references and finally pick some of the verses to memorize.

But then we go further. We meditate on it. God told Joshua as he was assuming leadership over Israel: Joshua 1:8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Few of us take the time to do this. We rush through our reading to “get it done”. We find it odd to just “sit and think”. It takes discipline.

And the objective of our meditation is application. Obedience to what Scripture says. Again this takes discipline because it takes discipline to break habits.

We’ve talked in other lessons about questions we should ask ourselves while reading the Bible:

1. What does this passage teach me concerning God’s will for my holy life?
2. How does my life measure up to this scripture – specifically where do I fall short?
3. What definite steps of action do I need to take to obey? And be specific.

Here’s an example the author gave about the love chapter: 1 Corinthians 13. He said as you read and think about it you realize the importance of love and you also see the practical outworkings of love: love is patient and kind and does not envy. You ask yourself, “Am I impatient or unkind or envious toward anyone? As you think about this, say you realize you are envious toward someone. So you confess this sin to God, specifically stating the person’s name and you ask God to bless the person and to also give you a spirit of contentment so that you won’t continue to envy this person, but will instead love him or her. You even start looking for ways to help this person. And you do it everyday until it sticks and you really do have a spirit of love toward the person.

This is discipline toward holiness. It’s a structured plan. And that’s why it’s a life long process.

Using Scripture to be Obedient

2011-01-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

In the last post we said we have to know God's commands well enough so that they are the dominant influence in our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions:

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Memorize scripture and then apply those verses. For example when tempted to lie, remember Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
When tempted to steal – Ephesians 4:28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

There are hundreds of verses that speak to very specific sins or decisions.

For the unspecific decisions we have to make, he suggests asking 4 questions based on 3 verses in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 6:12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Ask: Is it helpful; physically, spiritually and mentally? For example you can apply this to TV programs you watch. (We have the right to watch anything, but is it beneficial?)

Again from 1 Corinthians 6:12 – Does it bring me under its power. You can apply this to drinking, smoking, drugs, too much shopping (!) Sometimes it’s not the activity itself, but that we make it all important – our idol.

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Ask, does it hurt others?

1 Corinthians 10:31 ask, does it glorify God?

And if all of that is hard to remember, just ask, “What would Jesus do?”

God wants Obedience – Not Victory!

2010-12-31T15:29:00.000-08:00

Continuing my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness:

The last section emphasized the work of the spirit. This one looks at our responsibility.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

We are to do something. We are to put to death the misdeeds of the body. We are not to “stop trying and start trusting”; we are commanded to assume our responsibility for a holy walk.

Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Let us throw off sin. Let us run with perseverance.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

2 Peter 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

We do this by relying on the spirit. By being obedient to His nudges to scripture. The author says that Christians are never “defeated” by sin. They are just disobedient. We are responsible for our thoughts, attitudes and actions.

When giving instruction for future kings of Israel, God said that a copy of His law was, (Deuteronomy 17:19) to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees

The king was to read God’s law “all the days of His life.” Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” (that’s from John 14:21)

Obedience is the pathway to holiness. But we have to have his commands. We have to read the Bible enough to know them well so they can be a dominant influence in our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions.

The Holy Spirit works to make us holy

2010-12-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

This next part from my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness talks about the Holy Spirit's role.

The Holy Spirit's work is to make us holy. One step at a time. He shows us our need of holiness. He shows us God’s standard of holiness. He shows us our specific areas of sin. We begin to notice our unforgiving nature. Our critical spirit, our tendency to judge others, our pride. Where before we never thought about it.

David was like this when he committed adultery and had Bathsheba’s husband killed. He was spiritually blind to what he had done, until Nathan the profit came to him and told him. Then David repented.

The Holy Spirit comes to us, like Nathan did to David. And pointing our sin out is the beginning of the ministry to make us holy.

