Awareness and Appreciation

Posted by David on December 20, 1998 under Bulletin Articles

Two of this season’s precious blessings are awareness and appreciation. December’s mindset elevates people’s awareness of people. The awareness of human conditions dramatically increases. Caring for and about people becomes a primary concern.

Our awareness of the important roles that others serve in our lives rises. We realize how blessed we are because others touch our lives. Feelings of appreciation crumble the “crust” on our hearts, and the kindness of consideration rules.

This happens because our society focuses on God’s blessing to us. The elevated awareness of God’s gift to us deepens our appreciation of God. Rising appreciation for God deepens our appreciation for each other.

From our hearts, the staff at West-Ark wants the entire congregation to know that we appreciate you! Thank you for all the ways that you touch and bless us!

Surviving My Present (part 1)

Posted by David on December 13, 1998 under Sermons

In most societies there is an appropriate, accepted way to greet people. Societies need such greetings. They allow people to show respect and extend kindness.

When we lived in a West African country, the appropriate, accepted greeting was, “How for your skin?” That meant, “Are you healthy?” Death and sickness were extensive, daily realities. It was respectful and kind to greet a person by inquiring about his or her health. There were three appropriate responses. The typical response was, “I am well.” If you felt wonderful, which was rarely the case, you responded, “I am well fine.” Only if you were seriously distressed would you respond, “I am not well.”

In our society we have a number of appropriate, accepted greetings. One of the most common is, “How are you?” or “How are you doing?” The common appropriate response is, “I am fine.”

In our system of greetings, much of the time, “How are you?” is not intended as an inquiry about how you are actually doing. The response, “I am fine,” is not intended to a declaration about your actual condition.

What if this happened when we assembled? What if “How are you?” was a serious inquiry we made of each other? What if each of us honestly revealed how we were?

I think that could be good, not bad. It would produce an openness that lowered our masks and destroyed our facades. That would be a shock, but it would be a good shock. I think it would also make a startling revelation: many of us are not surviving the present. Many of us are locked in desperate struggles trying to keep the present from drowning us.

This evening as we consider how to survive our present, I want to begin by reading James 1:12-18.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

I could easily focus an entire lesson to each of the thoughts I share with you, but I want to introduce two things that are critical to surviving the present. I hope to introduce two more next Sunday night.

First, to survive the present, each of us must survive temptation.
1. We could focus on the need to survive daily temptations that we typically view as being matters of life, not matters of evil. Such as:
  1. The temptation to live in ways that we cannot afford.
  2. The temptation to abuse credit.
  3. The temptation to let occupations cause us to neglect our spouses and children.
  4. The temptation to find the “perfect escape” from stress and pressure.
  5. The temptation to compete with other people’s standard of living.
  6. The temptation to pursue personal prominence at any cost.
2. I call your attention to two common temptations that often devastate our lives and scuttle our spirituality.
  1. The first is the temptation to use short cuts that ignore God’s morality.
    1. Our society places a high premium on pragmatism.
      1. “We have to be practical about this.”
      2. “We must face reality.”
      3. “Let’s get real about this.”
    2. Pragmatism is valuable, useful, and rightfully a part of serious evaluation and serious decision making.
      1. But, pragmatism that rejects God’s morality is destructive.
      2. Pragmatism that rejects God’s morality always will result in destructiveness in society and to the individual.
    3. Anytime that we are encouraged to choose a course of life, a direction in our occupation, or an alternative in any area of life that has no concern for God, we are tempted to take a short cut that ignores God’s morality.
      1. When those moments occur, the present seeks to destroy us.
      2. If we yield to that temptation, the present will destroy us.
  2. The second temptation is to ignore God’s values as we seek success.
    1. This temptation is powerful when we do two things.
      1. We do not ask, “Is this true to the values Jesus died to establish?”
      2. Instead, we do ask, “Will this get me where I want to go?”
    2. Life’s core realities are based on value systems.
      1. The entire Christian existence is based on Jesus’ value system.
      2. When we declare that God’s values are not relevant to the way we live life and make decisions, we attack self at the core of our being.
    3. When we are tempted to reject God’s values the present seeks to destroy us.
    4. If we yield to that temptation, the present will destroy us.
3. God knows that we are incapable of surviving every temptation.
  1. It is critical that we learn how to recover from failure; that is as critical as learning how to defeat temptation.
  2. We recover from falling to temptation by honestly repenting of our failure.
  3. We restore life by making the corrections that redirect life.
Second, to survive the present, each of us must survive deceit.
1. It would be impossible to identify everything that attempts to deceive us.
  1. We are a very skeptical society because deceit is prevalent in our society in every direction we look, in every sector of life, in every ongoing activity.
  2. We accept as fact that forces beyond number try to exploit us.
    1. How do you successfully exploit people?
    2. To exploit people you must deceive people.
  3. Deceit is a simple thing: deceit occurs when we accept something that is false as being something that is true.
2. The list of deceits that the present uses to destroy us is a long list, but I focus your attention on two powerful deceits that wreck our personal lives, our families, our businesses, our industries, and our government by cutting the threads that weave the fabric of our society.
  1. The first deceit is accepted by the majority as a fundamental truth: “the central issue in life is my rights as an individual.”
    1. We Americans are obsessed with the concept of individual rights.
      1. “You should know my rights.”
      2. “Respect my rights.”
      3. “Give me my rights.”
      4. “Stop abusing my rights.”
      5. “Stop denying me my rights.”
      6. “I demand my rights.”
      7. “You have violated my rights!”
    2. As a people, we are preoccupied with the concept of individual rights.
      1. That preoccupation often becomes an obsession.
      2. It makes us selfish and self-centered.
      3. It justifies the mistreatment of other people to acquire “my rights.”
      4. It convinces us that evading and rejecting responsibility is good.
      5. It declares that we are entitled to what we want; it is our “right” to have our desires fulfilled.
  2. The social and personal consequences of selfish, irresponsible devotion to individual rights are terrifying.
    1. That obsession threatens the stability of every institution in our society by placing them in the constant risk of attack that can destroy them.
    2. The destructive impact on family relationships in marriage, in homes, and in parent-child relationships is prevalent right now.
    3. The way it molds the perceptions and thinking of both adults and adolescents is frightening.
  3. Far too many people are convinced that “my greatest responsibility is to me.”
    1. The present will successfully destroy the life of any irresponsible person who believes in and practices that deceit.
    2. The present will successfully destroy any irresponsible marriage or family made of persons who believe in and practice that deceit.
    3. The future will successfully destroy any irresponsible society built by people who believe in and practice that deceit.
  4. If you think that is an exaggeration, consider the number of people who believe, “I have the right to violate the law,” and consider what that is doing to our society.
  5. The person who believes that the central issue of life is “my individual rights” will not survive the present.
3. The second deceit is the conviction that “I must save society from itself.”
  1. If you think about it, this is the extreme opposite of the concept of individual rights.
    1. The individual exists for the good of the cause.
    2. When an individual threatens the cause, that individual is insignificant.
    3. The individual has no rights; only the cause has rights.
    4. The cause is good; any individual who opposes the cause is bad.
  2. This deceit creates “crusading missionaries” who believe “anyone or anything can be sacrificed for the good cause.”
    1. I see a fundamental deceit in the thought process that declares that “you build by destroying.”
    2. I see a fundamental deceit when someone murders an abortion doctor because abortion doctor is declared a murder.
    3. I see a fundamental deceit when someone believes that the key to preserving life in the environment is attacking the people who are a part of the environment.
    4. I see a fundamental deceit when someone believes that the way to preserve society is to enable those who hurt society.
  3. Virtually every cause involves complex issues.
    1. Virtually every cause has at its heart a just, vital concern.
    2. But causes commonly are frustrated by the complexities of life.
    3. Because of “tunnel vision,” causes frequently champion oversimplified solutions to address complex realities.
    4. This combination builds doors of opportunity for deceit.
  4. The person who believes that he or she saves by being destructive will not survive the present.

