Light and Shadows

Posted by Chris on December 21, 2003 under Sermons

How long had old Simeon been waiting to see the Messiah? When he heard the Holy Spirit’s promise that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Anointed One, what did he expect?

• Perhaps he expected that in his lifetime he would see the triumphant warrior-king of God take over the throne of Israel and restore the glory of David’s kingdom.
• Perhaps he thought that he might serve the king as a faithful son of Israel in his prime.
• But as the years rolled on and there was no sign of a Messiah, Simeon must have had moments of doubt.

Anna waits too. She’s a godly woman. She is well-respected and comes to the Temple daily – often she stays from sunrise to sunset. She has the gift of prophecy and that is exceptional. In a society where women are not given much respect, it is astounding when a woman claims to speak for the Lord God. Anna’s manner of life is above reproach and that lends to her credibility.

Anna’s from the North country, but she and Simeon have a lot in common, these two aged Israelites. They are both quite old and their lives span almost a century. During that century they have seen dark days.

• The Roman invasion and subjugation of Judea
• Ever increasing taxation
• Moral decline, beginning with Herod – the king who claimed to be a Jew.
• Samaritan attacks and the desecration of the temple.

Simeon hopes for the day that Israel can be comforted.
Anna has taught her students that despite all the difficulties of the age, God will keep the promises he made to Abraham and rescue Israel – he will make this declining nation into something wonderful.
Simeon and Anna are waiting for a ray of God’s light to pierce the darkness.

So, when the aged Simeon with his wrinkled, crippled hands holds this six-week old child his hope is fulfilled. All the years of waiting and praying, the recommitment to believe the Spirit’s promise all pays off in this one simple moment – he has seen with his own eyes the salvation of Israel. Now Simeon is at peace. His wait is over.

Simeon has spiritual insight. Chalk it up to the power of the Holy Spirit and years of waiting to see what God has promised. Though he is old, Simeon’s spiritual vision is keen and sharp. He knows that though he has waited for years to see the Lord’s savior and receives this as a blessing, he knows that some will not be so receptive. And so his blessing for Mary and the child speaks of the grand destiny of the child Jesus – yes, Jesus represents hope and salvation, but that which makes Jesus a hope for many also threatens others.

"This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵ so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

Simeon’s blessing has a shadow in it. Some will fall and some will rise. Some will accept the sign and others will speak out against it. Why? Because the inner thoughts and motives of all will be revealed. . .

1. Rejection: Simeon knows that the sign to be opposed and rejected threatens what is already there. Everything is not a-okay until Christ arrives and makes it difficult. No, the pain and disease is under the surface and eating away on humanity and the world. The light of Christ simply uncovers it all and makes it known. When you turn on the light, it creates shadows. Some things reject the light.
   Illustration: Thomas Kincade’s portraits. Shadows are absent. We may try to connect Jesus only to that which is positive and cheerful, but there is a bitter assumption for the good news. Jesus is a savior and needing a savior assumes that there are people who need saving. A doctor is a worthy profession, but there would be no doctors if there were not sickness.

2. Renewal: Change and renewal are not always embraced. The experience can be painful and demand sacrifice and even loss. Resurrection follows a death. This is why we must reflect and count the cost of discipleship. There is an investment – a costly one. When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die. Hope is made possible but only through sacrifice. But some would rather remain in the cold shadows than risk the challenge of renewal. They would rather deny than decide.
3. Decision: Jesus will bring the truth to light – and that is risky. Revealing the truth calls those who confront truth into a crisis of decision! You have to decide. You cannot remain unaffected. You can reject, but you cannot be unimpressed if you really understand what Jesus’ presence and mission really is!
4. Simeon and Anna stand apart from those who reject Christ because they realize that the very old promises of God can be kept in new and unexpected ways. They decide to receive the child rather than reject him. And they are renewed!

After Simeon’s blessing, Anna steps up and places a hand on Mary’s shoulder. She smiles and looks at the child. Her students have gathered around and she tells them though she is not certain if she will live to see it, that many of them will see with their own eyes God’s redemption of Jerusalem. They will see the rule of God spread out from Jerusalem and into the far reaches of the earth. This child is the light of the world!

It’s been centuries since old Simeon and Anna saw the Light of the World come into the world. Simeon died in peace. Like all righteous men, he longed to see God’s work done on earth. When he saw Jesus, he had all the hope he needed.

Since the time of Simeon and Anna, the great battle was won too. The enemy is defeated, but he has not conceded. He will never concede until Jesus brings his light into the world once more. Wouldn’t it be great to see that before you die?

You don’t have to be old to be like Simeon and Anna. If you’ve just had enough darkness and are looking to see a ray of light. If you want peace in your heart – having no fear of death or darkness. Then you are Simeon. You are Anna.

Keep watch! Keep praying! You may yet see the Light of the World shine forth ever brighter in your lifetime!

Great Expectations

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Our depictions of the birth reveal something of about our assumptions and expectations.

• Who’s in the picture and who’s not? Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Wise Men?
• Where’s the child? Cradled? Set apart? Halo or Non-Halo?
• Angels: Male, female, ghostly, chubby babies?
• Joseph: Old or Young?
• Mary: Motherly, Young, Ordinary or Halo?

• It is possible to place our assumptions and expectations onto the Kingdom . . . and the King

Our American heritage, which rejected kings and royalty, cannot adequately comprehend the importance of Jesus’ birth story. The result is the story of his birth is a sort of birthday story. And the remembrance of his birth in America has been transformedinto a birthday celebration for Christ. But the biblical proclamation about this birth announces that expectations are going tochange because reality is going to change. In fact, it is a proclamation of the birth of the king – it is good and it is news!

• Isaiah 9 – The birth of the child that changes the order of things that is assumed or is expected. But even though theKing is expected, he doesn’t always meet expectations!
• Certainly not at his birth – this was no ruler born in a fine palace.
• Not even in his ministry – his disciples didn’t always get it and wondered when the war would break out.
• And even his family’s expectations were challenged.
• Including his cousin and the preacher who prepared the way. Even he had a moment of failed expectations . . .

John the Baptist: The Disappointed Prophet – Matt. 11

John the Baptist was having a weak-kneed moment. He is tired – a heaviness of heart. One of those moments where hewonders – has it all been worth it? Was it all for nothing? Have the choices that brought me to this point been worth it?

Where Do I Belong?

Posted by David on December 14, 2003 under Sermons

People often suffer from massive identity crisis in the American society. Our laws often tell us that we have all rights as a person. We are important, and we cannot be deprived of our rights. We however are often involved in situations that deliberately deprive us of some of our rights, and we get the clear message. The message: “If you pursue your rights, you will pay severe consequences.” In those situations, people often face a stressful decision: is my priority rights or survival. Who am I, and what am I about?

Sometimes that identity crisis is reflected in peer pressures. Who we are is decided by other people. We do not decide who we are. They decide who we are. Whether we are “in” or “out” is determined by them. And if “they” do not say “I” am in, “I” lose a sense of self.

Advertisers play on our identity crisis. “Buy our product and you will find a new identity.” “Buy our product and you will know who you are.” “Buy our product and make a statement to the whole world about who you are.” “Our product allows you to make an important statement about who you are to all those who matter.” A large amount of buying occurs in our society because people are searching for an identity.

This crisis of personal identity manifests itself in many ways in our lives. It manifest itself in our relationships. May I share two examples. The first: a common component of husband-wife crises in marriage is “not knowing who I am and what my life is about.” So “I married you because I was confident that you can make me know who I am.” The second: a common component of abuse is the frustration of not knowing “who I am.” Thus many people abuse someone because “I am angry because I don’t have a solid sense of who I am,” or because “I will use you in an attempt to gain a sense of who I am.”

