Posted by David on January 17, 1999 under Bulletin Articles
God told Noah that it would rain as never before. It was an uncertain time.
Abraham was a nomad in a strange, hostile region. It was an uncertain time.
Israel stood between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea. It was an uncertain time.
Israel stood at the border of the land God promised them. Ten spies said this wonderful territory would be impossible to conquer. It was an uncertain time.
For seven days Joshua marched Israel’s army around Jericho. This was their first battle in the conquest of Canaan. It was an uncertain time.
David fled from King Saul in the wilderness. It was an uncertain time.
The captive Daniel walked to Babylon. Though he trusted God, he was among the first captives to be exiled. It was an uncertain time.
Jeremiah preached certain information to a nation who was deaf to everything he said. It was an uncertain time.
After raising the dead, Jesus was executed on a cross. It was an uncertain time.
In each of these, the final outcome was determined by the accepted “reality:” confidence in God produced by faith, or godless anxiety produced by fearing the times. Sometimes trusting God produced immediate results; sometimes it did not.
The President awaited trial in the Senate. The day of the Y2K problem was on the horizon. A leader who hated us built weapons of mass destruction. Social problems grew more complex. The percentage of Americans married hit a low. The percentage of children living without both natural parents hit a high. It was an uncertain time.
But was it a time of faith in God?
Posted by David on January 10, 1999 under Sermons
Nothing is more powerful than the memories created by a child’s experiences. The child’s memories fashion the adult’s life. Every day of adult life is touched by the memories of childhood experiences.
Our greatest adult fears were created by childhood memories. Our greatest adult anxieties were produced by childhood memories. Our most negative adult views of ourselves are the product of childhood memories.
Our most important adult goals have their roots in childhood memories. Our most powerful adult drives have their roots in childhood memories. Our adult attitudes, adult perspectives, adult expectations, and adult view of life are all powerfully influenced by our childhood experiences and memories.
Help me conduct an experiment. I want each adult to think about your life during the period from four years of age to twelve years of age. All I want you to do is think. First, I want you to remember a bad childhood experience. This is something that you don’t allow yourself to remember very often. It is one of those memories you don’t want to think about. Second, I want you to remember one of your best childhood experiences. This memory is a real joy to think about. It makes you feel good to think about it. Third, I want you to remember one of the funniest childhood experiences you had. This is a memory you like to share because it is funny to tell.
Now stop remembering and think with me. Did you struggle to pull up a memory? Could you remember the when, the place, the situation, the who, and the circumstances? Let me tell you the incredible thing: the older you become, the more vivid those memories become.
- When we remember our childhood, we think about things we rarely recall.
- When I was about ten years old, a neighbor needed Mom to drive her to town.
- We lived on a farm six miles out of town (which was much further than six miles today), and few people in the community had a car or truck available.
- It was summer, so Mom left my brother and me at the house.
- Soon after she left, we heard a noise in the attic.
- The more we listened the louder the noise grew.
- The louder the noise grew, the wilder our imaginations grew.
- In a short time, we decided someone was in the attic; then we decided that it was dangerous to stay in the house.
- We finally stood by the highway until Mom and the neighbor came back.
- With grave concern, we told Mom about the man in the attic.
- Without laughing, Mom took a baseball bat and led the troops into the attic to confront the man–only to find an empty attic.
- I remember when Jack and I played cowboys in the barn.
- We roped a young calf and tied the rope to a beam in the stall.
- The calf immediately pulled against the rope and began to choke itself.
- We quickly had a serious situation: the calf pulled on the rope so hard that we could not untie the calf; the calf choked until it’s eyes rolled back and its tongue stuck about six inches out its open mouth.
- And I knew the calf was dying; and I knew what would happen if it died.
- So I ran to the house screaming that the calf was hanging itself.
- And Mom grabbed a butcher knife and out ran me to the barn–she thought I said that my brother was hanging himself.
- Other memories are associated with that occasion, but I choose not to recall them.
- We never roped any more calves.
- Allow me to illustrate the power of childhood religious memories on the adult.
- This is not intended to be a negative statement.
- I am not trying to make a broad commentary.
- I just want to illustrate the power of religious memories from childhood.
- The most difficult spiritual adjustments that I face as an adult are adjustments that confront what I was taught as a child.
- My mother and father were a source of many blessings.
- I deeply value the spiritual education my mother conscientious provided me.
- The small, rural congregation of my childhood rarely could afford a preacher, but good men with good hearts that shared what they knew.
- God has given me incredible blessings in the form of wonderful opportunities.
- I have spent my entire life studying, learning, and teaching.
- I deeply value my opportunities to study scripture in college and graduate school.
- I deeply value learning how to study scripture.
- It would be a cruel injustice to expect the adults of my childhood to have my understandings without my opportunities.
- Yet, it is still difficult to let scripture’s actual teachings replace anything that I was taught as a child.
- You and I are much alike in that; it is very difficult to learn something scripture actually teaches if it contradicts what you learned as a child.
- That is how powerfully childhood religious teachings influence the adult.
- I heard that a person will learn more from birth to age five than he or she will learn the rest of his or her life.
- When we consider all we learn from age five to death, that sounds ridiculous.
- But the day we were born we knew nothing–not even know how to focus our eyes.
- We did not understood any language and we could not use any language.
- We learned to understand.
- Then we learned to talk.
- Then we learned to communicate.
- Look at a day old baby for a few minutes, and then immediately watch an active five year old for ten minutes, and you realize that a baby is an incredible learning machine.
- In fact, a child from birth to adolescence is an incredible learning machine.
- May I ask a question? How much spiritual input does your child receive in this period of incredible learning?
- How does the time he or she spends watching television compare to the time he or she spends in receiving spiritual input?
- Don’t stop with that comparison.
- Think about the different types of learning experiences occurring in your child’s life.
