Sin. It’s such a pesky word. We don’t like to use it anymore. When your kids do something wrong, you don’t call them and say, "You sinned." You know, you don’t use that word. Or, imagine how weird it would be if you really mess up at work and your boss calls you in and says, "You sinned against the company." Or, if you are pulled over for something, the police don’t use the S-word. It’s like, you broke the law; you violated something. You get a “past due” letter – there may be some harsh words in it but you won’t find the S-word, will you?
Sin makes us think of God. Sin makes us think of judgment. Sin would mean there’s some giant set of “rules” out there, and I’m accountable and if I’ve broken those laws or those rules that God has set up, then I’m in big trouble because I’m accountable. There might be a judgment and I might have to beg for forgiveness. Or, probably, if there’s such a thing as sin, that I’m going to be punished, right?
Here’s what the dictionary says the definition for sin is: "Sin is a transgression [and here it is] of divine law." That’s why you don’t tell your kids, "You’ve sinned against me." It’s a transgression of divine law, which means there’s like a divine person or God or something that has a law. "Any act regarded as such a transgression, especially, [here it is] a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle."
So, sin means I did it on purpose. Sin means it was willful. You know, I planned this and I did this. Sin means I knew it was wrong when I did it, and that doesn’t make me feel very good about myself. In fact, if I have sins, then after a while I think I’m kind of a bad person. So, we don’t use that word. We like to say: "I just made a mistake.”
Now let’s read the definition of mistake. "A mistake [you gotta love this] is an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment [and check this out] caused by poor reasoning." "Oh, I just wasn’t thinking straight" (carelessness) or "Oh, I didn’t see that" (insufficient knowledge). "Well, I didn’t know any better," etc. See, this is a lot better word, because when you catch me, I can say, "Ah, my bad! My mistake."
And then if you kind of get a little forceful and if it’s you and your husband or your wife, friend or co-worker and you’re having an argument, you can say something like, "Okay, okay. So I made a mistake. Is that the end of the world? Nobody’s perfect.”
So let’s just take every possible, imaginable, bad thing we can do and let’s just dumb it down to where it’s just a mistake."
"Okay, spouse/friend/boss/coworker/etc., you caught me in a lie or whatever. Okay, so you caught me. Okay, okay. I’m sorry. It was a mistake. Can we just move on in our relationship?" "Okay, the expense account thing. I’m sorry, because I can say I’m sorry. It was a mistake. Can we just keep that in the category of mistake, which means you can’t hold this against me; you can’t punish me because, after all, nobody’s perfect. I made a mistake. I’ll try harder next time."
There’s a big, big difference between sin and mistake. Mistake, I don’t really have to ask you to forgive me. I can just say, "I’m sorry, okay? Can we just move on?" But Sin, now that’s a different thing altogether, I’m accountable. But if everything I do wrong can kind of be dumbed down to where it’s just a mistake, then that makes me a mistaker, which means I don’t have sin.
But if I’m a sinner, then I probably owe somebody something. I probably deserve something I don’t even really want to think about. If I’m a sinner, trying harder isn’t going to help me. If I’m a sinner, I need a Savior. But, if I’m not a sinner, I don’t have any need for a Savior.
The problem is that we know ourselves and we know better. When you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, you know the truth. You know that it wasn’t unintentional. You did that on purpose. You just didn’t think you’d get caught. Not only did you do it on purpose, you’ve done it before. Not only did you do it before, you’re hoping you can do it again. And the only problem was that somebody brought it to your attention. You were just able to pass it off and say let’s go on and move on with your relationship or whatever it is, but you know in your heart that what you did was more than a mistake. It was not unintentional. It wasn’t because of a bad calculation, or it wasn’t because of poor reasoning. It wasn’t careless. It wasn’t because of insufficient knowledge. You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew exactly what you were doing when you did it. It wasn’t a mistake. It was, uh oh, here its comes, SIN!
And then what about guilt? You see, we don’t need to feel guilty about a mistake, do we? You know a mistake is a mistake. We didn’t mean to. We didn’t have enough information. Well, sort of--in a way, it wasn’t even our fault. We weren’t informed enough. We weren’t paying close attention. Whatever it was, we don’t feel guilty for a mistake. However, we feel guilty for sin. But if there’s no sin and we’re not a sinner, and there’s no need for a Savior, where is all that guilt coming from?
After all, if it was just a mistake, there shouldn’t be any of that. But it is, and here’s why: because culture may tell you you’re just a mistaker who makes mistakes, but if you’re honest with yourself, you know it’s deeper than that, because you’re a sinner who sins.
Now speaking of a Savior, Jesus came with two messages: #1: You’re a sinner; you’re in trouble. You’re hopelessly lost. #2: God loves sinners and has sent a Savior, Me, to find you.
And here’s the rub! Until we embrace the fact that we’re a sinner, we’re not open to embracing the fact that God sent us a Savior. As long as we think we are a mistaker, we don’t feel the need of the Savior! But we have to finally come to grips with the fact that no, we don’t accidentally do things. There’s something fundamentally wrong with you and with me. And we need a Savior to fix this “thing”.
Once we recognize/confess/admit/understand that we have sinned there is some Good News.
Perhaps one of the most well known stories Jesus told was about the prodigal son. In this story, Jesus makes it really clear that the father in the story represents God and the son represents all of us, people who’ve strayed from God. And the story was told to help people understand what God’s attitude toward sin was.
Do you remember the story? The son comes to the father and says, "Dad, I wish you were dead (He didn’t say that, but that’s what he communicates.) because then I’d get half of your . . . I’d get my inheritance, but now I’ve got to wait till you die. Would you just pretend like you’re dead and go ahead and give me half of your inheritance?" That’s what he was saying. He insulted his father, took half of his father’s estate, went to the city, to the town, and blew it on wild women and partying and just had the time of his life for several weeks or months. We don’t know how long it went on. But he finally spent all his money. There was a famine in the land. He had to go get a job. And one day he realized, "You know what? I should go work for my dad. I mean, I’m not going to go back and try to be a son again. That’s over, okay, because, after all, I mean, there’s no way he’s going to take me back as a son. But, you know, the guys that work for my dad? They get treated better than they’re treating me here in the city. I’ll just go back and ask my dad for a job."
And he comes up with this speech, and he rehearses this speech. And here’s what he says when he gets to his father. Listen to these words, because Jesus is telling this story so we understand God’s reaction to sin and how God views sinners who are coming back. This is in Luke Chapter 15, verse 21. Just listen to this: "Father, I have [what’s the word?] sinned." In other words, he didn’t say, "Dad, I’m back, dude. How’s it going? You know, things didn’t go too good. Hey, I made a few mistakes. I’m young and stupid, okay? I should have known better. I should’ve listened. Can we just kind of move on, ’cause, okay, I made some mistakes, alright? I’m embarrassed, but can we just move on?" Uh-uh. He says, "Dad, I have sinned against heaven and against you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son." In other words, "Dad, I’m here to say you don’t owe me anything. I’m pleading for mercy because I’m a sinner."
It is very important to note here that the father did not go and bring the son back. The son realized what a mess he had gotten into and came “humbly” back to the father and confessed he was sinner!
Now what did the father say? "’Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.’"
"Why so quick? Shouldn’t we let him grovel here a little bit?" "No, quick. Listen, Now that he’s recognized that he messed up, I want this relationship restored as quickly as possible.