To me, there is even a more serious impact of our all too common identity crisis. To me, the most serious impact of our all-to-common identity crisis is spiritual. Becoming a Christian is a redefinition of who I am and the purpose of my life.

My I call your attention to I Peter 2:11-17? Read with me.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

1. The first thing we must understand is that today’s life and the American society is radically different to the everyday society and world the people of the first century lived in.
   1. Most of us have no concept of what it is like to exist in a society where there are no human rights.
      1. Allow me to share with you three examples.
      2. I once lived in a country where everything operated on the “gift” system.
         1. As an illustration, take acquiring a driver’s license.
         2. To receive the form on which you made application for a driver’s license, you had to give a gift of money to the person who controlled the forms.
         3. When you completed the application, you had to give a gift of money to the person who received the completed forms.
         4. When you took your driving test, you had to give a gift of money who gave you a road test.
         5. Finally, you had to give a gift of money to the person who issued you the license.
         6. Can you imagine that process in acquiring a driver’s license?
      3. Second example: police road blocks.
         1. Imagine this situation.
         2. The temperature in the sun is much over 100 degrees.
         3. A series of police roadblocks within sight of each other are set up on the same road.
         4. The police stop a load of citizens and ask everyone to produce the documents they are to have with them at all times.
         5. After the check of documents, the police have the people set in the sun until they give them enough money to buy beer.
      4. Third example: documents.
         1. Every person in public must have his or her personal documents on them at all times.
         2. What kind of documents?
            1. Documentary proof that you have paid your taxes.
            2. Documentary proof that you have the right to travel.
            3. If you have a radio with you, documentary proof that you have the right to own a radio.
         3. You are subject to producing these documents (and others) at all times.
         4. Failure to have those documents subjects you to immediate arrest and fines.
   2. That is happening today in numerous countries of the world.
      1. Many of us have a hard time grasping those “now” circumstances.
      2. In the first century some circumstances make those things seem like freedoms.
      3. Life was cheap.
         1. A person could become a slave more easily than most of us care to imagine.
         2. Popular forms of entertainment commonly included human death.
      4. Very few people had rights.
         1. What you and I regard as corruption was a common occurrence in living.
         2. Injustices were so much a part of daily life that common people expected them to occur frequently.
      5. Most people were poor.
         1. Life was hard.
         2. For most people the primary concern of life was literally survival.
         3. You or some member of your family could starve to death, be caught in the middle of a war, be captured and sold as a slave–there were no guarantees, no recourses.

2. In the reading from 1 Peter 2:11-17, I want to call you attention to key words.
   1. The words are “aliens” and “strangers.”
      1. Those two words do not have to same force in our western American society of today that they had in the first century world of the Roman Empire.
      2. Today the first thought that comes to many minds when we use the word “aliens” is some unusual life form that has human characteristics that comes from some place other than the earth.
      3. To us a “stranger” is someone we do not know–he or she may be from right here in Fort Smith, but he or she is a “stranger” because we do not know him or her.
      4. In that age, those two words labeled people who did not belong to the area.
         1. Those words referred to people who did not belong culturally.
         2. These people were “not of the place.”
         3. Let me illustrate this concept in a way that many of us can quickly identify with.
            1. Recently I shared with you that my family moved to a rural area near Crossville, Tennessee, when I was 7 years old.
            2. When we moved to this rural community, my father was known as and called “Mr. Chadwell.”
            3. In no way was that disrespectful, but it was a way of acknowledging that “you moved here; you are not one of us.”
            4. When my father died at 83 years of age having lived in the same house on the same farm for decades, he was still “Mr. Chadwell.”
            5. That is the concept of an alien and stranger: “You do not belong here because you were not born here.”
   2. Peter gave them a serious reminder.
      1. “Never forget who you are.”
      2. “Never forget you do not belong to your community or in this world.”
      3. “Always remember that you belong to the Lord.”
      4. “Always be aware of the forces that fight against the Lord’s presence in your life.”
   3. “If I do not belong to this physical existence and environment, if I belong to the Lord and not the world, how am I to behave in this physical world?”
      1. There are a lot of options.
         1. I can live a bad attitude existence: “I belong to the Lord, not to this place, so forget you! I will not allow myself to have any concern for you! You have no influence on me! I will not respect you because I belong to the Lord! I exist to condemn and I will condemn every chance I have!”
         2. I can have the compliant existence: I act so much like every one around me who does not believe in God that people cannot distinguish between me and everyone else.
         3. I can have the pragmatic existence [the “what works today in this situation” existence]: if I am among Christians, I act like a Christian; if I am among people who do no believe in Christ or God, I act like a person who does not believe in Christ or God–my behavior is determined by the behavior of those I am with.
      2. The question, “how do I behave in this physical world?” is an excellent question that goes to the core of Christian existence.
         1. It deserves an answer!
         2. It deserves an answer that comes from God, not from human ethical struggles.
   4. Focus your attention on Peter’s answer, and remember that these people lived in a truly evil society dominated by idolatry.
      1. Answer one: recognize the internal forces that attack God’s influence in your life.
         1. The standards and values that allow ungodly emotions and behavior cannot be the standards and values that determine our emotions and behavior.
         2. A Christian never forgets that “I represent God in an evil world, and I want people who do not know God to be exposed to Him through me and honor Him for good.”
         3. Thus I will make a special effort to allow godless people to see God’s kindness, grace, and mercy in my behavior.
         4. They may talk about what a bad person I am, but my life constantly demonstrates God’s goodness in me.
      2. Answer two: I will not act like an obnoxious rebel.
         1. For the Lord’s sake I will not act like a godless, undesirable person.
         2. I will show respect for human institutions.
         3. Even though the king thinks he is god and worships idols, I will show respect for his authority.
         4. Even though the governor in my district abuses his position, indulges himself for the sake of pleasure, and worships idols, I will show him respect because I understand God’s purpose for government is to punish those who do evil and honor those who do good.
            1. I want authorities to see that Christians do good deeds.
            2. I will silence ignorance by doing good.
            3. Though God freed me, I will be God’s servant.
         5. No matter where I am or who I am with, they will see respect and good deeds in me.
            1. I will treat all people like people; I will love other Christians; I will hold God in reverence; I will give the king the respect he should receive.
            2. I will not do this because everybody agrees with me.
            3. I will do this because that is what God wants, and I belong to God.

We cannot eliminate the tension that will naturally occur between living in a physical world and belonging to God. We can make God the greatest influence in our lives.

Godliness: The Necessity of Choice

Posted by David on under Sermons

A common human responsibility in following God in all generations throughout the Bible is the responsibility of choice. In every generation, as long as people have existed, the people who followed God were the people who chose to follow God. Following God was what they wanted.