Seeing that our sins are really against God, makes us sorry. Makes us repent. Makes us want to do better. Makes us hate sin and desire holiness. And we’ll never get there without the strong desire to do so. Our old habits and the attacks of Satan are strong.

One of the ways the Holy Spirit stimulates our desire for holiness is using scripture, so we need to be in God’s Word a lot! And we need to study it humbly, with a teachable spirit.

We also need to pray for the Holy Spirit. Paul prayed continually for the working of God’s Spirit in the lives of those to whom he was writing:

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Clearly Paul knew we depend on the Holy Spirit for holiness and he expressed this dependence through prayer! And by the way; these last 4 verses are GREAT prayers to pray for other people!

New Christians think they just need to read the Bible to see what God wants them to do and then do it. Mature Christians know better.

Struggling with Sin

2010-12-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

More from my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness:

We shouldn’t hide the fact that we struggle with sin because realizing that we do helps us battle it. Even Paul struggled. He wrote in Romans 7:21 “When I want to do good evil is right there with me.”

We have an indwelling propensity to sin inside of us, but now as Christians we also have the Holy Spirit inside who gives us the desire for holiness. So it is a battle.

David in Psalm 139 asked God to “Search me, O God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”

God’s primary means of searching our hearts this way is through His Word. When we read it under the power of the Holy Spirit.

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

So Satan goes after our minds. He deceives us. He helps us reason that something isn’t so bad, or he discourages us into thinking we are hopeless, so why even try.

We have to always be vigilant against sin. Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

So, you might be wondering, “I thought that the war with sin was won by Christ in His death on the cross so why am I still harassed and often defeated by sin in my heart?”

The author says we must accept the fact that God in His infinite wisdom has seen fit to allow this daily battle with indwelling sin. But He doesn’t leave us to battle it alone. Christianity is not a do it yourself thing. He has made ample provision for us to win the daily skirmishes. It’s not just that we are dead to sin, but we are alive to Christ. That means we are united with Christ and have His priority.

Our reactions to circumstances and trials and temptations are a part of our walk of holiness. Holiness isn’t a series of dos and don’ts, but conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God. Accepting with contentment whatever circumstances God allows for us is part of our holy walk. Paul wrote to the Philippians in 4: 11-13: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

He said he could respond in contentment because Christ gave him the strength to. If you read on in Philippians you’ll see Paul thanking the Philippians for their support. God will send people to help us. He will send us to help others!

Paul said to the Ephesians in 3:20 that God: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

We’ve all resolved a hundred times not to give in to some temptation we keep having, but we do. That’s when Satan comes to us and says, “You might as well give up. You can never overcome sin.” And we can’t on our own. Just knowing that helps! Then we need to rely on the Holy Spirit who is in us to do His work.

Christ's Holiness Part 2

2010-12-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted about the holiness in Christ from a study I did on book The Pursuit of Holiness. Here's the rest of that thought.

Most Christians really do want to live a holy life, but simply believe they can’t do it. We settle into kind of a mediocre “goodness”, not living in gross sin, but still committing sins pretty much daily. And we find the strong commands of Scripture to live a consistently holy life – frustrating!

We try to stop a certain sin with our own willpower or by praying for it to stop. Then we hear things like, “let go and let God”. That we should just turn our sin over to Christ and rest in His finished work on Calvary. That He will then live His life in us and we’ll experience a life of victory over sin.

And after all our struggle, we like this idea! But after a while, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we discover we’re still losing the sin battle. We still struggle with pride, jealousy, materialism, impatience and lust. We still eat too much, waste our time, criticize each other, lie, etc… all the while hating ourselves for doing it.

Then we wonder why it doesn’t “work” for us! We think we’re unique. That somehow our sinful natures must be worse then others. The author says that Satan works to confuse us on the issue of what God has done for us and what we must do ourselves. And that we have to realize that God has indeed made provision for us to live a holy life, but He also has given us definite responsibilities.

