Reaching the Checkered Flag
Wouldn’t it be truly awesome if every person who claims the name of Christ, every individual who desires to be called a Christian, would run the race of faith as if their lives depended on it … because they do!
But, sadly, many Christian folk aren’t really even in this race of faith. Oh, they may have been saved … they have come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord … but that’s it. They’re not growing, they’re not serving, and they’re not sharing their faith. It’s like they jumped across the starting line … and then they laid down to rest. They have taken themselves out of the race before it even really started.
Today, let’s see how we can finish the race. Let’s talk about Reaching the Checkered Flag. How many of you know that I was once a “NASCAR race car driver” and have actually took the “checkered flag” (Only on local short tracks. Not with the big boys!) You know, in a NASCAR race, it doesn’t matter how well dressed the driver is or how pretty the car is. It doesn’t matter how much money their sponsors gave them. And it really doesn’t matter how fast they run … unless they actually cross that finish line. Really, it is all for naught unless they cross that line and see that checkered flag waved over the track.
Those of us who follow Jesus have to realize that we are still on the track. We have not finished the race. We cannot just sit back and relax and wait for Jesus to come back. We have a job to do. We have more laps to run. We have many more miles to go.
.
Most of us today are on God’s team, but we may not really be in the race of faith. Often we are a whole lot more interested in what we can get out of our faith and our church than we are in what we need to put into them. If that’s the case, then this is going to be a very important message today.
Let’s look to God’s Word for truth and inspiration. Let’s read together from the letter to the Hebrews 12:1-3.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
So many people honestly think that coming to know Jesus … being saved … is the end result of their spiritual journey. They could not be further from the truth!
Knowing Jesus is only the beginning … it is the beginning of a lifelong race of faith. There are many spiritual “laps” that we must travel before this race of life and faith is over. We must work and prepare to run this race of faith with God for our entire lifetimes!
How can you stay focused on the “finish line?”
Know that there are others who have successfully completed this race of life and faith. (v. 1a)
One was Noah. Remember, he spent 120 years building the ark. 120 years! Now, think about that. Some of us in this room are some of the most impatient people on the planet. Right? We get upset because the microwave takes 2:30 to pop the popcorn instead of 2:00. So we fuss, and complain, and live impatient lives. Some of us even get impatient when we think that God doesn’t move fast enough to suit us. Then we can remember a patient hero like Noah.
Some others who completed the race with endurance were Joseph, Abraham, Moses, Samson, Samuel, and David.
Then there are the heroes of the faith in your own life.
We all have heroes in the faith in our lives … people who had an impact … people who have gone on to be with the Lord. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent, or a teacher, or another person in your church. Most of us can remember someone along the way.
Get ready to run an effective, lifelong faith-race. (v. 1b)
The writer here uses the word, “endurance.” But what is endurance? Endurance means that, even when you don’t feel like you can go on … you keep going anyway.
Friends, the clock of life is ticking. And we need to be paying attention. We need to have our hearts and minds focused on this race. It does not just last for the moment of a salvation experience, or through your childhood, of from 9:00 until noon on Sunday. The race lasts a lifetime. How can you effectively run this lifelong race?
• Get rid of anything that will distract you from running the race effectively.
Distractions do not necessarily have to be bad. In fact, if the truth be known, it is more often things that are fundamentally good that keep Christians on the sidelines and out of the race of faith. You see, the devil gets a lot more accomplished by keeping us occupied with good stuff than he does by attacking us with bad stuff. We should absolutely be convinced of this. So, what in your life is distracting you from the race? What do you need to get rid of?
• Avoid getting tangled in a web of sin.
Of course, the bad stuff … the sin in our lives … keeps us distracted, too. It is downright impossible to run in God’s race of faith when you are weighed down by a burden of personal sin
• Don’t burn out … run with perseverance.
Finally … don’t quit. Don’t give up. No matter what direction life takes you, stay in the race of faith. There is always a new day and a new opportunity.
Keep your focus on Jesus, not upon yourself. (vv. 2-3)
Do you want to be an effective participant in this race of faith, then keep your eyes on Jesus! Stop thinking about yourself so much and consider what Jesus is leading you to be and do in your life.
• Remember Peter’s experience!
When Peter got out of the boat and started walking on water, he was okay until he took his eyes of Jesus. See Matthew 14.
A whole lot of us could be in this self-centered boat. Oh, we say really spiritual things. We talk a good religious talk. But, our focus is anywhere but on Jesus. It is still on self. In fact, there may someone here today who have never fixed their eyes and heart upon Jesus at all. They may be out there on the turbulent sea of your life, floundering and drowning, waiting for someone to rescue. Friend, that someone who wants to lift you out of that sea of selfishness and sin is Jesus.
Stay strong … do not give up … finish the race! (v. 3b)
Do all that you can to not grow weary and lose heart. Stay strong, remain faithful, and never give up. There is a great victory awaiting us at the end of this race! But be reminded of a couple of important points about our race of faith.
• If you follow Jesus, the world will be against you.
• Always remember, this is just a temporary stop on the way to real life!
The true finish line is when we step out of this life and into eternity with Jesus Christ. The race is over when we hear those blessed words from the mouth of Jesus, “Well done. My good and faithful servant.” This life that we are living is wonderful, it is important, and it is special … but it is only temporary. Real life is found in heaven, in eternity, with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Folks, there are plenty of things to hold us back and entangle us in this race of faith. But we need to fight through them, remain faithful, keep your eyes on Jesus, and finish the race!
Never fool yourself into thinking that you have “arrived,” or you are more spiritually “together” than others around you. No mater how spiritually mature you think you may be, you always have some growing to do.
Remember … the race isn’t over until you are standing before Jesus!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Dedicated!
We all need an exciting cause to consume us. Everyone has an inner need to be “dedicated”. Could be to work. Maybe fishing. Might even be grandkids. (Not me!) You could be “dedicated to the one you love”. NO, I will not be playing this song today. Many of you are probably too young to remember this song anyway! I could go on naming things that we become dedicated to, but since this weekend is college football season “kickoff” maybe football is currently at top of list around here. Just check out Facebook posts. Regardless of you favorite team, a LOT of people were dedicated to this sport this weekend and will be until the championship game next year. And then it is, “wait until next year”! Oh, if only we were this dedicated to Jesus Christ. Another lesson for another time!
The word "dedication" is kin to our English words "declare" and "devote." It comes from a medieval term meaning "to pledge”. If you're dedicated to something, you're committed to it wholly and earnestly. You've found something that demands your life, your soul, your all.
For Christians, this should be Christ and His Word. The original version of the lesson had “is” instead of “should”. I changed it because I am not sure that we are as dedicated as we should be. Evangelist John Wesley said, "I want to know one thing: the way to heaven. God Himself has condescended to teach me the way .... He has written it down in a book. Oh, give me that book! At any price give me the book of God. Let me be a man of one book."
In our lesson today let’s look at some things to help us be dedicated to The Word of God.
Read
If we're to be people of one Book, we have to read the Word. A recent article in a popular online magazine referred to "the rise and fall of the Bible" in our modern world, saying, "American Christians buy millions of Bibles they seldom read and don't understand." Referring to the Scriptures, the author said that people today buy "truckloads of the things" but never read them. The average Christian household has nine Bibles and purchases at least one new Bible a year. "But actually reading them is another matter," the author said with cynicism.
Now, I am sure that's not true of you or me; but it reminds us that we should really work to maintain our daily habit of reading the Bible.
Start reading today where you left off yesterday, consistently and systematically. Isaiah 34:16 says, "Search the book of the LORD, ... "
The apostle Paul writes to Timothy: “Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.” (1 Timothy 4: 13).
The book of Revelation promises, "God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church,…" (Revelation 1:3a). If you don't have a plan for reading the Bible, devise one for yourself today and start it at once. In an earlier lesson, I encouraged you to start by just reading 5 minutes a day, if you don’t already have a plan.
Study
Study the Bible. How marvelous that God gave us a book large enough to contain all we need to know from Him, yet small enough to fit in our hands. We need to search it out. The idea of studying the Bible overwhelms some people, but you can begin by simply reading a verse and thinking about what it says. Write it down and study the structure of the sentence. Track down cross-references. Look at the notes in a good study Bible. Read the passage in its context, and keep reading and studying it until it becomes clearer. The Bible says, "How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them." (Psalm 111 :2).
Remember God’s Word
The original of this lesson says memorize, but since I am terrible at memorizing, I feel that “remembering” the concept of God’s Word is okay!
Job 22:22 says, "Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart.” By remembering a verse of Scripture, you're inscribing God's Word on your brain. It sinks into your subconscious and even into your unconscious thoughts. It makes the Bible portable and allows the Scripture to transform your life by the renewing of your thoughts. I see a lot of people posting their favorite verse or verses on Facebook. Do you have a verse that you like to remember or ponder?
Meditate (think about) on God's Word.
This is the forgotten habit of the church. Encircled by radios, televisions, computers, and portable entertainment devices (can you say “iPod” or maybe – cell phone?), we're seldom quiet long enough to meditate. But try mulling over a verse of Scripture during your morning shower, your daily commute, or before falling asleep at night. If you walk for exercise, turn off your cell phone and think about a specific passage, asking God to give you insight into its meaning. According to the Bible, this is the secret of success. Joshua 1:8 says this about God's Word, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.”
Practice
But here's the important thing. We can read, study, memorize, meditate, and even pray the Scriptures; but unless we obey its words, it does no good. Jesus made this clear at the end of His Sermon on the Mount. He told of two men, each of whom built a beautiful home. One man built his on a solid foundation, while the other built his on the sand. The first house stood the force of a howling storm; the other house collapsed.