1. Consider the great Israelite leader, Joshua.
   1. Joshua was an exceptional man of God.
      1. He was one of only two adults who left Egypt and lived to enter Canaan–not even the great man Moses did both those things.
      2. He was one of the two spies who believed God could give Israel Canaan the first time they came to Canaan’s border [about a year after they left Egypt].
      3. This was the man hand picked by God to lead the nation of Israel in the conquest of Canaan.
      4. The period of Joshua’s leadership was one of the godliest periods in Israel’s history.
   2. Listen to a statement Joshua made to Israel when he is at the end of his leading:
      Joshua 24:1-3 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.
      1. This is just the beginning of Joshua’s statement.
      2. In his statements that follow this opening, consider his emphasis.
         1. He talked about how God took the one man Abraham and made a huge people.
         2. He talked about the plagues God produced in Egypt to deliver this people.
         3. He talked about God’s rescue of this people at the Red Sea.
         4. He talked about the ways God protected this people in the wilderness.
         5. He talked about the ways God used to give this people Canaan.
      3. Listen to Joshua 24:12, 13:
         Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.
      4. Now listen to Joshua 24:14,15:
         “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
         1. “Make up your minds who will be served and honored as God in your lives.”
         2. “If you go back far enough, some of your ancestors worshipped idols.”
         3. “Right now decide who you will serve and follow as God.”
         4. “If the choice is someone’s idols, it does not matter what you choose–idols can be from your past or your present–one is good as another.”
         5. “As the leader of my family, I have already made the decision, and my family agrees: we will serve the only God Who brought us out of Egypt, Who took us across the Red Sea, Who sustained us in the wilderness, and Who gave us Canaan.”
   3. Joshua said, “You must make up your minds; you cannot escaping choosing.”

2. Not even God’s own son could escape the necessity of choice as a human who perfectly did what God wanted done.
   1. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus endured a major conflict.
      1. His human will did not want to face the cross.
      2. The suffering and responsibility were too great!
   2. Three times he prayed, and in his prayers he endured such conflict, such agony, such suffering that he sweated profusely.
      1. Yet, each time he prayed the same prayer.
         Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
      2. The time of choice was right there right then–and Jesus knew it.
      3. He clearly understood that he could not evade the choice–either God’s will was supreme in his life, or it was not–even if it was an unjust death for him.
   3. If you want to see the effect of choosing to surrender to God’s will, look at the difference in Jesus as he uttered that prayer, and Jesus’ behavior after that prayer.

3. Though Paul was an extremely religious man prior to following Jesus Christ, he had a major choice to make.
   1. He had a horrible opinion of the dead Jesus.
      1. He guarded the clothes of those who stoned the Christian Stephen to death (Acts 7:58).
      2. He led a Jerusalem persecution against Christians in which he dragged men and women out of their homes and took them to prison (Acts 8:1,3).
      3. He saw the dead Jesus as one of the greatest threats facing the nation of Israel.
   2. He hated people who followed Jesus Christ so much that he went to the Jewish high priest and obtained permission to go to a synagogue in another country, arrest Jewish men and women who believed in Jesus, and bring them bound back to Jerusalem for trial (Acts 9:1,2).
      1. On that trip, the resurrected Jesus appeared to Paul.
      2. Suddenly Paul the enemy of Christianity was aware that Jesus was the resurrected son of God, not an impostor who was Israel’s great threat.
   3. Years later in a court appearance, Paul stated what the resurrected Jesus stated to him that day.
      Acts 26:15-18 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’
      1. “Paul, now you understand who I really am.”
      2. “Now you know I am not an impostor, but the resurrected son of God.”
      3. “I have appeared to you to commission you.”
      4. “You have a choice to make. If you chose to follow me, I will send you to both Israelites and people who are not Israelites to give all of them a choice to make.”
   4. The moment you understand who Jesus is, you have a choice to make.

   [At this point we sang 4 songs, then had Communion together.]

4. There have been some profound changes in our society in the last 50 years.
   1. Some of those changes are beneficial and welcome.
      1. Some things are really different from my childhood–and I regard them as good changes.
         1. I really like hot water.
         2. I really like having a steady water supply, and never having a well go dry.
         3. I really like daily warm showers.
         4. I really like microwaves.
         5. I really like heated houses that do not rely on a stove in the living room.
         6. I really like houses with good insulation.
         7. I really like air conditioning.
         8. I really like having so many foods available.
      2. In 50 years the average person’s lifestyle has changed incredibly.
   2. But there is one change that we need to wake up to and realize that it has occurred, or it will destroy us before we know it.
      1. Most of us who were alive 50 years ago lived at a time in this society when it placed a high value on Christian principles.
      2. In those days, our laws, our local governments, our state governments, and our national government favored Christian principles.
   3. I want to speak to you as a person, as a Christian individual, and my concern involves a spiritual focus, not a political focus.
      1. Observation one: those days are gone; we do not live in a society that places a high value on Christian principles.
      2. Observation two: I personally doubt that those days will return to this society–we doom ourselves if we live in the past or wait until those times return.
      3. Observation three: the fact that those days ever existed in this society likely did us far more harm than good.
         1. Please understand that I personally really like things easy, convenient, and unstressful.
         2. Christianity did not begin in favorable times.
         3. For almost 300 years Christianity existed in extremely stressful times.
         4. For a long time, the people who were Christians were people who chose to follow Christ.
      4. For almost 150 years in this society, our society favored Christianity.
         1. We became so used to that situation, that we became convinced that Christians should be in control of society.
         2. We became so used to that, that we substituted championing or endorsing favorable laws for being salt of the earth, light of the world, and yeast that spreads by contact.
         3. We became so used to that, that we looked at the Bible as a rule book instead of a way of life.
         4. We became so used to that, that we became spoiled and lazy, thinking there were few choices to be made between society’s values and godliness.
   4. In my judgment and opinion, we desperately need to wake up.
      1. The time of choice is here, has been here, and is reality.
      2. Society is not going to favor us.
      3. If we follow God, we will chose to follow God.
      4. We will not make that choice just by coming to church assemblies.
      5. We will make that choice by personal commitments to be godly persons.

5. As we each make our choices, we need to allow a basic Christian reality to sink so deep within us it is always a part of our outlook.
   Romans 12:17-21 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
   1. The key to defeating evil in yourself is by doing good.
   2. The key to defeating evil in your relationships is by doing good.
   3. The key to defeating evil in your associations is by doing good.
   4. The key to defeating evil in our society is by doing good.

How are you defeating evil in your life? Have you ever made the choice to defeat evil, or do you try to keep one foot in evil and one foot in Christ?

“Lord, That’s Hard!”