It amazes me to see the relevance of Jesus’ example as we learn to survive the present. It amazes me because he continues to be relevant 2000 years after he died. We often fail to be relevant to the next generation.

Jesus’ world was as complex as ours. His Jewish society was in greater turmoil than our American society. The truth is that we have more to work with in our society than he had to work with in his society.

Yet, he never took short cuts that ignored God’s morality. He never sought success by abandoning God’s values. He clarified God’s morality. He lived by God’s values. And he showed us how to be servants. He never demanded his rights. He saved by doing good and sacrificing. And neither you nor I will ever equal his success. He was so successful that God magnified his success through death.

Some Assembly Required

Posted by David on under Sermons

The big search for gifts is on in earnest! You gracious ladies are doing most of the searching. One of my sons once told a friend, “One of the great things about being married is that your wife does the Christmas shopping.” I must confess that he learned that from his father.

But the serious search for gifts is underway. This search proceeds in stages. It is now in the “we have got to get serious” stage. In a week it will move into the “high stress” stage. On December 24th it will plunge into the “panic attack” stage.

As you shop for the perfect gift, you will see two ‘evil ‘ statements on some boxes. The first ‘evil’ statement is, “Some assembly required.” If that does not totally frighten you away and you read further, it will say something cruel and deceitful like, “Assembly time: approximately one hour.” Sure! If you have a Ph.D. in engineering! Nothing makes me feel quite so stupid as being confused by “simple instructions.”

The second ‘evil’ statement is, “No tools required.” We need a law that demands those statements be replaced with “Tools not mandatory but extremely helpful.”

Have you noticed that everything significant requires some assembly. Good marriages do not happen; they require some assembly. Good parents do not happen; they require some assembly. Good friends do not happen; they require some assembly. Godliness does not happen; it requires some assembly.

What about God? Does God require some assembly?
1. Someone says, “David, don’t be ridiculous! No one assembles God! You don’t have to put God together! Nobody puts God together!”
  1. Some people assemble God; maybe most people do.
    1. In fact, some Christians assemble God; maybe most Christians do.
    2. The truth is most of us not only assemble God, we customize God to fit our own wants and desires.
  2. So you respond, “David, do not insult me! I have never built God, and I certainly have never customized God! God is God, regardless of what I want or desire.”
  3. Would you complete this sentence for me: “God wants me to have…”
    1. I am quite serious; complete the sentence: “God wants me to have…”
    2. “God want me to have…”
      1. Money. (He knows that I would use it wisely and be a good steward.)
      2. Security. (He doesn’t want me to experience fear and anxiety.)
      3. The family of my dreams. (He created us to have that family.)
      4. Contentment. (He does not want me to be unhappy with my life.)
      5. An occupation that fulfills me. (He does not want me to waste my life working at something that I hate to do.)
      6. The “good life.” (He knows better than I do how short this life is.)
      7. Fun or happiness. (He did not make life for sadness and regret.)
2. May I ask a question: how do you know what God wants you to have?
  1. How did you discover that is what God wanted for you?
    1. It has to be a discovery; nowhere does scripture say, “I want David Chadwell to have…”
    2. If I look at Noah floating with a boat load of animals; Abraham wandering around in a strange land; Moses leading a nation of disgruntled people in a dessert; David fleeing from the rage of King Saul; Elijah living in hiding as he is fed by the birds; Jeremiah preaching to people that God said would not listen; the deaths of Stephen and the apostle John; the hardships of Paul; and the death of Jesus on the cross, it is hard for me to see that God’s consuming divine priority is for me is to enjoy life.
    3. Does God reveal what He wants for me by divine revelation?
    4. Just how do I make this discovery?
  2. Someone says, “Oh, it is simple.”
    1. “God wants me to have what I want.”
    2. If I understand that concept, then what I want determines what God wants me to have.
    3. If that is the concept, then each one of us assembles God to be the God of our desires.
3. “No, no, no, that is not what we mean–you twisting and misrepresenting the situation.”
  1. “We know God, and we understand God.”
  2. “Because we know and understand God, we know and understand what God wants for us individually.”
  3. “We know what God wants us to have because we understand God.”
All of the written and spoken prophets in the Old Testament told Israel God’s will for them–all but one.
1. That prophet asked God to explain Himself.
  1. That prophet was Habakkuk.
    1. Habakkuk did not understand what God was doing.
    2. He told God that he did not understand what He was doing.
    3. He specifically directed God to answer him and explain His actions.
  2. In Habakkuk 1:2-11, Habakkuk asked God a question and, he received an answer that created a personal crisis for him.
    1. Habakkuk 1:2-4.
      1. Habakkuk’s question:
        