In explaining His analogy, Jesus said that both men had heard the Word of God. The difference was obedience. The first man heard our Lord's sayings and did them. "But," He went on to say, "anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand." (Matthew 7:26).
Whenever you read a verse, ask: Is there an action I need to take, a command I need to obey, a change I need to make, or an attitude I need to adopt? Learn to read the
Bible obediently.
Share
Finally, dedication to the Word of God means that we share it with others. This can be as simple as quoting a verse to a coworker, inviting someone to church, leading a Bible study, or passing this lesson along to a friend. If we're filling our hearts with God's Word, it will show up in our conversation, for Jesus told us that “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45
How important is God's Word in your life? Which habit can you improve today? Be dedicated to read, study, remember, meditate, pray, practice, and share God's Word. Let's pray with John Wesley: Lord, make us people of one Book!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
God is still God
(Rarely do I do two lessons based on a song but this week a friend posted this song on FB and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind, so I believe this is God’s lesson for us this week!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?hcYDcLiiXmU
God is Still God by Heather Williams
Wish I knew what I'm supposed to say to you
What you're going through
But I don't know what you're feeling
Does anyone know what you're feeling right now
You're afraid
The future's like an enemy,
and you just wish you could see
Cause you don't know where you're going
Don't let it keep you from hoping right now
Yeah we've all been lost and we've all been hurt
Where our hope is spent and our faith don't work
But nothing lasts forever
The only thing that matters
Is God is still God and He holds it together
So hang on now
He's been there, walking in the wilderness
When it's hard to see the end
But He had the strength to do it, so He can help you through it
So hang on now
So even when you lie awake
And bend until you almost break
The darkest time is right before the dawn
We should always be aware that our major adversary here on this earth is the devil. When we are enabled by the Lord to win a victory against him, you can count on him returning to fight another day. His desire is to see us defeated, one way or the other. If he doesn't win in one area of our life, he will change the direction of his attack and come at us again. The Bible says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”. 1 Pet. 5:8.
We need to understand that no matter the battle we face, you and I can walk in victory with God’s help! There are some simple truths that show us that God Is Still God, even In the valleys of life.
You see, when we are on the "mountain" spiritually, we are hard for the devil to handle. When we are walking around with a shout in our soul and glory in our hearts, we are a force to be reckoned with. It is hard for Satan to defeat an excited Christian. Maybe that is why Nehemiah said "the joy of the LORD is your strength." Neh. 8:10.
This is the situation Satan ran into with Job. He put the squeeze on Job expecting Job to turn on God. However, all the devil was able to extract from the life of Job was worship and praise. “The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21). If the devil squeezes you and all he gets is praise to God for His efforts, he is likely to stop squeezing after a while!
A story goes that it was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale the tools were placed for public inspection, each being marked with its sale price. There were a treacherous lot of implements. Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Doubt, Lying, Pride, and so on. Laid apart from the rest of the pile was a harmless-looking tool, well-worn and priced very high. "What is the name of that tool?" asked one of the purchasers. "Oh," said the adversary, "that's Discouragement." Buyer: "Why have you priced it so high?" Satan: "Because it's more useful to me than the others. I can pry open and get inside a person's heart with that one, when I cannot get near him with other tools. Now once I get inside, I can make him do what I choose. It's a really worn tool, because I use it on almost everyone since few people know it belongs to me."
The devil's price for Discouragement was so high, he never sold it. It's still his major tool, and he still uses it on God's people today.
It has been said that "Discouragement is the handle that fits all the devil's tools." The idea here is that Satan knows that when we are on the mountain, we are hard to get at. Therefore, he assumes that if he can get us in the valley, we will be easier to defeat. Sadly, he has been right in many, many cases. If the devil can get you to focus on the negative aspects of any situation, he can get you discouraged. If he can get you discouraged, he can get you defeated. If he can get you defeated, he can steal the victory of the Lord right out of our heart.
As the saying goes: Life is 10% about what happens to us and 90% about we react to what happens to us! If you develop a "woe is me" attitude concerning the events of life, then you are going to be easy prey for the devil. If, however, you can learn to put into practice the lessons of Philippians 4:6-9. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything……… His peace will guard your hearts and minds……….. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable…….. Then the God of peace will be with you”
Has the devil tried this trap in your life? Has he used the tool of discouragement on you? I know he has on me and, not to give him any credit, but discouragement works better on me than any other tactic the devil can try. If he can just get us off that mountain top, we will be easier for him to handle!
God is going to prove Himself to be God of the valley as well as God of the mountain. He assures His people of victory!
We need to remember that God is bigger than our valley. It is easier to serve the Lord when we are on the spiritual mountain top. It is easier when we are excited about the Lord and about His work. However, when we go into one of the valley experiences of life, God is still God! When we enter the valley of physical pain, God is still God! When we enter the valley of spiritual discouragement, God is still God. When we enter the valley of sorrow or mental pain, God is still God. Regardless of the valley we are forced to enter, we will find out that God is still God!
You see, God wants to demonstrate to His people that He is God in every stage of life. He wants to be able to demonstrate His power in our life. He wants to show us that He is still God. That is why the Bible is literally filled with promises that teach us that God is in control.
Verses like Rom. 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them; 1 Cor. 15:57: “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 2:14: But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. 2 Cor. 4:17: For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! and others let us know that our God is determined to prove to us that He is God in every circumstance that we face.
For us, victory begins to be realized when we come to understand that Satan wants us to be defeated, but that God has promised we can walk in the victory in spite of our circumstances. When everything around us suggests that we should be discouraged and defeated, God still says that we have the victory. Paul writes in Rom. 8:37, “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”In the final analysis, genuine spiritual victory is never a matter of that what we are facing in life. Genuine spiritual victory is simple faith in the promises of God. We will be victorious, not because everything is perfect in our life, we are victorious when God is in control of our life and He says that we are victorious.
When we understand that God is sill God. Therefore, regardless of the situation, we can rest in the promise of God. The battle may raging around us, but it does not have to rage within us! While we may be in the battle, God has already won the war and we are victorious because He said so!
More than anything else, the path out of the valley begins with the ability to surrender to God in every circumstance.
There is no way of knowing what all of you are facing this today. It may be that the devil has and is using the tool of discouragement in your life. It may be that you feel defeated and a million miles away from the mountain top. Let me just remind you one more time that God is God when you are on the mountain and that God is still God when you are down in the valley. The secret to enjoying the mountains and the valleys is learning that God is in control. If you can do that, then whether you are on top or on bottom, you will always be on the mountain in your heart and victory will always be yours. You get there and you'll be a hard nut for the devil to crack.
The first step in arriving at that place is learning to bring your burdens to Jesus.
Do you have a burden too big to bear? Why not take a few moments to tell Jesus about it. Take your burden to the Lord, then leave it there by faith. We will close with this scripture: “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7. (Some of you may remember that I have carried this scripture in my wallet since 1991 and notice that is “framed” and hanging on our SS wall!) After all, God is still God, even in the valley!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?hcYDcLiiXmU
God is Still God by Heather Williams
Wish I knew what I'm supposed to say to you
What you're going through
But I don't know what you're feeling
Does anyone know what you're feeling right now
You're afraid
The future's like an enemy,
and you just wish you could see
Cause you don't know where you're going
Don't let it keep you from hoping right now
Yeah we've all been lost and we've all been hurt
Where our hope is spent and our faith don't work
But nothing lasts forever
The only thing that matters
Is God is still God and He holds it together
So hang on now
He's been there, walking in the wilderness
When it's hard to see the end
But He had the strength to do it, so He can help you through it
So hang on now
So even when you lie awake
And bend until you almost break
The darkest time is right before the dawn
We should always be aware that our major adversary here on this earth is the devil. When we are enabled by the Lord to win a victory against him, you can count on him returning to fight another day. His desire is to see us defeated, one way or the other. If he doesn't win in one area of our life, he will change the direction of his attack and come at us again. The Bible says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”. 1 Pet. 5:8.
We need to understand that no matter the battle we face, you and I can walk in victory with God’s help! There are some simple truths that show us that God Is Still God, even In the valleys of life.
You see, when we are on the "mountain" spiritually, we are hard for the devil to handle. When we are walking around with a shout in our soul and glory in our hearts, we are a force to be reckoned with. It is hard for Satan to defeat an excited Christian. Maybe that is why Nehemiah said "the joy of the LORD is your strength." Neh. 8:10.
This is the situation Satan ran into with Job. He put the squeeze on Job expecting Job to turn on God. However, all the devil was able to extract from the life of Job was worship and praise. “The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21). If the devil squeezes you and all he gets is praise to God for His efforts, he is likely to stop squeezing after a while!
A story goes that it was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale the tools were placed for public inspection, each being marked with its sale price. There were a treacherous lot of implements. Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Doubt, Lying, Pride, and so on. Laid apart from the rest of the pile was a harmless-looking tool, well-worn and priced very high. "What is the name of that tool?" asked one of the purchasers. "Oh," said the adversary, "that's Discouragement." Buyer: "Why have you priced it so high?" Satan: "Because it's more useful to me than the others. I can pry open and get inside a person's heart with that one, when I cannot get near him with other tools. Now once I get inside, I can make him do what I choose. It's a really worn tool, because I use it on almost everyone since few people know it belongs to me."
The devil's price for Discouragement was so high, he never sold it. It's still his major tool, and he still uses it on God's people today.
It has been said that "Discouragement is the handle that fits all the devil's tools." The idea here is that Satan knows that when we are on the mountain, we are hard to get at. Therefore, he assumes that if he can get us in the valley, we will be easier to defeat. Sadly, he has been right in many, many cases. If the devil can get you to focus on the negative aspects of any situation, he can get you discouraged. If he can get you discouraged, he can get you defeated. If he can get you defeated, he can steal the victory of the Lord right out of our heart.