Posted by David on December 7, 2003 under Sermons

This evening I want to begin with a reading of 1 Peter 2:1-10. Please read with me.
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. And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1. Chapter 2 begins with a powerful emphasis on the new birth.
   1. They must live in the awareness that their baptism was about a birth, a new beginning, a bringing into existent a new being [person] who never previously existed.
      1. In this new birth, Peter emphasized a reality Paul emphasized several times.
      2. This new birth is not about a “membership” in some Roman society or trade guild society or about a “ritualistic rite of passing.”
      3. It is about a new beginning.
         1. There was a “past existence.”
         2. There was a “new birth,” a being “born again.”
         3. There was a “new existence” that starts at the new birth and characterized the person’s life on a continuing basis.
      4. It was a conscious change of kingdoms.
         1. The word “kingdom” does not exert the same force in our awareness as it did in first century awareness.
            1. Governments then were kingdoms.
            2. They were not democracies as we know democracy that is based on an acceptance of the rights of a person.
            3. The kingdom was important in that world, not the person.
            4. Those people had a ruler, usually some form of king, who exerted absolute control as he considered best for his rule and kingdom.
            5. The citizen existed for the good of king’s purposes expressed in the nature of his kingdom.
            6. The citizen’s voice was insignificant; the voice that mattered was the king’s voice.
         2. They had been citizens in Satan’s kingdom in their past life.
            1. Their behavior was consistent with Satan’s purposes.
            2. Their attitudes and hearts were consistent with Satan’s rule.
            3. If people looked at their lives, listened to their voices, examined their attitudes, they saw Satan. [Many would not have recognized what they saw as Satan or thought what they saw was bad.]
         3. God gave them the choice of changing kingdom’s–a choice unheard of in their world [commonly people did not have a choice to or not to be part of the Roman empire!].
            1. However, the choice involved a birth, a new being [a new set of responsibilities].
            2. It was not a just a matter of changing sides, but of choosing to become a different person.
            3. By choice the man or woman who experienced this new birth was becoming a new person.
         4. After that birth, they wanted to grow and mature in being a citizen in God’s kingdom.
            1. That meant their behavior would increasingly change as they better and better understood God’s purposes.
            2. That meant their attitudes and hearts would increasingly become consistent with God’s rule.
            3. That meant when people looked at their lives, or listen to their voices, or examined their attitudes, they saw God–not Satan!
   2. Look carefully; I want you to see for yourself what Peter said.
      1. When this new birth occurs, what do you want?
         1. You want to live, you want to exert your energies to live for God–you cry out for the pure milk of the word.
         2. In Satan’s kingdom they lived for the material.
         3. In God’s kingdom they have this great inner drive and desire to live for the spiritual
         4. Why?
            1. They have tasted the Lord’s kindness [the Lord let them chose to change kingdoms!]–the Lord is kind, Satan is not kind; the Lord helps, Satan exploits.
   3. The result: they changed behaviors because they have acquired a new purpose, God’s purpose.
      1. Thus they not longer allow the controlling forces in their lives to be ill-will [malice], deceit [guile], insincere pretense [hypocrisy], desires to have or be what others have or are [envy], and putting others down to destroy them [slander]–those represent Satan’s purposes and reflect evil.
      2. Will everyone admire their change? No! Many still live by and cherish the values that reflect Satan and the purposes of Satan’s kingdom.
      3. This change that resulted in their new birth began was based on a completely new understanding of Jesus Christ.
         1. Most people then saw Jesus as a trouble maker who was executed by Roman authorities in a contemptuous, heinous manner–he was a lifeless field stone to be rejected as of no value or use.
         2. But those who chose the new birth saw in Jesus something entirely different.
            1. Jesus was God’s resurrected son.
            2. They chose to come to him because he is the source of life.
            3. They were dead field stones–he made them living temple stones.
      4. Peter then combined several images that were not commonly combined in that world.
         1. God would make these Christians His temple [which means little to us but meant a lot to them].
         2. At the same time He made them His holy building, God made them priests who ministered in that temple—the power to do that come from the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
         3. The temple would be built around Jesus Christ, the most important stone in the building.
         4. Faith in Jesus would allow the Christian to be part of the temple.
            1. For those of faith, Jesus would be the central temple stone.
            2. For those that rejected Jesus as a lifeless field stone, He would be something they tripped over.
            3. The critical difference was found in believing Jesus Christ was God’s gift, or not believing that Jesus Christ was God’s gift–acceptance of that led to obedience, or rejection of that refused to change kingdom’s.
   4. Then comes an incredible declaration of what God made those who placed their faith in His son.
      1. They were a chosen race [the real Israel of God].
      2. They were a royal priesthood.
         1. They were part of the king’s family and a priest who ministered to God–just like Jesus Christ!
         2. This combination was not to happen in the physical Israel of the Old Testament! Thus they become something that God had never before sanctioned!
      3. As Christ’s kingdom, God’s kingdom, they were a holy nation.
      4. They were a people exclusively owned by God–their bodies not only belonged to Him; their whole person belonged to Him.
   5. Then there is a straightforward declaration of their purpose in God’s kingdom.
      1. Their purpose of to show [declare] how excellent God is, the God Who let them chose to change kingdoms, the God Who let them begin again with a new birth, the God Who took them out of Satan’s darkness and allowed them to exist is His marvelous light.
      2. God took people who had no identity and made them His people.
      3. It all happened because God is a merciful God–He gives Christians who believe in God’s mercy.

2. I have some questions I want you to reflect on.
   1. Where you baptized as a choice to change kingdom’s–leave Satan’s and be born into God’s?
   2. When people examined your life prior to becoming a Christian, they saw Satan. When they examine your life now, do they see God?
   3. Do you realize what God made you?
   4. Does your whole life now have a new purpose as you constantly grow in an understanding of God’s purposes?

Being a Christian is much more than a concern for membership. Being a Christian is about total existence as God’s person. That existence is as big as life. A difficult responsibility? Yes! However, the end result of this responsibility is eternal joy. The end result of living in Satan’s kingdom is eternal death.

The Valley of Darkness

Posted by David on under Sermons

I have a deep, personal appreciation for the person who takes an everyday, common occurrence and uses it to help me see God. I am richly blessed in my life to know a few such people. They can use a simple, common thing to help me see God. Once you see Him, you realize that not only does God have His fingerprints on the situation, but that He is the dominant figure in the situation.

A lot of people in our world have never seen, touched, or read a Bible. They would not know what it is if they saw a Bible or heard something read from it. They never heard of Jehovah God. They never heard of His son, Jesus Christ. They know absolutely nothing of God’s Spirit.

For a moment pretend with me. Suppose you visited a place in this world where people do recognize Bibles if they see or heard one. Suppose in some private context you are asked to read some scripture that these people would recognize as scripture.

You select the scripture. You do the reading. The only request: it is to be a scripture that likely everyone recognizes as being from the Bible.

What would you select? What do you regard the most recognized scripture in the entire Bible?

Many of us would select a scripture from the New Testament because scriptures from the New Testament are familiar to us. But my understanding is that the most recognized scripture does not come from the New Testament. I am told that the most recognized scripture from the Bible is this:

Psalm 23:1-6
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

1. In Psalms 23, David did what I appreciate and admire.
   1. He took a common, everyday occurrence in typical life, and used it to cause people to see God.
      1. He did that very successfully.
      2. Nothing was more common in David’s world than a shepherd and his sheep.
         1. Sheep were extremely important to people’s survival in that time.
         2. It was an agricultural world.
         3. Even in the villages, it was quite common to see a shepherd leading a flock of sheep out to graze or drink.
         4. If a person traveled through any area, very likely he saw a shepherd and his flock of sheep several times on his journey.
   2. David took what people saw every day and caused them to see God.
      1. For almost 3000 years, David’s simple analogy on something commonplace has spoken to the hearts and minds of people.
      2. Many of us infrequently or never see a flock of sheep in our travels.
      3. Many of us have never seen a shepherd in the Middle East.
      4. Even though that is not our daily experience, what David said still speaks to our minds and hearts.
   3. David used a very simple analogy.
      1. God was the shepherd.
      2. David was the sheep.
      3. The basic relationship between the shepherd and the sheep was used by David to define his daily relationship with God.
         1. That basic relationship was one of absolute trust.
         2. It was the trust that is the soul of what you and I know as faith.
         3. Fundamentally, faith is trusting, trusting enough to take action.