        “Lord, how long are you going to let me continue to cry for help and refuse to listen to my cries?”
        “Everywhere I look in Judah I see violence, and You are doing absolutely nothing.”
        “Why did You open my eyes to all the evil and make me look at all the wickedness in Judah?”
        “There is strife and contention; people ignore Your law; justice is always perverted; and the wicked surround the righteous.”
    2. Habakkuk 1:5-11.
      1. God’s answer:
        
        “I will do something soon about the wickedness, and what I do will be so incredible that you will not believe Me when I tell you.”
        “I am going to send the fierce Babylonian army to destroy Judah.”
        “Every nation stands in dread and fear of this army.”
        “It is violent and unstoppable; no king can withstand it.”
    3. Habakkuk 1:12-2:20.
      1. God’s answer dumbfounded Habakkuk; in fact, God’s answer created a much more urgent question.
      2. Habukukk’s second question:
        
        “God I know You; You are the eternal, holy God.”
        “As the eternal, holy God, how can You possibly let that happen?”
        “How can You allow the Babylonians who are much more wicked than Judah destroy Judah for its wickedness?”
        “Will You just sit there while the wicked swallow the righteous?”
        “The Babylonians are like fisherman and the nations are like fish.”
        “They don’t just hook an occasional fish; they use nets so that no fish (nation) escapes.”
        “They will destroy all the nations, and they will worship their net while they do it.”
        “I cannot comprehend how the just God will allow that to happen.”
        
        “And I am going to sit right here until You explain Yourself.”
      3. God’s answer.
        
        “Babylon’s soul is proud, evil, and never satisfied.”
        “Babylon is like a man who has made himself wealthy by taking advantage of the poor by making them loans and charging interest.”
        “The day will come when the creditors revolt and steal everything the lender has.”
        “Because of all their violence and bloodshed, the Babylonians will be destroyed.”
        “Their lifeless idols will not deliver them.”
    4. In Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk responded to God’s revelation.
      1. He asked God to remember mercy in His wrath.
      2. He praised God for His greatness and His power.
      3. Then he gave this very personal response in 3:16-19.
        
        “All I can do is to tremble and wait for the Babylonians to invade.”
        “But, God, I want you to know when that day comes, if there is no food, if all the livestock are killed, I will still exalt You and rejoice in my salvation.”
        “You are my strength; You let me walk with You.”
2. Habakkuk was God’s prophet who received direct revelations from God, but Habakkuk did not understand God.
  1. He knew God would do what He said, but Habakkuk could not comprehend.
  2. God certainly was not giving Judah what they wanted.
The inability to understand or predict God is just as obvious in the New Testament.
1. There are a number of obvious examples.
  1. Ananias could not understand why God wanted him to baptize Saul the persecutor (Acts 9:10-18).
  2. The leadership of the church in Jerusalem strongly rejected the idea that God wanted Peter to teach and baptize non-Jews (Acts 11).
  3. The Christian Pharisees strongly rejected the idea that God would allow non-Jews to be Christians without obeying the law of Moses (Acts 15:5).
  4. Everyone of these people were certain that they knew exactly what God wanted, and everyone of them were totally mistaken.
2. What about you right now?
  1. Where do you get your concept of God? How do you know what God wants?
    1. Does your view of the human condition determine your concept of God, or does God focus your understanding of human condition?
    2. Does your concept of the church determine your concept of God, or does God build your concept of the church?
    3. Does your concept of evil determine your concept of God, or does God define your concept of evil?
    4. Does your concept of what is good, and just, and right determine your concept of God, or does God define what is good, and just, and right?
    5. Does your personal view of the purpose of life determine your concept of God, or does God define your understanding of life’s purpose?
So, I ask you again to complete this sentence: “God wants me to have…”
1. May I suggest a biblical answer?
  1. “God wants me to have eternal life.”
  2. God’s number one concern for each of us is what we have in heaven, not what we have on earth.
2. When each of us became God’s child by entering Jesus Christ, we literally became God’s son or a daughter.
  1. There are things that we want for our sons and daughters to become and be.
  2. There are things that God wants His sons and daughters to become and to be.
  3. God’s purpose in Christ is to make you His child.
  4. As His children, God wants you and me to be godly.

If you are a Christian, as long as you live, your understanding of God will grow. As it grows, you always will be assembling your concept of God. As long as you live, you will grow spiritually. As you grow, you always will be assembling yourself as a Christian. If you are to be God’s son or daughter, some assembly is required. God will provide the tools if you will do the assembling.

[Someone read Isaiah 55:6-11]

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (KJV)

Which is most important to you? God giving you what you want, or your faith allowing God to make you who He wants you to be?

God does not exist to please us. We exist to please Him.

Will I make God, or will I let God make me?

Let God give you what He wants you to have–
Life and Newness of Life.

Great Opportunities Equal Great Responsibilities

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

Recently I received a letter from a market place “head hunter.” “Head hunters” look for a person with specific qualifications for a specific job. The letter did not “stroke my ego.” It was a “fill in the blank” letter that misspelled my name.

It contained a “hook” designed to grab my attention and motivate me to act. The “hook” was the unbelievable monthly salary said to be possible in this position.

Years ago I accepted a reality, and I do not remember an exception. The greater the opportunity, the greater the responsibilities. If the letter revealed the truth about the salary, what were the costs of earning it? I have no doubt that the costs would be my life–twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Often we think, “I would love that job!” “I would love that position!” “I would love that opportunity!” And we would. But, we would love the benefits, not the responsibilities. We would love the benefits without surrendering our life.

There are two exceptions to the reality. First, if the opportunity creates the fulfillment of personal significance, some allow it to become their life. Many do that. Apart from their work, they do not exist. They are measured and defined in detail by their careers’ responsibilities. As their occupation defines them, the price of their sacrifices become obvious.

Second, many consider the spiritual to be an exception. God’s opportunities? Grace, mercy, atonement, forgiveness, destruction of mistakes, strength in times of trial, comfort in times of distress, hope in times of failure, and eternal life after death. Our responsibilities? Worship when it is convenient. Study when it is convenient. Prayer when it is convenient. As little involvement as one desires. Financial generosity as we define appropriate. And the spiritual cannot define “self.”