As the saying goes: Life is 10% about what happens to us and 90% about we react to what happens to us! If you develop a "woe is me" attitude concerning the events of life, then you are going to be easy prey for the devil. If, however, you can learn to put into practice the lessons of Philippians 4:6-9. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything……… His peace will guard your hearts and minds……….. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable…….. Then the God of peace will be with you”
Has the devil tried this trap in your life? Has he used the tool of discouragement on you? I know he has on me and, not to give him any credit, but discouragement works better on me than any other tactic the devil can try. If he can just get us off that mountain top, we will be easier for him to handle!
God is going to prove Himself to be God of the valley as well as God of the mountain. He assures His people of victory!
We need to remember that God is bigger than our valley. It is easier to serve the Lord when we are on the spiritual mountain top. It is easier when we are excited about the Lord and about His work. However, when we go into one of the valley experiences of life, God is still God! When we enter the valley of physical pain, God is still God! When we enter the valley of spiritual discouragement, God is still God. When we enter the valley of sorrow or mental pain, God is still God. Regardless of the valley we are forced to enter, we will find out that God is still God!
You see, God wants to demonstrate to His people that He is God in every stage of life. He wants to be able to demonstrate His power in our life. He wants to show us that He is still God. That is why the Bible is literally filled with promises that teach us that God is in control.
Verses like Rom. 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them; 1 Cor. 15:57: “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 2:14: But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. 2 Cor. 4:17: For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! and others let us know that our God is determined to prove to us that He is God in every circumstance that we face.
For us, victory begins to be realized when we come to understand that Satan wants us to be defeated, but that God has promised we can walk in the victory in spite of our circumstances. When everything around us suggests that we should be discouraged and defeated, God still says that we have the victory. Paul writes in Rom. 8:37, “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”In the final analysis, genuine spiritual victory is never a matter of that what we are facing in life. Genuine spiritual victory is simple faith in the promises of God. We will be victorious, not because everything is perfect in our life, we are victorious when God is in control of our life and He says that we are victorious.
When we understand that God is sill God. Therefore, regardless of the situation, we can rest in the promise of God. The battle may raging around us, but it does not have to rage within us! While we may be in the battle, God has already won the war and we are victorious because He said so!
More than anything else, the path out of the valley begins with the ability to surrender to God in every circumstance.
There is no way of knowing what all of you are facing this today. It may be that the devil has and is using the tool of discouragement in your life. It may be that you feel defeated and a million miles away from the mountain top. Let me just remind you one more time that God is God when you are on the mountain and that God is still God when you are down in the valley. The secret to enjoying the mountains and the valleys is learning that God is in control. If you can do that, then whether you are on top or on bottom, you will always be on the mountain in your heart and victory will always be yours. You get there and you'll be a hard nut for the devil to crack.
The first step in arriving at that place is learning to bring your burdens to Jesus.
Do you have a burden too big to bear? Why not take a few moments to tell Jesus about it. Take your burden to the Lord, then leave it there by faith. We will close with this scripture: “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7. (Some of you may remember that I have carried this scripture in my wallet since 1991 and notice that is “framed” and hanging on our SS wall!) After all, God is still God, even in the valley!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Angels Among Us
Click link to listen to song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey0HrEvh44c
I was walking home from school on a cold winter day.
Took a shortcut through the woods, and I lost my way.
It was getting late, and I was scared and alone.
But then a kind old man took my hand and led me home.
Mama couldn't see him, but he was standing there.
And I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers.
Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.
When life held troubled times, and had me down on my knees.
There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me.
A kind word from a stranger, to lend a helping hand.
A phone call from a friend, just to say I understand.
And ain't it kind of funny that at the dark end of the road.
Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope.
Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.
They wear so many faces; show up in the strangest places.
To grace us with their mercy, in our time of need.
Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.
To guide us with the light of love. Song by Alabama
In the past few years there has been an explosion of interest in angels in our culture. These days angels are admired by millions of people, many of them not Christians, and not just during the Christmas season but all year long. Perhaps this is due to baby boomers's hunger for spiritual meaning in life - not sure - but interest in angels is seen literally everywhere. TV shows about angels have been extremely popular. Movies like Angels in the Outfield and City of Angels scored big bucks at the box office. Entire stores are devoted to selling angelic nicknacks. Dozens of books like Ask Your Angel and A Book of Angels are on best seller lists. In fact, the Los Angeles Times reports that "with angel catalogs, angel seminars, angel pins, angel newsletters and angels sightings...it looks like the winged ones have left the cosmic back lot for the forefront of popular consciousness."
Gallup polls in the 1990's report that 75 percent of teenagers believe that angels exist - a percentage even higher than that of Americans in general.
And, as Christians we should note that although our culture is fascinated with angels, the church has remained oddly silent about them. In his best-selling book on angels, Billy Graham (in 1975) wrote that he had never heard a sermon on angels, despite having read of "literally thousands" of personal accounts of people seeing these amazing beings. Inspired by the lack of more current information, Graham wrote Angels: God's Secret Agents. According to Billy Graham, angels are mentioned over 300 times in the Bible.
Exactly who are these mysterious creatures who turn up at unpredictable times?
We need to turn to the Bible to find an answer to that question. And the Bible has a great deal to say about angels. In fact these amazing beings are mentioned many times in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. An angel led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Angels announced the birth and resurrection of Jesus. Angels visited Abraham and Sarah and saved Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom. And the Bible tells us that when Our Lord returns He will be accompanied by hosts of angels. Scripture teaches that angels are created beings. God made them just as He made us.
The Biblical record shows that angels have the ability to change their appearance and shuttle in a flash from heaven to earth and back again.
If we study the scriptures we will find that:
• These amazingly powerful beings deliver, protect, and defend God's people.
• Angels also provide guidance from God.
• They also provide comfort and encouragement.
• And then angels often also serve as God's agents of judgement.
• And angels serve as God's messengers.
• But the Bible also tells us that there are fallen angels – Satan being one.
Okay, we know and believe the stories of angels in the Bible and we see the interest in them in today’s culture. BUT do we really believe they are with us and active in our lives today? Are they really here with us. Do people really have encounters today with these Heavenly beings. Hebrews 1:14 says, “Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” Why would this not be as true today as it was in Biblical times?
Many angelic encounters seem to deal with dramatic rescues.
There have probably never been more stories of encounters with angels than in the days following 9/11. Country Music TV has done a series relating many of these stories.
From the CMT website: "Angels Among Us" is a CMT series that commemorates the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 with a very special episode. Genelle Guzman is on the 13th floor of World Trade Tower One when it collapses on top of her. Miraculously, she survives, but is trapped under the rubble for over 24 hours. With hope of rescue fading, an angel takes her hand and assures her that help is on the way. In Tower Two, Ron DiFrancesco escapes death when the second plane hits his floor, but soon discovers all escape routes have been cut off by a raging inferno. On the edge of despair, he hears an otherworldly voice urging him to run into the fire. And at the Pentagon, American Airlines flight 77 slams into the building 100 feet from John Yates. Despite massive injuries, he is guided towards safety. by an angel.
Witness events that led up to a life-changing moment and an ultimate encounter with what can only be described as an angel. These are your friends, your neighbors -- everyday people who against all odds have survived extreme events from catastrophic car crashes, to apocalyptic weather, debilitating diseases and even the biggest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Each awe-inspiring episode features three incredible true-life tales of people who faced their darkest hour and saw a light. The uplifting hour-long series presents compelling firsthand accounts of life-and- death situations with carefully crafted re-creations, to bring viewers a one-of-a-kind look at the world of angel encounters.
Each episode will conclude with a follow-up to find out just how these people been impacted, where they are today and how they've applied the lessons they've learned to their current lives. Each story and each result will be personal, profound and unique -- the one common thread being that each of our subjects was truly saved by an angel.
Whether it's a shining light or a physical presence, these subjects are here to provide living testament that angels are real. At the end of every hour, even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to deny there are indeed angels among us.”
One pastor writes: I believe with all my heart that millions of angels are at God’s command and at our service. The hosts of Heaven stand at attention ready to do God’s will at any moment of any hour of any day.
His angels are on call at all times. They don’t take vacation days. They don’t take sick days. They don’t take off for holidays. They never age and they are always ready and available to carry out God’s plans!
These angels of God are here to help us and they are prepared for any emergency, and Satan has no firepower that can match the heavy artillery of God!”
There are many stories of people having a personal encounter with an angel. But there are many times I believe that angels intervene in the lives of Christians and we are not even aware of this intervention.
What about you? Ever had an encounter with an angel? Ever met "strangers who were angels in disguise."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey0HrEvh44c
I was walking home from school on a cold winter day.
Took a shortcut through the woods, and I lost my way.
It was getting late, and I was scared and alone.
But then a kind old man took my hand and led me home.
Mama couldn't see him, but he was standing there.
And I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers.
Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.
When life held troubled times, and had me down on my knees.
There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me.
A kind word from a stranger, to lend a helping hand.
A phone call from a friend, just to say I understand.
And ain't it kind of funny that at the dark end of the road.
Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope.
Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.
They wear so many faces; show up in the strangest places.
To grace us with their mercy, in our time of need.
Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.
To guide us with the light of love. Song by Alabama
In the past few years there has been an explosion of interest in angels in our culture. These days angels are admired by millions of people, many of them not Christians, and not just during the Christmas season but all year long. Perhaps this is due to baby boomers's hunger for spiritual meaning in life - not sure - but interest in angels is seen literally everywhere. TV shows about angels have been extremely popular. Movies like Angels in the Outfield and City of Angels scored big bucks at the box office. Entire stores are devoted to selling angelic nicknacks. Dozens of books like Ask Your Angel and A Book of Angels are on best seller lists. In fact, the Los Angeles Times reports that "with angel catalogs, angel seminars, angel pins, angel newsletters and angels sightings...it looks like the winged ones have left the cosmic back lot for the forefront of popular consciousness."
