I Tell You The Truth

“I Tell You The Truth, Today You Will Be with Me In Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

As we come to the second “words of the cross,” we find ourselves listening to a deathbed conversation between three dying men. It begins with one of the criminals mocking Jesus, it continues with the other criminal defending Jesus and recognizing His rule, and it concludes with Jesus pardoning the repentant man and giving him eternal life. Let’s lean in and listen to what was said:

“39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

Our goal today is to take to understand and take to heart what Jesus promised the man who was crucified with him. We will do that by working from the end of his statement to the beginning.

“In Paradise.”
Have you wondered what heaven is like? Certainly we have. Where it is, What we will do there, will it be fun or do we worry that it might be boring. What we will wear, what we will eat, what we will do, where we will live. Will we recognize people in their new bodies and I wonder what those new bodies will actually look like. What will the climate be like? Will the landscape be rural or urban? How will we get around? How high will we be able to jump and how fast will we be able to run? Will we hang out with angels and eat with Jesus? Will there be animals and, in particular, will beloved family pets who have died put their wet noses in the palms of our hands and beg us to take them for a daily walk. And if they do, where will that walk take us? Will there be seniors and babies and middle-aged people or will we all be the same age? Will we see God face to face and what will he look like? Will all our questions finally be answered?

Paradise, the word Jesus used on the cross to describe heaven, is very rare in the Bible. It is actually a Persian word meaning “enclosure” or “park” or “garden” and our text offers the first time this word appears in scripture.
The second occurrence is in II Corinthians where Paul, talking about an out of the body experience that transported him up to a place he called the third heaven, wrote: “3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up[a] to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. (II Corinthians 12:3-4)

The third and final occurrence of the word “paradise” is in the book of Revelation where John’s vision is described in awe-inspiring detail. Again, it is Jesus who used this word when he promised: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
The reference to “the tree of life in the paradise of God” provides an important clue. Paradise is not just any kind of garden or enclosure. It is the sinless, weedless and painless Garden of Eden that is described in the first pages of the Bible: “8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. (Genesis 2:8)

So this is what Jesus promised the criminal after his death! So this is how we may picture heaven and eternal life. We are not destined for some misty, disembodied experience in some far away galaxy. Instead we are destined to live and work and play and find community with our Creator and our fellow creatures in a place of great beauty filled with color and sound and life and meaningful activity. What will heaven be like? It will be like the garden of Eden before the fall into sin.

A place called paradise is what Jesus promised the criminal on the cross. An experience that awaits us when you die in Christ, or when Christ returns, whichever comes first.

“You Will Be With Me”
One of the most excruciating experiences in life is to be left out, to be unwanted. The thief on the cross probably knew the pain of rejection. This is based that on the fact that he is called both a criminal and a “robber” (Mark) in the gospels. We also have his own admission that he deserved execution. So we would not be far off to imagine him as a misfit, a person abandoned and unloved, a person whose life of crime reflected a loveless, unloved life. My guess is that there was no one on Golgotha to mourn his death, to support him on his cruel deathbed. My guess is that he lived his life believing that no-one would want anything to do with him, especially someone who, unlike him, “had done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41).

Imagine then his shocked reaction when Jesus looked him in the eye and said, “you will be with me.”
You and me? How could that possibly be? Like a kid always picked last, inexplicably chosen first for once, he must have looked at Jesus in disbelief. You and me? A king and a con man? A ruler and a robber? A saviour and a sinner? Together forever? You and me?

Jesus must have received that reaction time and again during his life, as despised tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers felt his love and acceptance. How many others before and how many others since have been shocked to hear that Jesus wanted to be with them? How many of us have not thought: You and me? In paradise?

And yet, that is precisely the heart of the good news: that there is a God who wants to be with us.
Like the criminal, we are shocked at the news that God is more than willing to stoop down to us. But we should never forget that in the original paradise, God created humans not just to tend the garden, but to enjoy fellowship with him. You get a strong sense of that in Genesis 3:8,9 where we read: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:8,9)

God created us for fellowship with him. God’s goal is to be “with us” again. And God’s agent of reconciliation is Jesus. The phrase “you will be with me” is what the Bible is all about, the reason Jesus came to live and die.
Looking at it from our point of view, like the criminal we should be totally shocked. Why would Jesus want to spend time with me! Looking at it from the Lord’s point of view, however, we should not be shocked at all. He wants nothing more than to walk with us in the garden in the cool of the day as he sought to do that fateful day when Adam and Eve hid in fear.

Here is the simple truth: Jesus loved the criminal on the cross and wanted to be with him. And Jesus loves us and wants to be with us.