- Think about the learning experiences you deliberately, by intention and plan, provide your child.
- Does any learning experience in your child’s life receive as little time as his or her spiritual learning experience?
- In years to come, when your child makes critical moral and ethical decisions and choices that will affect the rest of his or her life, what is the likelihood that his or her smallest learning experience will have the greatest influence?
- I understand that the essential, most critical foundation blocks in building faith and spirituality in any person’s life are the Bible’s stories.
- For centuries, Christianity built faith in a world that could not read, in a world that had no printing presses, in a world where few people saw a book, in a world that had no mass media.
- How is that possible? Christianity built faith by teaching people the stories.
- Spiritual understanding and faith begin by learning the stories.
- Our preschool, primary, and elementary children have excellent opportunities to learn and understand the stories.
- Bible classes are taught for each age on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
- Kids for Christ has an excellent program for them on Sunday evenings.
- We have an excellent vacation Bible school program.
- And at least six times a year there are special activities for these ages.
- As we continue to develop our education program, the opportunities will just get better.
- I offer this challenge to the parents of preschool, primary, or elementary children.
- Bring your children.
- Make it a point to have them in class before class begins.
- Bring them regularly.
- Study with your children at home.
- I offer this encouragement to the teachers.
- Teach to build memories.
- Never, never forget the continuing power of a child’s memory.
- During his ministry, Jesus was incredibly busy.
- He was busy doing important things.
- He was training twelve men to be his apostles.
- He was traveling to every town and city in Israel to prepare the people’s hearts and minds for Christianity.
- He was informing people that God’s kingdom would come soon.
- He was giving hope and forgiveness.
- He was constantly teaching adults, constantly performing miracles.
- Listen to what happened one day.
- First, listen as Matthew wrote:
Matthew 19:13-15 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After laying His hands on them, He departed from there. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Listen as Luke wrote:
Luke 18:15-17 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Listen as Mark wrote:
Mark 10:13-16 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Consider two things.
- First, this very busy man who was no less than God’s Son took time for children.
- The disciples thought that Jesus was much too busy with important matters to be bothered with children.
- Jesus rebuked his disciples saying, “Stop preventing the children from coming to see me!”
- Second, just like miracles were important, and preparing people for the coming of the kingdom was important, and teaching all over Palestine was important, bringing children to Jesus was important.
- Years after Jesus died, I wonder how many adults said, “I remember when Mother took me as a child to see Jesus. I remember when he laid his hands on me and prayed.”
- I wonder how that memory touched their adult lives.
[Prayer]
I am not trying to embarrass you or make you self-conscious, but if you attended Bible classes as a child, would you hold up your hand? Thank you! Do you have a good memory of a childhood Bible class teacher? Can you remember her name (I am certain that the majority of you remember a her)? Was she a blessing?
Parents, don’t rob your children of those memories. Those memories will be important in your child’s life as long as he or she lives. Teachers, help parents build such memories.
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
Is your children’s education important? Are the schools they attend of concern? Do you care who teaches them? Is their educational environment, their curriculum, their stimulus to learn, the school’s philosophy, and the balance between academic and extracurricular activities of any concern? Would you consider allowing your children to receive no education?
Will you knowingly, intentionally, send your child to a “party” university that has minor interest in educating its students? As a parent, do you prefer a university that does more to provide “party opportunities” than it does to educate your child for the adult work force?
In your own job or career, must your learning continue? Do you update and advance your skills? Do you learn to understand and do new things? Do you attend seminars or classes that equip you to keep your job or advance your career?
Is it more essential (1) to educate your children for the adult work force and (2) to equip yourself to maintain your job/career than (3) to equip you and your children to live for God now and (4) to prepare you and your children to live with God eternally?
The next three Sunday morning worship assemblies will be devoted to encouraging our spiritual education. The Sunday morning sermons will challenge us to consider the never ending, growing importance of spiritual education.
A teacher achieves his or her purpose when someone learns. Do you learn?
Posted by David on January 3, 1999 under Sermons
Songs play an important role in worship and an important role in scripture. Many of the psalms were songs sung when Israel worshipped God. Several statements in the New Testament were either songs or parts of songs that were sung in the early church.
A number of statements in Paul’s writings were likely songs sung in the early church.
- Ephesians 5:14
Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.
- 1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal,
immortal, invisible,
the only God,
be honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen.
- 1 Timothy 6:15,16
He who is the blessed and only Sovereign,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone possesses immortality
and dwells in unapproachable light,
whom no man has seen or can see.
To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- 1 Timothy 3:16
By common confession,
great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
- Revelation 5:9,10 writes about a “new” song that was sung in heaven.
Worthy are You to take the book
and to break its seals;
for You were slain,
and purchased for God with Your blood
men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to our God;
and they will reign upon the earth.
This evening I want us to read some scriptures and sing some of the songs that came from those scriptures.
- Reading: Psalm 23
Song #134 – “The Lord’s My Shepherd”
- Reading: Psalm 25:1-3
Song #794 – “Unto Thee, O Lord”
- Reading: Psalm 40:1-3
Song #608 – “He Gave Me A Song”
- Reading: Psalm 100
Song #103 – “He Has Made Me Glad”
- Reading: Hebrews 12:22-24
Song #718 – “We Shall Assemble”
- Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Song #791 – “On Bended Knee”
What does it mean to be God’s people? It means many things. But one thing it means above all other things is that we seek God first. God and His purposes come before everything else.
God wants you as His child. Jesus wants to forgive your sins and give the gift of righteousness. The Spirit wants you to see God as the God who loves and Jesus as the Savior who loves you. We want you to be baptized into Christ. We want you to renew your commitment to godliness.
Since the invitation is given by Jesus, let’s allow him to make it. After I share with you this reading, we will stand and sing our invitation song.
