Posted by David on May 15, 2008 under Bulletin Articles
Jesus made this statement to the twelve just a few hours before he died. The “impossible” events that would occur the next few hours and the next few days would test the fabric of the disciples’ faith as had no other time or experience in Jesus’ ministry. There would be the confusing washing of the feet, the bewildering communion, Judas’ betrayal, fleeing disciples, Peter’s repeated denials, Jesus’ trials and crucifixion, reports of Jesus’ resurrection, and Jesus’ resurrection appearances to the disciples. In all this, a core truth held them together-the core truth of LOVE.
Nothing made sense until the disciples realized all that occurred expressed Jesus and God’s love. Being kind to a betrayer hurts! Fleeing hurts the deserted! Denial hurts! Death by crucifixion hurts! How can a resurrected person become an imposing, powerful political figure? What were the twelve to do with all that pain and confusion?
Until those men saw all those events as acts of love, nothing fell into place-not Jesus’ life and ministry, not their discipleship, not Jesus’ death, and not Jesus’ resurrection. After those men could see all the events as acts of Jesus and God’s love, everything fell into place. God’s love expressed through Jesus’ death made sense of pain and confusion.
May I suggest nothing basically has changed for the people (men or women) who accept discipleship by acknowledging Jesus as their teacher. Being people who choose to belong to God in a world filled with rebellious acts and personal indulgence is commonly confusing. Being people who follow Jesus in a world of death, betrayal, contempt for people, and disrespect for God is commonly painful. Declaring such a world “bewildering” is terribly close to understatement. So much happens that is mindless and confusing!
Until. Until when? Until we see God’s love. Then-and only then-do things fall into place. Notice the new commandment was not to love each other. The new commandment was to love each other as I have loved you. I do not love you because you deserve my love. I love you because I belong to Jesus. In Jesus God taught me how to love. God loved me far beyond any sense of devotion on my part, for beyond any loyalty on my part, far beyond any worthiness in me. It is God’s love for me that is the foundation of my love for you. Then-and only then-do things fall into place. Then-and only then-those who have not entered Christ will see that we are his disciples. Why? No one in this world loves like those who follow Jesus. The goal: to let Jesus teach me how to love. Why? So people can see an alternative way of life and death!
If I try to love you like God loved me, will you try to love me like God loves you? Have you read John 3:16 lately? “For God so loved the world …”
Posted by David on May 8, 2008 under Bulletin Articles
Recently I heard an interview with a reporter who for years went worldwide reporting. His task: find the unhappiest people in the unhappiest places and tell their stories.
Then he decided for a year to find places with reputations as the world’s happiest places. His objective: to discover (a) if there were happy places, and (b) what made them happy places. His discovery: (a) The world’s happiest places were climatically located in the harshest places. (b) They were happy places because people depended on each other. The people cared about each other.
You and I live in a troubled society and a troubled world. Many people do not know God, reject God, have mistaken ideas about God, or do not believe Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Many have never known love, never been loved, or never knew a loving environment. A lot of people have never been forgiven or do not know what forgiveness is. Many do not interact or behave as we do, or have our social concepts.
God has a message for these people. He says He cares, and He showed the depth of His concern in Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. The issue is not “does God care?” but “do we as God’s people care?” When such people have contact with us as a congregation or as individuals, do they experience caring, do they feel concern? Do they want to be a part of us because we care?
Easy? No! Tiring? Yes! Why? There is so much demand, and so few resources. There is so much need, and so few to be concerned. There are so many forms of consequences to bad behavior and poor choices, and almost no “fixes.”
For years we could focus on doctrines, but no more. For years we made every question a matter of “simple right or wrong,” but no more. For years we pulled some favorite verses out of context and clubbed people with them, but no more. Why? People who need God the most care not about our view of doctrines, right or wrong, or verses (in context) until first they see we care about them, until first they see God’s joy in us.
When I was a boy there were housewarmings, unplanned pooling of Sunday lunches by several families, games in homes, and various forms of interaction that demonstrated caring. I have heard you speak of campouts, trips together, and lots of social interaction. The joy of being together was obvious, inclusive, and real.
This is not a call to return to the past. It is a call to make our caring obvious, inclusive, and real.