Thankfully, the criminal experienced this love just before he died. Regrettably, he did not experience this love until then. How different his life would have been had he only lived it with Jesus walking by his side!
It doesn’t have to be that way for us. We don’t have to wait till the last minute of our life to be with the Lord. You can turn to him now, if you have not done so already, and ask him to remember you, to walk with you, to be there with you wherever life takes you. The grace that was there for a hardened criminal is there for you, too. All you have to do is ask and he will say, “You will be with me.”

“Today”
When the criminal died, he immediately joined Jesus in His Kingdom. That day. But how does this work, exactly?
The question is this: When a person dies, where does he go and when does he get there? Does he enter a state called “soul sleep” until Jesus returns? Does he go to a place called purgatory, an intermediate place until he is ready to move on? Does he go instantly to heaven? And how can that be since Jesus has not come back yet and the new earth and paradise has not yet been restored?

It helps to remember that Jesus’ concept of “today” is very different from ours. When Peter wrote about the Day of the Lord and tried to reassure Christians who were impatient to see Jesus come back, he said: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (II Peter 3:8) In other words, time is a human “invention” of seconds, minutes, hours, day, weeks, months and years. Eternity, on the other hand, is a divine experience, a constant living in the now that holds past, present and future in the same moment.

The Bible says, “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.” (II Thessalonians 4:15) In other words, like people who sleep and are oblivious to the passing of time, waking up in what seems like a second later while others put in a full shift at work, those who die in the Lord wake up instantly at the moment of Christ’s second coming to join those who happen to be still alive when he returns.

It really is true that to God a thousand years is like a day. The comfort we have is that our loved ones are with the Lord today in eternity even though we are still waiting for that Day to arrive in human time. Isn’t it incredible that we may picture them in paradise right now!

“I Tell You the Truth”
Do you believe this? The criminal did. Here’s why.

This world is full of liars, and the robber knew some and was one. This world is also full of speculators, and most of us certainly recognize ourselves as a person who loves to speculate about the future and even what life after death will be like. On the other hand, there is one voice of truth that can be fully trusted. He is the one who began so many of his teachings with these words, “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” and “I tell you the truth.”
Everyone, including each of us, needs a place to stand, a starting place for developing a world and life view. Like a compass or a level, that place to stand must be trustworthy and true. And that true place to stand is Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). In fact, there was and is nothing false or dishonest in him, nothing unreliable or untrustworthy about him. People heard him preach, saw him do miracles, watched him carry the cross and were amazed at his authority. He has never lied to us or let us down or steered us wrong. That’s why we can base our view of life and death on every word He ever uttered, including these words spoken on the cross to the criminal crucified with him.

After a lifetime of lying and being lied to, the man crucified with Jesus shook himself free from the opinions of the other criminal and separated himself from the mob hostility that was aimed at Jesus and decided to take a step of faith. He turned to Jesus and put his trust in Him. When he did, Jesus looked at him with a heart full of compassion and eyes full of promise and said: “I tell you the truth.” And after a lifetime of rejection, deception and violence, the criminal died in peace and entered paradise with Jesus at His side.
Isn’t that the way we want to live? Isn’t that the way we want to die? Isn’t that the way we want to live again?

Making Choices

Making Choices
Question: Ever wonder why there were 2 crosses next to Christ? Ever wonder why Jesus was in the center? Why not on the far left or far right? Could it be that the two crosses on the hill symbolized one of God's greatest gifts? The gift of choice! We could either choose to accept him or reject him. The choice is ours. To follow Him or to choose the world. (Thanks Sharon Hadley for postings this.)

When it comes right down to it everything is a choice. Every situation is a choice. Positive or negative, good day or bad, angry not angry, all are choices. How we choose to live each day is up to us, but we have to live with the consequences. There are many who claim the devil made me do it, or I am only human, or that is just who I am. What they fail to realize is that when it comes down to it, the decision was a choice and they did whatever it was because they wanted to.

25 The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)
31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”
32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”
33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn. (Genesis 25:25-34)

I. Learn to be patient when making decisions (v.30).

Esau was not a patient man. He was hungry, and he wanted to eat now! He had been working all day and was tired. He had been out in the hot sun hunting and walking around. That takes a toll on you after a while, especially when you haven’t eaten. He was hungry and he was not going to wait to eat.

Does this sound familiar? We live in a culture that teaches “I want what I want when I want it, and I don’t want to wait.” We want it NOW! We teach our children to go out and get something if they want it. Often our attitude leads to problems.

Esau made a decision without being patient and lost something very dear to him- his birthright. Esau chose what was easiest and what would bring the most satisfaction immediately. The easiest choice is not always the right choice, but usually the wrong choice.

Everyday people make decisions without being patient and as a result lose something dear to them. Make the wrong choice and you can lose your family, job, even your character and sometimes your life.