Matthew 6:33 – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Invitation Song #555 – “Seek Ye First”
Posted by David on under Sermons
A good company experienced an all too common problem. It was economically sound. It served a strong market. It provided quality services and products at competitive prices. From a business perspective, it had a promising future.
The company paid its employees better than average. It provided a strong package of employee benefits. Employee incentives encouraged productivity and commitment. There were creative opportunities for advancement within the company.
But the company struggled with an all-to-common problem. Approximately half of its employees were not committed to their job or to the company. These employees simply were not motivated. They had little interest in opportunities, and they did not care about incentives. The company solicited employee feedback in many ways. Each time the disinterested segment of their work force stated the same message: our only desire is to (1) draw our pay check, and (2) endure the job to get to the weekend.
- The company knew that employee development and commitment were essential to future success.
- All their past efforts produced little progress in employee development.
- Disinterested employees were unimpressed with anything they offered.
- Financial incentives did not motivate them.
- Opportunity for advancement did not motivate them.
- Rewards for productivity and quality did not motivate them.
- The company had to find an effective way to motivate more of its employees.
- They decided to make an daring effort.
- They would completely shut down the company for one day.
- They would pay their employees as if they worked if the employees attended a special company meeting.
- They would rent the civic center for the day.
- The first session would be an honest statement of their desire to better understand the employees.
- Any employee could communicate any grievance, complaint, or desire that he or she wanted to express.
- Notes from each statement would be made for later discussion and consideration.
- The employees would receive a full response from the company.
- The second session would be devoted to an effective motivational speaker who would challenge the employees.
- The third session would divide the employees into natural groupings.
- Capable, knowledgeable group leaders would share in specific, clear ways the opportunities that existed.
- They would answer any questions completely and understandably.
- The afternoon would be dedicated to food, entertainment, and association.
- With a lot of humor and good will, basically this was the message of the motivational speaker.
- “The key to your future, your success, and your fulfillment is your growth as a person.”
- “The key to your personal growth is your personal development.”
- “Never be content just to be.”
- “Never stop dreaming of what you can become.”
- “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it well with the determination to do it better next year. Do it well with the dream that in time one can do it better than you.”
- You do these things for yourself.”
- “Also have this honest understanding: the more this company prospers the more you prosper.”
- “You know that cutbacks and close downs are an every day reality.”
- “The more secure this company is, the more secure your job is.”
- “Good business means the company stays and grows.”
- “Good business means that they will continue to need you.”
- “Doing your job well powerfully contributes to good business.”
- “Several key things are essential in building and maintaining a strong company.”
- “None of those keys are more essential than having capable, committed, dependable employees.”
- “Any company is only as strong as its employees’ commitment.”
- “Always improve your mind.”
- “Always develop your skills.”
- “Always do your job better than it has been done.”
- “Certainly, do it for the good of the company.”
- “But more importantly, do it for your own good.”
- “Do it in the certainty that it will pay big dividends in your life as well as in your job.”
- That day produced such desirable results that it became an annual event.
- I hope that you can see a powerful parallel.
- All of our members and many of our friends want this congregation to be a strong, effective, successful congregation.
- To build and maintain a strong, effective, successful congregation, there are several essential components.
- It must have good leadership on every level.
- It must have challenging, positive preaching that builds faith in God.
- It must have good teaching and good learning opportunities.
- It must deal with the real needs of its members and the community.
- It must have committed, involved, serving members.
- Each member needs to clearly understand one fact, a truth to which there is no exception.
- Nothing can make this congregation strong, effective, and successful without the commitment, involvement, and service of its members.
- It will not be enough to have good leadership, good preaching, good teaching, good classes, and good ministry opportunities.
- As essential as every one of things are, they are not enough without members who are committed to two things:
- Their personal spiritual growth and development.
- The spiritual growth and development of the congregation.
- So each of us must understand this truth.
- The key to my spiritual success is my spiritual growth.
- The key to my personal spiritual growth is my personal spiritual development.
- I must never be content just to be a Christian; I must never stop dreaming of what I can yet become as a Christian.
- Everything I do, I must do with the commitment to do it well now, to do it better in the future, and to someday grow to the point that I literally do it to the highest level of my ability.
- I do this for my benefit and the benefit of the congregation.
- The more I grow and develop, the more spiritually secure the congregation becomes.
- The quality of my faith powerfully contributes to the good of the congregation.
- This congregation must count on me; it needs me to be dependable.
- Spiritually, I must improve my mind; I must develop my abilities; I must become a better servant, a better worshipper, a better student, and better prayer than I have ever been.
- Surely I do this for the good of this congregation, but equally I do it for the good of my relationship with God.
- Being a Christian involves two basic responsibilities that are my responsibility from baptism until death.
- I am responsible to grow and develop as God’s child.
- I am responsible to assist God’s purposes and objectives in His family, His kingdom, a congregation of His people.
- Only by growing spiritually can each of us accept those responsibilities.
- The fact that God expects each of us to grow spiritually is clearly evident.
- In 1 Peter, Peter addressed scattered, suffering Christians who were under distress. He encouraged and challenged them with these words:
1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- The writer of the book of Hebrews addressed experienced Christians who had endured severe suffering and hardships, and, as a result had become so discouraged that they considered giving up Christ. The writer encouraged and challenged them with these words:
Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to Christians who had enormous problems as a congregation. There were things he wanted to share with them that he could not tell them because they were not spiritually developed enough to understand what he said. This is what Paul said to them:
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus and explained that God wanted every Christian to grow, to mature, to develop into the image of Christ himself.
Ephesians 4:14-16 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- My specific challenge to each of us is to grow and mature spiritually in 1999–grow and mature to a spiritual level you have never before reached.
- I challenge each of us to grow in our prayer life to a new level.
- Take more time to pray than you have ever taken.
- Give more thought to your prayers than you have ever given.
- Learn to pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise as well as prayers of intercession and requests.
- I challenge each of us to grow to a new level of worship.