In this view, God provides existence’s priceless treasures, but expects us to make no difficult choices or endure any inconvenience. To believe this is to misunderstand God. True, all His gifts are gifts of love. Also true, He expects us to accept a basic responsibility: the responsibility of loving God. Nothing provides greater gifts. Nothing confers greater responsibilities.

Surviving My Past

Posted by David on December 6, 1998 under Sermons

One of my aunts who died a few years ago had a very difficult life. My childhood memories of visiting her are memories of visiting the dairy farm that she and her husband operated. She had no children. There were times when she had to manage and operate the dairy by herself.

When her husband was in his forties, he committed suicide. In time her health failed. She had little family and few options. She actually chose a nursing home for herself, made all the arrangements and preparations to move into the home, and spent the last years of her life living there.

The circumstances of her early marriage were unusual and difficult. Once I had opportunity to listen to my mother and my aunt talk about those unusual, difficult times. In those early days they shared a close bond. As they talked about those days, my aunt would smile and her eyes would brighten. I clearly remember her saying, “I would live every one of those days all over again!” Mom asked, “Without changing anything?” And she replied without hesitation, “Yes! Without changing one thing!”

She is one of the few people that I have ever known who truly had a hard life and would live it all over again without changing a thing. I do not have the slightest doubt that she would have.

How about you? If you had the power to change your past, what would you change?
1. Most people would like to alter their past in some way.
  1. Some would eliminate a tragedy or hardships.
  2. Some would add some opportunities.
  3. Some would change decisions and make different choices.
  4. Some would remove a disease, or suffering, or eliminate a death.
  5. Some would make basic changes in his or her family.
  6. The list of ways that people would alter the past go on and on.
2. What about you? What would you alter?
  1. Personally, I am glad that is not an option for me.
  2. “Was everything about your past wonderful?”
    1. No.
    2. I don’t think I ever met someone whose past was nothing but wonderful.
    3. I have noticed that people who tend to think that every moment of their lives was wonderful usually have “selective memory.”
  3. “If everything was not wonderful, why are you glad it is not an option?”
    1. I am not wise enough to know what changes to make.
    2. Let me illustrate that fact: when I was 5 and 6 years old, I was a very sick kid, a severe asthmatic.
    3. Because I was in such poor health, Dad moved our family to the mountains when I was seven.
    4. That fall I met Joyce in the second grade.
    5. Because we moved to the mountains, I had opportunity to begin preaching at an early age.
    6. Joyce is the greatest earthly blessing God has given me.
      1. We have known each other all but six and a half years of our lives.
      2. I cannot imagine what my life would be without her as my wife.
    7. One of the greater spiritual blessings God has given me is the joy and fulfillment of teaching and preaching.
    8. If I had not been such a sick kid, I doubt that I would have met Joyce, and I am skeptical that I would be a preacher.
    9. If we altered our pasts, we would change who we are as well as our lives.
May I suggest that none of us need to change our pasts, but most of us need to survive our pasts.
1. Be very careful to understand what I say.
  1. I said that most of us (perhaps all of us) need to survive our pasts.
  2. Not run from our pasts.
  3. Not hide from our pasts.
  4. Not fantasize about our pasts.
  5. Not deny our pasts.
  6. But survive our pasts.
2. “I don’t know what you mean. Why would you think that most people, perhaps all people, need to survive their past?”
  1. The person who was pampered needs to survive his or her past.
    1. When we are pampered, the message of the pampering is this: “You are so special that you deserve special treatment.”
    2. “You should get good treatment before others receive consideration.”
    3. “It is right for you to be first, to receive special treatment, and to receive consideration that others do not receive.”
    4. Why does anyone need to survive pampering?
      1. Pampering equips a person to be selfish, self-centered, and to consider and think of self first.
      2. Being conditioned to be selfish is a curse, not a blessing.
  2. The person who was taught to be materialistic needs to survive his or her past.
    1. This person was taught to look at people and life in terms of monetary value.
    2. The most important measurement for everything is money or financial value.
      1. How does a materialist determine value?
      2. How does a materialist measure success?
      3. How does a materialist define prosperity?
      4. How does a materialist determine worth?
    3. Being conditioned to value things above God or people is a curse, not a blessing.
  3. The person who has been taught to indulge himself or herself needs to survive his or her past.
    1. The foundation philosophy of indulgence is this: “the purpose of life is to experience the joy and satisfaction of pleasure.”
    2. “Life is for having fun.”
    3. “Life is about doing what feels good and gives you pleasure.”
    4. “If something does not give you gratification, don’t do it.”
    5. “If something interferes with your gratification, don’t do it.”
    6. “Your primary responsibility in life is to you; you owe it to yourself to have fun.”
    7. Being conditioned to surrender life and self to pleasure is a curse, not a blessing.
  4. The person whose life has been touched by the agony, the loss, and the grief of tragedy needs to survive his or her past.
    1. A horrible disease devastated him or her or someone he or she loved.
    2. Death robbed him or her.
    3. An accident changed the course of his or her life.
    4. A crime robbed him or her of far more than what he or she possessed.
    5. Whatever the form of the tragedy, whatever loss the tragedy inflicted, the tragedy created situations to be survived, not blessings to be enjoyed.
  5. The person who had a troubled past needs to survive his or her past.
    1. Troubled pasts take an unbelievable toll on life and relationships.
    2. “What do you mean by troubled pasts?”
      1. The agony, grief, destructiveness, and rejection that produces divorce.
      2. The agony, grief, destructiveness, and rejection produced by divorce.
      3. The fears and insecurity of a broken home.
      4. The devastation of abuse, no matter what caused it: alcohol, drugs, sexual exploitation, or rage.
      5. The devastation of abuse, no matter what kind it is: physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological.
      6. Abandonment.
      7. Anything that denies us the opportunity to know and experience healthy love produces a troubled past.
      8. Anything that reduces us to a object to be used instead of a person to be loved and appreciated produces a troubled pass.
      9. Each person who experienced those kinds of troubles needs to survive his or her past.
To survive the past, three things must happen.
1. First, the person must destroy his or her burden.
  1. You cannot do that by yourself.
    1. You cannot do that even with someone else’s help.
    2. You would be hard pressed to find someone who believes in the value of good counseling more that I do.
    3. But as beneficial as counseling is, counseling cannot destroy burdens.
  2. To destroy your burdens, you have to give your burdens to someone bigger than an human being.
  3. You have to give them to the burden bearer, the only one who can carry your burdens: Jesus who is the Christ.
    Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:6,7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
2. Second, the person must accept and trust forgiveness.
  1. It is impossible to survive your past if you live in the slavery of guilt.
  2. As long as you are chained by guilt you have no hope of surviving your past.
  3. The fascinating thing about forgiveness is that you will not forgive yourself until you accept and trust God’s forgiveness.
  4. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God through the prophet Jeremiah declared a special forgiveness that God would send. The writer of the book of Hebrews quoted that promise to declare that this was the special forgiveness that God has given us in God’s special priest, Jesus the Christ.
    Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    In 2 Corinthians 5:20,21 Paul explained how God made it possible to destroy our sins. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
3. Third, we must be liberated from the person created by the past.
  1. The horrible thing about being enslaved to the past is we keep living and acting like the person of the past.
  2. God saved us to give us the opportunity to escape the “same old me.”
    1. That is the existence he wants us to escape.
    2. One of the purposes of salvation is to change us.
      As Paul emphasized the changes that should occur in a Christian’s life, he told the Colossian Christians, (Colossians 3:9,10) “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–“ (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
      Paul urged the Christians in Rome, (Romans 12:2) “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    3. This liberation is not a magical occurrence.
    4. It is the opportunity and power to choose created by God’s forgiveness.