Gallup polls in the 1990's report that 75 percent of teenagers believe that angels exist - a percentage even higher than that of Americans in general.
And, as Christians we should note that although our culture is fascinated with angels, the church has remained oddly silent about them. In his best-selling book on angels, Billy Graham (in 1975) wrote that he had never heard a sermon on angels, despite having read of "literally thousands" of personal accounts of people seeing these amazing beings. Inspired by the lack of more current information, Graham wrote Angels: God's Secret Agents. According to Billy Graham, angels are mentioned over 300 times in the Bible.
Exactly who are these mysterious creatures who turn up at unpredictable times?
We need to turn to the Bible to find an answer to that question. And the Bible has a great deal to say about angels. In fact these amazing beings are mentioned many times in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. An angel led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Angels announced the birth and resurrection of Jesus. Angels visited Abraham and Sarah and saved Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom. And the Bible tells us that when Our Lord returns He will be accompanied by hosts of angels. Scripture teaches that angels are created beings. God made them just as He made us.
The Biblical record shows that angels have the ability to change their appearance and shuttle in a flash from heaven to earth and back again.
If we study the scriptures we will find that:
• These amazingly powerful beings deliver, protect, and defend God's people.
• Angels also provide guidance from God.
• They also provide comfort and encouragement.
• And then angels often also serve as God's agents of judgement.
• And angels serve as God's messengers.
• But the Bible also tells us that there are fallen angels – Satan being one.
Okay, we know and believe the stories of angels in the Bible and we see the interest in them in today’s culture. BUT do we really believe they are with us and active in our lives today? Are they really here with us. Do people really have encounters today with these Heavenly beings. Hebrews 1:14 says, “Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” Why would this not be as true today as it was in Biblical times?
Many angelic encounters seem to deal with dramatic rescues.
There have probably never been more stories of encounters with angels than in the days following 9/11. Country Music TV has done a series relating many of these stories.
From the CMT website: "Angels Among Us" is a CMT series that commemorates the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 with a very special episode. Genelle Guzman is on the 13th floor of World Trade Tower One when it collapses on top of her. Miraculously, she survives, but is trapped under the rubble for over 24 hours. With hope of rescue fading, an angel takes her hand and assures her that help is on the way. In Tower Two, Ron DiFrancesco escapes death when the second plane hits his floor, but soon discovers all escape routes have been cut off by a raging inferno. On the edge of despair, he hears an otherworldly voice urging him to run into the fire. And at the Pentagon, American Airlines flight 77 slams into the building 100 feet from John Yates. Despite massive injuries, he is guided towards safety. by an angel.
Witness events that led up to a life-changing moment and an ultimate encounter with what can only be described as an angel. These are your friends, your neighbors -- everyday people who against all odds have survived extreme events from catastrophic car crashes, to apocalyptic weather, debilitating diseases and even the biggest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Each awe-inspiring episode features three incredible true-life tales of people who faced their darkest hour and saw a light. The uplifting hour-long series presents compelling firsthand accounts of life-and- death situations with carefully crafted re-creations, to bring viewers a one-of-a-kind look at the world of angel encounters.
Each episode will conclude with a follow-up to find out just how these people been impacted, where they are today and how they've applied the lessons they've learned to their current lives. Each story and each result will be personal, profound and unique -- the one common thread being that each of our subjects was truly saved by an angel.
Whether it's a shining light or a physical presence, these subjects are here to provide living testament that angels are real. At the end of every hour, even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to deny there are indeed angels among us.”
One pastor writes: I believe with all my heart that millions of angels are at God’s command and at our service. The hosts of Heaven stand at attention ready to do God’s will at any moment of any hour of any day.
His angels are on call at all times. They don’t take vacation days. They don’t take sick days. They don’t take off for holidays. They never age and they are always ready and available to carry out God’s plans!
These angels of God are here to help us and they are prepared for any emergency, and Satan has no firepower that can match the heavy artillery of God!”
There are many stories of people having a personal encounter with an angel. But there are many times I believe that angels intervene in the lives of Christians and we are not even aware of this intervention.
What about you? Ever had an encounter with an angel? Ever met "strangers who were angels in disguise."
Sunday, August 14, 2011
IBIU
To my BFFs:
If you have a tweenager or teenager in your home-or you are dialed in to current text-speak regardless of your age-you have already translated my opening greeting: "Best Friend Forever". The "forever" meaning of "BFF" is important to us as Christians - all who know the Lord Jesus Christ will indeed be best friends forever with Him and with one another.
When we begin to just understood the use of emoticons in email-things and Facebook like :), :(, and :\ - when along came a whole new world of text abbreviations. But we can appreciate this new way of communicating because there are so many more messages to be conveyed between friends and acquaintances. And as you will discover in this lesson, so many ways to follow the Biblical instructions to use those messages to "encourage one another".
It's amazing what emotional impact just a few simple letters can have. Just a small gesture, act, or word on our part can lift a heavy load from the shoulders of a discouraged person-whether friend, new acquaintance, or stranger. Hopefully this lesson will stir your creativity and help you become a powerful encourager.
Whether we use text abbreviations or not, we all must master the skill of en¬couragement. Someone's day may depend on our delivering just the right message.
UG2BK. T+. T@YL. To some, those jumbles of letters, numbers, and symbols are about as decipherable as Egyptian hieroglyphics. But to others who know the code, those short cryptic phrases display the following thoughts: You've got to be kidding. Think positive. Talk at you later.
Welcome to the brave new world of text messages! Just as it is difficult to remember how we coped before the coming of the Internet, it is hard to recall how we were able to keep in touch with each other before the development of the cell phone and-consequently-text messaging and now, FB posts.
Why has text messaging become such a constant and vital source of interaction today? The answer is pretty simple; for it doesn't matter if you are a business owner, schoolteacher, stay-at¬-home-mom, or even retired - we are all pressed for time! That is why it has become THE way to connect with other people. (Most of you remember how long your teacher resisted texting.) A busy world demands creative ways to communicate, and texting allows us to share and convey our thoughts to others with a minimal amount of effort.
Abbreviations are king in text mes¬saging because there is a limit of characters that can be sent in a single text. Because of this, thousands upon thousands of abbreviations have sprung up as people have sought to say as much as they can in as few letters as possible. Thus, a text message could range from having symbols like <3 (which stands for "heart" because it looks like a heart lying on its side) to phonetic jumbles like 4eva (meaning "forever") to long acronyms like AFAIK (as far as I know) or GMTA (great minds think alike).
Now if you have ever used text messaging, there is a good chance that you have written or received a text that contained some of the most common texting abbreviations, such as JIK (just kidding), CUL (see you later), or TNX (thanks). But here is a suggestion for a new one to add to your repertoire: IBIU. Do you know what that stands for? I BELIEVE IN YOU.
It's amazing what emotional impact just a few simple letters can have. Think what "IBIU" says to the person who receives that message in a text, email, Facebook post or hand¬written note: "I believe in you!" Just a small gesture, act, or word on our part can lift a heavy load from the shoulders of a discouraged person-whether friend, new acquaintance, or stranger. Hopefully this lesson will stir your creativity and help you become a powerful encourager.
Text messaging is an ideal way to encourage people. And a simple abbre¬viated phrase like "I believe in you" can make a world of difference in someone's day. Those four common words have the ability to deliver a message that can promote strength, resolve, joy, comfort, love, and even spiritual healing. And how long would it take anyone of us to send such a life-affirming thought of hope to those we love? About 5 seconds.
This lesson is challenging you to be an encourager. It takes courage and effort to be an encourager these days because when we look at the world around us, there is a lot that we can be discouraged about. But we are called as Christ-followers to build each other up and to bear one another's burdens. And although that may seem like a difficult task for you to undertake, we are going to encourage you by taking this small step: Send a text message! Or send an email, FB Message, or
a handwritten note is acceptable. (See this version of MS Word changed my : and ) into a real smiley face). And you know a cell phone can still be used as a phone. But this lesson is mainly focusing on texting.
Texting is an easy, non-threatening way to approach someone with a word of hope. You can text something simple like P4U (which means "praying for you") or HC4U ("He cares for you"). And when you hear about the joy and encouragement that such a simple act sparked in someone's life, you'll only feel more encouraged to call someone or invite them for coffee and get in¬volved in the serious calling of lifting up our friends and family in their daily journeys.
It doesn't take much to be a positive force in the lives around you. All you have to do is take that first step-for when you do, the joy that you feel in being used of God will propel you forward into the next opportu¬nity. Hopefully as we go over this lesson we can find out how to be an encourager today!
We are called as Christ-followers to build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Melodye Jenkins likes to encourage her son John before his basketball games, but one day she wasn't able to get him on the phone. The Vanderbilt freshman was preparing for the big game against Kentucky. You might think John Jenkins wouldn't need pep talks. He was one of the nation's best high school shooters. But boys still need their moms; so when John didn't answer his phone Melodye sent a non-too subtle text message: "Game-high 25 to 30 points. It has now been spoken." It worked. Playing on national television later that day, Jenkins came alive, scoring 32 points against Kentucky and leading his team to an 81-77 victory.
It doesn't always take a lot to encourage some¬one. A text message, a pat on the back, a whisper of confidence, a "that-a-boy," a note in the mail, a public word of praise, a shot in the arm, a high five. That's the secret power of the letters WTG-Way to Go! We can't say that too often, The people around, young and old, thrive on words of encouragement from someone who believes in them. Encouragement is a key component in strengthening others.….and yourself.