- Better understand what worship is, and do not be afraid to worship.
- Let your worship declare God’s place in your heart and life.
- I challenge each of us to reach a new level of service.
- Prove that Jesus is Lord of your life in your service.
- Put your heart and your faith in your service.
- I challenge each of us to develop the highest level of fellowship we have ever experienced.
- I challenge you to make powerful relationships in this congregation.
- I challenge you to help others build relationships.
- I challenge you to encourage and uplift fellow Christians every week.
[Song of reflection – “We Will Glorify”]
None of us knows what we will experience in 1999. Whatever those experiences may be, let’s face them with the most powerful, mature relationship with God and each other that we have ever known.
Whatever happens will be okay, because we belong to the God who has defeated death.
Be baptized and let God make you a part of the family. Make your life right for yourself and for the good of this congregation. We invite you to the only Savior–Jesus Christ.
My Christian Resolution for 1999
My Christian comprehension is growing.
I realize that nothing in my life is more important than my relationship with God.
I realize that everything in my life is directly affected by my relationship with God.
I realize that a maturing relationship with God benefits everything good in my life.
I realize that a growing relationship with God blesses everyone touched by my life.
I realize that my body will die but my person will not. I will live with God forever.
As a Christian I resolve to advance my commitment to spiritual growth in 1999. I want my mind, my heart, and my life to be more like the mind, heart, and life of Jesus Christ. I want my whole life to move closer to God. I want every area of my life to open to God’s Spirit. I surrender myself to God’s objectives and priorities in my life.
I will follow any avenue that helps me grow closer to God. I will consciously promote my spiritual growth in these ways.
I will grow to a new level in my prayer life. I will better understand what prayer is and how to pray. As I pray more frequently, I will to talk to God about everything. I will make requests and intercede for others. I will also pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise.
I will grow to a new level in my worship. I will grow a better understanding of the nature and meaning of worship. I will worship privately and publicly. I will attend worship assemblies, but not to observe, critique, or evaluate. I will come to worship God. God will be honored and praised by my actions, my voice, my heart, and my mind.
I will grow to a new level of service. My growth will include serving well, but it will not be limited to what I do. It will include my attitude, my motivations, and my spirit as I grow. I will serve because I belong to God. My relationship with God will be the foundation of my service.
I will grow to a new level of closeness in my association with God’s family. I will contribute to the warmth, the love, the caring, and the attentiveness of the congregation. I will seek to be a healthy, caring, unselfish, attentive part of His family. This body of Christians will be blessed because I am a part of this spiritual family.
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Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
One definition of “priority” is something that merits prior attention. Stated in “everyday language,” priority identifies a need that deserves attention, action, or consideration before other needs receive attention, action, or consideration.
Some approach needs by thinking, reflecting, and evaluating. When one makes a list of needs that must receive attention, he or she “prioritizes” the list. Each need on the list appears in order of importance. Number one is the need of greatest importance. Number two is the need second in importance, and thus the list continues. The importance of the need determines its position on the list. Priority determines how, where, and when the need is addressed.
Some approach needs by reacting to the urgent. These needs are no less real. One even may make a random list of needs. But time and energy are not used to care for important needs first. He or she often works hard, but commonly the “urgency of the moment” receives first consideration. Often important needs are neglected because the person reacts to the moment’s cries for attention.
Some rarely think about importance. They seldom prioritize. On a daily basis, they live by reacting to the moment’s situation. The “important need” is the immediate need. Priorities do not exist. The only consideration is “what must be cared for right now.” Only the urgency of the immediate produces needs.
Christ introduces us to the necessity of priorities. They include loving God above all else; loving people above things; trusting God instead of worrying; resisting temptation instead of yielding to evil; living for God’s kingdom instead of physical needs; forgiving instead of judging. That is only the beginning. As each of us spiritually matures, priorities mature. Priorities change because the person grows in his or her knowledge and understanding of God.
How much did you grow spiritually in 1998? What are your priorities for 1999?
Posted by David on December 27, 1998 under Sermons
The single, most common concern that cuts across all generational lines is concern for the future. Those who are adolescents plus every adult age group have a common concern for the future. The focus of their concern will differ. The specific areas of concern will differ. But concern for the future is common to every age group.
When you think about “surviving your future,” what do you consider? What naturally comes to your thoughts when you think about you surviving your future?
- The obvious question to ask is, “What area of the future are we considering?”
- Let me use a couple of simple illustrations.
- If a person is financially secure, regardless of his or her age, he or she is not likely to be concerned about caring for basic physical needs in the future.
- If a person is not able to care for all of his or her basic physical needs right now, he or she likely has a major concern about caring for those needs in the future.
- If a person has excellent physical health and comes from a family that, for three generations, has lived active lives to at least 90 years of age, likely he or she is not concerned about physical survival.
- If a person has had a history of poor health and comes from a family which, for three generations, has had several early deaths because of cancer, he or she likely does have some concerns about physical survival.
- The question, “What future are we considering?” is a good question.
- Are we considering surviving the future in terms of time?
- Are we considering surviving the future in terms of economics?
- Are we talking about surviving the cost of the college education of our children?
- Are we talking about surviving the purchase of a home?
- Are we talking about having a retirement that will allow us to survive?
- Are we talking about financially survival right now?
- Are we considering surviving relationships?
- Are we talking about surviving in our marriage?
- Are we taking about surviving in our family as a parent?
- Are we talking about surviving in our family as a child?
- Are we talking about surviving a friendship association?
- Are we talking about surviving a business partnership?
- Are we talking about surviving career relationships?
- There are significant groups of people who powerfully relate to surviving in any one of those areas.
- Given the nature of our materialistic society, given the enormous financial stress created by the American life style, it is likely that the largest, single concern that we share about the future is financial survival.
- I think it is likely that the greater majority of us would say that the single, most important key to surviving the future is economic security.