The power of the past is based on a very convincing deceit. “You cannot change the past. Because of the past, you are who you are. Because of the past, you will always be who you are. You are wasting your time if you try to be a different person.”

God says, “I am the God of your past, the God of your present, and the God of your future. If you allow me to be your God, I can recreate you. I can make you a new person with a new life and a new future.”

God can do it. That is not the issue. The issue is this: do you believe that God can do it?

The Moods of Worship

Posted by David on under Sermons

How do you personally define worship? I am asking you a serious question that I want you to answer. What is your personal definition of worship? Think about your concept of worship. In your personal understanding, what is worship? Use a simple statement to silently define worship. Do you have your definition?

Take your definition and answer this question. “In my definition, is worship defined by what I do, or is worship defined by what happens in my heart?”

Is worship always the same experience? Is “true worship” confined to a single type of expression? Or is worship expressed in many different moods?

The basic expression of worship is sincere praise.
1. The soul of sincere praise is appreciation.
  1. You have little difficulty distinguishing between people who appreciate you and people who do not.
  2. God has no difficulty distinguishing between people who appreciate Him and people who do not.
  3. Pretended appreciation is flattery, and the purpose of flattery is to deceive.
  4. God is honored by appreciation; God is repulsed by flattery.
2. I worship only if I appreciate.
  1. Worship occurs when I appreciate.
  2. It is impossible for resentment, or distrust, or contempt, or hate to produce worship.
  3. Why? Worship is sincere praise built on the solid foundation of appreciation.
3. Let Revelation illustrate that truth.
  1. Revelation contains a number of expressions of worship that praise either God or Christ.
  2. God is worshipped by heavenly beings in 4:8,11.
    Revelation 4:8,11 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” . . . “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. God is praised because of His worthiness.
    2. God is worthy of praise because God is the creator.
  3. In Revelation 5:9,10, 12, 13, Christ is worshipped by so many angels they could not be counted and by the heavenly beings.
    Revelation 5:9,10, 12, 13, “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.” . . .”Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. Christ is praised because of his worthiness.
    2. Christ is worthy of praise because he used his blood to purchase a people who became God’s kingdom and God’s priests.
  4. This illustrates the truth that worship is praise that comes from appreciation.
When we consider human worship of God, I personally doubt that many Christians ever surpass David’s praise of God in the Old Testament.
1. Nothing in the entire Bible surpasses the worship found in the psalms.
  1. The psalms exist to praise God.
  2. That praise arose from genuine appreciation.
  3. Christians need to let the psalms teach them how to worship.
  4. One of the worship lessons the psalms teach is that worship has many different moods.
2. The young David was astounded that the Philistine army defied the God of Israel.
  1. With total dependence on God, David faced and killed Goliath.
  2. Quickly he became the most popular person in Israel.
  3. Quickly he became the most successful military leader in Israel’s army.
  4. As a result, Saul became insanely jealous of David and was determined33 to kill him.
  5. It became necessary for David to flee from Saul, and he fled to the Philistines (1 Samuel 21).
    1. The only way that David could keep the Philistines from killing him was to pretend that he was insane.
    2. Each day he went to the gates of the city of Gath and scribbled on them.
    3. He let his saliva run out of his mouth and drool run through his beard.
  6. Think about how humiliating, frightening, and lonely this time was for David simply because he delivered Israel from the Philistines and was loyal to Saul.
  7. Listen to his praise of God and appreciation for God found in Psalm 34 that was written at this time.
    Psalm 34:1-3,19-22 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be held guilty. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be held guilty. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. David was reduced to acting insane.
    2. But David praised the God he appreciated.
3. Years later David became the king of Israel.
  1. After years of success as the righteous king of Israel, David sinned horribly (2 Samuel 11,12).
  2. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, and the result was pregnancy.
    1. To cover his sin, he had her husband killed and married her.
    2. For almost a year, David thought his sin was hidden.
  3. Then Nathan the prophet confronted David, and David confessed his failure.
  4. David had been a person who had lived by his faith in God from the time that he was a teenager.
    1. In horrible and unjust circumstances he placed his trust in God time after time.
    2. Now, at the time of his greatest material blessing, he sinned in ways that he would not have considered in years past.
  5. Think about the devastation David felt as he honestly confronted his guilt and accepted responsibility for what he had done.
  6. Then listen to his praise of God found in Psalm 51 written at that time.
    Psalm 51:1-4,10-13 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. Even in the guilt of failure, David profoundly appreciated God.
    2. In his respect and appreciation, he praised God even as he asked for forgiveness.
4. David had a son named Absalom that he deeply loved (2 Samuel 13-16).
  1. Absalom was a handsome, charismatic leader, a skillful politician, and a treacherous, cunning man.
  2. He literally stole the hearts of the nation of Israel and had himself declared king in the place of his father.
  3. Because Absalom had already murdered his half brother, David knew that he, his family, and his friends must flee Jerusalem.
  4. To publicly declare his contempt for his father and to declare his firm hold on the throne, Absalom publicly raped ten of his father’s wives.
  5. Think about the things David felt as he fled Jerusalem knowing that the son he deeply loved was doing this.
  6. Listen to the praise and appreciation of Psalm 3 that David wrote after he fled from Absalom.
    Psalm 3:1-6 O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. David fled, and David praised and appreciated God.
Worship wears many faces, praises with many voices, and expresses appreciation in many ways.
1. Think about David’s worship for just a moment.
  1. What mood do you think David was in when he worshipped God while acting like an insane man in Gath?
  2. What mood do you think David was in when he worshipped God as he accepted his guilt for the sins against Bathsheba and Uriah?
  3. What mood do you think David was in when he worshipped God while he was fleeing from Absalom?
2. To me the contrast is most obvious when David worshipped God when he celebrated.
  1. In 1 Samuel 6 David brought the ark of the covenant into his new royal city, the city of Jerusalem.
    1. From the time of Mount Sinai, hundreds of years earlier, the ark of the covenant was Israel’s most sacred object.
    2. It literally declared God’s presence in the nation of Israel.
  2. David accompanied the ark with gladness as he brought it to Jerusalem (verse 12).
  3. Every six steps of the journey, an ox and a fatling were sacrificed (verse 13).
  4. And David took off his royal clothing and danced before the Lord with all his might as he accompanied the ark (verse 14).
  5. When the ark reached its new home, more sacrifices were offered (verse 17).
  6. David praised God and showed his appreciation for God in what we consider unusual and unacceptable ways.
    1. But look carefully at what David did.
    2. He was not the powerful, victorious king who brought the ark to Jerusalem.
    3. He humbled himself before God and before all Israel; God was the dignitary, not David.
  7. What David did offended his wife Michal because she thought it was disgraceful behavior unworthy of a king.
  8. But it did not offend God; it honored God in joy and humility.