Someone has said, "All encouragement is from the Lord; all discouragement is from the devil." There's truth in that, for our God is a God of kind, yet earnest reproof, and His Word is a book of encouragement.
The apostle Paul told the Romans: "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. (Romans 15:4-5)
He told the Thessalonians: "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encourage¬ment and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word" (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
The writer to the Hebrews suggested that his readers had grown weary and were in danger of giving up because they " And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. (Hebrews 12:5).
Educator Jane Bluestein, in her book, The Win- Win Classroom, tells about a teacher who was grading an assignment turned in by her second-graders. Most of the papers were admirable and received positive comments and stickers at the top.
But one student had turned in a paper that was little more than an angry black scribble. Instead of a story, there was a sentence fragment with no capital letters, no punctuation, and no correctly-spelled words. The paper gave evidence of having been crumpled up in frustration. There were also holes in the paper caused by the vigorous use of an eraser.
The teacher was tempted to mark-up the paper with a red pen, but she hesitated. Making a mental note to work with this student on his capitals and spelling (and erasing), she decided to make a positive comment and give him a sticker as she had done to the other children. But what could she say that was positive?
She finally saw something on the paper that the student hadn't messed up. She returned the paper to him bearing the words: "Magnificent Margins!"
The boy was delighted with his stick¬er and proud of his magnificent margins. He grew more concerned about his work, and as his teacher patiently worked with him he showed steady progress.
It takes a little thought and some¬times a slight change in our perspective, but we can learn to touch the lives of others through encouragement. We can learn to say "Way to Go!" Or at least we can say "Magnificent Margins!"
God directs us to be encouragers.
In the Book of Acts, the apostles considered it essential to encourage the family. Luke writes that Paul and Barnabas went around "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” (Acts 14:22, NIV). Two other New Testament workers, Judas and Silas, "who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers" (Acts 15:32, NIV). We're told that the apostle Paul traveled around "speaking many words of encouragement to the people" (Acts 20:2)
Don't forget the person sitting near you at church. There's a broken heart in every pew. As you enter for worship, pray for those around you. Commit a random act of kindness. Share a word of Scripture by word, note, or text message. Let them know: LYLS & LYLB. Love you like a sister or Love you like a brother!
Who have you encouraged today?
If you have a tweenager or teenager in your home-or you are dialed in to current text-speak regardless of your age-you have already translated my opening greeting: "Best Friend Forever". The "forever" meaning of "BFF" is important to us as Christians - all who know the Lord Jesus Christ will indeed be best friends forever with Him and with one another.
When we begin to just understood the use of emoticons in email-things and Facebook like :), :(, and :\ - when along came a whole new world of text abbreviations. But we can appreciate this new way of communicating because there are so many more messages to be conveyed between friends and acquaintances. And as you will discover in this lesson, so many ways to follow the Biblical instructions to use those messages to "encourage one another".
It's amazing what emotional impact just a few simple letters can have. Just a small gesture, act, or word on our part can lift a heavy load from the shoulders of a discouraged person-whether friend, new acquaintance, or stranger. Hopefully this lesson will stir your creativity and help you become a powerful encourager.
Whether we use text abbreviations or not, we all must master the skill of en¬couragement. Someone's day may depend on our delivering just the right message.
UG2BK. T+. T@YL. To some, those jumbles of letters, numbers, and symbols are about as decipherable as Egyptian hieroglyphics. But to others who know the code, those short cryptic phrases display the following thoughts: You've got to be kidding. Think positive. Talk at you later.
Welcome to the brave new world of text messages! Just as it is difficult to remember how we coped before the coming of the Internet, it is hard to recall how we were able to keep in touch with each other before the development of the cell phone and-consequently-text messaging and now, FB posts.
Why has text messaging become such a constant and vital source of interaction today? The answer is pretty simple; for it doesn't matter if you are a business owner, schoolteacher, stay-at¬-home-mom, or even retired - we are all pressed for time! That is why it has become THE way to connect with other people. (Most of you remember how long your teacher resisted texting.) A busy world demands creative ways to communicate, and texting allows us to share and convey our thoughts to others with a minimal amount of effort.
Abbreviations are king in text mes¬saging because there is a limit of characters that can be sent in a single text. Because of this, thousands upon thousands of abbreviations have sprung up as people have sought to say as much as they can in as few letters as possible. Thus, a text message could range from having symbols like <3 (which stands for "heart" because it looks like a heart lying on its side) to phonetic jumbles like 4eva (meaning "forever") to long acronyms like AFAIK (as far as I know) or GMTA (great minds think alike).
Now if you have ever used text messaging, there is a good chance that you have written or received a text that contained some of the most common texting abbreviations, such as JIK (just kidding), CUL (see you later), or TNX (thanks). But here is a suggestion for a new one to add to your repertoire: IBIU. Do you know what that stands for? I BELIEVE IN YOU.
It's amazing what emotional impact just a few simple letters can have. Think what "IBIU" says to the person who receives that message in a text, email, Facebook post or hand¬written note: "I believe in you!" Just a small gesture, act, or word on our part can lift a heavy load from the shoulders of a discouraged person-whether friend, new acquaintance, or stranger. Hopefully this lesson will stir your creativity and help you become a powerful encourager.
Text messaging is an ideal way to encourage people. And a simple abbre¬viated phrase like "I believe in you" can make a world of difference in someone's day. Those four common words have the ability to deliver a message that can promote strength, resolve, joy, comfort, love, and even spiritual healing. And how long would it take anyone of us to send such a life-affirming thought of hope to those we love? About 5 seconds.
This lesson is challenging you to be an encourager. It takes courage and effort to be an encourager these days because when we look at the world around us, there is a lot that we can be discouraged about. But we are called as Christ-followers to build each other up and to bear one another's burdens. And although that may seem like a difficult task for you to undertake, we are going to encourage you by taking this small step: Send a text message! Or send an email, FB Message, or
a handwritten note is acceptable. (See this version of MS Word changed my : and ) into a real smiley face). And you know a cell phone can still be used as a phone. But this lesson is mainly focusing on texting.
Texting is an easy, non-threatening way to approach someone with a word of hope. You can text something simple like P4U (which means "praying for you") or HC4U ("He cares for you"). And when you hear about the joy and encouragement that such a simple act sparked in someone's life, you'll only feel more encouraged to call someone or invite them for coffee and get in¬volved in the serious calling of lifting up our friends and family in their daily journeys.
It doesn't take much to be a positive force in the lives around you. All you have to do is take that first step-for when you do, the joy that you feel in being used of God will propel you forward into the next opportu¬nity. Hopefully as we go over this lesson we can find out how to be an encourager today!
We are called as Christ-followers to build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Melodye Jenkins likes to encourage her son John before his basketball games, but one day she wasn't able to get him on the phone. The Vanderbilt freshman was preparing for the big game against Kentucky. You might think John Jenkins wouldn't need pep talks. He was one of the nation's best high school shooters. But boys still need their moms; so when John didn't answer his phone Melodye sent a non-too subtle text message: "Game-high 25 to 30 points. It has now been spoken." It worked. Playing on national television later that day, Jenkins came alive, scoring 32 points against Kentucky and leading his team to an 81-77 victory.
It doesn't always take a lot to encourage some¬one. A text message, a pat on the back, a whisper of confidence, a "that-a-boy," a note in the mail, a public word of praise, a shot in the arm, a high five. That's the secret power of the letters WTG-Way to Go! We can't say that too often, The people around, young and old, thrive on words of encouragement from someone who believes in them. Encouragement is a key component in strengthening others.….and yourself.
Someone has said, "All encouragement is from the Lord; all discouragement is from the devil." There's truth in that, for our God is a God of kind, yet earnest reproof, and His Word is a book of encouragement.
The apostle Paul told the Romans: "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. (Romans 15:4-5)
He told the Thessalonians: "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encourage¬ment and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word" (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
The writer to the Hebrews suggested that his readers had grown weary and were in danger of giving up because they " And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. (Hebrews 12:5).
Educator Jane Bluestein, in her book, The Win- Win Classroom, tells about a teacher who was grading an assignment turned in by her second-graders. Most of the papers were admirable and received positive comments and stickers at the top.
But one student had turned in a paper that was little more than an angry black scribble. Instead of a story, there was a sentence fragment with no capital letters, no punctuation, and no correctly-spelled words. The paper gave evidence of having been crumpled up in frustration. There were also holes in the paper caused by the vigorous use of an eraser.
The teacher was tempted to mark-up the paper with a red pen, but she hesitated. Making a mental note to work with this student on his capitals and spelling (and erasing), she decided to make a positive comment and give him a sticker as she had done to the other children. But what could she say that was positive?
She finally saw something on the paper that the student hadn't messed up. She returned the paper to him bearing the words: "Magnificent Margins!"
The boy was delighted with his stick¬er and proud of his magnificent margins. He grew more concerned about his work, and as his teacher patiently worked with him he showed steady progress.
It takes a little thought and some¬times a slight change in our perspective, but we can learn to touch the lives of others through encouragement. We can learn to say "Way to Go!" Or at least we can say "Magnificent Margins!"
God directs us to be encouragers.
In the Book of Acts, the apostles considered it essential to encourage the family. Luke writes that Paul and Barnabas went around "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” (Acts 14:22, NIV). Two other New Testament workers, Judas and Silas, "who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers" (Acts 15:32, NIV). We're told that the apostle Paul traveled around "speaking many words of encouragement to the people" (Acts 20:2)
Don't forget the person sitting near you at church. There's a broken heart in every pew. As you enter for worship, pray for those around you. Commit a random act of kindness. Share a word of Scripture by word, note, or text message. Let them know: LYLS & LYLB. Love you like a sister or Love you like a brother!
Who have you encouraged today?