- I really don’t like to say this, but the distinct impression that I have from many sources is that we think that economic survival is the essential survival.
- If we deal with reality and the future, the greater majority are convinced that:
- Money is more important than being a good spouse; in fact, the key to survival in marriage is money.
- Money is more important than parenting; in fact, the key to being a good parent is money.
- Money is more important than friendships; in fact, the key to having good friendships is money.
- Money is more important than the actual business partnership; in fact, there will be no partnership troubles if there is good money.
- Money is the key to surviving career relationships; if the money is right, you can survive anything the career throws at you.
- I want to read a statement that Jesus made and then make some observations.
Matthew 6:19-34 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Observations:
- Jesus said that the key to surviving the future is not economics, is not a matter of money.
- Jesus said that the key to surviving the future is your heart.
- Placing your priority on economics will destroy your heart.
- It will deceive you by making you think that you “are seeing” when you are actually filling your life with darkness.
- It will take control of your life out of God’s hands.
- When that happens, anxiety will become your dictator.
- Jesus said that life involves considerations that are much more essential than caring for your physical needs.
- God Himself is superior to physical necessities.
- The God who physically created you and spiritually recreated you in Christ is your future.
- Godless people are controlled by the anxiety produced by physical need.
- Since God is our creator physically and spiritually, since God is our future, faith (trusting God) gives us this understanding: we must not allow physical need to produce godless anxiety.
- Worry and anxiety solve nothing.
- Trusting God gives our lives a successful future.
- What is absolutely essential to surviving the future?
- Monday, I received an e-mail from a friend who was the avenue for God’s enormous blessing at a very critical moment in my life.
- Her name was Suzanne Spurrier; she was the library director at Harding University.
- About four years ago I spent a three-month writing sabbatical at Harding.
- I was exhausted, burned out, emotionally spent, and really beginning to think that my usefulness as a preacher was fast coming to an end.
- She quickly became a friend who provided personal encouragement and created an excellent writing situation for me in the library.
- About two years ago Suzanne discovered she had cancer.
- She began a faith filled, courageous war against her cancer.
- She extended her life even further in reaching out to others.
- She called on her many, many friends to pray with her for healing as she struggled against this disease.
- This week she sent this e-mail to her many friends. I want to share it with you.
| Dear Christian friends who mean so much,
Just as you supported me in prayer for my healing, I think the time has come to urge the Father in my behalf to take me home to heaven. My strength is worn. Today is my physical birthday and my spiritual birthday (I was baptized on my 11th birthday.) Wouldn’t it be a great day for my heavenly birthday? I’m waiting to go and be with the Lord and those that are already waiting.
You’ll never know how grateful I have been for all your prayers and compassion. We still serve the all powerful, omniscient God.
Best wishes for your happiness and peace. May God bless you always.
My love in Him,
Suzanne |
- Suzanne died Wednesday.
- I ask you again, what is absolutely essential to surviving your future?
- To survive the future, I must survive my past.
- To survive the future, I must survive my present.
- To survive the future, I must survive my death.
To survive my future I must have a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And I must trust that relationship. Why? Because it is only God through Christ that can enable me to survive my death. And physical death ultimately is my future.
Posted by David on under Sermons
This week brings a strange year to an end. In many ways it has been a good year with many blessings. For those of us who lived when every day was difficult and there seemed to be no future, this year’s prosperity is nothing short of incredible.
Yet, even with all the good things, it has been a uncertain year. Those uncertainties are so powerful that the year ends in uncertainty.
- As this year ends, we have many questions and few answers.
- Where is the world’s economy headed?
- Because we buy and sell to a world market, what happens in economies of the rest of the world powerfully affects what happens in our economy.
- If serious problems continue in major world markets in 1999, how will that affect our country? How will it affect our personal lives?
- What world consequences will be produced by national hatreds?
- When some nation’s hatred becomes violent, that inevitably involves us.
- The hatreds in eastern Europe involve us. We have troops stationed there to keep the peace.
- The hatreds in the Middle East involve us. We have troops there ready for military action.
- The hatreds in Korea involve us. We have troops stationed there both to keep the peace and be on military alert.
- How will national hatreds in our 1999 world impact us?
- What will we experience because of the political crisis in Washington?
- Will we experience the year 2000 problem?
- Will it create chaos right here in our own country?
- Will we experience problems because the year 2000 problem creates major crises in other countries?
- Will there be no significant problem anywhere?
- Will the new millennium bring new problems, or will it just begin another decade?
- There are many ways to react to the possibilities.
- There is the “chicken little” reaction.
- We can run around screaming that the sky is falling.
- We can scare people to the point that we create unnecessary problems, or we can generate apathy.
- There is the “doom’s day” reaction.
- We can become convinced that nothing can keep the worst from happening.
- We can believe that no matter what we do it will be awful.
- There is the “woe is me” reaction.
- “I don’t know what will happen, but whatever it is, it will be bad.”
- “And it will be worse for me than it will be for anyone else.”
- There is the “quit exaggerating” reaction.
- “There are no real problems, only imaginary problems.”
- “The worriers are using scare tactics.”
- “Nothing really bad is going to happen.”
- There is the “we will fix it and survive” reaction.
- “As a nation, we survived the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.”
- “We survived the great depression, the decline of the industrial age, and the onslaught of the technology.”
- “With every major crisis, with every major change, we have people who see nothing but the worst happening.”
- “But we always fixed it, and we always will fix it.”
I want to share some thoughts with you that are not intended to reflect a political view, or make a political statement, or teach a political lesson.
- For much of this year we watched an unfolding drama in Washington, D.C.
- It seems that “what happened” astounded everyone, regardless of his or her interpretation of the situation.
- How it was handled astounded a lot of people.
- How the President handled the situation astounded a lot of people.
- How it was investigated astounded a lot of people.