Worship always honors God by praising him because we appreciate him. God always knows when the appreciation comes from the heart and the praise is genuine. Our challenge is to let appreciation for God live in our hearts and express itself in sincere praise.

[Prayer by elder.]

We are more likely to think that God is the source of our problems than to understand that God is the foundation for our solutions. To appreciate God we must know Him. To praise Him, we must appreciate Him. Do you appreciate God?

‘Tis The Season To Want

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

The day after Thanksgiving, nation wide many retail stores opened at six a.m. to lines of customers standing at the door. The “shop until you drop” stampede began. And that stampede will last late into the evening of December 24th.

The economic machinery primed us for this annual start of the nation’s most intense shopping spree. The television advertisement blitz began well before November 27. The insert advertisements in the newspaper on the 27th weighed more than the news articles.

Christmas gift buying is critical in the retail business. The survival of many stores actually depend on the share of December sales they capture. Competition is so severe that many stores cannot pay their bills and make a profit from the sales of the other eleven months.

Two factors fuel this national buying frenzy: (1) what we want, and (2) what others think we want. Our wants commonly translate into several attitudes. “Because you love me, give me what I want.” “Because I love you, I will give you your dreams.” “Because we love each other, I must give you something–and I fervently hope it is what you want.”

Love and wants become terribly entangled in each other. The situation is quite complicated. “If I give you the gift you want, does the gift prove I love you? If I fail to give you the gift you want, has my love for you failed? If my gift disappoints you, does that mean you are disappointed with my love? What if the gift you want exceeds my ability to give? What if I don’t know what gift you want?”

The situation is even more complex. Some give gifts to express love. Some give gifts to avoid embarrassment. Some give gifts to create indebtedness. Some give gifts to manipulate.

For decades I had a “want list” of things. Deep within, I was convinced that happiness automatically would be enhanced by having the things that I wanted. Then I discovered (the hard way) what I call “the post possession blahs.” The anticipation of having “the thing” was wonderful. Possessing “the thing” often was followed by depression.

As time passed, my “want list” of things grew smaller and smaller. One day, that list ceased to exist. The child, the young adult, and the middle aged adult never believed there could be life without a “want list” of things.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Such a simple question! Or is it?

In Appreciation

Posted by David on November 29, 1998 under Sermons

Please take your Bible or a pew Bible and follow our thoughts from the text.

When Paul wrote a congregation, he often began his letter with an expression of sincere appreciation.