Jesus made a decision that would affect the whole world for all of history. It was not an easy choice, but a very difficult one. He struggled with the fact that He would take on the sin of the entire world. He prayed in the garden the night before His crucifixion, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39b) But He chose God’s will not His and chose to die on the cross for our sins. He was buried and rose again to give us new life. He was patient in his choice. Had he chosen during a weak moment (like the garden) he might not have done it. Praise God Jesus died for you and me!

II. Consider the consequences when making decisions (v.31-32).

A birthright is a foreign thing to us. The birthright in those days meant that the firstborn son obtained the largest portion of the inheritance. The birthright included a blessing from the father, a double portion of the inheritance, and the right to rule over the entire family when the father was gone. This is a major position to have. This was Esau’s position. As the first born, he inherited the birthright and the authority in the family. For him to sell his birthright would have major consequences.

Jacob was a deceiver. He would do whatever he had to do to get what he wanted. This time was no different. He wanted the birthright. He found Esau at a vulnerable moment and moved in.

Esau never once considered the consequences of his actions. He only wanted to fill his stomach.
The drunk never considers the consequences when they climb behind the wheel of a car.
The spouse never considers the consequence when they have the affair.
The people never considered the consequences when they crucified Jesus..
The lost person never considers the consequences of rejecting Christ.
Every choice has consequences. A good choice has positive consequences; a poor choice has poor consequences. We must live with the consequences of what we do.
What are we willing to pay?

Esau was willing to pay way too much for a bowl of soup and some bread. He was willing to pay whatever it took. How often do we sell out for a measly bowl of soup? Too often we are willing as Esau was, to pay far to great a price for what we want.

We want fun- even at the expense of others
Kids want to be cool- make fun of the kid at school.
We want prosperity- we give up our integrity
We want live life and settle down later- later is often too late for God.

The question that we must ask ourselves is what am I willing to pay for what I want? If we will stop and weigh the consequences of our actions we will often find the price is far too much to pay for a mere bowl of stew.

13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Jesus told us to enter through the narrow gate- choose Him for he is life and fulfillment. Few will choose Him. He is the one who gives abundant life, hope, peace, salvation. Many will trade their souls and their opportunity for salvation for one more hoorah.

What about us Christians? Are we willing to sell the blessings and abundant life in Christ for an indulgence of things of this earth? Things that does not please God? What are we willing to pay for fleshly pleasure? Are we willing to sell our relationship with God for so-called personal gain?

The choice is up to us. We must learn to be patient in our decisions, consider the consequences, and ask what am I willing to pay?

How to Slow Down So We Don’t Miss What Jesus Has to Teach Us About Himself

We often rush through Bible passages, trying to gain spiritual growth from reviewing them quickly before moving on to the rest of our lives. But Jesus Christ was never in a hurry during His time on Earth. The life Jesus modeled was one of patience, and patience is necessary for us to learn the lessons that He wants to teach us.

Slowing down will enable us to pay attention well to what Jesus has to tell us, so we don’t miss lessons about His character that can change our own life for the better.

Here’s how we can slow down so we don’t miss what Jesus has to teach us about Himself:

Learn about his “out of the box” glory. Making the time to fully reflect on the humble way that Jesus chose to enter our world (“…. the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger….” Luke 1-12) – as a baby in a feeding trough for animals, a manger, can show us how different God can be about His glory. Just as Jesus’ touch transformed the lowly manger into a symbol of God’s glory, God’s touch transforms our lives. We’re forgotten “beings” without moral principles until we begin relationships with Jesus, but from then on, we become treasures who are free to pursue glorious purposes. Jesus welcomes us “just as we are” (sinful, lost, and helpless) and transforms us into people who enjoy His glorious presence and radiate it to others as His love flows through us.

Learn about mysterious grace. The Bible story of how Jesus met with a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4:1-15) and offered her “living water” (“… those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.” John 4:14)  shows how He draws people to Himself by pointing out something we need but don’t currently have or something we want to know that only He can reveal to us. Jesus’ interaction with the woman shows both the curiosity of human nature and the mystery of God’s grace at work. Studying this story, we realize that God won’t be defined or limited by human expectations, so He can’t be easily explained or understood (“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”) – but in every one of God’s mysteries that we encounter, we see glimpses of God at work that can help us get to know Him better.

Learn about almost unbelievable kindness. We read how Jesus transformed Levi the tax collector, who was considered a criminal due to his corrupt practices, into Matthew the apostle. (^“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth.“Follow me and be my disciple...” Matthew 9:9) Matthew joined Jesus in His earthly ministry and wrote the Gospel of Matthew.  This shows us that when Jesus comes along, even people with the worst behavior can change us into people who work for the best. Reflecting on this story teaches us that Jesus sees us as a beloved person that He wants to use in His kingdom – regardless of the mistakes we may have made in the past – and inspires us to say “yes” whenever Jesus calls us to follow Him into an adventure.