Thursday, August 11, 2011
How a Terrorist Became an Evangelist:
How a Terrorist Became an Evangelist:
Galatians 1:11-24
Christianity is supremely a religion of conversion. Everything we say and everything we believe is built upon one fundamental and revolutionary premise: You don’t have to stay the way you are. Your life can be radically changed by God. Conversion is a miracle that happens when the life of God intersects with human personality. Once God enters the picture, your life will never be the same again. Until then, you may be religious and you may be a very good person and you may obey all the rules of the church, but you have not been converted.
Religion is one thing; conversion is something else entirely. It is the conviction that long-held prejudices can be overcome, lifetime habits can be broken, and deeply ingrained patterns of sin can be erased over time. Conversion is the certainty that what you were does not determine what you are, and what you are does not determine what you will be. You can be changed, you can be different, your life can move in an entirely new direction.
If you take that truth away from Christianity, it ceases to be a supernatural religion. If the possibility of real change is gone, then we have nothing to offer but a set of rules. Can the leopard change his spots? In himself and by himself, the leopard can never change his spots, “but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26b
The Greatest Conversion Story in the Bible
Of all the conversion stories in the Bible, none is greater or more profound than the conversion of the man called Saul of Tarsus. Raised a Jew, trained as a rabbi, he became a violent persecutor of the early Christian church. He hated Christ and his followers so much that he did his best to eradicate the new religion as if it were some sort of dreaded virus. He was a terrorist who did his evil deeds in the name of the God of the Bible.
One day he met Jesus and his life was permanently transformed. So bad was his reputation that at first almost no one believed that the change was real. Word quickly spread that Saul the persecutor had come to Christ. Over time he proved to be genuine in his faith. What happened to him made such an impact that the New Testament contains three separate accounts of his dramatic conversion. The first is in Acts 9, the second in Acts 26, and the third is in Galatians 1:11-24.
Paul’s story begins with a statement about the source of his gospel preaching. Evidently the Judaizers (those Jewish-Christian “converts” who claimed to represent the apostles in Jerusalem) were attacking both his apostleship and his message. In essence, they claimed that his message wasn’t true and he himself could not be trusted. That raises an interesting question. How do you prove that you are trustworthy? Answer: Tell your story and let your story speak for itself.
So, Paul now proceeds to his own story.
I. Paul’ s Life Before Conversion
“You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors. ” (Galatians 1:13-14).
These verses tell a chilling story. Before Paul came to Christ, he was perfectly happy in his career as a rising Jewish leader and an avid Christian-hater. He felt no remorse over his persecution of the followers of Christ, and in fact regarded it as his service to God. He had no desire to come to Christ and felt no need in his heart. His religion satisfied him in every way and he saw no need for anything else. He was like those people who responded to the “I Found It” campaign sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ by promoting their own version: “I Never Lost It.” Was Paul interested in becoming a Christian? How many ways can you say no? He wasn’t looking for Christ … but Christ was looking for him. Only God could save a man like Paul. And it turns out, that’s exactly what God did.
Saul/Paul was a religious fanatic. A zealot. A man wholly given over to his hatred of Christians. He would stop at nothing to prevent this new movement from spreading. Paul tells his story this way because he wants us to understand that he wasn’t what we like to call a “seeker.” He wasn’t seeking anything—except more Christians to throw in prison. He had no sense of his need of salvation and no inner voice calling him to come to Christ. It would be hard to imagine a more hopeless case. Why bother praying for a man like that? He’ll never be saved.
Or so it would seem.
He was totally convinced he was right.
He was totally convinced Christians were wrong.
He hated Christianity and he loved Judaism.
He was lost and didn’t know it.
He enjoyed his life and wasn’t looking for something better.
We can sum it up by saying he was on a collision course with eternal judgment. What he desperately needed—but would not admit—was a strong dose of divine intervention.
Paul paints the picture black so the brilliant bright light of the gospel can be clearly seen. Not everyone has a story like Paul’s—but many do.
There are all sorts of sinners who make up the body of Christ. They have in common that they have been washed in the blood, forgiven by Jesus, justified by grace, reconciled to God, redeemed, restored, converted, and their lives have been radically changed. This is as it should be. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but I was as bad as you could be. When I hit bottom, I looked up and found the Lord waiting for me.”
II. Paul’s Conversion
“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.” (Galatians 1:15-16a NIV).
Focus for a moment on the first word. “But.” This is the great interruption. All that happened in Paul’s life came because of that one little word.
Paul was a sinner. But God.
Paul hated Jesus. But God.
Paul tried to kill Christians. But God.
Paul wanted to destroy the church. But God.
Paul enjoyed being lost. But God.
Paul wasn’t looking for a new life. But God.
Paul intended to kill more Christians. But God.
God came into Paul’s life without permission. He didn’t wait to be asked. While Saul was on the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus just barged right in. He didn’t ask permission because if he had asked, Saul would have said no. He came in where he wasn’t wanted or expected and took over the situation.
Let us learn from this that salvation begins with God—not with us! Salvation is of the Lord.
God reached down, slapped him down on the Damascus road, and brought him into the Kingdom. His whole life had been planned by God for just this moment. Nothing had happened by accident. All was ordained as part of God’s divine plan.
But does this not destroy the concept of freewill? Not at all. God gives us choices to make and then he holds us accountable for those choices
Sometimes folks say, “I found the Lord.” True, but just remember that if the Lord didn’t find you first, you would never have found him. And in the end, God gets all the glory for our salvation. That is certainly how Paul felt as he looked back on his own amazing conversion.
Paul’s Life After Conversion
When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter,… Galatians 1:16b-18a).
Paul’s emphasis in these verses is on what he didn’t do. He didn’t immediately go to Jerusalem to be trained by the apostles. And he didn’t start an evangelistic ministry right away. What did he do? He dropped out of sight for three years by going to Arabia. We would have put him on Christian radio and TV. We would have had him write a book and hit the Christian talk-show circuit. But that wasn’t God’s plan.
Once he was a terrorist; now he came back an evangelist.
Christ has made all the difference. The passage ends on a wonderful note as Paul says that the churches in Judea (which he once terrorized in his pre-conversion days) recognized the amazing change in his life. And they glorified God because of him. His life pointed people toward God. That leads to a simple and profound question. Is anyone glorifying God because of you? Is our life pointing people toward God?
The worst sinners often make the best saints. Note the word “often.” Not every sinner comes to Christ. Regrettably, some do not come and because they do not come, they are not saved. And there are many great saints of God who were raised in godly homes and never openly rebelled against the Lord. But it is still true that God seems to delight in taking the worst sinners and deeply and profoundly converting them. Such men and women bear the scars of their past life and bring their baggage with them into God’s family. But when God’s work is done, those same saints of God are a powerful testimony to a skeptical world.
Not many mighty are called, not many noble, not many powerful, not many great as the world counts greatness. God doesn’t go for the big names to populate heaven. He takes ordinary folks and then does extraordinary things through them.
No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
Galatians 1:11-24
Christianity is supremely a religion of conversion. Everything we say and everything we believe is built upon one fundamental and revolutionary premise: You don’t have to stay the way you are. Your life can be radically changed by God. Conversion is a miracle that happens when the life of God intersects with human personality. Once God enters the picture, your life will never be the same again. Until then, you may be religious and you may be a very good person and you may obey all the rules of the church, but you have not been converted.
Religion is one thing; conversion is something else entirely. It is the conviction that long-held prejudices can be overcome, lifetime habits can be broken, and deeply ingrained patterns of sin can be erased over time. Conversion is the certainty that what you were does not determine what you are, and what you are does not determine what you will be. You can be changed, you can be different, your life can move in an entirely new direction.
If you take that truth away from Christianity, it ceases to be a supernatural religion. If the possibility of real change is gone, then we have nothing to offer but a set of rules. Can the leopard change his spots? In himself and by himself, the leopard can never change his spots, “but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26b
The Greatest Conversion Story in the Bible
Of all the conversion stories in the Bible, none is greater or more profound than the conversion of the man called Saul of Tarsus. Raised a Jew, trained as a rabbi, he became a violent persecutor of the early Christian church. He hated Christ and his followers so much that he did his best to eradicate the new religion as if it were some sort of dreaded virus. He was a terrorist who did his evil deeds in the name of the God of the Bible.
One day he met Jesus and his life was permanently transformed. So bad was his reputation that at first almost no one believed that the change was real. Word quickly spread that Saul the persecutor had come to Christ. Over time he proved to be genuine in his faith. What happened to him made such an impact that the New Testament contains three separate accounts of his dramatic conversion. The first is in Acts 9, the second in Acts 26, and the third is in Galatians 1:11-24.
Paul’s story begins with a statement about the source of his gospel preaching. Evidently the Judaizers (those Jewish-Christian “converts” who claimed to represent the apostles in Jerusalem) were attacking both his apostleship and his message. In essence, they claimed that his message wasn’t true and he himself could not be trusted. That raises an interesting question. How do you prove that you are trustworthy? Answer: Tell your story and let your story speak for itself.
So, Paul now proceeds to his own story.
I. Paul’ s Life Before Conversion
“You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors. ” (Galatians 1:13-14).
These verses tell a chilling story. Before Paul came to Christ, he was perfectly happy in his career as a rising Jewish leader and an avid Christian-hater. He felt no remorse over his persecution of the followers of Christ, and in fact regarded it as his service to God. He had no desire to come to Christ and felt no need in his heart. His religion satisfied him in every way and he saw no need for anything else. He was like those people who responded to the “I Found It” campaign sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ by promoting their own version: “I Never Lost It.” Was Paul interested in becoming a Christian? How many ways can you say no? He wasn’t looking for Christ … but Christ was looking for him. Only God could save a man like Paul. And it turns out, that’s exactly what God did.