He wrote a letter to the Christians in Rome.
1. Those Christians had some serious problems.
  1. They seriously misunderstood the way God produces salvation in a person.
  2. They did not understand that God designed the gospel to be the perfect solution for spiritual or moral failure.
  3. They did not understand that God used people’s faith and His mercy to save people.
  4. They misunderstood the purpose of obedience.
    1. They did not understand that the purpose of obedience was to show gratitude for salvation.
    2. They were wrongly convinced that the purpose of obedience was to qualify a person for salvation.
2. Those are basic, critical misunderstandings.
  1. They were serious misunderstandings.
  2. They produced serious problems.
3. Yet, Paul clearly appreciated these Christians, and he wanted them to know it.
  Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
  1. Their knowledge was far from what it should be, but Paul appreciated their faith.
  2. The fact that these people who lived in the capital city of the Roman empire believed in Jesus Christ captured the attention of the world.
  3. And Paul was grateful.
Paul wrote two letters to the Christians in Corinth.
1. These people had been converted from very ungodly lives and circumstances.
  1. That congregation was filled with complicated problems that had roots in the ungodliness of their past.
  2. Their problems make us shudder.
    1. Division because different groups were in conflict.
    2. Individual Christians fighting each other in pagan courts.
    3. Sexual immorality.
    4. Marriage problems.
    5. Idolatry.
    6. Spiritual rivalries that perverted worship assemblies.
    7. A denial that people were resurrected from the dead.
2. Even with those problems, Paul sincerely appreciated them, and he wanted them to know it.
  1 Corinthians 1:4-8 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
  1. He was grateful for God’s grace which was given to them in Jesus Christ.
  2. He was grateful that God had enriched them.
  3. He was grateful that God had not withheld any spiritual gift from them.
  4. He was grateful that Christ could confirm them and make them blameless.
Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Philippi.
1. That congregation had some serious internal problems.
  1. The Christians were not treating each other properly, and some of them had a bad attitude toward each other.
  2. Selfishness was a real problem.
  3. Some of the most dedicated, devout Christians were seriously struggling against each other.
2. Even with these problems, Paul genuinely appreciated them, and he wanted them to know it.
  Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
  1. “I never pray without thanking God for you.”
  2. “It would be impossible for me to forget you.”
  3. “You are such a source of joy to me because you have always helped me as I shared the gospel.”
  4. “I know that God who began a good work in you will bring it to full maturity.”
Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Colossae.
1. That congregation had a number of problems, but it had a serious problem that would deeply trouble many of us.
  1. The technical name for that problem is syncretism.
  2. They took some of their pre-Christian beliefs and combined them with some Christian beliefs and created a religion that was part Christianity and part nonchristian philosophy.
  3. We would classify that as being an extremely serious problem.
2. Paul had never visited this congregation, but there were things that he appreciated about them, and he wanted them to know it.
  Colossians 1:3,4 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
  1. He thanked God for their faith in Christ and for their love for other Christians.
  2. He wanted them to know his gratitude included them in his prayers.
Paul wrote two letters to the Christians at Thessalonica.
1. The evidence in his letters indicates that they were an immature congregation.
  1. Sexual immorality was a problem, as it commonly was in most congregations.
  2. They believed if a Christian died before Jesus returned that he or she would not live with God in heaven.
  3. They were confused about several things regarding Jesus’ return.
2. Again, Paul genuinely appreciated them, and he wanted them to know it.
  1 Thessalonians 1:2-8 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
  1. Paul especially appreciated three things.
    1. They had a faith that worked.
    2. They had a love that worked.
    3. They had a hope that would not be discouraged.
  2. When they became Christians, they committed themselves to imitating the Christians who converted them and imitating Jesus.
  3. When conversion resulted in physical suffering, they became an example to suffering Christians throughout that entire region.
  4. They were so widely known for their faith in Christ that it was unnecessary for Paul to tell other Christians about them.
  5. And Paul deeply appreciated that.
3. In the second letter, Paul addressed their problems.
  1. They were still confused about the second coming of Jesus.
  2. Some were saying that Jesus would return in the immediate future.
  3. Those who believed that Jesus would come soon quit working, expected others to feed them, and became idle gossips.
  4. Paul still appreciated them and said so.
    2 Thessalonians 1:3,4 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. “It is fitting for me to be grateful for you.”
    2. “Your faith is growing, and your love is growing.”
    3. “I do not hesitate to tell other Christians how proud I am of your faith and your commitment as you endure persecutions and afflictions.”
Paul’s gratitude for the good qualities in imperfect congregations emphasizes two things to me.
1. First, there were no perfect situations.
2. Second, we need to appreciate spiritual good where ever it exists.
1998 has challenged this congregation in a variety of ways.
1. I want you to know that I love and appreciate this congregation, and I am grateful for many things.
  1. I am grateful for our willingness to think and learn, and grateful that we are growing in that willingness.
  2. I am grateful that so many people are willing to get involved, that so many people serve because they care.
  3. I am grateful for our growing commitment to renewal.
  4. I am grateful for the life that is found in our ministries.
  5. I am grateful for our diversity as we focus our concern on the world, on the community, and on the congregation.
2. The decision that we made about the Family Life Center has created some special challenges.
  1. Some of you are weary of the congregation being in debt, and you should be.
  2. Some of you are concerned about stewardship issues, and that is a legitimate concern.
  3. Some of you have pragmatic concerns about costs, and those are legitimate.
  4. Different people have different priorities, and each priority is legitimate.
  5. We are concerned about a diversity of needs, and each need is legitimate.
3. In all this, there are some things that I deeply appreciate.
  1. I appreciate all the earnest work the elders do to be open with you.
  2. I appreciate the congregation’s involvement in the process–it has never become a control issue.
  3. Even though we differ on perspectives that reflect deep concerns, our attitude has always been respectful.
  4. Because of this respect, our unity is not threatened.

Thank you! May we all pray that God will work through all of us, all of our hearts, and all of our concerns to accomplish His purposes.

Knowing the Purpose Improves Understanding

Posted by David on under Sermons

Listen to some questions that people asked in a library at the reference desk.

“Do you have any books here?”
“Do you have a list of all the books I have ever read?”
“I am looking for a list of laws that I can break that would send me back to jail for a couple of months.”
“Which outlets in the library are appropriate for my hair dryer?”

Do some of those questions suggest that the person would have a better understanding of a library if he or she knew the purpose of a library?

Would you like to see God’s list of unbelievable questions that we ask about Christianity? If we saw that list, would it reveal that we do not understand the purpose of Christianity?

Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 4. Paul wrote the letter we call Ephesians to the Christians in the city of Ephesus. This was an established congregation, not a new congregation composed of recent converts.

Chapter three ends (3:14-21) with a thought provoking, insightful, written prayer Paul prayed for these Christians.