Learn about His mighty power. When we reflect on how Jesus calmed the storm that was raging on the Sea of Galilee around his frightened disciples, (“Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat……… he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:26-27) we can discover the wonder of how Jesus can help us, too, in even the scariest circumstances we encounter. Jesus hasn’t promised to help us avoid trouble.  In fact he said “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33), But He will be with us to help overcome it. Jesus is always in control of the circumstances in our life, and we can tap into His awesome power to deal with them. We should choose to trust Him to help and guide us when storms hit our life.

Learn about His miracles. The Bible story of how Jesus miraculously healed a woman who had been suffering from a bleeding condition for years can teach us about the proper perspective on miracles. (“then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”  Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. Matthew 9:18-22) Jesus won’t simply hand out miracles just because people ask for them, and when He does choose to perform miracles, He does so in unexpected ways. Jesus’ compassion is bigger than our vision; it encompasses everything we need, including factors we didn’t even realize that we needed. Choose to trust Jesus even when His vision for us is different from our expectations of Him.

Learn about tattered faith. Reflecting on how Jesus responded when the imprisoned John the Baptist expressed damaged faith can teach us how to deal well with doubts and discouragement of our own. (“John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Matthew 11:2-3) John sent some men to ask Jesus whether or not He really was the Messiah. Jesus answered by telling the men to report to John the evidence that supported his role as the Messiah (from the blind receiving sight to good news being proclaimed to the poor). From this story, we can learn that faith in Jesus is more than just hope; it’s the substance of hope, because there’s real, solid evidence that Jesus is exactly who He claims to be. We can always be honest with Jesus about our thoughts and feelings when our faith is tattered, and ask Him hard questions, too. He will respond by giving us stronger faith.

Learn about beautiful sorrow. As we consider the Bible story of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha (John 11:1-40), we can learn about the beauty of Jesus’ willingness to enter fully into human sorrow, as well as His power to redeem it. Jesus’ intentionally let Lazarus die (and Mary and Martha grieve) before He resurrected Lazarus so He could show how beauty can come out of suffering for those who place their trust in God. Jesus is a Man of Sorrows who cares deeply about our own sorrow and stands ready to redeem it.

Learn about His servant’s attitude. Reading the Bible story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, (John 13:1-17) we can discover what true service looks like: a willingness to do whatever God requires (even when it seems insulting to other people) with humility that ironically marks true greatness at work. Jesus said after performing this lowly task “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15) Instead of serving others to impress God, we should serve simply as a way of expressing our love for a God who already loves us completely and unconditionally. Serving with great love – even in the humblest of ways – will lead to great results.

Learn about brutal love. Jesus’ brutal death on the cross to pay for humanity’s sins was motivated by His great love. Reflecting on Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross helps us grasp the contrast between the brutality of sin and the love of God, who is willing to do whatever it takes to save us from sin. Thanks to what Jesus did for us on the cross, we don’t have to be destroyed by sin but can be reconciled to the source of all love: God.

Learn about bloodied hope. Studying the Bible story of “Doubting Thomas” (the apostle Thomas who said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” John 20:25) can teach us that true confidence and peace come from Jesus meeting us wherever we are. Jesus stands ready to respond to our doubts and answer our challenging questions, just as he did for Thomas, so we need to bring them to Him with an open mind. We can find real hope in Jesus’ bloodied body because it’s evidence of what He did to connect us with God forever.

Paul writes to Timothy “Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you see this lesson and would like to get on email list, please email hdunkin@charter.net. 

Current lesson and archive of prior lessons available on WhoSoEver Blog at: http://imawhosoeversslessons.blogspot.com/

But Nails Hurt!

If you really want to grow, it’s going to cost you. If you truly expect to be built up, there will be some pain involved. No growth ever takes place without pain. That’s a law of life. That’s not negotiable. No pain, no gain. No hurt, no growth. No rough edges, no building up. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain.

When Peter speaks about spiritual growth, he uses a word picture. (1 Peter 2:1-7) The word picture is about a building. He says we are to let ourselves be built into a building. “⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple”. (1 Peter 2:5)

That sounds good. It sounds good until you read a little further, and you find Peter speaking also about sacrifice, rejection, stumbling. Those things sound rather painful, don’t they? Sacrifice and rejection and stumbling – painful experiences. (From 1 Peter 2:5b-8)

But remember: no growth ever takes place without pain. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain.