And this is how it is in our relationship with God through our Savior, Jesus Christ -- the sooner you and I admit our sinfulness, the sooner we ask forgiveness, the sooner we have a “change of heart” (repent) about what we’ve done, (another lesson, another day!) the sooner you and I are candidates for God’s grace. The sooner we see our misdeeds as sin, the sooner we are, the closer we are, to knowing what it feels like to be forgiven. And reestablish our relationship with our FATHER!
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
How to Wrestle in Prayer
When something bad happens, don't just throw out a few brief prayers for God's help, and then move on in discouragement if the situation doesn't change for the better. God wants you to wrestle with Him in prayer. By grabbing hold of God's promises and fighting to see them activated on Earth, we can help expand God's kingdom in our fallen world.
Here's how you can help fulfill God's purposes by wrestling in prayer for them to become realities in this world:
Don't accept defeat. Be aware that evil wants to attack you constantly and pull you into despair that will lead to spiritual defeat. Peter writes: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8. Guard yourself from evil through prayer every day. Rely on the Holy Spirit's power to stand up and fight against Satan's intentions for your life. If you remain constantly on guard against evil, you'll emerge victorious and empowered to become offensive, rather than defensive, in the spiritual realm.
Build your faith. The writer of Hebrews says: “..it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). Ask God to give you the faith you need to confidently trust that He will keep His promises, no matter what circumstances you face. Believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Surround yourself with Christians who have strong faith - people who believe that God is as big as He says He is, and who have personally experienced His mighty power and faithfulness in their own lives. Aim to build a faith that is unwavering, stouthearted, persistent, and immovable. Fully expect God to respond to your prayers.
Remove roadblocks to prayer. Paul tells the church as Thessalonica to “Never stop praying”. (1 Thessalonians 5) Get rid of habits in your life that appeal to selfishness and give your time and attention fully to the work of God within you. Eliminate activities that interfere with you giving your best focus to prayer every day. Ask God to show you when you typically yield to selfish whims and desires during each day. Then pray for the strength to yield to the Holy Spirit's urgings at those times and in those situations, so you'll develop a habit of listening to God rather than just following your own agenda. Make regular appointments with God to pray, and follow through, whether or not you feel like praying at the time.
Break free from sin that tries to control you. The great Apostle Paul wrote about himself, “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (Romans 7: 14b-15) Pray for the strength you need to overcome whatever sin you repeatedly struggle with, such as lust, pride, fear, greed, doubt, gossip, or bitterness. Ask God to renew your mind and spirit. Get rid of sinful habits that interfere with your prayers, block the intimacy God wants you to have with Him, and gives Satan a vulnerable point through which to attack you. Repent of the sin or wrong habits that God brings to your attention, and ask Him to cleanse you from them.
Rely on God's strength. In John 16:33, Jesus told His followers, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” You'll never lose a battle when you fight with God's strength flowing through you. So don't rely just on your own limited strength; pray for God to empower you to do battle in every situation through His Spirit working in you. When God anoints you with His power, you'll be able to look at life from His perspective, courageously fight evil, and share the Gospel message with confidence.
Ask properly. When asking God for something in prayer, do so in the ways He prescribes in the Bible. Approach God with pure motives, seeking answers that reflect His will, rather than trying to convince God to follow your own agenda. To identify any faulty patterns in your prayer life, ask yourself: "Am I praying merely for my own comforts and desires?", "Do I ever pray when things are going well, or only when I'm in dire need?", "Is my motive in prayer my own happiness, or God's glory?", "Do I pray with an attitude of doubt, just going through the motions of prayer because it's the spiritual thing to do?" Repent of any wrong attitudes and ask God to help you approach prayer differently. Avoid misguided, selfish, and doubting prayers. Instead, aim to pray in alignment with God's will and remember that He wants the best for you. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14-15)
Don't just talk - listen. Realize that prayer is more about listening to God than it is talking to Him. Train yourself to focus on God's messages to you. Learn how to be still and pay attention to Him speaking.
Make more time for prayer. Evaluate your sleep schedule, leisure activities, and work schedule to see what change you might make to allow yourself more time to pray regularly. Stop wasting time on trivial activities (like watching too much TV at night) so you'll have more time available for prayer.
Learn more about prayer. Ask God to teach you more about how He wants you to pray. Read respected books about prayer. Study the lives of some great Christian heroes and heroines and see what you can learn about prayer from their examples.
Pray with tenacity. Be persistent, praying until God gives you answers. Don't give up praying about a situation until God's power comes into it. Remember, “Never stop praying”
Pray audacious prayers. Don't hesitate to pray for big things that only God can do. Invite Him to do something incredibly powerful in each situation that you bring before Him. Expect Him to do much more than you could even ask or think on your own.
BUT, the real key to prayer is to pray as Christ would pray. This means that prayer is not bending God's arm to give us what we want. Prayer is the means whereby the Christian aligns his/her will to the will of God. Prayer is not asking God to move towards us as much as it is asking God to move us towards Him.
Why is this so difficult? What hinders us from praying as Christ would pray? What hinders us is our self-centeredness. What hinders us is that we all have our own agendas. What hinders us is that we always want to be in control. We want to choose everything from our career, to our friends, to our belief system. God insists, however, that we choose our paths according to His will, and on His terms.
Is God being a tyrant by demanding that we carry out His will? No. In fact, demanding that His will be done is a demonstration of God's great love for us. If God is, as we confess, all-powerful, infinitely wise, and perfectly holy, then doing God's will is for our own benefit! Doing God's will is far better, and in the long run, far safer, than doing our own will.
Here's how you can help fulfill God's purposes by wrestling in prayer for them to become realities in this world:
Don't accept defeat. Be aware that evil wants to attack you constantly and pull you into despair that will lead to spiritual defeat. Peter writes: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8. Guard yourself from evil through prayer every day. Rely on the Holy Spirit's power to stand up and fight against Satan's intentions for your life. If you remain constantly on guard against evil, you'll emerge victorious and empowered to become offensive, rather than defensive, in the spiritual realm.
Build your faith. The writer of Hebrews says: “..it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). Ask God to give you the faith you need to confidently trust that He will keep His promises, no matter what circumstances you face. Believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Surround yourself with Christians who have strong faith - people who believe that God is as big as He says He is, and who have personally experienced His mighty power and faithfulness in their own lives. Aim to build a faith that is unwavering, stouthearted, persistent, and immovable. Fully expect God to respond to your prayers.
Remove roadblocks to prayer. Paul tells the church as Thessalonica to “Never stop praying”. (1 Thessalonians 5) Get rid of habits in your life that appeal to selfishness and give your time and attention fully to the work of God within you. Eliminate activities that interfere with you giving your best focus to prayer every day. Ask God to show you when you typically yield to selfish whims and desires during each day. Then pray for the strength to yield to the Holy Spirit's urgings at those times and in those situations, so you'll develop a habit of listening to God rather than just following your own agenda. Make regular appointments with God to pray, and follow through, whether or not you feel like praying at the time.
Break free from sin that tries to control you. The great Apostle Paul wrote about himself, “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (Romans 7: 14b-15) Pray for the strength you need to overcome whatever sin you repeatedly struggle with, such as lust, pride, fear, greed, doubt, gossip, or bitterness. Ask God to renew your mind and spirit. Get rid of sinful habits that interfere with your prayers, block the intimacy God wants you to have with Him, and gives Satan a vulnerable point through which to attack you. Repent of the sin or wrong habits that God brings to your attention, and ask Him to cleanse you from them.