- How the House of Representatives handled the situation astounded a lot of people.
- Many are astounded and perplexed by the way the American public has reacted to the situation.
- Many of those who disapprove of what the President did more strongly disapprove of the investigation of the President.
- Though a majority think the President was dishonest, he is quite popular.
- Though at least fifty per cent of our citizens think that the President violated the law, a much higher percentage of our society approve of the job that he is doing.
- And, for America, this majority is behaving in an unusual manner.
- It is an aloof, unemotional majority that merely observes what happens and states an opinion.
- In the last half of this century, Americans have not reacted with unemotional apathy in times of crisis.
- Speaking to us as Christians, what do you think Christians ought to do?
- I realize that is a “loaded question.”
- Even among us right here right now, there would be a strong difference of opinion about what Christians should do.
- Many of our suggestions would be reactionary and emotional.
- I call your attention to two statements written by Paul in the New Testament.
Romans 13:1-7 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Paul gave these instructions to Christians who lived in the capital city of the Roman empire during the rule of Nero.
- Nero’s mother married Claudius and convinced him to adopt her son Nero, which positioned Nero to be the next emperor.
- Nero’s mother is thought to have poisoned Claudius so that she and Nero could rule the empire.
- Later, Nero had his mother murdered so that he would have sole power.
- He wanted to use a part of Rome for a spectacular building project, so it is thought that he set fire to that section of the city creating an enormous fire that burned in the city for several days.
- To deflect suspicion from himself, he blamed Christians for the fire; Christians were unpopular because they would not worship idols.
- The result was a severe local persecution of Christians that resulted in torture and execution.
- Tradition says that before Nero’s reign ended, both Peter and Paul were killed.
- Nero was also extraordinarily immoral.
- Even with this ruler and his government, Paul wrote that Christians should be in subjection.
- Even of this man, Paul said that his position and power came from God.
- Even of this government, Paul said render to all what is due them.
- Later Paul wrote this statement to fellow Christian Timothy about what he was to teach the Christians in Ephesus.
1 Timothy 2:1,2 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Communities were expected to approach the gods on behalf of the emperor.
- In Ephesus, there were three temples dedicated to the Roman emperor.
- Good citizenship involved going to those temples and approaching the gods on behalf of the emperor.
- Christians could not do that.
- So they had a terrible image problem; believing in Christ was interpreted to mean that you were an enemy of the government.
- Paul said the Christian men in Ephesus needed to correct that impression.
- They needed to be seen and heard praying in public for the emperor.
- When Paul wrote this, the emperor was Nero.
- I call your attention to something you may have noticed.
- Regardless of your opinion about the happenings in Washington, polls identify a majority that does not think like many of us think.
- In fact, the thoughts of this majority is so unlike our thinking that we may be tempted to think that these people do not exist.
- But they do.
- And they do not look at things as many of us see them.
- That awareness is hard to accept–more people in this nation do not view life from a Christian perspective than do view life from a Christian perspective.
- Someone says, “That is unbelievably awful!”
- I guess that depends on how you look at the situation.
- In my early life, people who did not pretend to be Christians declared Christian values were the right values.
- Often the most obvious difference between the persons who were and were not Christians was this: the Christian went to church.
- Often today there is a distinct contrast between a genuine Christian life and a non-Christian life.
- That contrast provides us an enormous opportunity.
- Jesus said,
Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- The greater the darkness, the more distinct the light.
- In our lifetimes, there has never been greater opportunity to be the light that “gives light to all who are in the house.”
- We have never had greater opportunity to cause people to glorify our heavenly Father by devoting ourselves to good works.
- But if we are to seize the opportunity, it will cost us; we must be committed to reflecting Christ instead of behaving like the darkness.
[Prayer]
Are you a Christian in claim or in reality? How do you plan on using life in 1999? Will your life give light in the darkness, light that moves people to glorify God? Or, will you be content to curse the darkness?
Posted by David on December 20, 1998 under Sermons
Last Sunday evening we discussed the importance of surviving our present. I suggested that if we were honest and open about our personal struggles, it would be evident that the present threatens to drown most of us. And we likely represent a group within our society that is the most likely to survive the present. If we struggle to survive the present, can you imagine how distressed people are who have not turned to God, who do not have the encouragement of those who love God?
- If we as individuals are to survive our present, two things that we individually must do is survive temptation and survive deceit.
- Two specific temptations that we must survive are:
- The temptation to take short cuts that ignore God’s morality.
- The temptation to abandon God’s values.
- Two specific deceits that we must survive are:
- The deceit that declares the central issue of life is “my rights.”
- The deceit that declares that the way to build is to destroy.
- The scripture we read as we began our thinking was James 1:12-18.
- The blessed person is not the person who has no trials, but the person who perseveres under trial.
- Why is it a blessing to persevere under trial?
- The process of surviving trials is the process that gains God’s approval.
- This process will result in the Christian receiving the crown of life.
- God promises that crown to persevering Christians because those who persevere endure (through loving God).
- When temptation envelops the Christian, he must not think that God is enticing him to do evil.
- Evil cannot tempt God.
- God does not use evil to tempt anyone.
- This is the anatomy of temptation:
- A person is tempted to do evil because an evil desire within him or her is enticed.
- The person is captured by his or her own evil desire as this desire develops or stimulates an appetite for gratification.
- By creating a hunger for evil, the desire gets pregnant and gives birth to sin.
- When that sin achieves its purpose, it spiritually kills the person.
- Do not be deceived: do not think that God is responsible for our evil desires and appetites.
- While God is not the source of evil or evil desires, God is the source of every good thing.
- Every good thing, every perfect gift has its origin in God.
- God is the Father of lights, not the father of darkness.
- This is the unchanging God who provides us a steady light that cast no shadows, unlike the sun that always moves, always cast shadows.
- God exercised His will to create us spiritually so that we could be the best and most beneficial part of his creation.