I happen to enjoy woodworking, building things and repairing things.  I just got through repairing an exterior wall and foundation on bedroom at our old farm house.. There’s just something special about the whack, whack, whack of a good solid hammer hitting the nail right on the head. It feels like this is the real thing! Oh, skill saws whine, but saws cut things apart instead of putting them together. The sound of the hammer, driving nails into wood, that really says, “building”! Hammers nail board to board; hammers nail the frame together, hammers nail the roof in place; hammers nail the wallboard on. Hammers, nails, that’s what building really is.

And so, today, in order to help Peter speak to us about being built into a spiritual house, we’re going to pound some nails. We’re going to demonstrate some spiritual principles. Up here, I’ve got a board, I’ve got nails, and, “if I had a hammer …” – oh, I do have a hammer. I’m ready to show you what Peter meant. But I need your help too.

You have nails. You don’t have hammers or boards, but you do have nails. And as you handle your nails from time to time, you’ll be reminded of one important fact: nails hurt. Nails hurt. But again: no pain, no gain. No hurt, no growth. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain.

First, if you want to be built up, you will have to endure some pounding. Somebody will hit at you. And not just once, but repeatedly. Somebody will find your weak spots and pound away at them. Just as if I want to drive a nail into this board, don’t look for the hard knots, because I won’t be able to get the nail through the knots, but I look for the soft fleshy part of the wood – in the same way, somebody is going to look at where you are not solid, where you are not secure, and is going to pound on that.

Is that a bad thing? Is it damaging for somebody to get on our case because we have flaws and failings? Is it bad for us to be told, repeatedly, where we are going wrong? No, it is not bad. It can be painful, but it is a good thing. Like the repeated pounding of the hammer on the nail, it can hurt to be told what you don’t want to hear. Nails hurt. But most of us have to be hit, over and over again, with the unpleasant truth about ourselves. We have to be hit, over and over again, in order to be built up. It’s painful. Nails hurt. But it is for our good.

Peter starts this second chapter of his letter in a very challenging way. He gets down to it. I guess you could say he “hits the nail on the head.” He says, “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.” 1 Peter 2:1

“get rid of….” If you want to be built up, there are some habits that you have to deal with. There are some things that get so deeply ingrained in us that it will take lots of work in order to get rid of them. But there is a way. There is a way. Evil behavior– how will I know if I am acting evil? I will know it if you will tell me about it. Deceit – the very nature of deceit is that we are trying to fool ourselves as well as other people. How will I know that I am being deceitful unless every time I do this, somebody hits me with the truth? How will I know that I am speaking insincerely, how will I understand my jealousy how will I get my unkind speech called, unless somebody stands up, in my face, and hits me with the truth? And since these negative habits die hard, hits me again and again and again. Pounds me! Repeatedly. Pounds me, like a hammer hitting a nail, until I learn the awful truth that there are things I must get rid of. If you want to be built up, you must endure the hammer pounding the nail, confronting you about yourself.

And remember, it is your true friends who will do this for you. Your sunshine friends will smile to your face and agree with you, but will then talk about you behind your back. Your true friends are the ones who will tell you, over and over and over again, what you need to get rid of. Your true friends are like hammers pounding nails into your weaknesses.

So would you take your nail? Hold it in one hand. Carefully now, we don’t want blood on the floor – carefully but repeatedly, several times, just poke at your other hand or your arm. Gets to hurting a little after a while, doesn’t it? Even if you are gentle, you feel it. Nails hurt. But if that nail, probing you repeatedly, represents a friend, a teacher, a pastor, convicting you of something that’s wrong in your life, be thankful. Take joy in this. It means that somebody loves you enough to get at you for the stuff you need to remove. Nails hurt; pounding hurts. But remember: no growth ever takes place without pain. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain.

If you want to be built up, you’re going to have to endure having holes punched in your comfort zone. If you want to grow, you’re going to have to face the fact that the world is unforgiving, the world is not polite, the world is caustic, the world is going to punch holes in your comfort zone. And once those holes are punched, they can never be put back the way they were. That’s painful, but it’s part of building up. It’s part of growth.

Peter says that something like this even happened to Jesus. Jesus is called "The stone that the builders rejected”. (1 Peter 2:7b) They rejected Jesus. When Jesus stood to teach, they punched holes in His theology. When Jesus went to heal, they punched holes in His compassion. When Jesus tried to love Jerusalem, they punched so many holes in His motives that He looked out over the city and wept! It is not easy when people punch holes in everything you stand for. It hurts when they drive holes in your beliefs.

But give thanks when it happens! Give thanks. Because you will not know what you really believe until you have to defend it. You will not understand how precious your values are until you have to prove them to someone else. You will not know how right you are until you have to stand up for the truth. If you don’t have anybody trying to drive holes in your comfort zone, you’ll just sit here, fat and sassy, but you won’t grow. You won’t be built up. Somebody needs to punch holes in your comfort zone.