Romans 6:12–14 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Not allowing sin to reign in our mortal bodies is something we have to do. The experience of holiness is not a gift we receive like justification, but something which we are clearly told to work at.

Also, Paul started this verse with therefore, meaning it’s because of something he had just said, which was true. So lets look at (Romans 6:1-12)
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

The “therefore” refers back to the fact that we died to sin. What does he mean that we died to sin? Well first we see from these verses that our dying to sin is the result of our union with Christ. Because He died to sin, we died to sin. So that is something Christ has done. Dying to sin means it has no dominion over us. Before we trusted Jesus for our salvation, we were in the kingdom of Satan and sin. We followed the ways of this world.

Paul said in Romans 6:17 that we were slaves to sin.

Everyone who has ever lived, except Christ, was a slave to sin. But our union with Christ takes us out of Satan’s kingdom and into Christ’s kingdom. We used to live for ourselves, not Him. We didn’t want Him to be king of our lives.

Why do we still sin? Because even though we’ve moved to another kingdom, our sinful natures came with us! And they are powerful. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want.

There’s a battle going on!

We also have strong, sinful habits. We’ll talk about this next time, but a lot of what we do is just habit. And we’ll spend the rest of our lives taking off these habits and putting on the habits of holiness. Through little (and big!) choices we make everyday.

Also we still live in a world that’s populated by slaves of sin. And the world tries to conform us to its own sinful mold. So though we’ve been delivered from the kingdom of sin and its rule we have not been delivered from its attacks.

That’s why Paul warns us to be on guard, to not let our still sinful nature take over. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are no longer slaves. We can stand up to sin and say no to it. As slaves we sinned without even thinking about it. As Christians we are free and make a choice to sin or not. God gave us the potential for resisting, but the responsibility for resisting is ours!

"Dear Lord, You are the true goal of our lives. In the varied business of this day let us never lose sight of You. Show us how to make each of our activities a stepping stone to You. If any chore or habit of ours leads in another direction, show us what it is and help us to remove it."

The Holiness of Christ

2010-12-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

Still in the lesson from the book, The Pursuit of Holiness

The author says that it’s very important for us to understand the righteousness of Christ and the fact that His righteousness is credited to us. Over and over in Scripture we’re told that Jesus, during His time on earth lived a perfectly holy life. Hebrews 4:15 said He was “without sin.”

1 Peter 2:22 said He “committed no sin.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 describes Him as “Him who had no sin.”

1 John 3:5 says, “In Him is no sin.”

Even in the Old Testament Isaiah 53:11 calls Him “the righteous servant” and Psalm 45:7 as one who “loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” It’s a universal teaching in the Bible.

In John 8:46 Jesus Himself asked the Pharisees “can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” How many people would dare ask another that question? Especially of people who hate you and who would certainly dig something up if they could!

He also asked this question in the presence of His disciples who had been living with Him continuously and would have been able to see any inconsistency between His talk and His walk. But He could ask it because there was only one answer. He was without sin!

But the holiness of Jesus wasn’t just the absence of actual sin. It was also a perfect conformity to the will of His Father. There are a lot of statements He makes in the gospels where Jesus tells about doing His Father’s will, but my favorite is John 8:29 which says, “I always do what pleases Him.” What a great goal for us!

With Jesus it’s not just actions, it’s attitudes and motives. If we do something with the right action, but the wrong motive it doesn’t please God. Our motives must rise from a desire to do something simply because it’s the will of God. Even our thoughts should be holy since God knows what we’re thinking.

Jesus Christ perfectly met those standards. And He did it for us. He was born into this world subject to the law of God that He might fulfill it on our behalf.

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to Sonship.

Whenever we seriously contemplate the holiness of God, our natural reaction is “I’m ruined! I’m not even close! There’s no way!”

His moral purity serves to magnify our impurity. But we’re assured in the Bible that as believers our sins are forgiven. And we don’t just need to hear this the minute we’re saved; we need to hear it all along as we grow in holiness because the more we are growing the more we see how bad our sin really is. And when we realize that, we need to be reminded that it’s Christ’s perfect righteousness that covers us!