Rely on God's strength. In John 16:33, Jesus told His followers, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” You'll never lose a battle when you fight with God's strength flowing through you. So don't rely just on your own limited strength; pray for God to empower you to do battle in every situation through His Spirit working in you. When God anoints you with His power, you'll be able to look at life from His perspective, courageously fight evil, and share the Gospel message with confidence.
Ask properly. When asking God for something in prayer, do so in the ways He prescribes in the Bible. Approach God with pure motives, seeking answers that reflect His will, rather than trying to convince God to follow your own agenda. To identify any faulty patterns in your prayer life, ask yourself: "Am I praying merely for my own comforts and desires?", "Do I ever pray when things are going well, or only when I'm in dire need?", "Is my motive in prayer my own happiness, or God's glory?", "Do I pray with an attitude of doubt, just going through the motions of prayer because it's the spiritual thing to do?" Repent of any wrong attitudes and ask God to help you approach prayer differently. Avoid misguided, selfish, and doubting prayers. Instead, aim to pray in alignment with God's will and remember that He wants the best for you. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14-15)
Don't just talk - listen. Realize that prayer is more about listening to God than it is talking to Him. Train yourself to focus on God's messages to you. Learn how to be still and pay attention to Him speaking.
Make more time for prayer. Evaluate your sleep schedule, leisure activities, and work schedule to see what change you might make to allow yourself more time to pray regularly. Stop wasting time on trivial activities (like watching too much TV at night) so you'll have more time available for prayer.
Learn more about prayer. Ask God to teach you more about how He wants you to pray. Read respected books about prayer. Study the lives of some great Christian heroes and heroines and see what you can learn about prayer from their examples.
Pray with tenacity. Be persistent, praying until God gives you answers. Don't give up praying about a situation until God's power comes into it. Remember, “Never stop praying”
Pray audacious prayers. Don't hesitate to pray for big things that only God can do. Invite Him to do something incredibly powerful in each situation that you bring before Him. Expect Him to do much more than you could even ask or think on your own.
BUT, the real key to prayer is to pray as Christ would pray. This means that prayer is not bending God's arm to give us what we want. Prayer is the means whereby the Christian aligns his/her will to the will of God. Prayer is not asking God to move towards us as much as it is asking God to move us towards Him.
Why is this so difficult? What hinders us from praying as Christ would pray? What hinders us is our self-centeredness. What hinders us is that we all have our own agendas. What hinders us is that we always want to be in control. We want to choose everything from our career, to our friends, to our belief system. God insists, however, that we choose our paths according to His will, and on His terms.
Is God being a tyrant by demanding that we carry out His will? No. In fact, demanding that His will be done is a demonstration of God's great love for us. If God is, as we confess, all-powerful, infinitely wise, and perfectly holy, then doing God's will is for our own benefit! Doing God's will is far better, and in the long run, far safer, than doing our own will.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A Bout With The Doubts
A Bout With The Doubts
John 20:20-28
Most of us have heard about Thomas. “Doubting Thomas;” poor ol’ doubting Thomas. The guy has caught grief for 2000 years and he will probably catch grief for the next 2000 years – or until the Lord returns. To be honest, don’t you feel for the guy. Our tradition has singled him out as having an inferior faith because he actually expressed his doubt in the resurrection. He made his reservations known out-loud. And because of that he has the dubious distinction of being the poster child for skepticism. But you know what is even worse for ol’ Thomas is that most people know what a “Doubting Thomas” is even if they have never heard this biblical story. His name is simply synonymous with doubt.
But in any case, we still are left with a man who appears to have a crack in his wall of faith through which a little doubt is oozing out. And can you really blame him? What he is asked to accept is fantastic. And keep in mind he is hearing about the resurrection second hand. The other disciples had the advantage of seeing Jesus in person a few days prior. So, for Thomas, not having had the encounter with the risen Lord, this tale being spun by the delirious disciples is a bit unbelievable. Even for us who have the benefit of knowing the end of the story, this seems unreal. Like, it is not every day that we hear about folks rising from the dead. In fact, we can go out on a limb and say that it is a fairly rare event.
So, Thomas, having heard the news that the disciples saw Jesus alive, was understandable skeptical. Put yourself in Thomas’ shoes for a minute. Just like Thomas, pretend that you have never heard the story of Jesus’ resurrection. And one day, after having attended a funeral for a friend, someone comes up to you and says excitedly, “You’ll never guess who I saw at Wal-Mart today. She looks great! Man, to look at her, you’d never guess that she died last week.”Think how you would react to that. The first concern would be, whoa, this person has “lost it”. The second thought would be that whoever the friend saw must obviously bear a striking resemblance to the deceased friend. Let’s be honest. The idea that someone would be walking around after having died the previous week is so far beyond the realm of possibility that we wouldn’t even entertain the thought of it. And yet, we somehow expect Thomas to accept this news in a matter-of-fact way; like this was no surprise at all.
Poor ol’ Thomas has the become the scapegoat for the church which sometimes says that doubt is wrong; or that it is somehow less than faithful to need a sign, or a touch, or a vision, or a personal encounter. We get the impression that we are not allowed to ask the hard questions without being labeled a cynic, or a skeptic, or a liberal, or even an unbeliever! Since when are questions bad? Since when is it wrong to admit that we don’t understand everything? Since when is it wrong to ask God to clarify something? Read the account of Job, or the Psalms. Both are filled with uncertainties, complaints, and questions of God. Even Jesus while hanging on the cross cried out to God, “…….My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Thomas is just one in a long line of faithful people who have raised their voices to ask the hard yet faithful questions.Folks, faith lies in conversation. What the point here is - that faith is really what prompts the conversation. Faith is when we are willing to embrace the doubts, ask the questions, and face the answers. Faith is believing in something that is beyond our ability to comprehend it, but we are not afraid to try.
This story is a testimony to the difficulty of faith – how hard it is to believe. Faith takes work, because it puts us in uncomfortable places and begs us to ask tough questions. This story validates our need for God’s touch. It says that it is okay for us to ask questions of God and… to wish for a personal encounter. There is nothing cut-and-dried about the Christian faith. It cannot be reduced to a set of rules, where everything fits, where everything makes sense, where all we have to do is to connect the dots. That is the kind of thing the Pharisees tried to do. They tried to explain everything in a formula; to make all of life so that it could be answered by a set of rules. And if it didn’t fit within that set of rules they rejected it as heresy or blasphemy. And consequently, their hearts were closed to the renewing of Christ simply because he didn’t meet the criteria. Their unwillingness to look "outside the box" blinded them to the miracle of Jesus Christ who stood in their presence.God comes in places where we sometimes least expect it, showing us that “possibility” has nothing to do with our being able to explain it. Sometimes our faith asks us to look outside the box; to color outside the lines and to believe some things that the rest of the world says are ridiculous. Or... our faith may ask us to do things that the rest of the world says are silly.
But, like Thomas, faith begins with an encounter with Jesus. It has to begin with an encounter, because without it we are unable to believe. Without an encounter with God, the resurrection seems as silly as seeing Elvis in the grocery store buying peanuts. It is ridiculous. But an encounter with the risen Christ changes all of that. Suddenly, the absurd becomes a new reality, and rules which once governed our believing - and our dis-believing - are blurred. And even the lines between life and death, which once seemed so absolute, are crossed.
Make no mistake about it this is a story of doubt, but it is also a story of God’s ability to change that doubt into faith – not erase the doubt, but overcome it with an irresistible encounter with the impossible. Faith is that crazy thing that allows us to believe when everything else says, “impossible.”