Take your nail – don’t get worried. I’m not going to ask you to drive holes in yourself. But now take that nail – press its point into your hand or your arm, just enough that it stings a bit. Now hold it there a moment. Bring it out. Now look at the place where you held it. What do you see? Some kind of mark. A change in skin color, a little indentation, maybe a scratch. A hole, even if a very small one, punched in your comfort zone. And it hurts!

But we need to be grateful for hurting holes. Because Peter says about Jesus, and how Jesus was rejected, "1The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” (1 Peter 2:7)

Jesus was despised, rejected, questioned, criticized; but because of that, God was able to use Him in a tremendous way. Jesus is now the “head of the corner”, He is the cornerstone of the building, He is the foundation of everything.

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:20-22, “²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.’

When holes get punched in you, you get changed, but you grow. And God is able to fill you with something better. You are built up.

Nails hurt. Holes driven in your comfort zone hurt. But remember: no growth ever takes place without pain. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain.

Now do you want the truly good news? The good news is that nails, used properly, join things together. Nails, hammered in by a skillful carpenter, join things firmly. Nails hold everything together so that the building will not fall. And that’s good news. It’s good news because in so apparently simple a thing as this nail, there is tremendous power to build.

Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house. We share a common pain: the pain is that we all are sinners, all of us. But we also share a common joy: the joy is that we are forgiven. That joins us together.

Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house. We share many hurting places: job failures, anxieties, health worries, family life struggles. You may think that you are the only person in this room that’s going through whatever. “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” But I would guarantee you that someone here has seen it, someone here has suffered it, someone here has dealt with it, someone here has been delivered from it. We share many hurting places; but we also, by the grace of Christ, share salvation. We share experience, we share knowledge, we share a living, healing savior. And in the fellowship  of those who have been nailed together, built up, into God’s spiritual house, the good news truly comes alive.

For, again, no growth ever takes place without pain. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain.

And yet, it remains true: no growth ever takes place without pain. Oh, one day they hurt Jesus. One day they pounded on His hands, His strong carpenter’s hands. They pounded, they pounded, until they put raw, red holes in those hands. Nails that hurt. On that same day they took nails, huge nails, and a hammer, and they crossed His legs and joined foot to foot and feet to timber. Nails that hurt more deeply than you or I will ever imagine. Despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

But it was for us. Folks, it was for us. It was for our forgiveness. It was for our growth. It was to join us together. Nails that hurt Him deeply!  “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”  (Isaiah 53.5)

No growth ever takes place without pain. If you truly want to be built up, prepare to encounter pain. But the pain of Jesus Christ will heal you. The blood of Jesus Christ will save us. And the heart of Jesus Christ keeps pounding, pounding, pounding with love for us. 

%&*#! What You Say Will Change Your Life!

%&*#! What You Say Will Change Your Life!

Potty mouth. Sexual innuendo. Cussing. Cursing. Smack talk. Smut. Swearing. OMG…Taking the Lord’s Name in vain!!! We have become desensitized to vulgarity.
 