Transition: This evening I want to suggest two additional understandings that are critical to surviving our present.
- If each of us is to survive the present, we must survive injustice.
- In this world, little is fair; little is just; and fairness and justice have little to do with what happens in life.
- I did not say that God is not fair and just.
- God exceeds fairness and justice beyond our ability to comprehend.
- God’s grace makes fairness look like neglect.
- God’s mercy makes justice look like indifference.
- I said existence in this world has little concern for what is fair or just.
- Every aspect of existence in this world is touched by evil, either directly or indirectly.
- Evil has no concern for fairness or justice; evil pursues its dreams and ambitions through exploitation, abuse, and manipulation.
- Existence in this world, life on this earth, is not fair.
- The overwhelming majority of this earth’s population live in poverty stricken nations or in undeveloped nations.
- When a nation’s internal conditions are produced by a lack of development, poverty, and overpopulation, it is unlikely that nation will produce a developed, secure, prosperous people.
- Early death is always a reality, and it likely will continue to be.
- Devastating disease is always a reality, and it likely will continue to be.
- Malnutrition and starvation is always a reality, and it likely will continue to be.
- It is highly unlikely that an individual will escape those circumstances; a few do, but comparatively very few do.
- Joyce and I have good friends, very capable people, who succeeded in coming to this country to acquire a Ph.D. degree in a scientific area and in a medical specialty degree.
- Both of them (a married couple) had great potential for blessing their nation and people.
- Their dream was to return home and address conditions of desperate need.
- They returned home to work in a university and its community.
- On a consistent basis, they encountered danger, opposition, and exploitation.
- What they dreamed of doing was impossible.
- Conditions became so unsafe and unproductive that they were convinced that they had to leave the people they most wanted to help.
- The world is not fair, and even when good people want to produce good changes, they have limited success. Evil challenges every improvement.
- When you compare the population of developed countries to the populations of undeveloped countries, about ten per cent of the world’s population controls perhaps as much as ninety per cent of the world’s available goods.
- People in undeveloped nations tell you quickly that this is not fair.
- If you lived in their circumstances, you would declare it is not fair.
- Our society is not fair.
- These are the facts of life in our society:
- Society gives unfair opportunity to the connected (it is a matter of whom you know).
- Society gives unfair consideration to the elite (it is a matter of what family you came from).
- Society gives unfair advantages to the powerful (it is a matter of how much clout you carry).
- Society gives unfair favoritism to the prestigious (status does matter).
- Society gives unfair “red carpet” considerations to the gifted (it is a matter of you being superior to others).
- Society unfairly rewards those who are physically handsome or beautiful (feeding the fantasies of others brings special rewards).
- The “haves” have incredible advantages over the “have nots.”
- While there are exceptions, that is the common reality.
- Those advantages have nothing to do with fairness or justice.
- Life is not fair.
- Some have more than their fair share of hardships and struggles.
- Some suffer more than others and endure more than their fair share of pain.
- Some deal with significant disadvantages because of mistakes made by their families; they must make more than their fair share of hard adjustments.
- Some endure more tragedy than others, and they cope with more than their fair share of sorrow.
- Some endure more reverses than others; it is not fair that they have to begin life again so many times.
- There is not a single adult in this audience who could not use your life and your family to prove that life is not fair.
- So, regarding the reality of injustice, what is the question we each must answer?
- The question is not: “how do I eliminate injustice in my life?”
- The question is: “how do I react to injustice in my life?”
- You can dedicate yourself to escaping or eliminating injustice, but that decision is more likely to “consume” your life instead of “rescuing” your life.
- Will I allow injustice destroy the person I am capable of being?
- Will I allow the injustice to become my obsession?
- Will I allow the injustice to shape me and make me vindictive and hurtful?
- Will I allow God to work in me and help me develop the heart and attitudes that rise above injustice?
- Again, Jesus is incredibly relevant as we address the issue of personal injustice.
- None of us will ever endure the injustices he did, and it is highly unlikely that the injustices we experience will approximate the injustices he experienced.
- Injustice did not change him; he was compassionate and merciful even to the unjust, not vengeful and cold.
- Injustice did not change his objective; he came to extend help and forgiveness to all the victims of evil.
- Injustice did not distract him from his goal; he did what he came to do.
- In Jesus’ life, ministry, service, and sacrifice, injustice changed nothing.
- “How did Jesus do that? I cannot understand how that was possible.”
- Any scripture that helps us better understand Jesus’ actions brings a special blessing.
- A scripture that gives me that special blessing is 1 Peter 2:23, “…and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”
- Peter discussed Jesus’ conduct as Jesus was executed.
- For a long time I could not understand how Jesus the human controlled himself in the face of such enormous, constant injustice.
- Peter told us how Jesus did it; as each injustice occurred, with complete trust, he gave the injustice to God who judges righteously.
- He placed God in charge of injustice while he focused exclusively on being the person God wanted him to be who did what God wanted done.
- As a Christian deals with injustice, he or she cannot divide his or her energy.
- We cannot seek justice and to behave as God wants us to behave.
- We will never have the energy and strength to do both.
- If you are to become the person God wants you to be, you have to entrust injustice to God.
- We Christians will survive injustice only if we trust God enough to turn it loose and give it to God.
- That brings us to James’ final point regarding temptation: if we survive the present, we must believe that God is the origin of all good, and trust that truth.
- We will not find good outside of God.
- We must know that to the degree we leave God we leave good.
- God is not the source of evil; God is not the source of temptation; God is not the source of suffering; God is the source of good.
- We cannot always understand that truth.
- We cannot always explain that truth.
- But, if we are to survive the present, we must always trust that truth.
Do you survive the present by placing injustices in God’s hands as you focus your life and energy on being the person God wants you to be? As you do that, do you trust this truth: God is the source of all good?