Chapter four begins with a “therefore” statement:
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
1. “Because of my spiritual desires for you expressed in my prayer, I plead with you to do this: conduct yourself in a manner that is befitting a person who has been called by God.”
  1. “Paul, what conduct is befitting a person who has been called by God?”
    1. The conduct of humility.
    2. The conduct of gentleness.
    3. The conduct of patience.
    4. The conduct of loving forbearance.
  2. Christian conduct that is befitting God commits itself to unity and peace in the congregation.
2. “In order for you to live your daily lives in worthy conduct, you must understand God’s purpose for the church.”
  Ephesians 4:11-12 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
  1. Everything that God put in place, every work that He established–apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers–have two God-given objectives among Christians.
    1. The first objective of all of them is to equip Christians to serve.
    2. The second objective is to build up (spiritually mature) the body of Christ.
  2. How long are these objectives to be pursued?
    1. Until collectively the congregation’s faith reaches unity in accepting and understanding God’s work in Jesus Christ.
    2. Until collectively the congregation’s knowledge reaches unity in accepting and understanding what it means for Jesus to be God’s son.
    3. Until collectively they grow to the maturity that is measured by the stature and fullness of Jesus Christ.
  3. Why were they to pursue unity in faith in Jesus, unity of knowledge of Jesus, and spiritual development?
    Ephesians 4:14,15 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, (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
    1. Why? To eliminate childishness among Christians, because when we are childish we are easily influenced by evil and easily deceived.
    2. Why? To allow the body of Christ to grow to the spiritual strength and love that God intended to exist in His people.
Paul explained his reason for this emphasis in 4:17.
Ephesians 4:17,18 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
1. “Because you are to conduct yourselves in a manner befitting a person called by God, do not live your lives or behave like people who do not know God.”
  1. How do people who do not know God live?
    1. Their behavior is determined by the futility of their minds (their reasoning is based on deceptive illusions).
    2. Their ignorance creates a “blackout” in their understanding.
    3. They are alienated from God’s life.
  2. What does this futility, ignorance, and alienation produce in their lives?
    1. They are callused (unfeeling) toward people and the human condition.
    2. They are controlled by their sensual desires.
    3. The “bottom line” in their lives is that every choice they make, every practice they engage in is ruled by their greed.
2. When you learned about Jesus Christ, when you began understanding Jesus Christ, that is not the kind of existence that you were taught.
  1. The truth that Jesus teaches did not teach you to behave in those ways.
    1. There is a former life and former self that existed before Jesus taught you how to live and behave.
    2. That old life was corrupted by your deceitful desires.
    3. There is the new life and the new self.
    4. The new life and new self is created by God.
    5. God created your new life in the righteousness and holiness of truth.
  2. How will this new life behave?
    1. It will not deceive.
    2. It will not be a slave to anger.
    3. It will not give the devil opportunity.
    4. It will work and it won’t steal.
    5. It will help those who are in need.
    6. It will control the words that it speaks.
    7. It will not grieve the Holy Spirit.
    8. It will deliberately destroy negative emotions and the negative behavior that assault and attack other people.
    9. It will deliberately develop positive emotions and behavior that produce kindness and forgiveness.
In the first verse of chapter five, Paul used still another “therefore”:
Ephesians 5:1,2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)
1. To see Paul’s emphasis, to understand his point, we must be certain that we follow the flow of his thinking.
  1. Because you understand my prayer for you, because you understand that you are to conduct yourself in a way that is befitting a person who has been called by God, because you understand that it is God’s purpose for you to seek unity and peace in the congregation, because you understand that God created you to be a new self who lives a different life, because you understand all of this, this is the purpose you accept for your existence.
    1. You will imitate God just like children who love their father.
    2. You will live your life in love just like Jesus Christ loved you.
  2. Because you understand that you are a new creation with a new life, there are things that you will not do.
    1. You will not be sexually immoral as are the people who do not know God.
    2. You will refuse to allow greed to rule you.
2. Any person who tries to convince you that it is proper for a Christian to be sexually immoral or controlled by greed is using empty words to deceive you.
  1. In the past you lived in that darkness; now you live in the light.
  2. Don’t participate in the life and practices of darkness; instead, expose the darkness for what it is.
  3. “Wake up, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
3. Paul continued to think with them by using still another “therefore” in 5:15.
Let me contrast God’s approach to evil with our approach to evil.
1. Two mammoth happenings occurred that many of us expected to totally change our world.
  1. In 1989 the Berlin wall was destroyed, a major failure for Communism.
  2. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed, and Communism fell.
  3. Many younger adults say, “So what?”
  4. Many of us could not imagine a world without the Berlin Wall and Soviet Union.
    1. We lived through Stalin’s ruthless control of the Soviet Union.
    2. We lived through the Cuban missile crisis.
    3. We lived with all the fears of the Cold War.
    4. Those were the biggest, most impossible problems in our world.
    5. So many weapons were aimed at the United States and at the Soviet Union that a war might actually destroy life on earth.
  5. When Communism collapsed, many of us believed the world’s greatest dangers had passed.
2. Why? Because we believed the same thing you believe.
  1. What? What do we all believe? We all “buy” the conviction that we can solve any problem if we can change the circumstances.
  2. When Communism collapsed, world circumstances changed in a major way.
  3. But, changing the circumstances did not eliminate worldwide dangers.
  4. That collapse created an enormous moral and ethical vacuum for millions of people who had known nothing but atheism.
  5. It threw millions of suffering people who knew nothing about God into chaos that offered no alternatives.
3. Paul said very clearly in Ephesians that God’s objectives are not merely to change circumstances.
  1. God does not create moral and ethical vacuums.
  2. Jesus Christ teaches us life-building understandings of right and wrong.
  3. Jesus Christ teaches us life-building understandings that can distinguish between good and evil.

[Song of reflection]

As a Christian, are you trying to solve your problems by changing your circumstances or by understanding how to be God’s new creation?

God’s Will

Posted by David on November 22, 1998 under Sermons

Paul urged Christians to commit themselves to understanding God’s will for the way they lived their personal lives. He gave this statement to the Christians in Ephesus.

Ephesians 5:15-17 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

In our Family Meeting this evening we all will be concerned about accomplishing God’s will.
1. It is certain that 100% of us will not agree on what God’s will is regarding the Family Life Center.
  1. Christians of devout faith may come to different conclusions.
  2. Christians of deep commitment may come to different conclusions.
  3. Christians with specific spiritual priorities may come to different conclusions.
  4. Christians who have been very prayerful may come to different conclusions.
2. How can that happen if one of the basic things each of us holds in common is the desire to do God’s will?
  1. Each time a Christian makes specific application of God’s will to a specific situation, it is common for that application to be composed of “one part God” and “one or more parts me.”
  2. My perception of God’s will is partly determined by my knowledge and understanding of God and scripture.
  3. But my perception is also partly determined by:
    1. My personal religious history.
    2. My emotions.
    3. My priorities.
    4. My values.
    5. My concepts.
    6. My definitions.
  4. When specifically applying God’s will to a specific decision or situation, commonly our personal, sincere judgments become a part of God’s will.

This evening, collectively, we will use our judgment as, collectively, we pursue God’s will.

It is essential that 100% of us respect 100% of us even if we hold differing judgments.

I think it is appropriate for us to meditate on a statement Jesus made in the prayer that he used to teach his disciples how to pray.

Matthew 6:10 Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. (The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1996.)

May it be our sincere goal for God’s will to be done in this congregation as God’s will is done in heaven.

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God’s Will