“PG” ratings now use “R” language. What has happened to us? When did Christians tolerate such unclean language? Perhaps you don’t say those forbidden words…maybe you don’t say them in front of your children. But do you recoil when you hear them in the office, on your television or in the movie theater? Probably not.
WE CAN HAVE A BLESSED OR CURSED LIFE DEPENDING ON WHAT WE SAY.
Our words can change us. “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (Exodus 20:7) What does it mean to “misuse the name of the Lord “? Any misuse of God’s Name devalues His character and holiness. The Jews never even spoke the name of YHWH. Oh yeah-and God ALSO says that He will not let us go unpunished for using His name irreverently. It’s hard to obey a God we don’t respect. When we devalue Him, we will take His commands casually and flippantly disobey Him. This is serious stuff.
A pastor said he first noticed how pervasive the use of God’s name was when he watched a television show on HGTV. A safe enough show, one would think…..The designer transformed the ratty room of a client and then brought the fortunate family in for the “reveal.” To his shock and chagrin, EVERY person who viewed the transformation said the same three words. “Oh, my God!”
Now we don’t think this is a “big thing”, right?  Be honest.  Our grandson says this some times.  My response to him is this, “Son, do not use God’s name unless you are really talking to him or about Him”.
Come on, people! God has better things to do: creating universes, writing history, transforming lives. It is not likely that He spends a lot of time hanging wallpaper. Is our vocabulary so limited? Are our pea brains so small that we no longer have descriptors other than “Oh, my God?” Is He your God? If He is, then that statement is the most powerful declaration you can make. We are His and He is ours. Say it every day! All of the time! But say it because you love and worship the One who gave His only Son to die for your sins.
Also, if we call ourselves CHRISTians and don’t reflect Jesus through our 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, then we are misusing His name!
EMPTY PROMISES
Jesus warned about making empty promises and swearing in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:33-37 reads:
³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one”. (NKJV) Jesus included these verses in His most significant sermon. He said, “Don’t make empty promises you don’t intend to keep. Do what you promised God you would do.” The Message translation describes this passage in a very relevant way:
“Don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it.” You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’”
Here comes the kicker in Verse 37. ³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one”.
Swearing comes from the Devil. He is the father of lies, the prince of darkness. We trivialize our empty promises, assuming there will be no repercussions for our insincere words. But guess what? We have just given Satan a foothold in our lives.
UNCLEAN WORDS
One man relates this story about profanity. His family reunion was in full swing.  Aunts, uncles and cousins gulped down boatloads of fried chicken, sweet tea and strawberry shortcake. In the midst of the fellowship, five-year-old Roger skipped into the kitchen yelling the F bomb at the top of his little lungs. He was simply repeating the words of an oldest cousin. His mom was appalled. She grabbed him by the arm, marched him to the bathroom and made him wash his mouth with Ivory soap until he puked. Her punishment was rather extreme, but Roger never said that word again. Now it is obvious that this occurred many years ago.  First you would probably be brought before DHR for child abuse if you did this today, but secondly, today most parents would giggle and give their kids an empty warning if they use unclean words.
Why should we clean up our speech? Because unclean words come from a smutty heart. We become crass, filthy people. Our light to the world is extinguished and no one sees Jesus in us.
¹⁰ Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. ¹¹ It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” (Matthew 15:10-11)
Jesus also says that our unclean words lead us into depravity and sin. Our Christian purity is flushed down the toilet.
¹⁶ “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked (of His disciples). ¹⁷ “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. ¹⁸ But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.¹⁹ For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile you.”  (Matthew 15:16-20)
James sums up the power of unclean speech in James 3:5-10.

⁵ ……….. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶ And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.^[a]

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

Notice the words that are underscored. Unclean words contaminate us and come straight from the pit of hell.
SO HOW DO WE CLEAN UP OUR MOUTH?
⁹ But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9). God not only forgives us, he helps us clean up our act.
Stop talking. Let our words be few. Okay, Okay, I know this will be hard for me to do! J
That’s how you tame a horse. You but a bit is his mouth and attach to a bridle. So bridle our mouth and give the reins to the Holy Spirit.
Read the Bible often. God’s Words are like Ivory soap. They purify your heart and uplift your thoughts.
Filter the filth input in your life. Practice saying and thinking positive things. Follow Paul’s advice, and we will experience peace and blessing.
^“8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”  (Philippians 4:8-9)
And as the Psalmist wrote in this very popular scripture – Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Start today and watch God bless your life!

IF JESUS CAME TO OUR HOUSE

IF JESUS CAME TO OUR HOUSE

When Dwight Eisenhower was president, on one occasion he vacationed in Denver, Colorado. There was in Denver a six-year old boy who had incurable cancer. The boy had expressed the wish that he might see the President. President Eisenhower heard the little boy's wish and on a Sunday morning he visited him. The Presidential limousine pulled up in front of the house. He walked up to the front door and knocked. The father, in blue jeans and an old shirt with a day's growth of beard, opened the

door. When he saw the president he was speechless. The president took the six-year old boy out to see the limousine and talked with him for a while. Then he shook his hand and left. Afterward, when the father would tell the story, he would say, "And just to think, there I stood with my blue jeans,

my old shirt, and a day's growth of beard. What a way to meet the president!'

Imagine one day you are sitting on your front porch and a car pulled up in your driveway. Three men get out, and immediately you realize that one of them is the Lord, and the other two are angels. How would you act? What would you do? What would you say?

If you can imagine such a thing happening then you begin to understand the scene before us in Genesis 18. Notice Genesis 18:1-2, "The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. ² He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.”

Abraham had a visit from God. God came to his house and spent the afternoon with him. Three times the Bible speaks of Abraham as being a friend of God, and here is a good indication of how good a friend he was with God.

Note: The Bible says that no one has seen God. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” (John 1:18)  We could discuss this for the entire class time but for now let’s put this discussion on hold.

What if God, the Lord Jesus came to our house for a visit? Would we have to do some rearranging of things? Would we have to put up some things or put out some things? Would there be some magazines lying around we would not want him to see? Would you need to change the channel of the TV or change stations on the radio? Maybe delete some Facebook comments?