This story is important because when we can see the possible through our own cloudy, disbelieving eyes, we suddenly can see an entire world of possibility far beyond what skepticism would allow. God has overcome the grave, and now God even overcomes those things that lead to our death – things like disbelief, fear, hatred, and narrowness.And even though this is a story of doubt, it is the miracle of faith that we are ultimately left with. Minds are opened, hearts swell with the words, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) All because of a personal touch from our Lord. Without it, we just continue to wallow around in our own doubt, or remain a hostage by the world’s rules that cling to the impossibilities.
Thomas’s reputation needs a little polishing. He really wasn’t such a bad guy. In fact, he was no different from the other disciples; he was just a week late! The other disciples also needed a personal encounter with the risen Jesus JUST AS MUCH AS THOMAS DID. Read the story again and you will see that all of them reacted with fear and disbelief at first.
Faith and understanding began only after Jesus made himself known personally to each of them. And isn’t it exactly the same for us. We remain solidly in our own doubt until the Lord breaks through the locked doors of our hearts. The miraculous news in all of this is that God searches and finds us even when we don’t want to be found. Even when we lock ourselves away from the world; even when we try to keep out the good news, Jesus comes right through that “locked” door.
We all need a personal encounter with the Lord before we can declare, “my Lord and my God.” A second-hand Jesus just will never do. We need God to break into our locked hearts and to give us that encounter.
We have all been doubting Thomas’ at some point in our lives. But it is into our doubting and searching hearts where Jesus just comes in and reveals himself to us. God knows our need for a first-hand encounter. That is why God came to us in the person of Jesus -- took on flesh so that we could see him, touch him, hear him, and be touched by him. And he died for all of us -- died on a cross, raised up for all to see. We have been given a vision of God’s sacrificial love in the person of Jesus. And we are touched by God’s Holy Spirit, who breaks through and breathes life into our faithless and doubting hearts, causing us to cry like Thomas, “my Lord and my God.”
After the Lord breaks into our hearts and we have declared “my Lord and my God,” there is a life that proceeds from that point. God calls us out of our locked rooms into the world. We are called to show our faith for the sake of others. So, when others hear our “story”, may they not simply hear words, but may they see Jesus Christ alive in our hearts and lives. The ways we love each other; the ways we respond to those in need; the ways we are responsible with all God has entrusted to us will be visible evidence of Jesus’ presence in our lives. Others will come to faith, not by what we say, but by the way we live God’s love. Be a vision of Christ for someone today. Let’s help someone have a first-hand encounter with the living Christ in the way we open our hearts to others.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
John 20:20-28
Most of us have heard about Thomas. “Doubting Thomas;” poor ol’ doubting Thomas. The guy has caught grief for 2000 years and he will probably catch grief for the next 2000 years – or until the Lord returns. To be honest, don’t you feel for the guy. Our tradition has singled him out as having an inferior faith because he actually expressed his doubt in the resurrection. He made his reservations known out-loud. And because of that he has the dubious distinction of being the poster child for skepticism. But you know what is even worse for ol’ Thomas is that most people know what a “Doubting Thomas” is even if they have never heard this biblical story. His name is simply synonymous with doubt.
But in any case, we still are left with a man who appears to have a crack in his wall of faith through which a little doubt is oozing out. And can you really blame him? What he is asked to accept is fantastic. And keep in mind he is hearing about the resurrection second hand. The other disciples had the advantage of seeing Jesus in person a few days prior. So, for Thomas, not having had the encounter with the risen Lord, this tale being spun by the delirious disciples is a bit unbelievable. Even for us who have the benefit of knowing the end of the story, this seems unreal. Like, it is not every day that we hear about folks rising from the dead. In fact, we can go out on a limb and say that it is a fairly rare event.
So, Thomas, having heard the news that the disciples saw Jesus alive, was understandable skeptical. Put yourself in Thomas’ shoes for a minute. Just like Thomas, pretend that you have never heard the story of Jesus’ resurrection. And one day, after having attended a funeral for a friend, someone comes up to you and says excitedly, “You’ll never guess who I saw at Wal-Mart today. She looks great! Man, to look at her, you’d never guess that she died last week.”Think how you would react to that. The first concern would be, whoa, this person has “lost it”. The second thought would be that whoever the friend saw must obviously bear a striking resemblance to the deceased friend. Let’s be honest. The idea that someone would be walking around after having died the previous week is so far beyond the realm of possibility that we wouldn’t even entertain the thought of it. And yet, we somehow expect Thomas to accept this news in a matter-of-fact way; like this was no surprise at all.
Poor ol’ Thomas has the become the scapegoat for the church which sometimes says that doubt is wrong; or that it is somehow less than faithful to need a sign, or a touch, or a vision, or a personal encounter. We get the impression that we are not allowed to ask the hard questions without being labeled a cynic, or a skeptic, or a liberal, or even an unbeliever! Since when are questions bad? Since when is it wrong to admit that we don’t understand everything? Since when is it wrong to ask God to clarify something? Read the account of Job, or the Psalms. Both are filled with uncertainties, complaints, and questions of God. Even Jesus while hanging on the cross cried out to God, “…….My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Thomas is just one in a long line of faithful people who have raised their voices to ask the hard yet faithful questions.Folks, faith lies in conversation. What the point here is - that faith is really what prompts the conversation. Faith is when we are willing to embrace the doubts, ask the questions, and face the answers. Faith is believing in something that is beyond our ability to comprehend it, but we are not afraid to try.
This story is a testimony to the difficulty of faith – how hard it is to believe. Faith takes work, because it puts us in uncomfortable places and begs us to ask tough questions. This story validates our need for God’s touch. It says that it is okay for us to ask questions of God and… to wish for a personal encounter. There is nothing cut-and-dried about the Christian faith. It cannot be reduced to a set of rules, where everything fits, where everything makes sense, where all we have to do is to connect the dots. That is the kind of thing the Pharisees tried to do. They tried to explain everything in a formula; to make all of life so that it could be answered by a set of rules. And if it didn’t fit within that set of rules they rejected it as heresy or blasphemy. And consequently, their hearts were closed to the renewing of Christ simply because he didn’t meet the criteria. Their unwillingness to look "outside the box" blinded them to the miracle of Jesus Christ who stood in their presence.God comes in places where we sometimes least expect it, showing us that “possibility” has nothing to do with our being able to explain it. Sometimes our faith asks us to look outside the box; to color outside the lines and to believe some things that the rest of the world says are ridiculous. Or... our faith may ask us to do things that the rest of the world says are silly.
But, like Thomas, faith begins with an encounter with Jesus. It has to begin with an encounter, because without it we are unable to believe. Without an encounter with God, the resurrection seems as silly as seeing Elvis in the grocery store buying peanuts. It is ridiculous. But an encounter with the risen Christ changes all of that. Suddenly, the absurd becomes a new reality, and rules which once governed our believing - and our dis-believing - are blurred. And even the lines between life and death, which once seemed so absolute, are crossed.
Make no mistake about it this is a story of doubt, but it is also a story of God’s ability to change that doubt into faith – not erase the doubt, but overcome it with an irresistible encounter with the impossible. Faith is that crazy thing that allows us to believe when everything else says, “impossible.”