Saul/Paul was a religious fanatic. A zealot. A man wholly given over to his hatred of Christians. He would stop at nothing to prevent this new movement from spreading. Paul tells his story this way because he wants us to understand that he wasn’t what we like to call a “seeker.” He wasn’t seeking anything—except more Christians to throw in prison. He had no sense of his need of salvation and no inner voice calling him to come to Christ. It would be hard to imagine a more hopeless case. Why bother praying for a man like that? He’ll never be saved.
Or so it would seem.
He was totally convinced he was right.
He was totally convinced Christians were wrong.
He hated Christianity and he loved Judaism.
He was lost and didn’t know it.
He enjoyed his life and wasn’t looking for something better.
We can sum it up by saying he was on a collision course with eternal judgment. What he desperately needed—but would not admit—was a strong dose of divine intervention.
Paul paints the picture black so the brilliant bright light of the gospel can be clearly seen. Not everyone has a story like Paul’s—but many do.
There are all sorts of sinners who make up the body of Christ. They have in common that they have been washed in the blood, forgiven by Jesus, justified by grace, reconciled to God, redeemed, restored, converted, and their lives have been radically changed. This is as it should be. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but I was as bad as you could be. When I hit bottom, I looked up and found the Lord waiting for me.”
II. Paul’s Conversion
“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.” (Galatians 1:15-16a NIV).
Focus for a moment on the first word. “But.” This is the great interruption. All that happened in Paul’s life came because of that one little word.
Paul was a sinner. But God.
Paul hated Jesus. But God.
Paul tried to kill Christians. But God.
Paul wanted to destroy the church. But God.
Paul enjoyed being lost. But God.
Paul wasn’t looking for a new life. But God.
Paul intended to kill more Christians. But God.
God came into Paul’s life without permission. He didn’t wait to be asked. While Saul was on the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus just barged right in. He didn’t ask permission because if he had asked, Saul would have said no. He came in where he wasn’t wanted or expected and took over the situation.
Let us learn from this that salvation begins with God—not with us! Salvation is of the Lord.
God reached down, slapped him down on the Damascus road, and brought him into the Kingdom. His whole life had been planned by God for just this moment. Nothing had happened by accident. All was ordained as part of God’s divine plan.
But does this not destroy the concept of freewill? Not at all. God gives us choices to make and then he holds us accountable for those choices
Sometimes folks say, “I found the Lord.” True, but just remember that if the Lord didn’t find you first, you would never have found him. And in the end, God gets all the glory for our salvation. That is certainly how Paul felt as he looked back on his own amazing conversion.
Paul’s Life After Conversion
When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter,… Galatians 1:16b-18a).
Paul’s emphasis in these verses is on what he didn’t do. He didn’t immediately go to Jerusalem to be trained by the apostles. And he didn’t start an evangelistic ministry right away. What did he do? He dropped out of sight for three years by going to Arabia. We would have put him on Christian radio and TV. We would have had him write a book and hit the Christian talk-show circuit. But that wasn’t God’s plan.
Once he was a terrorist; now he came back an evangelist.
Christ has made all the difference. The passage ends on a wonderful note as Paul says that the churches in Judea (which he once terrorized in his pre-conversion days) recognized the amazing change in his life. And they glorified God because of him. His life pointed people toward God. That leads to a simple and profound question. Is anyone glorifying God because of you? Is our life pointing people toward God?
The worst sinners often make the best saints. Note the word “often.” Not every sinner comes to Christ. Regrettably, some do not come and because they do not come, they are not saved. And there are many great saints of God who were raised in godly homes and never openly rebelled against the Lord. But it is still true that God seems to delight in taking the worst sinners and deeply and profoundly converting them. Such men and women bear the scars of their past life and bring their baggage with them into God’s family. But when God’s work is done, those same saints of God are a powerful testimony to a skeptical world.
Not many mighty are called, not many noble, not many powerful, not many great as the world counts greatness. God doesn’t go for the big names to populate heaven. He takes ordinary folks and then does extraordinary things through them.
No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
How God Pursues Prodigals
Jonah 1:1-17
Many who read hear or read these words have prodigals in your life. You have loved ones who are away from the Lord. Some of them grew up in Sunday School. Some went to a Christian college. Some of them you raised to love Jesus. Some of them once could quote hundreds of Bible verses. Some were leaders in their youth group. Some went on mission trips. Some were preachers. Some were missionaries.
Today they are far from God.
Some of them are doing things that would shock us deeply if we knew about them. As we begin to think about those prodigal friends, prodigal parents, and prodigal sons and daughters, remember this one key point. No matter what you may think about the way your friends are living, no matter how angry you may be at the choices they have made, the root problem is never on the outside. The problem is always on the inside.
The problem is always in the heart.
That’s really good news because there is only one person in the universe who can change the heart, and he specializes in divine heart surgery. We can listen to a thousand sermons, we can all sing a thousand spiritual songs, and together we can attend a thousand church services, but apart from the Lord it will do no good. It’s not outer change we need, but deep, inner transformation by the Holy Spirit.
You Can Help a Prodigal Too Soon
Sometimes in our attempt to reach out to the prodigals we know, we can intervene too soon. Do you remember what happened to the prodigal son in Luke 15? After he had wasted all his inheritance in wild living, he ended up feeding the pigs (Luke 15:15-16). As Eugene Peterson puts it in the Message, “He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.” If you saw that, you might think, “That young man is ready for a new life.” Maybe so, maybe not.
In the story Jesus told, the father waited for his son to return and then ran to meet him when he was still far from home. What if the father in the story had gone after his son and tried to bring him back even one day early? The son would have said, “If only you had left me alone for one more day, I would have made it. I could have made it back without your help. I am a man, I don’t need your help.”
So it goes. We may think that someone has hit rock bottom when they are still scheming a way out of their problems. It was not until the son “came to his senses” that he decided to return home. That has to happen to every prodigal son and daughter, and it cannot be predicted or forced.
Repentance is first of all a work of God in the human heart. If you come a day too soon, the prodigal will always think, “With one more day, I would have figured out a way to solve my own problems.” As long as the scheming and lying and deceiving continues, the best thing we can do is to pray for God’s Spirit to bring them to their senses and to wait patiently until that day comes.
Underlying all this are two bits of very important theology:
1. God knows us better than we know ourselves.
2. God knows how to reach us at the right moment.
People sometimes ask, “Do you think God can speak to me today?” The answer is, “Don’t worry about it. God’s got your number on Speed Dial. He can ring your phone any time of the day or night. And when he calls, you won’t be able to put him on Call Waiting."
He’s got your number written on his heart. He knows exactly how to get in touch with you.
Jonah is about to learn this truth the hard way. He was on a boat headed for Tarshish, running from the Lord. When God told him, “Go to Nineveh,” he said, “I think I’ll go to Tarshish instead."
God said, “Go east.”
Jonah said, “I think I’ll go west."
And so he did. He went down to Joppa (an ancient port city just south of modern-day Tel Aviv) where he found a boat bound for Tarshish. Amazing, isn’t it, how when you want to run from God, you can always find a boat going where you want to go. Satan has his ships, and they are always ready to take on another passenger.
So Jonah paid his fare, boarded the ship, and as it left the harbor, he went down below to take a nap.
Nice little deal he had going there.It was all working out like he had planned.A comfy Mediterranean cruise. Soon he would be in Tarshish, a beautiful city in Spain. There he could live the high life, far from the presence of the Lord.
Or so he thought.
That’s where we left Jonah in the last message. It was a pretty picture of a self-satisfied man who seemed to have gotten away with disobedience. Whenever you read a story like this in the Bible, you know there has to be a “but” coming. God will not let his straying children live in sin forever.
Let’s take a look at how God begins the process of bringing Jonah back home. As we see how God deals with Jonah, we’ll discover that God deals with us in the same way when we disobey.
I. He Sends Storms to Get Our Attention.
“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god” (vv. 4-5).
It must have been a bad storm because these men were professional sailors who had seen it all. They were hardened to the dangers of life at sea. If they were scared, it must have been a truly terrible storm. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god.
Then they start throwing their profit away by throwing the cargo overboard.
We all know that life can turn on a dime. God knows exactly how to get our attention.
He can send the storm of adverse circumstances.
He can send the storm of the sudden death of a loved one.
He can send the storm of financial collapse.
He can send the storm of trouble in your church.
He can send the storm of a desperately sick child.
He can send the storm of career implosion.
Our God is infinitely creative. He can send the storm in so many different ways. When you’re in the storm, you tend to be fearful, angry and frustrated. It’s only later that your realize the storm was a severe mercy from the Lord.
That’s always step one for the prodigal. The storms come to get our attention.
II. He Allows Others to Suffer Because of Our Sin.
Everyone on board is endangered by Jonah’s sin. Jonah was the sinner in this situation, and yet his foolish rebellion endangered everyone around him.
Please ponder these four words: We never sin alone. We may be alone when we sin, but we never sin alone. Our sin, our compromise, and our deceit always injures our spouse, our children, our friends, and our family.
Every step we take out of the will of God hurts those around us.
III. He Sends Someone to Challenge Us.
As the ship groans and creaks under the weight of the wind and the heavy waves, and as the men throw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save the ship, where is Jonah? You might think he’d be on deck helping the sailors. Not a chance.
He’s taking a nap down below.
How could a man sleep during a terrible storm like this? The answer is simple. The devil has his sleeping pills too. He has his narcotics. He knows how to put us to sleep while the world crashes in around us. How else can you explain a man’s reckless behavior in having one affair after another? How else can you explain a politician who breaks the law and then lies with impunity? How else you explain a mother who abandons her own children? The devil can put us to sleep while the ship sinks or the house burns or the world falls apart around us.
Look what happens next:
The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish” (v. 6).