2. This morning I want to focus your attention on one statement in Psalm 23 found in verse 4.
   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.
   1. The phrase, “… though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil …” also can be accurately translated “… though I walk through the valley of deep darkness, I fear no harm …”
      1. It was demanding, difficult work to find water and pastures for a flock in the open range of the Middle East.
         1. When we think of pastures and water, we are more likely to think of lush, green grass and either slow running streams or still ponds.
         2. In David’s time, an abundance of water and fertile soil was not commonly used for pasture, but to grow grain.
         3. Pasturing sheep commonly included a lot of traveling because grass was thin and scattered.
         4. The shepherd constantly thought, “Where can I next take my flock when they have nothing left here to graze.”
      2. In 1980 I had the joy of being with my father in Palestine on a tour.
         1. One day as our tour bus was in the wilderness of southern Palestine, we passed a shepherd and his sheep.
         2. The sheep were scattered among the boulders on the hillside grazing.
         3. The grass was so sparse you could not see it.
         4. In fact, all you could see was brown ground, brown rocks, and brown boulders.
         5. My Dad loved farms, pastures, and cattle.
         6. He looked at that scene for a few moments, wondering what the sheep found to eat, and said, “When I get home, I am going to tell my cows how good they have it.”
      3. It was common for sheep to graze in low areas–where the grass grew and the water flowed.
         1. Often those low places were surrounded by high cliffs.
         2. The only way to go from one area to another was to pass through a narrow pass between the cliffs.
         3. The cliffs were so high that the pass was deep in the shadows.
         4. It was the perfect situation for an ambush–all kinds of wild animals might lie in wait in the shadows.
         5. The deep darkness of the long pass might quickly become the valley of death.
      4. No sheep would choose to enter such deep darkness with its possible hidden dangers.
         1. The sheep would travel through such darkness and uncertainty for only one reason: they trusted the shepherd.
         2. What would have been a terrifying situation became a situation in which there was no harm for one reason: the sheep trusted the shepherd.
         3. The shepherd would take care of them, so they followed him into the deep shadows.
      5. Please note they followed the shepherd.
         1. The sheep chose to walk through the deep shadows.
         2. The shepherd did not drive them through the pass forcing them to do something they did not choose to do.
         3. The shepherd did not make them go through the pass, but they chose to follow him through the pass because they knew he would take care of them in the dark valley pass and beyond the pass.
         4. The shepherd knew where he was going, and there would be grass and water there.
   2. When God is our Shepherd, He will lead us through places we would not go without His leadership.
      1. Let me take just one example from David’s life, probably the example you know best.
         1. Why did David fight Goliath when David was probably a teenage boy and Goliath was a 9 foot tall man?
         2. For forty days Goliath defied the army of Israel, and not one man in Israel’s army answered Goliath’s challenge.
         3. If none of the men answered the challenge, why did David?
         4. Allow David to answer for himself.
            1 Samuel 17:26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”
            1 Samuel 17:37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
         5. The basis of David’s willingness to respond to Goliath was the fact that this man insulted God, and that simply could not be.
         6. David trusted the Lord to lead him through the dark shadows, and because of the Lord he was not afraid.
      2. Jesus’ trust in God allowed him to follow God through the deep shadows of crucifixion.
         1. Why?
         2. Jesus knew life and death was about God, and not himself.
         3. If following God meant accepting a cross, he would accept the cross and place his trust in God.
      3. We who are Christians understand the same thing.
         1. Life and death are about God, not about self.
         2. Interestingly, after Paul contrasted the deeds of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, he wrote this statement:
            Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

3. The simple question we each face every day is this: “Where are the lions hiding?”
   1. Most of us do not want to risk losing life, so we are very interested to know where the lions are hiding.
      1. It is easy for us to conclude that the lions are lying in wait to destroy us in the deep shadows where God would lead us.
      2. The lions are not to be found in following God.
   2. There are lions; they are hiding; and they seek to destroy us.
      1. But the lions are hiding in the shadows of materialism, not in following the Lord.
      2. The lions are hiding in the shadows of addictions, not in following the Lord.
      3. The lions are found in the shadows of selfishness, not in following the Lord.
      4. The lions are found in the shadows of arrogance, not in following the Lord.
      5. The lions are found in the shadows of godlessness, not in following the Lord.
      6. When you follow evil’s forces, you are on your own, and the lions will destroy you.
   3. Consider Hebrews 11:32-12:2:
      And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Only God can led you to life beyond death. Do you trust Him enough for Him to be your Shepherd?

For What Were You Thankful?

Posted by David on November 30, 2003 under Sermons

Here we sit! Most of us four to seven pounds heavier than we were last Sunday. I am not asking for confessions, so I will not ask for a show of hands. Please do not raise your hands, just answer to yourself–but be honest! How many of us ate too much last Thursday? How many of us are so tired of turkey that we do not appreciate anyone making us even think about turkey?

I hope sometime in the course of the past few days you had a time to either discuss your gratitude with your family or to quietly reflect on your gratitude. I hope you were able to spend time with your family. I hope you had a memorable meal or two. Yet, more than anything, I hope you had time to reflect on your blessings.

May I assume you spent some quality time thinking about your blessings? When you are grateful for your blessings, what do you think about?

Do you think exclusively in terms of material things? “I am grateful for my wonderful place to live. I am thankful for my lifestyle. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful the members of my family are alive. I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for my prosperity.”

If your gratitude is confined to the material, do you realize how many grateful people exist that cannot be grateful for a single one of those material things? Many of them do not have a desirable place to live, or a good lifestyle, or family members who are alive, or jobs, or prosperity. You have many spiritual brothers and sisters who cannot think of material things (as we often do) when they reflect on gratitude.

Allow me to assume that most of you are Christians.

Is your gratitude based on a mix of spiritual blessings and material blessings? Do you include in your gratitude the fact that God forgives you every day of your existence? God continually covers you with Jesus’ blood so you constantly remain in His redemption. Does your gratitude include the fact that you are redeemed? You are God’s property. God acknowledges you are His without shame or embarrassment. Does your gratitude include that fact that you are sanctified? Each day God sees you as a holy person, not because of the absence of evil in our lives, but because God placed our sins on Jesus.

Every spiritual gift God gives us originated in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

My point is not that it is inappropriate to be grateful for material blessings. My point is this: gratitude is incomplete if it does not begin with God’s spiritual gifts in Jesus Christ.

This morning I want us to focus our thinking on a prayer that Paul prayed. The question I want each of us to ask is this: if I had been alive when Paul wrote this prayer, could he have prayed this prayer for me?

Read with me Ephesians 1:15-23.
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

1. This prayer is found in a letter Paul wrote to the church in the city of Ephesus.
   1. After identifying himself and extending greetings to the Christians at Ephesus, Paul focused them on the incredible acts of God in verses 3 through 14.
      1. God is to be honored (glorified, or praised) for many reasons.
         1. Through Christ God has extended to us every spiritual blessing.
         2. God always has intended to choose those people who would trust what He did in Christ.
         3. Through Jesus God is willing to adopt us as His children.
         4. That adoption can occur because of His incredible grace.
         5. We are forgiven because God used Jesus’ blood to redeem us.
         6. God lavishes His grace on us as His children.
         7. We understand that we have the right to belong to God just as Israel did–and we have that right because of what God did in Jesus Christ
         8. God even has given us an inheritance.
         9. It should be obvious through God’s Spirit existing in us that we are God’s property.
      2. The objective of all these incredible things God does for us is simple: we should be to the praise of His glory.
         1. When people see what God makes us, they should praise God–not us.
         2. The only way our behavior and emotions can be explained is God’s influence on us.