This story is important because when we can see the possible through our own cloudy, disbelieving eyes, we suddenly can see an entire world of possibility far beyond what skepticism would allow. God has overcome the grave, and now God even overcomes those things that lead to our death – things like disbelief, fear, hatred, and narrowness.And even though this is a story of doubt, it is the miracle of faith that we are ultimately left with. Minds are opened, hearts swell with the words, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) All because of a personal touch from our Lord. Without it, we just continue to wallow around in our own doubt, or remain a hostage by the world’s rules that cling to the impossibilities.
Thomas’s reputation needs a little polishing. He really wasn’t such a bad guy. In fact, he was no different from the other disciples; he was just a week late! The other disciples also needed a personal encounter with the risen Jesus JUST AS MUCH AS THOMAS DID. Read the story again and you will see that all of them reacted with fear and disbelief at first.
Faith and understanding began only after Jesus made himself known personally to each of them. And isn’t it exactly the same for us. We remain solidly in our own doubt until the Lord breaks through the locked doors of our hearts. The miraculous news in all of this is that God searches and finds us even when we don’t want to be found. Even when we lock ourselves away from the world; even when we try to keep out the good news, Jesus comes right through that “locked” door.
We all need a personal encounter with the Lord before we can declare, “my Lord and my God.” A second-hand Jesus just will never do. We need God to break into our locked hearts and to give us that encounter.
We have all been doubting Thomas’ at some point in our lives. But it is into our doubting and searching hearts where Jesus just comes in and reveals himself to us. God knows our need for a first-hand encounter. That is why God came to us in the person of Jesus -- took on flesh so that we could see him, touch him, hear him, and be touched by him. And he died for all of us -- died on a cross, raised up for all to see. We have been given a vision of God’s sacrificial love in the person of Jesus. And we are touched by God’s Holy Spirit, who breaks through and breathes life into our faithless and doubting hearts, causing us to cry like Thomas, “my Lord and my God.”
After the Lord breaks into our hearts and we have declared “my Lord and my God,” there is a life that proceeds from that point. God calls us out of our locked rooms into the world. We are called to show our faith for the sake of others. So, when others hear our “story”, may they not simply hear words, but may they see Jesus Christ alive in our hearts and lives. The ways we love each other; the ways we respond to those in need; the ways we are responsible with all God has entrusted to us will be visible evidence of Jesus’ presence in our lives. Others will come to faith, not by what we say, but by the way we live God’s love. Be a vision of Christ for someone today. Let’s help someone have a first-hand encounter with the living Christ in the way we open our hearts to others.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Friday, February 19, 2010
This Is How It Feels To Be Led
See video and hear song by FFH at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxMdFWK65gM
So this is what if feels like to walk the wilderness. This is what if feels like to come undone.
This is what if feels like to loose my confidence, unsure of anything or anyone.
So this is what if feels like to walk the desert sand. And this is what if feels like to hear my name.
To be scared to death ‘cause I'm all alone, but feel love and peace just the same.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow.
’Cause I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
So this is what if feels like to just fall apart. To be totally unglued, to find out if I accept my brokenness, I get more of me, I get all of you.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it feels just right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this I what it feels like to be led!
So this is what if feels like to just walk away from everything I thought kept me safe,
to depend just on you for every meal and find it's better this way. Oh it's better this way
And this may not be the road I would choose for me. but it still feels right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now like I do right now. Like I feel right now.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
This is what if feels like to be led. So this is what if feels like.
How many of us really like to be “led”?
"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD" (Zech. 4:6). It is His Spirit that accomplishes the work, not our strength. As we allow His Spirit to lead us, more is accomplished than we could ever do in our own strength.
For God to work through us to accomplish His will, we need to learn how to be led by the Spirit of God. And this don’t mean being led on the major issues only, but on each and every decision we make. Even as small as what clothes we wear, and what gas station we stop in. That's how involved God wants to become in our lives. And often, we really will feel that “this may not be the road I would choose for me”. And this makes us uncomfortable! Really now, depend on Him for every meal?
When the nation of Israel was led out of Egypt, "The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night" (Ex. 13:21 It is easier to follow when there is a visible leading like that. But, we have the Spirit of God living inside of us now and if we learn to let Him lead us this will be even a even better guide for us to follow.
Paul said in Romans 8:14 " For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Therefore, being led by the Spirit is a quality of the children of God. Who are the children of God? We are of course. "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).
Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit right from the start of His earthly ministry. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. (Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1). Jesus is to be our example.
But wait, what if I don't want to be led by the Spirit? After all, if I let the Holy Spirit lead me around all the time, He might make me do things that I don't want to. I'd end up acting strange maybe even “peculiar” as the Bible says, and nobody would want to be around me. Not around peculiar folks!
In one sense, that's true. When we let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, He will take us out of our comfort zone, and make us do some things that we don't really want to do. It's only through our obedience to the Spirit in allowing Him to take us out of our comfort zone that we will grow. We need to always be trying to become more like Jesus. So, we need to learn to do some things we've never done before. That requires taking some risks, not wild risks, but Spirit led risks.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are to make Him Lord over our lives. As Lord, He has a right to everything we are.
Unlike man, God will never abuse that right. Although the Spirit of God leads us so that His purposes may be accomplished, He doesn't use us. When someone uses another, they take something out of them. Whenever God works through us, he imparts something into us.
It is His purposes that are important:
• Some of His purposes are to our benefit.
• Some of His purposes are to help us grow in Him.
• Some of His purposes are for other's benefit.
• Some of His purposes we will never see the result of.
No matter what, by allowing Him to work His will through us, we are blessed.
So, how do we accomplish this? First, we need to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit. If you take a small child into a shopping mall, you hold their hand. They don’t always like this. But you have to, otherwise they might wander off, and get lost. That's what being led by the Spirit is. Allowing Him to lead us by the hand. That way, He can show us where to go, what's safe to do, and keep us away from what is dangerous. But we don’t always like this!
Just as that child is led by its father, our heavenly Father desires to lead us. Just like that small child is led by the parent all the time, so the Spirit wants to lead us all the time. It doesn't do any good to let the Spirit lead us sometimes, then go off on our own and get into trouble.
To be led by the Spirit, we need to hear what the Spirit says. A baby only a couple of weeks old will recognize the sound of its mother's and father's voices. Why? Because that child has heard those voices, and learned that they belong to people who love and care for it. Unfortunately for us, we have more distractions getting in the way of our learning the sound of God's voice. But, if we will take the time to be quiet and listen, we will find that He is talking to us.
It isn't necessary to "be spiritual" to talk to God, just talk to Him. Ask His opinion, He'll be glad to tell it to you, and you can be sure He has an opinion (the right opinion) on everything. Don't just wait for "spiritual" issues to talk to Him, our God is a practical God, concerned with our everyday lives.
God will also use circumstances to lead and guide us. Open and closed doors at the right time are a possible sign from Him. But be careful, Satan can open a door too. When a door opens, we need to ask God if it is the right one. Otherwise, we can walk into an ambush, instead of a blessing.
There are some requirements for being led by the Spirit.
Availability - This is the number one requirement to be led by the Spirit. If we are so busy with our own life, that we don't have time for Him, when will He be able to talk to us? It may take some rearranging of what we think are our priorities for us to become available.
Relationship - Have you ever tried to give advice to someone you don't know. You can be assured, they won't take it. We're no different. Without a true relationship, we're not going to listen to what the Spirit has to say to us. We won't even be able to recognize His voice.
When we are saved, we gain a relationship with the Lord. But He desires for that relationship to continue to grow, until we truly know Him.