At this point the captain (who is no doubt a pagan) has more faith than Jonah does. Seeing the danger, he wants Jonah to wake up and start praying.
The world doesn’t want our sermons. The world wants our prayers.
Ponder that thought for a moment.
The world generally doesn’t care about what we say and do on Sunday morning. It seems so boring and mostly irrelevant, which is why this Sunday and every Sunday most people will not be in any church anywhere. That’s true about every city in America. Take any major American city, including those in the so-called “Bible Belt,” and you can see it for yourself. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about Seattle or Atlanta, Chicago or Charlotte, New York or San Antonio, Las Vegas or Louisville. On any given Sunday of the year, most people don’t go to church anywhere. They stay home, stay in bed, wake up late, take a walk, read the paper, watch TV, and in general live as if the church doesn’t exist.
That won’t change no matter how much we preach against it.
Even though most people don’t go to church, it wouldn’t be right to call them hostile. They don’t care enough to be hostile. Mostly they are uninterested in anything the church has to offer. They just don’t care!
The world doesn’t care about our religion, but the world wants us to pray. “Get up, Jonah. Call on your god. Maybe he can save us.”
We claim to know the living God.
We claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
We claim to have access to the God of the universe.
The world knows this. And even if the world doesn’t want our religion, it desperately wants our prayers.
The people of the world say to us, “Can’t you see what is happening? My marriage is falling apart. My kids are in trouble. I just lost my job. My husband has cancer. We can’t pay our bills. You say you know God. If you do, wake up and pray for us!”
Folks, why aren’t we praying? We can preach a thousand sermons and the world doesn’t care. But the world wants us to pray.
We all wonder how to reach this generation that seems so turned off to God and “religion.” If we wait for people to come to our services, we will in most cases wait forever. Here is a simple question that can open up a spiritual conversation:
“How can I pray for you?"
Just those six words make such a difference. The world is waiting for the church to pray. Why are we still sleeping?
They can do without our sermons, but they can’t live without our prayers. And if they get our prayers, they might one day listen to our sermons.
Many who read hear or read these words have prodigals in your life. You have loved ones who are away from the Lord. Some of them grew up in Sunday School. Some went to a Christian college. Some of them you raised to love Jesus. Some of them once could quote hundreds of Bible verses. Some were leaders in their youth group. Some went on mission trips. Some were preachers. Some were missionaries.
Today they are far from God.
Some of them are doing things that would shock us deeply if we knew about them. As we begin to think about those prodigal friends, prodigal parents, and prodigal sons and daughters, remember this one key point. No matter what you may think about the way your friends are living, no matter how angry you may be at the choices they have made, the root problem is never on the outside. The problem is always on the inside.
The problem is always in the heart.
That’s really good news because there is only one person in the universe who can change the heart, and he specializes in divine heart surgery. We can listen to a thousand sermons, we can all sing a thousand spiritual songs, and together we can attend a thousand church services, but apart from the Lord it will do no good. It’s not outer change we need, but deep, inner transformation by the Holy Spirit.
You Can Help a Prodigal Too Soon
Sometimes in our attempt to reach out to the prodigals we know, we can intervene too soon. Do you remember what happened to the prodigal son in Luke 15? After he had wasted all his inheritance in wild living, he ended up feeding the pigs (Luke 15:15-16). As Eugene Peterson puts it in the Message, “He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.” If you saw that, you might think, “That young man is ready for a new life.” Maybe so, maybe not.
In the story Jesus told, the father waited for his son to return and then ran to meet him when he was still far from home. What if the father in the story had gone after his son and tried to bring him back even one day early? The son would have said, “If only you had left me alone for one more day, I would have made it. I could have made it back without your help. I am a man, I don’t need your help.”
So it goes. We may think that someone has hit rock bottom when they are still scheming a way out of their problems. It was not until the son “came to his senses” that he decided to return home. That has to happen to every prodigal son and daughter, and it cannot be predicted or forced.
Repentance is first of all a work of God in the human heart. If you come a day too soon, the prodigal will always think, “With one more day, I would have figured out a way to solve my own problems.” As long as the scheming and lying and deceiving continues, the best thing we can do is to pray for God’s Spirit to bring them to their senses and to wait patiently until that day comes.
Underlying all this are two bits of very important theology:
1. God knows us better than we know ourselves.
2. God knows how to reach us at the right moment.
People sometimes ask, “Do you think God can speak to me today?” The answer is, “Don’t worry about it. God’s got your number on Speed Dial. He can ring your phone any time of the day or night. And when he calls, you won’t be able to put him on Call Waiting."
He’s got your number written on his heart. He knows exactly how to get in touch with you.
Jonah is about to learn this truth the hard way. He was on a boat headed for Tarshish, running from the Lord. When God told him, “Go to Nineveh,” he said, “I think I’ll go to Tarshish instead."
God said, “Go east.”
Jonah said, “I think I’ll go west."
And so he did. He went down to Joppa (an ancient port city just south of modern-day Tel Aviv) where he found a boat bound for Tarshish. Amazing, isn’t it, how when you want to run from God, you can always find a boat going where you want to go. Satan has his ships, and they are always ready to take on another passenger.
So Jonah paid his fare, boarded the ship, and as it left the harbor, he went down below to take a nap.
Nice little deal he had going there.It was all working out like he had planned.A comfy Mediterranean cruise. Soon he would be in Tarshish, a beautiful city in Spain. There he could live the high life, far from the presence of the Lord.
Or so he thought.
That’s where we left Jonah in the last message. It was a pretty picture of a self-satisfied man who seemed to have gotten away with disobedience. Whenever you read a story like this in the Bible, you know there has to be a “but” coming. God will not let his straying children live in sin forever.
Let’s take a look at how God begins the process of bringing Jonah back home. As we see how God deals with Jonah, we’ll discover that God deals with us in the same way when we disobey.
I. He Sends Storms to Get Our Attention.
“Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god” (vv. 4-5).
It must have been a bad storm because these men were professional sailors who had seen it all. They were hardened to the dangers of life at sea. If they were scared, it must have been a truly terrible storm. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god.
Then they start throwing their profit away by throwing the cargo overboard.
We all know that life can turn on a dime. God knows exactly how to get our attention.
He can send the storm of adverse circumstances.
He can send the storm of the sudden death of a loved one.
He can send the storm of financial collapse.
He can send the storm of trouble in your church.
He can send the storm of a desperately sick child.
He can send the storm of career implosion.
Our God is infinitely creative. He can send the storm in so many different ways. When you’re in the storm, you tend to be fearful, angry and frustrated. It’s only later that your realize the storm was a severe mercy from the Lord.
That’s always step one for the prodigal. The storms come to get our attention.
II. He Allows Others to Suffer Because of Our Sin.
Everyone on board is endangered by Jonah’s sin. Jonah was the sinner in this situation, and yet his foolish rebellion endangered everyone around him.
Please ponder these four words: We never sin alone. We may be alone when we sin, but we never sin alone. Our sin, our compromise, and our deceit always injures our spouse, our children, our friends, and our family.
Every step we take out of the will of God hurts those around us.
III. He Sends Someone to Challenge Us.
As the ship groans and creaks under the weight of the wind and the heavy waves, and as the men throw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save the ship, where is Jonah? You might think he’d be on deck helping the sailors. Not a chance.
He’s taking a nap down below.
How could a man sleep during a terrible storm like this? The answer is simple. The devil has his sleeping pills too. He has his narcotics. He knows how to put us to sleep while the world crashes in around us. How else can you explain a man’s reckless behavior in having one affair after another? How else can you explain a politician who breaks the law and then lies with impunity? How else you explain a mother who abandons her own children? The devil can put us to sleep while the ship sinks or the house burns or the world falls apart around us.
Look what happens next:
The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish” (v. 6).
At this point the captain (who is no doubt a pagan) has more faith than Jonah does. Seeing the danger, he wants Jonah to wake up and start praying.
The world doesn’t want our sermons. The world wants our prayers.
Ponder that thought for a moment.
The world generally doesn’t care about what we say and do on Sunday morning. It seems so boring and mostly irrelevant, which is why this Sunday and every Sunday most people will not be in any church anywhere. That’s true about every city in America. Take any major American city, including those in the so-called “Bible Belt,” and you can see it for yourself. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about Seattle or Atlanta, Chicago or Charlotte, New York or San Antonio, Las Vegas or Louisville. On any given Sunday of the year, most people don’t go to church anywhere. They stay home, stay in bed, wake up late, take a walk, read the paper, watch TV, and in general live as if the church doesn’t exist.
That won’t change no matter how much we preach against it.
Even though most people don’t go to church, it wouldn’t be right to call them hostile. They don’t care enough to be hostile. Mostly they are uninterested in anything the church has to offer. They just don’t care!
The world doesn’t care about our religion, but the world wants us to pray. “Get up, Jonah. Call on your god. Maybe he can save us.”
We claim to know the living God.
We claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
We claim to have access to the God of the universe.
The world knows this. And even if the world doesn’t want our religion, it desperately wants our prayers.
The people of the world say to us, “Can’t you see what is happening? My marriage is falling apart. My kids are in trouble. I just lost my job. My husband has cancer. We can’t pay our bills. You say you know God. If you do, wake up and pray for us!”
Folks, why aren’t we praying? We can preach a thousand sermons and the world doesn’t care. But the world wants us to pray.
We all wonder how to reach this generation that seems so turned off to God and “religion.” If we wait for people to come to our services, we will in most cases wait forever. Here is a simple question that can open up a spiritual conversation:
“How can I pray for you?"
Just those six words make such a difference. The world is waiting for the church to pray. Why are we still sleeping?
They can do without our sermons, but they can’t live without our prayers. And if they get our prayers, they might one day listen to our sermons.
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