2. Then Paul offered the prayer for them that we just read.
   1. Pay careful attention to what motivated Paul to pray this prayer for them.
      1. He heard of the faith they had in making Jesus Christ Lord of their lives.
      2. He heard of their great love for other Christians.
      3. The result of both was that Paul was deeply appreciative.
   2. Listen to the specific things Paul prayed for them.
      1. That God, the Father of Jesus Christ, would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in their knowledge of God.
      2. That the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened in the specific ways.
         1. They would grasp the hope of God’s calling.
         2. They would grasp the incredible wealth God had given them in His inheritance.
      3. That they would grasp the incredible power God gave those who trusted what God did in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

3. I ask you to focus on each of the three things Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians.
   1. They would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in their knowledge of God.
      1. If we are to change a person’s life and world, we must change that person’s concept and understanding of God.
         1. I have held that conviction for years.
         2. I share it often.
      2. Most of the Christians in Ephesus were people who were not Jews, who were converted from worshipping idols.
         1. Before conversion they worshipped many different gods in the conviction that all of them existed.
         2. Before conversion they worshipped many different gods to keep those gods from being offended with them.
         3. Before conversion, a god could be represented by a piece of human art.
      3. After conversion, they had to change their understanding of God.
         1. There was One, not many.
         2. The One loved them and was a source of help.
         3. The One could not be represented with a piece of human art work.
      4. Paul prayed they would have a better understanding of God.
         1. The better they understood God, the better they would understand themselves.
         2. The better they understood God, the wiser they would become.
         3. The better they understood God, the more God could reveal His will to them.
   2. Paul prayed the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened.
      1. They would never know the hope God provided them unless they could “see” God with their hearts.
      2. They would never know the value of their inheritance in God unless they could “see” God with their hearts.
      3. The only way to destroy hopelessness, the only way to understand that there was something more valuable than the material things of “right now,” was to have the eyes of their hearts enlightened.
   3. Paul prayed that they would grasp the incredible power God made available to Christians through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
      1. The grace that makes our salvation possible depends on God, not on us.
      2. God’s resurrection of Jesus and God’s enthronement of Jesus declares the great power of God.
      3. If God could do all He did in Jesus’ resurrection and enthronement, God could surely keep all His promises to them.
      4. If:
         1. You will enthrone Christ in your life as Lord,
         2. You will humbly accept the authority of the enthroned Christ,
         3. You will be a part of Christ’s body,
         4. You will allow Christ to demonstrate God’s fullness by being a part of God’s people.
      5. If you will do that, then the same power that raised Jesus from the dead will save you.

4. Let’s see if we as 21st century Christians can personalize the three elements of Paul’s prayer.
   1. Do you want to know God so well that you are made wiser and understand what life is really about?
      1. Which attitude best typifies the drives of your life and relationships?
         1. “God, teach me just what I need to know, but don’t change anything–I like me just like I am.”
         2. Or, “God, help me understand everything I can about You so I can constantly change as a person.”
      2. If you know God better, you will change as a person.
   2. Do you want God to teach you how to see from the heart so your Christian hope will increase and you will understand the value of your inheritance?
      1. Which attitude best typifies the drives of your life and relationships?
         1. “God, I do not want to know anything different or anything else.”
            1. “I had rather live in a hopeless existence that to have to learn anything else about You.”
            2. “I want to enjoy right here right now–I rather live for right now instead of eternity.”
         2. Or, “God help me see how temporary right now is and how permanent eternity is.”
      2. If we are to make our decisions in hope, we must let God teach us about our inheritance.
   3. Do you want the power of God to determine who you are and what your life is about?
      1. Which attitude best typifies the drives of your life and relationships?
         1. “God, leave me alone and let me live like I want to live–just save my soul without messing with my life.”
         2. Or, “God, help me see that the power that raised Jesus from the death can work in my life to rescue me from any form of evil.”
      2. If the power of Jesus’ resurrection controls our lives, God will mess with our lives and change the way we behave and feel.

Do we have so much confidence in what God did and does through Jesus Christ, do we have so much love for other Christians, that God rejoices to recognize us as part of Christ’s body?

It Is Worth It!

Posted by David on November 23, 2003 under Sermons

Commonly, beginning is exciting! Commonly, anticipation is exciting! Finishing, being so involved that you cannot turn loose, passing the point of “no return,” is commonly exhausting and demanding.

For an illustration, let me use building a house. Joyce and I have never built a house [that is not shared with a deep sense of regret; neither of us have ever wanted to build a house]. The closest we came to building a house was adding a master bedroom and bath to our home years ago. I had a friend who had an excellent reputation as a carpenter. I had him “black in” our addition–put up the outside shell with the roof. We accepted the responsibility of doing all the inside finishing that we could.

When we planned the addition, he said to me, “Are you sure you want to do this? In my experience, people have a choice. They can hire someone to do all the building and remain married, or they can do part of the building themselves and get a divorce.”

We did not get a divorce, but by the time we moved into the room if cured me of any desire to build a house. The beginning, the anticipating was very exciting! The finishing was very stressful!

When the resurrected Jesus first was presented to Israelites as Lord and Christ in Acts 2, what happened initially was very exciting! Jewish people were being converted so fast that earliest Christians could imagine all Israel being converted!

But some Jews really resented this message about the resurrected Jesus being the Christ. The leaders of Israel did not like it, and soon moved through death and persecution to stop it. When the message began to spread among people who were not Jews, the religious leaders among these people did not like it. They used persecution and death to try to stop it. Then the leaders of the Roman empire, sometimes locally and sometimes nationally, did not like this new religion. At times they used sanctions, persecution, or death to try to stop it.

A movement that began with so much hope and promise in time became a real hardship. Around 30 AD the first Christians had favor with everyone. By 50 A.D. very unlikely forces were cooperating to create real hardships. By 70 A.D. Paul had been executed, some of the twelve had been killed, and physical suffering for faith in Jesus was not uncommon. By the end of the first century some Christians seriously wondered if the Christian movement could survive.

Let me try to make this real to us. Suppose that 50% of the working people in this congregation lost their jobs because they believed Jesus was the Christ–and they could not get other jobs. Suppose the most of the retired people lost their retirements because they believed Jesus was the Christ. Suppose our building was declared off limits to us and we could not assemble here. Suppose there was no money to pay Brad, Chris, Derrick, or me. Suppose there was not enough money to have a mission’s Sunday. Suppose we really struggled just to try to take care of each other.

Would you be discouraged?

If your answer is, “Yes!” you can understand the discouragement of many Christians in the last half of the first century.

This evening I want to consider Peter’s encouragement to discouraged Christians in 1 Peter 1. Please turn there with me and let me point out a few things for all of us to consider.

1. Consider 1 Peter 1:
   1. The introduction: verses 1,2.
      1. Peter identifies himself as the writer of this letter.
      2. He is an apostle–a messenger of Jesus Christ who is representing Jesus Christ.
      3. Galatians 2:8 declares he is Jesus’ apostle to the Jewish people.
   2. Peter is specific about the Christians who were the first to receive this letter.
      1. They are people who reside as aliens–they do not belong, they are not considered to be a part of local society–they live in these places, but they do not belong.
         1. Can you identify with that?
         2. Is that not what is increasingly happening in our society?
      2. They are the scattered–they reside as aliens in places which were not their original homes.
         1. It is very difficult to live somewhere that you do not belong.
         2. The difficulty increases if you are living there by necessity, not desire.
         3. Every day reminds you that you are not a part of these people and will never belong.
         4. The reason you will never belong is seen in your commitment to God through Jesus Christ.
      3. Even though they are aliens and the scattered, they are also the chosen.
         1. They are the chosen because God chose them.
         2. To the local people they may be aliens and the scattered, but to God they are the chosen.
         3. They are not the chosen because of their wonderful accomplishments.
         4. They are the chosen because of God’s incredible accomplishments–they are the chosen by the foreknowledge of God, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ.
         5. Their obedience allowed God to work in their lives.
   3. What they have: verses 3-12.
      1. Peter began with concepts that should be powerfully encouraging.
         1. Because of God’s great mercy they were born to a living hope by the resurrection of Christ–their hope was alive because it was placed in a living person, not a dead person.
         2. God’s specific reason for raising Jesus was to provide those who trusted that resurrection an inheritance. Consider Peter’s description of their God-given inheritance:
            1. It is imperishable–the forces at work in this world (like rust and thieves) cannot destroy this inheritance.
            2. It is undefiled–nothing can diminish its desirability or value.
            3. It is unfading–it was not of great value when it came into existence, but has its value fade as time passes.
            4. It is reserved–it belong to them, exclusively for them, and is saved for them.
            5. In regard to this inheritance, they must understand they are protected by God’s power–no matter what people do to them in this world, the inheritance is theirs.
      2. The physical trials they endure only illustrate the genuineness of their faith and the value of their faith.
      3. They prefer salvation over good treatment or belonging.
         1. This is the salvation the Jewish prophets discussed.
         2. They knew this expression of God’s grace would be the most valuable expression of grace God had given.
         3. Though they longed to be alive when this grace was expressed, it was revealed to them that this expression of grace could not come into existence in their lifetimes.
   4. Because God has given you the wonderful gifts of inheritance does not mean you can act irresponsibly: verses 13-21.
      1. You will prepare yourself for serious thought and firmly place your hope in God’s grace.
      2. As obedient children, you will not live and act as you did prior to being Christians.
      3. Now your are called to God’s holiness, and you take that call very seriously.
      4. You were kidnapped by evil.
      5. God did not pay your ransom with money; He purchased you with the blood of His only son, His sacrifice for your sins.
      6. You place all your hope in the God who raised Jesus from the dead and glorified the resurrected Jesus.
   5. This is how you give expression to your new relationship with God: verses 22-25.
      1. Your obedience comes from souls that have been purified.
      2. They were purified to love other Christians genuinely, without pretense, with love that comes from the heart.
      3. The way your obey God and the way you love other Christians shows you are a completely new person, born again, through God’s living word.
      4. This was the word that was proclaimed to you.