We must endeavor to make the Holy Spirit comfortable in our presence. If you work with people who talk about things you aren't interested in, you probably don't spend much extra time with them. Why should we expect God to do otherwise? If all we speak is unbelief and fear, why should He hang around to hear it?
Obedience - If we make ourselves available and listen, God will speak to us. Then we have to do something with what He says. It doesn't matter if we like what He told us or not. In fact, we probably won't. What matters is that we obey.
Taking Chances - When a child learns to walk, they have to take chances. Then when they learn to talk, they have to take more chances. In fact, everything we learn requires us to take chances. And the process of learning includes making mistakes.
When we are learning how to be led by the Spirit, there's a good chance we'll think He said something that He didn't. That's okay, go with it anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to make a mistake in doing more than God said than in doing less than God said? But usually, when we go in the direction that is in God's favor, we've gone the right direction.
Swimming Upstream - For some reason, trying to do what God says may bring opposition. Some well meaning “saint”, who's never themselves taken a chance, will be glad to "straighten you out." It's amazing how Christians can be used by the enemy sometimes.
One of the biggest problems in the church today is complacency. We reach a "comfort zone" in our walk, and don't want to go any farther. Worse than that, we don't want anyone else to go farther, either.
If God's told you something, go with it. Don't listen to man's wisdom, even if it comes from another Christian. If you are earnestly seeking Him, and trying to do His will, He won't let you get off track. You might start to veer off a little from time to time, but He will get you right back on.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
So this is what if feels like to walk the wilderness. This is what if feels like to come undone.
This is what if feels like to loose my confidence, unsure of anything or anyone.
So this is what if feels like to walk the desert sand. And this is what if feels like to hear my name.
To be scared to death ‘cause I'm all alone, but feel love and peace just the same.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow.
’Cause I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
So this is what if feels like to just fall apart. To be totally unglued, to find out if I accept my brokenness, I get more of me, I get all of you.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it feels just right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this I what it feels like to be led!
So this is what if feels like to just walk away from everything I thought kept me safe,
to depend just on you for every meal and find it's better this way. Oh it's better this way
And this may not be the road I would choose for me. but it still feels right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now like I do right now. Like I feel right now.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
This is what if feels like to be led. So this is what if feels like.
How many of us really like to be “led”?
"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD" (Zech. 4:6). It is His Spirit that accomplishes the work, not our strength. As we allow His Spirit to lead us, more is accomplished than we could ever do in our own strength.
For God to work through us to accomplish His will, we need to learn how to be led by the Spirit of God. And this don’t mean being led on the major issues only, but on each and every decision we make. Even as small as what clothes we wear, and what gas station we stop in. That's how involved God wants to become in our lives. And often, we really will feel that “this may not be the road I would choose for me”. And this makes us uncomfortable! Really now, depend on Him for every meal?
When the nation of Israel was led out of Egypt, "The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night" (Ex. 13:21 It is easier to follow when there is a visible leading like that. But, we have the Spirit of God living inside of us now and if we learn to let Him lead us this will be even a even better guide for us to follow.
Paul said in Romans 8:14 " For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Therefore, being led by the Spirit is a quality of the children of God. Who are the children of God? We are of course. "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).
Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit right from the start of His earthly ministry. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. (Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1). Jesus is to be our example.
But wait, what if I don't want to be led by the Spirit? After all, if I let the Holy Spirit lead me around all the time, He might make me do things that I don't want to. I'd end up acting strange maybe even “peculiar” as the Bible says, and nobody would want to be around me. Not around peculiar folks!
In one sense, that's true. When we let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, He will take us out of our comfort zone, and make us do some things that we don't really want to do. It's only through our obedience to the Spirit in allowing Him to take us out of our comfort zone that we will grow. We need to always be trying to become more like Jesus. So, we need to learn to do some things we've never done before. That requires taking some risks, not wild risks, but Spirit led risks.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are to make Him Lord over our lives. As Lord, He has a right to everything we are.
Unlike man, God will never abuse that right. Although the Spirit of God leads us so that His purposes may be accomplished, He doesn't use us. When someone uses another, they take something out of them. Whenever God works through us, he imparts something into us.
It is His purposes that are important:
• Some of His purposes are to our benefit.
• Some of His purposes are to help us grow in Him.
• Some of His purposes are for other's benefit.
• Some of His purposes we will never see the result of.
No matter what, by allowing Him to work His will through us, we are blessed.
So, how do we accomplish this? First, we need to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit. If you take a small child into a shopping mall, you hold their hand. They don’t always like this. But you have to, otherwise they might wander off, and get lost. That's what being led by the Spirit is. Allowing Him to lead us by the hand. That way, He can show us where to go, what's safe to do, and keep us away from what is dangerous. But we don’t always like this!
Just as that child is led by its father, our heavenly Father desires to lead us. Just like that small child is led by the parent all the time, so the Spirit wants to lead us all the time. It doesn't do any good to let the Spirit lead us sometimes, then go off on our own and get into trouble.
To be led by the Spirit, we need to hear what the Spirit says. A baby only a couple of weeks old will recognize the sound of its mother's and father's voices. Why? Because that child has heard those voices, and learned that they belong to people who love and care for it. Unfortunately for us, we have more distractions getting in the way of our learning the sound of God's voice. But, if we will take the time to be quiet and listen, we will find that He is talking to us.
It isn't necessary to "be spiritual" to talk to God, just talk to Him. Ask His opinion, He'll be glad to tell it to you, and you can be sure He has an opinion (the right opinion) on everything. Don't just wait for "spiritual" issues to talk to Him, our God is a practical God, concerned with our everyday lives.
God will also use circumstances to lead and guide us. Open and closed doors at the right time are a possible sign from Him. But be careful, Satan can open a door too. When a door opens, we need to ask God if it is the right one. Otherwise, we can walk into an ambush, instead of a blessing.
There are some requirements for being led by the Spirit.
Availability - This is the number one requirement to be led by the Spirit. If we are so busy with our own life, that we don't have time for Him, when will He be able to talk to us? It may take some rearranging of what we think are our priorities for us to become available.
Relationship - Have you ever tried to give advice to someone you don't know. You can be assured, they won't take it. We're no different. Without a true relationship, we're not going to listen to what the Spirit has to say to us. We won't even be able to recognize His voice.
When we are saved, we gain a relationship with the Lord. But He desires for that relationship to continue to grow, until we truly know Him.
We must endeavor to make the Holy Spirit comfortable in our presence. If you work with people who talk about things you aren't interested in, you probably don't spend much extra time with them. Why should we expect God to do otherwise? If all we speak is unbelief and fear, why should He hang around to hear it?
Obedience - If we make ourselves available and listen, God will speak to us. Then we have to do something with what He says. It doesn't matter if we like what He told us or not. In fact, we probably won't. What matters is that we obey.
Taking Chances - When a child learns to walk, they have to take chances. Then when they learn to talk, they have to take more chances. In fact, everything we learn requires us to take chances. And the process of learning includes making mistakes.
When we are learning how to be led by the Spirit, there's a good chance we'll think He said something that He didn't. That's okay, go with it anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to make a mistake in doing more than God said than in doing less than God said? But usually, when we go in the direction that is in God's favor, we've gone the right direction.
Swimming Upstream - For some reason, trying to do what God says may bring opposition. Some well meaning “saint”, who's never themselves taken a chance, will be glad to "straighten you out." It's amazing how Christians can be used by the enemy sometimes.
One of the biggest problems in the church today is complacency. We reach a "comfort zone" in our walk, and don't want to go any farther. Worse than that, we don't want anyone else to go farther, either.