This may seem really elementary, but we need to dwell on it because Satan attacks us all the time over it. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to deeper yearning and striving for holiness, but Satan uses the Holy Sprit’s work to discourage us. One of his attacks is to try to convince us that we are not a genuine Christian after all. He’ll say something to us like, “a true Christian wouldn’t think that evil thought.”

Now before the Holy Spirit had started working on us that thought may not have troubled us too much. But now, because the Holy Spirit has begun to reveal how sinful some of our thoughts of pride or lust or rebellion really are, Satan’s comments makes us doubt our salvation.

That’s when we need to stand on the Rock of our salvation. To trust in Christ’s works! We are saved by His righteousness alone.

Even Paul said: 1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

The other reason we need to consider the holiness of Christ is because His life is meant to be an example of holiness for us.

1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Paul urged us to be imitators of God: Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children

And said it also in 1 Corinthians 11:1: Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ

So when Jesus said “I always do what pleases Him” that should be our goal too. Can we really take a look at all our activities, our thoughts, our words and say, “I’m doing this to please God”?

If we’re honest we’ll see that we do a lot of things so people will think well of us, or for our own pleasure, or just our own comfort – and really don’t ever wonder if it will glorify God or not.

When Jesus came into the world, He said (and this is from Hebrews 10:7) “I have come to do Your will, O God.”

This is our example to follow. In all of our thoughts, all of our actions, in every part of our character, the ruling principle that motivates and guides us should be our desire to follow Christ in doing the will of the Father. This is the road to holiness.

Holiness is not an option

2010-12-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Continuing lesson from book The Pursuit of Holiness:

Let’s look at Hebrews 12:14 that says without holiness no one will see the Lord. People may read this and start to wonder if their salvation depends on attaining some level of personal holiness.

First – scripture is clear that even the “best” Christians can never merit salvation through their personal holiness. Isaiah 64:6 says “our righteous deeds are like filthy garments in the light of God’s holy law.”

Second – scripture repeatedly refers to Christ’s work on our behalf.

Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

Christ not only lived a sinless life on earth, but died to fully pay the penalty of our sins and placate the wrath of God toward us.

Hebrews 10:10 shows us that our holiness before God depends entirely on the work of Jesus Christ for us by God’s will. Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ came to do the will of His Father. We have been made holy in God’s eyes by His work.

So what does Hebrews 12:14 refer to? This passage is talking about a holiness we strive for. And without this holiness, the writer says we won’t see God. Scripture speaks of both a holiness which we have in Christ before God (ie Hebrews 10:10) and a holiness we strive for after we are saved (ie Hebrews 12:14). Think justification and sanctification. We are immediately justified (declared holy) when we place our faith in Christ and we are sanctified on a daily basis after that. Our salvation is a salvation to holiness.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people,

This reminds me of the faith versus work argument. We are saved by faith, but because we are saved we live a life of good works pleasing to God.

The Holy Spirit inside us is working to make us holy. So if we don’t at least yearn in our hearts to live a holy life that pleases God, we need to seriously question whether our faith in Christ is genuine.

This desire may be just a little spark in the beginning, but it grows. Christ not only saved us from the penalty of sin, but from its dominion.

The author says that the whole purpose of our salvation is that we be “holy and blameless in His sight” (that’s from Ephesians 1:4) To continue to live in sin as a Christian is to go contrary to God’s very purpose for our salvation.

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

The same grace that brings salvation teaches us to renounce ungodly living. God has called us to fellowship with Himself and Jesus. Their very natures demand holiness in their presence.

When we hold on to some sin, we aren’t pursuing holiness and we can’t have fellowship with God. David wrote:

Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

God doesn’t require a perfect, sinless life to have fellowship with Him, but He does require that we be serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our lives instead of justifying it and that we pursue holiness as a way of life.