Posted by David on under Sermons
Several years ago Martin Handford developed an incredibly simple idea that became a series of popular books entitled, “Where In The World Is Waldo?” On each page of each book is a scene. In that scene are hundreds of small figures. Among those figures is Waldo. The object is super simple. Find Waldo.
Parents discover that children can be quicker than adults. It is not unusual for preschool children to find Waldo faster than adults can. Children focus on what they are looking for and see it.
I confess from personal experience that it is much too easy to make the Bible a spiritual Waldo book. Before we begin to study, we are trained to look for specific things. Then, when we read and study, we see what we have been trained to look for.
One of the fundamental purposes of the Bible is to reveal the nature of God. Revelation of God’s nature is the only means that we have to discover God’s nature. Too often we assume God’s nature before we allow scripture to reveal God’s nature. When that happens, we see what we look for, and, too often, only what we look for.
- If I ask which of these best reveal God’s nature, what would you say? Wrath, punishment, or mercy?
- Which of those three is the primary characteristic in God’s nature?
- In your understanding, how would you rank the three?
- Is God more likely to be a God of wrath, a God of punishment, or a God of mercy?
- In your personal life, typically when you consider God, is the first thing you consider wrath, punishment, or mercy?
- Let’s look at the Bible to “see” what it reveals.
- Hundreds of years after the death of Abraham, God led Abraham’s descendants out of Egyptian slavery to Mount Sinai in the desert wilderness.
- For the four hundred years that they were in Egypt, these Israelites were better acquainted with Egyptian idolatry than with Abraham’s living God.
- They were freed by an act of the God of Abraham, and only by an act of God.
- At Sinai, God commanded them not to worship idols.
Speaking of idols, Moses wrote in Exodus 20:5,6 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- You belong to Me and to Me only.
- I rescued you; idols did not rescue you.
- So you worship only Me; you never worship them.
- I bring the consequences of iniquity on those who hate me.
- I also am the God who shows lovingkindness (mercy) to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
- Years later, Moses made this statement to Israel:
Deuteronomy 7:6-10 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- You belong exclusively to God because God chose you and you alone to be His people.
- God did not love you or choose you because you are the biggest nation; the truth is that you are a tiny nation.
- God rescued you because He promised Abraham that He would make you a nation.
- Your God is the faithful God, the God who keeps His promises, the God who shows mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments.
- He is the God who repays those who hate Him to their face.
- When God called Moses up into the mountain to give him the ten commandments on tablets of stone, God said this of Himself:
Exodus 34:6,7 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- The Lord God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy and truth.
- He shows mercy and forgives all forms of evil.
- However, his mercy does not allow the guilty to go unpunished.
- When the Israelites stood on the border of Canaan the first time and refused to trust God enough to enter that land, God was extremely angry with them.
- He was so angry that He wished to destroy the entire nation.
- Moses begged God not to destroy them, not for Israel’s sake, but for the sake of God’s reputation among idolatrous nations.
- Listen to Moses’ plea in Numbers 14:15-18:
Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, “Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.” But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, “The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.“ (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- If You destroy Israel, idolatrous nations will say it happened because You were not able to keep Your promise.
- It is not Your nature to destroy Israel.
- You are slow to anger, full of mercy, and forgiving of every type of evil.
- It is true that You do not clear the guilty; but it is also true that You are the God who is full of mercy.
- When Solomon dedicated the temple that he built for God, he said:
1 Kings 8:23, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- There is no God like You.
- You keep Your promises and show mercy to Your servants who serve You with all their heart.
- When Nehemiah heard about the horrible conditions in Jerusalem, he began his prayer to God with these words:
Nehemiah 1:5, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- I beg the God of heaven.
- You are the great, awesome God Who preserves His promises and His mercy for those who love Him and keep His commands.
- When Daniel, in captivity, prayed for the exiled Israelites, he began his prayer with this statement:
Daniel 9:4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
- Great, awesome God, please hear me.
- I approach You because I know that You are the God who keeps His promises and shows mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments.
- Throughout the Old Testament, even in the worst of circumstances, God is understood to be the God who keeps His promises and shows mercy.
- Those two characteristics distinguished God from all other gods worshipped in all other nations.
- Even when God was His angriest, mercy was a part of God’s response.
- There was never a circumstance when a Moses, or a Nehemiah, or a Daniel could not approach God through God’s mercy.
- When you look for Waldo, you must recognize Waldo when you see him; when you look for God, you must recognize God when you see Him.
- For many years I saw only what I was trained to see when I looked for God.
- I saw anger.
- I saw wrath.
- I saw vengeance.
- I saw the fear of terror.
- I saw demand and obligation.
- I saw a burdensome, crushing form of obedience.
- I did not see mercy clearly; I thought mercy should be minimized.
- In mercy, God allowed the time to come when I let the Bible show me God.
- And I saw the mercy and love that sent Jesus.
- And I saw mercy that produces the obedience of joy.
- And I saw the mercy that comes from God’s compassion.
- And I saw the mercy that grants forgiveness and salvation.
- And I saw that mercy had existed from the time of the first sin.
- Now when I look at:
- Adam and Eve’s failure in the garden of Eden, I see God’s mercy.
- Cain the murderer, I see God’s mercy.
- The flood, I see God’s mercy.
- The messed up family of Abraham, I see God’s mercy.
- The nation of Israel, I see God’s mercy.
- Jesus’ birth, ministry, and death, I see God’s mercy.
- The church in the New Testament, I see God’s mercy.
- Me, I see God’s mercy.
- Someone says, “Oh, David, you are just getting old and soft.”
- No.
- I am learning to allow the Bible to reveal God to me.
[Song of reflection: The Steadfast Love of the Lord]
God’s mercy is not designed or intended to remove our responsibility. Mercy never gives us the license to be irresponsible. But God’s mercy is the substance of our hope, the assurance of our salvation.