If God's told you something, go with it. Don't listen to man's wisdom, even if it comes from another Christian. If you are earnestly seeking Him, and trying to do His will, He won't let you get off track. You might start to veer off a little from time to time, but He will get you right back on.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Growing Your Faith Through Pivotal Circumstances.
Growing Your Faith Through Pivotal Circumstances.
This week's lesson was DVD of an Andy Stanley Sermon from a series he did on Growing Your Faith. This is not a short lesson but please try to work it into your schedule, you will find it is worth the time. It can viewed at this link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goIGZQslU4k
This week's lesson was DVD of an Andy Stanley Sermon from a series he did on Growing Your Faith. This is not a short lesson but please try to work it into your schedule, you will find it is worth the time. It can viewed at this link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goIGZQslU4k
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
I’m Sinking Fast
(Based on a chapter from Max Lucado’s new book FEARLESS)
Immediately after this the (the miracle of the five loaves and two fish), Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. (Matt. 14:22-24 NLT).
As famous lakes go, Galilee-only thirteen miles at its longest, seven and a half at its widest-is a small, moody one. The small size makes it more vulnerable to the winds that howl out of the Golan Heights. They turn the lake into a blender, shifting suddenly, blowing first from one direction, then another. Winter months bring such storms every two weeks or so, churning the waters for two to three days at a time. Peter and his fellow storm riders knew they were in trouble. What should have been a sixty minute cruise became a nightlong battle. The boat lurched and lunged like a kite in a March wind. Sunlight was a distant memory. Rain fell from the night sky in buckets. Lightning flashed across the sky. Winds whipped the sails, leaving the disciples "in trouble......fighting heavy waves....... Maybe this is the description of how we feel about our situation right now!
Perhaps all we need to do is substitute a few words...
In the middle of a divorce, fighting guilt.
In the middle of debt, in trouble with your creditors.
In the middle of a medical issue, fighting the fear and cost.
In the middle of a family crisis, fighting outside influences.
In the middle of a company “layoff”, in trouble, you may be losing your job of even worse, your home! In the middle of__________________, fighting ___________, in trouble__________!
The disciples fought the storm for nine cold, skin-drenching hours. And about 3:00 a.m. the unspeakable happened. They spotted someone coming on the water. “‘A ghost!' they said, crying out in terror" (Matt. 14:26 MSG).
They didn't expect Jesus to come to them this way.
Neither do we. We expect him to come in the form of peaceful hymns or Easter Sundays or quiet retreats. We expect to find Jesus in morning devotionals, church suppers, and prayer time. We never expect to see him in a what appears to be a financial meltdown, pink slip, lawsuit, foreclosure, or war. We never expect to see him in a storm. But it is in storms that he does his finest work, for it is in storms that he really gets our attention.
Jesus replied to the disciples' fear with an invitation worthy of inscription above every church entrance. "'Don't be afraid: he said. 'Take courage. I am here!''' (Matt. 14:27 NLT).
Power is found in those words. To awaken in an lCU and hear your husband say, "I am here:” To lose your retirement yet feel the support of your family in the words "We are here:” When a Little Leaguer spots Mom and Dad in the bleachers watching the game, "I am here" changes everything. Perhaps that's why God repeats the "I am here" pledge so often.
The Lord is near. (Phil. 4:5 NIV)
You are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:20 NIV)
I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matt. 28:20 NIV)
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28 NIV)
Nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. (Rom. 8:38 NLT)
We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that's God following you. Look into the storm; that's Christ coming toward you.
Much to Peter's credit, he took Jesus at his word. '''Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water: So He said, 'Come: And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:28-29).
Peter never would have made this request on a calm sea. Had Christ strolled across a lake that was as smooth as a hardwood floor, Peter would have applauded, but it is doubtful that he would have stepped out of the boat. Storms prompt us to take unprecedented journeys. For a few historic steps and heart-stilling moments, Peter did the impossible. He defied every law of gravity and nature; "he walked on the water to go to Jesus:'”
Max Lucado stated in his book that his editors would have never allowed him to leave out as many details as Matthew did. They would have flooded the margin of his manuscript with red ink: "Elaborate! How quickly did Peter exit the boat? What were the other disciples doing? What was the expression on his face? Did he step on any fish? How far did he go?
Matthew had no time for such questions. He moves us quickly to the major message of the event: where to stare in a storm. But when he (Peter) saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. (Matt. 14:30).
Perhaps a wall of water blocked his view. Maybe a wind gust snapped the mast with a crack and a slap. Maybe a flash of lightning illuminated sky. But for whatever reason, Peter shifted his attention away from Jesus and toward the storm, and when he did, he sank like a brick in a pond. Give the storm waters more attention than the Storm Walker, and get ready to do the same.
Whether or not storms come, we cannot choose. But we can choose where we look.
The storm was still going on but Peter was safe until he became afraid and took his eyes off Jesus. After a few moments of flailing in the water, he turned back to Christ and cried, "'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith; he said, 'why did you doubt?' And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down" (Matt. 14:30-32 NIV). Jesus could have stilled this storm hours earlier. But he didn't. He wanted to teach the followers a lesson.
Jesus could have calmed our storm long ago. But He hasn’t. Does He want to teach us a lesson?
Could the lesson be something like this: “Storms are not an option, but fear is”? His lesson is clear. He’s the commander of every storm. Are you scared in yours? Then keep your eyes on HIM! He still says, “I am here”.
Immediately after this the (the miracle of the five loaves and two fish), Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. (Matt. 14:22-24 NLT).
As famous lakes go, Galilee-only thirteen miles at its longest, seven and a half at its widest-is a small, moody one. The small size makes it more vulnerable to the winds that howl out of the Golan Heights. They turn the lake into a blender, shifting suddenly, blowing first from one direction, then another. Winter months bring such storms every two weeks or so, churning the waters for two to three days at a time. Peter and his fellow storm riders knew they were in trouble. What should have been a sixty minute cruise became a nightlong battle. The boat lurched and lunged like a kite in a March wind. Sunlight was a distant memory. Rain fell from the night sky in buckets. Lightning flashed across the sky. Winds whipped the sails, leaving the disciples "in trouble......fighting heavy waves....... Maybe this is the description of how we feel about our situation right now!
Perhaps all we need to do is substitute a few words...
In the middle of a divorce, fighting guilt.
In the middle of debt, in trouble with your creditors.
In the middle of a medical issue, fighting the fear and cost.
In the middle of a family crisis, fighting outside influences.
In the middle of a company “layoff”, in trouble, you may be losing your job of even worse, your home! In the middle of__________________, fighting ___________, in trouble__________!
The disciples fought the storm for nine cold, skin-drenching hours. And about 3:00 a.m. the unspeakable happened. They spotted someone coming on the water. “‘A ghost!' they said, crying out in terror" (Matt. 14:26 MSG).
They didn't expect Jesus to come to them this way.
Neither do we. We expect him to come in the form of peaceful hymns or Easter Sundays or quiet retreats. We expect to find Jesus in morning devotionals, church suppers, and prayer time. We never expect to see him in a what appears to be a financial meltdown, pink slip, lawsuit, foreclosure, or war. We never expect to see him in a storm. But it is in storms that he does his finest work, for it is in storms that he really gets our attention.
Jesus replied to the disciples' fear with an invitation worthy of inscription above every church entrance. "'Don't be afraid: he said. 'Take courage. I am here!''' (Matt. 14:27 NLT).