This is one of several Old Testament appearances of the Lord. This is what we call a pre-incarnate appearing of the Lord Jesus. As we know from the Bible the Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit has always been. So this is referring to times the “Son” appearing before He came into the world as the Savior.  In other words it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period often, but not always, in human form. 

Let’s notice this story and notice how this friend of God responded and reacted to this surprise visit to his home from God.

HE RIGHTLY WELCOMED HIS GUEST!

Notice Genesis 18:3, how Abraham greeting the Lord:  “My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. ⁴ Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet.”

Abraham is taking a nap in the hot afternoon. He looks down the road and saw 3 men coming. We can imagine him saying to himself, "I wonder who that might be?" He looks, and suddenly he realizes that one of them is God. Notice how he re-acted.

HE EAGERLY WELCOMED THE LORD TO HIS HOME.

Imagine this scenario. There's a knock at your door and when you open a door, there stands a dear friend of many years. You haven't seen this friend in years. You would be glad to see them and maybe embrace them.

When Abraham looked up and saw 3 men coming, he saw them as friends to embrace.

Notice in verse 2, that Abraham "ran to meet them and welcomed them." As soon as he realized who this was, this 99-year-old man jumped up out of his seat and took off running toward them.

Abraham knew this was the Lord. He didn't say, "Oh, no, it's the Lord," but "It's the Lord!" This was someone he loved. This was his dear friend. He eagerly welcomed his guest.

There is a song, "Holy Spirit, Thou Art Welcome In This Place." The Lord is welcome to visit here anytime He so desires. He should be welcome in our heart and in our home. He is welcome to visit us on Monday and welcome to visit us on Sunday.

We fuss about people who just drop in unannounced. The Lord is One that is welcome to drop by anytime He wants to. He can show up anytime, anywhere, any day, and any hour. He is a welcome guest.

HE EARNESTLY WANTED THE LORD IN HIS HOME.

Notice again Genesis 18:3, "My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while."

Have you ever had company that you wished would leave? There is an old story about one fellow who had company and they stayed and stayed and stayed, until it was getting late. Finally he said  to his wife, "Honey, we'd better go to bed so these folks can go home."

In Abraham's case, this was not company that he wanted to leave. His desire was for the Lord to stay for a while. He was not only glad to see Him, but he wanted The Lord to stay."

There is no way of knowing how we all feel but when the Lord shows up, we should not be anxious for Him to leave. Some folks on Sunday morning act like they can't wait until 12:00 so they can get out. Around 12:00 they start looking at their watches and about 10 after they are squirming. If it goes to 12:20, they are really getting into a frenzy. Lord help them, if it goes to 12:30.

If the Lord pays us a visit, we shouldn’t care if it's 1:00 o'clock. Wouldn’t we want to say, "Lord, please stay with us." There is nothing like being in his presence and being around Him.

He Rightly Welcomed His Guest!

HE REVERENTLY WORSHIPED HIS GUEST!

Notice in verse 2, that he not only ran to meet them, but was "bowing low to the ground." The word 'bowed" is the most common word in the Old Testament for worship. It means to bow down, to do homage, to show reverence, to worship.

if Jesus Christ entered the room would we all fall on our faces?

Abraham worshiped the Lord. What was he doing and why was he doing it? What is worship and why do we worship?

WORSHIP IS A REVERENCE OF GOD.

Abraham recognized that his visitor was God. This was no ordinary guest or just another person passing by. This was God. His actions were an expression of reverence.

Notice in verse 1, that it was the "LORD" (capital letters). This was Jehovah. Because of Who He Was, Abraham showed reverence and paid Him homage. That is worship: a reverence of God.

Have you ever noticed that some people refer to God as the man upstairs or some other name that really is disrespectful of God. Because He is LORD and because of Who He is, He should always be spoken of in terms that are reverent and respectful.

Abraham did not walk up and give God a high five and say, "Put it on me big guy." No he fell before Him in worship. This was God and the only response deserving of Him was an expression of reverence. God is always deserving of our respect and reverence.

WORSHIP IS A RESPONSE TO GOD.

Far too many Christians are only concerned about what they get from God, not what they give to God. Abraham was not getting something from God; he was giving something to God.

Worship is something you give to God. Someone has given us this definition of worship: "Worship is the giving to God the glory, praise, honor, and thanks due Him, both for Who he is and for what he has done."

What if Jesus came to our house? As a Christian He is a guest at our house. The issue is, how are we treating him.

 Our House

The Strength of our house does not lay within its foundation.

It has been built through the hands of man but is held together by the love and word of God.

With our security in Christ, each brick has been blessed by His touch.

The lock found at our front door is always open in His eyes.

Each friend’s visit blesses our lives, deepening the roots we have planted in our walk with Christ.

Our home is one in the neighborhood of many, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15