2. You and I live in a difficult, ungodly society.
   1. In far too many instances the priorities of this society are not those of God.
      1. Not in focus of life.
      2. Not in lifestyles.
      3. Not in values and standards.
      4. Not in concepts of integrity and honesty.
   2. In far too many instances we do not feel like aliens.
      1. We are more likely to try “to belong” than to recognize that faith in God generates differences.
      2. We are far too likely to substitute church membership for godly living.
      3. We are far too likely to be selfish in our relationships.
      4. We are far too likely to live for things ungodly than the things of God.
   3. The truth is, for all of us, that just living life get more and more challenging, more and more difficult.
      1. It is hard to be godly in an ungodly society.
      2. It is hard to be spiritual when so many others are just religious.
      3. It is hard to be unselfish in our relationships.
   4. We desperately need to understand some basic facts.
      1. We need a better understanding of what God did for us in Christ.
      2. We need to trust God’s grace instead of our achievements.
      3. We need to understand what godly living is.
      4. We need to understand that it is worth the effort to belong to God.

It is easy go begin in a state of excited anticipation. It is hard to “hang in there” when it is tough to live as a godly person in this world. But it is always worth it.

“God, It Hurts!”

Posted by David on under Sermons

What I now share with you is not intended as a slam or a condemnation. I offer it only as an insight to be shared with you. We American people are terribly spoiled and do not know it.

Our philosophy as a culture may be summed up in this manner: we are for success and against pain and inconvenience. When we turn on a light switch, we expect light–and expect it immediately. When we turn on a water faucet, we expect pure water–and we expect it immediately. When we turn an ignition switch, we expect the motor to start–and we expect it immediately. When we go to a doctor because we are sick or in pain, we expect our medical problem to be solved–and we expect results immediately. When we go to a restaurant, we expect food cooked just exactly like we like it–and we expect to be served promptly.

Our motto is: “If it is broke, fix it, and do it fast!” Most of us live our lives fast and most of us expect nothing to break. However, the older we get the more we learn that simply is not the way life works–not even in America!

Let me share with you two vivid memories. The first came from the first campaign group I traveled with. Coming home after three weeks in West Africa, the thirteen of us had a layover in Paris, France. This was 1969 when an airline paid for layovers and meals. We were having supper. One man who was part of the group was demanding–he wanted more than the airline authorized. A French waiter tried to explain he could have a choice, not one of each; but his words fell on a deaf ear. Finally, in exasperation the French waiter gave the campaigner what he wanted. As the waiter turned and walked away, I heard another waiter say, “He is American.” That was all the explanation needed to understand the situation.

When Joyce and I returned from West Africa on our only leave, I was anxious to share our slides with my family. After Mom and Dad saw those pictures, my Dad made this comment: “I would not live that way. I’d get me a hammer and some nails and make something different.” I asked, “What if no one had a hammer, and there were no nails?”

We think we can fix anything, but we prove frequently we cannot. We do not intend our confident expectations to be arrogance. But the rest of the world sees it as arrogance. And I am afraid that God frequently sees it as arrogance as well.

1. This confidence that anything can be fixed quickly without pain or personal inconvenience often deceives us in our relationship with God.
   1. It is much too easy for us to act like we have God on a retainer.
      1. Often in business we put a specialized professional on retainer.
      2. That means if we need him/her we will call him/her to come take care of a special need that has arisen.
         1. It is much too easy for us to treat God that way: “God, we are placing You on a retainer–if I ever need You, I will call You.”
         2. Too often we use prayer only to call God when we have a special need.
         3. When we “call” God, we expect immediate results.
            1. “God, come right now!”
            2. “God, fix my problem right now!”
            3. “God, I don’t want any more pain!”
            4. “God, I could do so much better if You would just fix this like I want it fixed right now!”
      3. If God does not fix it “right now” precisely the way we have decided it should be fixed, then frequently we cry out. “God, where are You? Why have You not answered me?”
   2. Where did we ever get the idea that God works in very visible ways, that He adopts our solutions so He can solve problems in precisely the way we want, and He always acts quickly?
      1. The Bible abounds with illustrations of God at work when no one thought God was working.
      2. The Bible abounds with illustrations of God being at work in ways that were not a human approach.
      3. The very fact that our salvation exists illustrates that God’s time table is not our time table.

2. Let me share with you two illustrations from the Bible.
   1. One of the continuing problems in Israel was idolatry–Israel had a long, long history of worshipping gods other than Jehovah God.
      1. Before Israel crossed the wilderness the first time, they built and worshipped a golden calf (Exodus 32).
      2. When Israel finally was established in Canaan, they worshipped the Baals.
      3. Judges records how Israel repeated the same cycle of failure and rescue over and over, and frequently a part of the failure was worshipping idols.
      4. No matter what consequences they suffered as a result of idol worship, the nation always returned to idols.
      5. While idolatry was common in Israel in the Old Testament, there was a deep aversion to idolatry in Israel in the New Testament.
         1. Why?
         2. Israel finally learned their lesson.
         3. God finally “got through” to them once and for all.
         4. How?
         5. One of the things God accomplished through the Babylonian captivity was this: He cured Israel once and for all from worshipping idols.
         6. Israel finally learned and understood that there was one God, and idols were never to be considered as representing gods, never worship them.
      6. Was Babylonian captivity:
         1. Fast? I do not consider seventy years fast!
         2. Painless? That captivity caused lots of pain!
         3. Did God use the idolatrous Babylonians to punish the Israelites? God told the prophet Habukkuk He did!
      7. And Israel learned an extremely hard, painful lesson–the slow, hard way.
      8. The point I would like you to consider is this: it was very difficult for Israel to grasp that God worked through the Babylonian captivity, but He did!
   2. I would like to take the second illustration from Paul’s life as a Christian.
      1. Read with me 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
         Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
      2. There are several truly fascinating revelations found in this statement.
         1. God allowed a specific stress to existing in Paul’s life that Paul called a thorn in the flesh.
         2. God did not send the thorn; the thorn came from Satan.
         3. The thorn caused Paul pain–Paul said it tormented him.
         4. While God did not send the thorn, God used the thorn to protect Paul from a specific problem: arrogance.
         5. Paul did not like the thorn–this miracle worker begged God three times to take it away.
         6. God caused Paul to understand that he was to stop looking at the thorn and instead look at God’s grace.
         7. Why? Because God’s power is revealed in human weakness.
         8. Paul finally understood!
         9. If the means of God’s power living in him was his human weakness that endured a thorn, he would be content to be weak so God could be powerful in him.
         10. The key: just like us, Paul had to learn to depend on God’s grace instead of his accomplishments.
      3. What was the thorn?
         1. I do not know–Paul never identified the thorn.
         2. Let me speculate [and this is truly speculation, not fact!]
         3. Let’s speculate that the thorn was the Judaizing teachers who gave Paul enormous problems.
         4. Paul would go to a community, teach people who were not Jews about Jesus Christ, and begin a congregation.
         5. These Jewish Christians would come to town after Paul left and tell non-Jewish Christians that they were not saved–if they were going to be saved, first they had to learn and accept Jewish ways.
         6. I can almost hear a frustrated Paul scream.
            1. “God, why don’t you stop them from doing this?”
            2. “Because of what they are doing, I have to keep cleaning up messes they make!”
            3. “My life would be so much simpler if I could just evangelize new places and not clean up the messes they make.”
            4. “Lord, make it stop! Make this problem go away!”
      4. And God said:
         1. “I am using this to help you Paul, not hurt you.”
         2. “It is too easy for you to feel arrogant–that does not serve My purpose.”
         3. “If you want Me to be powerful in your life, learn to trust My grace instead of your ability.”