Power is found in those words. To awaken in an lCU and hear your husband say, "I am here:” To lose your retirement yet feel the support of your family in the words "We are here:” When a Little Leaguer spots Mom and Dad in the bleachers watching the game, "I am here" changes everything. Perhaps that's why God repeats the "I am here" pledge so often.
The Lord is near. (Phil. 4:5 NIV)
You are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:20 NIV)
I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matt. 28:20 NIV)
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28 NIV)
Nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. (Rom. 8:38 NLT)
We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that's God following you. Look into the storm; that's Christ coming toward you.
Much to Peter's credit, he took Jesus at his word. '''Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water: So He said, 'Come: And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:28-29).
Peter never would have made this request on a calm sea. Had Christ strolled across a lake that was as smooth as a hardwood floor, Peter would have applauded, but it is doubtful that he would have stepped out of the boat. Storms prompt us to take unprecedented journeys. For a few historic steps and heart-stilling moments, Peter did the impossible. He defied every law of gravity and nature; "he walked on the water to go to Jesus:'”
Max Lucado stated in his book that his editors would have never allowed him to leave out as many details as Matthew did. They would have flooded the margin of his manuscript with red ink: "Elaborate! How quickly did Peter exit the boat? What were the other disciples doing? What was the expression on his face? Did he step on any fish? How far did he go?
Matthew had no time for such questions. He moves us quickly to the major message of the event: where to stare in a storm. But when he (Peter) saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. (Matt. 14:30).
Perhaps a wall of water blocked his view. Maybe a wind gust snapped the mast with a crack and a slap. Maybe a flash of lightning illuminated sky. But for whatever reason, Peter shifted his attention away from Jesus and toward the storm, and when he did, he sank like a brick in a pond. Give the storm waters more attention than the Storm Walker, and get ready to do the same.
Whether or not storms come, we cannot choose. But we can choose where we look.
The storm was still going on but Peter was safe until he became afraid and took his eyes off Jesus. After a few moments of flailing in the water, he turned back to Christ and cried, "'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith; he said, 'why did you doubt?' And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down" (Matt. 14:30-32 NIV). Jesus could have stilled this storm hours earlier. But he didn't. He wanted to teach the followers a lesson.
Jesus could have calmed our storm long ago. But He hasn’t. Does He want to teach us a lesson?
Could the lesson be something like this: “Storms are not an option, but fear is”? His lesson is clear. He’s the commander of every storm. Are you scared in yours? Then keep your eyes on HIM! He still says, “I am here”.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Voice of Truth
As I was driving down to my old home place Saturday, I was listening to a cd with this song, which I have heard many times. This time, however, I really “heard” the words and God just spoke to me through this song. I knew there had to be a lesson here. After listening the song in class, we discussed some of the key verses about how “other” voices will tell us that We Will Never Win! Listen to the song and follow along with the words below and see what a truth there is in this song.
There is then a brief lesson at the end.
In Christ,
Hayward
Hear song by Casting Crowns at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y
Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand.
But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory
"Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.
Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand.
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again
"Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.
But the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles when I stop
and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me.
But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.
I will listen and believeI will listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe 'Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are the Voice of truth
"The Voice Of Truth"
"My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).
We're all creatures of habit and those who surround us come to know our schedules, our habits, our likes and dislikes, our walk, our voices, and our way of looking at things. Certainly, as believers, we should be familiar with our Master's voice as we devote ourselves to reading the Scriptures, particularly the gospels, which of course have the very words of Christ. The gospel writers recorded many instances where Jesus spoke to His followers regarding who He was and instructed them in the ways they were to follow Him.
We know the Master's voice; some of us have followed His instruction for many years. Yet there are a lot of voices still calling out to us; voices that cry out, "You must have this or do that to find fulfillment." Some of these voices may be neutral but other camouflaged voices have an attitude of greed, envy, lust and other such ungodly traits. There are voices that may tell us we are not really God's children or that we'll never amount to anything in life based on past failures. There are voices prompting fear and anxiety. And there are many more voices crying out to us.
But we must strive to keep our attention on the Voice of Truth; the voice of the Good Shepherd, who knows each of us. We must reaffirm our choice each day to follow Him. The text for this lesson are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me."
Today’s song states, "But the voice of truth tells me a different story." The challenge is to stay focused on the Voice of Truth! Those other voices can really be loud, persistent, alluring and even demanding, but they have no real interest in our eternal welfare.
God who often speaks in the "still, small voice" and at times in a whisper says, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them…" How good and reassuring it is to not only hear the voice of our Shepherd, but to know that He is also very familiar with our voice and all our ways. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. (Psalm 139:3).
Isaiah 26:3 says, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! When our mind wanders off into fear territory where other voices beckon us, let this verse draw our spirit back into the sanctuary of perfect peace where Jesus resides and trust is gained.
Today may we all indeed "choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth."
Be encouraged today.
Prayer: Father, Your Word cautions us to test the spirits, to see if they are from You or from the master deceiver. The voices that we choose to hear should always guide our hearts to the Master Shepherd; not to other vices, negative attitudes, or to self-glorification. As we seek after Your heart, we will easily recognize the voice of Jesus our Shepherd and desire to follow Him in all our ways. Amen.
There is then a brief lesson at the end.
In Christ,
Hayward
Hear song by Casting Crowns at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y
Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand.
But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory
"Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.
Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand.
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again
"Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.
But the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles when I stop
and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me.
But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.
I will listen and believeI will listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe 'Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are the Voice of truth
"The Voice Of Truth"
"My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).
We're all creatures of habit and those who surround us come to know our schedules, our habits, our likes and dislikes, our walk, our voices, and our way of looking at things. Certainly, as believers, we should be familiar with our Master's voice as we devote ourselves to reading the Scriptures, particularly the gospels, which of course have the very words of Christ. The gospel writers recorded many instances where Jesus spoke to His followers regarding who He was and instructed them in the ways they were to follow Him.
We know the Master's voice; some of us have followed His instruction for many years. Yet there are a lot of voices still calling out to us; voices that cry out, "You must have this or do that to find fulfillment." Some of these voices may be neutral but other camouflaged voices have an attitude of greed, envy, lust and other such ungodly traits. There are voices that may tell us we are not really God's children or that we'll never amount to anything in life based on past failures. There are voices prompting fear and anxiety. And there are many more voices crying out to us.
But we must strive to keep our attention on the Voice of Truth; the voice of the Good Shepherd, who knows each of us. We must reaffirm our choice each day to follow Him. The text for this lesson are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me."
Today’s song states, "But the voice of truth tells me a different story." The challenge is to stay focused on the Voice of Truth! Those other voices can really be loud, persistent, alluring and even demanding, but they have no real interest in our eternal welfare.
God who often speaks in the "still, small voice" and at times in a whisper says, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them…" How good and reassuring it is to not only hear the voice of our Shepherd, but to know that He is also very familiar with our voice and all our ways. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. (Psalm 139:3).
Isaiah 26:3 says, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! When our mind wanders off into fear territory where other voices beckon us, let this verse draw our spirit back into the sanctuary of perfect peace where Jesus resides and trust is gained.
Today may we all indeed "choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth."
Be encouraged today.
Prayer: Father, Your Word cautions us to test the spirits, to see if they are from You or from the master deceiver. The voices that we choose to hear should always guide our hearts to the Master Shepherd; not to other vices, negative attitudes, or to self-glorification. As we seek after Your heart, we will easily recognize the voice of Jesus our Shepherd and desire to follow Him in all our ways. Amen.
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