God will discipline us for our own good if we keep persisting in some sin. (from Hebrews 12:6)

When He speaks to us about some sin, we need to heed and take action!

Holiness is also necessary for effective service to God. 2 Timothy 2:21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
It’s the Holy Spirit who makes our service affective and empowers us for service. Note He is called the HOLY Spirit!

Ephesians 4:30 tells us that when we indulge our sinful natures and dwell in unholiness, the spirit of God is grieved and will not prosper our service. We’re not talking here about the times we fall in to temptation and immediately seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing, we’re talking about lives that are characterized by unholy living.

True faith will show itself by its fruits.

The author of this book wrote, “The only safe evidence that we are in Christ is a holy life.” We need to ask ourselves, “Is there evidence of practical holiness in my life? Do I desire and strive after holiness” Do I grieve over my lack of it and earnestly seek the help of God to be holy?”

The Holiness of God

2010-12-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

Still continuing my lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness:

1 Peter 1:15-16 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

This call is to everyone. Not just ministers and missionaries. The Christian plumber, housewife and politician are included.

As humans we tend to adapt to the behavior of the people around us. We measure ourselves against other Christians. But, God is our standard. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.

Holiness is just one of His attributes, but it’s an essential part of His nature and holy is used more often as a prefix to His name than any other. God never struggles with what’s right to do, or doing it. We, on the other hand, both struggle with what’s right to do AND then doing it because the right action may involve sacrifice or be a blow to our pride.

God always does what is just and right. So His holiness is perfect freedom from all evil.

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

No darkness, no evil! All of His thoughts and actions are consistent with His holy character. When we look at our Christian life in contrast, we hopefully see that we’re developing a certain degree of Christian character. That we are growing in areas of truthfulness, purity and humility.

But, we’re not always consistent. We still tell a lie. We still have impure thoughts.

This never happens to God. And it’s His standard that we are called to.

That He’s like this should be a real comfort to us because we can be confident that His actions toward us will always be perfect and just. Sometimes when people are in a trial you’ll hear them say that God is unfair. But it’s impossible for God to be unfair. He is holy! Acknowledging His holiness is one of the ways we are to praise God!

And because He is holy He can’t ignore or approve any evil committed. He cannot for one minute relax His standard of holiness.

Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Also because of His holiness He will never tempt us to sin. James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

Never feel like God is placing you in a situation where you have no choice.

God hates sin. Every time we sin we are doing something God hates! And hate is a very strong word.

As we grow in holiness, we grow in hatred of sin. Even though as Christians, we are justified solely through the righteousness of Christ we are told by the writer of Hebrews in 12:14 to “make every effort to be holy: without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

God’s standard for our character and actions is “Be Holy because I am holy.”

Holiness is in you

2010-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Continuing in the lesson from the book The Pursuit of Holiness:

Romans 6:14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

To be holy is to be morally blameless. It means to be separate from sin and therefore consecrated to God. In 1st Thessalonians Paul used the term in contrast to a life of immorality and impurity.

To live a holy life is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible and in contrast to the sinful ways of the world.

According to Ephesians 4:22-24 you are to: throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

So, if holiness is so basic to Christian life, why don’t we experience it more in daily living? Why do so many Christians feel constantly defeated in their struggle with sin? Why is it still hard to tell the church from the world? The author says there are 3 problem areas:

1. Our attitude toward sin is more self-centered than God-centered.

We are more concerned with our own “victory” over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God. All sin is against God. When we sin, we are despising His authority.

The prodigal son got it right when he said, “I have sinned against heaven and before thee.” So did David when he said, “Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned.”

2. We misunderstand “living by faith” to mean that no effort at holiness is required on our part. But we have to take responsibility for our sins.

3. We don’t take some sin seriously. In Song of Solomon 2:15 it says it is “the little foxes that ruin the vineyards.” It’s compromise on the little issues that lead to greater downfalls. If God calls something a sin, whether it’s big or tiny, we call it a sin too.