3. Allow me to illustrate from my own life the truth that God works through even painful circumstances.
   1. When I was six years old, I almost died from respiratory problems.
      1. At that time my family lived in the new community of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
      2. A doctor told my Mother and Father that if I was not moved out of that climate, I would die. That suggestion was a major difficulty in those days!
      3. In the summer I was seven, we moved near Crossville, Tennessee–fifty miles from Dad’s work.
      4. That move created major inconveniences for everyone.
         1. We moved from a well equipped house in a city to a poorly equipped house in the country–the only appliance we had was a refrigerator.
         2. For the first time in her life, Mom learned how to live on a farm–her whole life had been in a city environment.
         3. For months, the only way Dad had to commute to work was to catch a bus at 3:30 a.m.; he literally traveled down the mountain, and there were no interstate highways.
         4. I changed school systems, changed the way I dressed, felt very out of place, and fit in about like a sore thumb.
         5. I easily could make a case for it being a difficult experience for everyone!
      5. However, that move resulted in some major blessings.
         1. I outgrew my respiratory problems and in time become a healthy person.
         2. I learned a way of life that blessed the rest of my life.
         3. In the second grade I met Joyce, we were sweethearts in the 6th grade, we dated through high school and three years of college, and we married in 1961–she is one of the great gifts God has given me.
         4. I also met an adult by the name of Ray Cope who had a dream.
            1. There were thirteen congregations in the county, one full time preacher, and two part time preachers.
            2. His dream was to take teen boys from our congregation to congregations that had no one to teach or preach and fill a need.
            3. I was one of those teens.
   2. In a real way, I can say that I have the life I have and the wife and children I have because I almost died when I was six years old.
      1. I am convinced God used my sickness to bring me great blessings.
      2. Never think that because there is pain and inconvenience that God is not at work!

Do you want God to work in any way necessary to make you His son or daughter in judgment? Even if it includes pain or inconvenience now?

If you wish to be His child in judgment, see Him in your pain and inconvenience now!

Now But Not Yet

Posted by Chris on November 9, 2003 under Sermons

David and I have spoken often about managing the transition that the two of us are experiencing in this ministry partnership. I think we are doing a good job of it. Tonight I want to share with you the testimony of a man in transition – namely, me. As I mentioned this morning, a bond has been forming between my family and this church. Even before I moved we felt connected and we longed to be with you. And even though I am here NOW, I know that in some ways I am NOT YET here. Up until a week ago I was living in Lake Jackson, Texas, but felt my heart and hope centered in Fort Smith. And NOW I am living in Fort Smith, but my family is NOT YET here. That’s the nature of transition. A reality exists NOW but it is NOT YET realized. It’s like an engagement: a couple is in love and they have a ring and a wedding date NOW, but they are NOT YET married. And if an engagement was as good as a marriage, then it wouldn’t be an engagement, it would be a marriage! Even though there is a relationship NOW it is NOT YET a marriage.

Transitions are tough because we tend to worry a lot during transitions. Consider the transition period of an engagement. As a minister I work with couples engaged to be married and they worry a lot. They worry about things that probably won’t matter after the wedding is over. Maybe it is easier to worry about NOW rather than focus on that which is NOT YET realized. In my own transition with my family in Lake Jackson I admit that I worry about pressing issues NOW because my family is NOT YET here. Transitions between what is NOW and what is NOT YET can be filled with a lot of worry.

I have learned that this transition between two places is a symbol of our existence in this world. As Christians we live between the promises and of God NOW and the things that have NOT YET happened. Jesus was crucified, buried, raised from the dead and he rules even NOW, but he has NOT YET returned to fully realize his rightful rule. We know that even NOW Jesus has defeated the powers of evil, but evil has NOT YET been completely eradicated. So, you can see that even as a church we can get worried even about matters of church and faith …

Trust: "Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, Trust also in me."

1. Jesus’ absence was to the benefit of the early disciples – he left to prepare a place for them.
2. He did not leave them as orphans, he did not abandon them (v. 18):
   1. He left the Spirit, another Comforter (14:15-17).
   2. He left them peace (14:27).
   3. Trust = they would have to have faith to endure the death and they would need trust and faith to endure the transition between NOW and NOT YET.

3. My leaving has been especially hard on my youngest son Ethan. He is only five. Sometimes he would say to Karen, "Why is Daddy leaving us?" Friday I sent digital photos of our rent house to Karen. I was in one of the photos and Ethan saw it. He started crying and saying, "That’s what Daddy looks like today."
   1. I spent a lot of time before I left trying to help the boys understand (trying to help myself, too). I wanted Ethan to trust me while I am gone. And one of the things I have said and Karen has said is that I am going to "prepare a house for them." And this experience has helped me realize the truth of the world we live in and the work of Jesus between what is NOW and what is NOT YET. Christ gave us the truth when we said … [Scripture from John 14].

Truth: "In my Father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you."

1. Truth is, "This World is Not My Home"
   1. Christ is preparing a better home.
   2. Peter says that we don’t worry in this transition world; rather we look forward to a new heaven and earth – the home of righteousness.
2. C. S. Lewis – "I find within myself a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, which draws me to the conclusion that I was made for another world." – [Why do we give in to worry when it is just as easy to hope?]

Hope: "When everything is ready, I will come back and get you so that you will always be with me where I am."

1. The Return of Christ:
   1. Unfortunately it has been used as an instrument of fear
   2. Results:
      1. We live timid lives
      2. We have lost a desire for his return
2. But John regards the Return as a message of HOPE!
1. The slogan of the early church: (Aramaic) Marana Tha! (1 Corinthians 16:22) "Come soon, O Lord."

I believe that the news of Christ’s return, the news of our Father’s rule can be good news of great hope when we consider the truth and how much we can trust God.

[Illustration: The Day Care Story. We were waiting for our Father’s return. He came to take us home.]

Now if little children can find hope and trust, rather than worry, because of a simple truth like a parent’s love, then I think we can find the courage to live faithfully and hopefully in a world that is not our home. He has NOT YET returned, but he is NOW preparing a place for us. There’s room for you in the Father’s house. Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in Jesus, the way, the truth and the life.