The Pursuit of Holiness

2010-12-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges for a Sunday School lesson and thought I'd share some of what it says:

Thomas Jefferson declared in the Declaration of Independence that one of the inherent and unalienable rights of man is “the pursuit of happiness.” For Christians, though, it’s the pursuit of holiness. In the Bible God states, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

When a farmer plows his field, sows the seed and fertilizes it, he knows that at the end whether he gets a good crop or not, is dependent on forces outside of his control. Rain, sun, animals, etc. For a successful harvest, he’s dependent on these things from God.

Yet he knows that unless he diligently pursues his responsibilities to plow, plant and fertilize he can’t expect a harvest at the end of the season. In a sense he’s in partnership with God and will only reap the benefits if he’s fulfilled his own responsibilities. It’s a joint venture. The farmer can not do what God must do and God will not do what the farmer should do!

The pursuit of holiness is also a joint venture with God. No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his life, but he also won’t attain it without any effort on his own part. God has made it possible for us to walk in holiness, but He’s given us the responsibility to do the walking.

Sometimes we don’t accept that. We pray for victory over sin when we should be acting in obedience.

Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Pursue peace and sanctification! Sanctification is the process of becoming holy and pursue suggests 2 thoughts: first that diligence and effort are required, and 2nd that it’s a life long task. We will never completely attain it in our life time. But it’s so important that the word holy in various forms occurs more than 600 times in the Bible. And the entire book of Leviticus is devoted to the subject.

Story of the Candy Cane

2010-12-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

The candy cane can be used as an object lesson by which to share the true meaning of Christmas.

Give a candy cane to each child. Ask him or her to describe it to you. After the children share their observations, tell them how each candy cane tells about Jesus Christ.

The white stripe indicates that Jesus was pure and holy; He was without sin. Scripture: Hebrews 4:15: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin."

The white is also a picture of how God cleans us from our sin, making us white as snow. Scripture: Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

The red stripe is a picture of the blood Jesus shed for each of us; the red stripes depict the stripes on His back as He was beaten Scripture: Isaiah 53:5: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

The hardness of the candy represents that Jesus is our "Rock." If we build our lives upon Him, they will be secure. Scripture: Luke 6:38: "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."

The candy cane is shaped like a shepherd's staff; the Bible calls Jesus our Good Shepherd who watches over us and cares for us; we are called the sheep of His pasture. Scripture: John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

If you turn the candy cane upside down though, it makes a "J" for Jesus! Scripture: Matthew 1:21: "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Hallelujah Chorus in the Food Court

2010-12-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

And He will reign forever and ever and ever!

Sanctification and Justification

2010-11-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

7 years of Bible Study Fellowship gave me a pretty good handle on Sanctification and Justification. Something that trips a lot of Christians up. But it’s still not easy to explain simply! Pastor Kurt Gebhards did an excellent job last week.

He started by making it clear that Christ alone is our righteousness. The only reason God accepts any man is because of Christ’s work. Our standing is unconditionally secure because of Jesus.

But! Our advancement is because of what we do.

As Christians, our obedience gladdens Him and our disobedience saddens Him.

Justification is the act of Salvation. God declares us righteous because of Christ. It’s a one time act and complete right away. It is entirely God’s work.

Sanctification is the believer becoming holy. A work in progress that won’t be complete until he or she gets to heaven. This is our growth toward becoming like Christ. We work at it by cooperating with God.

Colossians 3:12 – 25 says we have been chosen by God, Holy and beloved. This is our standing in Christ. Then it goes on to list 34 commandments of what we should do because of this! This is a wonderful passage to read daily!

Pastor Kurt said there are 6 ways to apply this:
1. Understand that your choices honor God or grieve Him.
2. Ask yourself if you truly want to honor Him.
3. Ensure proper motivation, which is grace.
4. Exert yourself.
5. Labor and love.
6. Sacrifice.