Posted by David on May 1, 2008 under Bulletin Articles
This incident occurred at the Jewish temple when Joseph and Mary took the infant Jesus for presentation. They were being good Jews. Such presentation was the correct thing to do with any Jewish child (see Leviticus 12:6-8). All firstborns were to belong to God (see Exodus 13:1, 2).
This entire incident strikes us as strange. First, there is Simeon. He is a very godly man with the Holy Spirit on him. He has been informed by God that he will not die until he has seen the “consolation of Israel.” His understanding of that godly purpose for Israel was simply weird. It involved a salvation for all peoples, a “light of revelation to the gentiles” (see Isaiah 49:6), and an infant less than two months old!
Second, he said the strangest things about the infant. The work of the child (as an adult) would result in “the fall and rise of many in Israel.” He would be a sword that pierced his parents. He would reveal the thoughts of many. For some he would be alienation from God-for some he would be the avenue to God. To some he would be enmity against God-to some he would be peace with God. To some he would be death-to some he would be life.
Spring is here! Is that wonderful, or is that horrible? Is Spring to you new life and hope for a warmer tomorrow, or is Spring allergies and the misery of pollination? Is it the rain that brings flowers, or the wind that brings leaky roofs? Is it the prosperity of a better lifestyle, or the destruction of a tornado? Is it the promise of fresh produce, or the devastation of a hailstorm?
Is it not fascinating that things that produce the blessing and hope of life to some also produce the certainty of misery or death to others? Is it not thought-provoking to realize that which has potential for good at the same time contains potential for harm?
Whether Jesus is a blessing or harm depends on the acceptance or rejection of the individual. Only you determine if Jesus is your means of rising or falling.
Posted by David on April 24, 2008 under Bulletin Articles
The most important issue in people’s lives in any age is being in Christ. Always, many do not want to be in Christ (John 3:19, 20). Christians cannot force people to enter Christ. (Salvation involves a person’s intellect and emotions as well as his/her physical body.)
The challenge is to encourage everyone to enter Christ who wants to enter Christ. Can it be certainly determined who does and does not wish to enter Christ? No. We assume a person wants to enter Christ until he/she declares otherwise, and even then we are careful not to limit future changes in his/her interest.
Paul’s approach was fascinating! He was exposed to situations that were extreme–idolatry, judgmental religion, and atheism. He always assumed interest in Christ existed. He always began where the person was. He was the flexible one. (He did not say, “When you think like I do, I will talk to you.”) Paul found something incredible in Christ. (Have you recently read Philippians 3:8-11?). And he wished to share (1) what he had found and (2) how it changed him. No matter what your past, what wickedness you committed, or who you were at the moment, Paul knew God in Christ had something wonderful for you-no one knew that better than did Paul (1 Timothy 1:12-16)! Paul did not give up on people because God did not give up on him! God’s grace in Christ was greater than Paul’s sinfulness!
The Christian Paul’s approach: (1) Focus on the blessings of being in Christ rather than the flaws of the person. (2) Be an example of change in Christ. To me, nothing demonstrates Paul’s changes as does 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12. The man who held the clothing of those who killed Stephen (Acts 7:58), who dragged Christian men and women from their homes (Acts 8:3), who tried physically to force Christians to blaspheme (Acts 26:9-11), and who was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians (Acts 9:1, 2), as a Christian evangelized gently, with affection and blameless behavior while exhorting, encouraging, and imploring.
We exist in a visual society. Do not focus on “the rules.” Focus on being. Live as an example. Attract to Jesus by behavior as well as message. As Paul said to a preacher, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
Posted by David on April 17, 2008 under Bulletin Articles
For whom did Jesus die? For first-century Jewish people in their society? For gentiles then also? For those who lived for the next 2,000 years world-wide? For us now? For people in Fort Smith not in Christ? For those in our world who are not in Christ?
Ask the same questions from another perspective. Is Jesus a “world Savior” or an “us” Savior? Does he prefer my background and concepts? Since he was never American, never ate hamburgers and fries, never spoke or read English, never went to college, does he prefer another background? Does he have any background preference?
Hopefully, if we took a thin slice of the “midsection” of a congregation and placed it under a microscope to determine make-up and needs, we would find visitor needs, new convert needs, young Christian needs, growing Christian needs, and mature Christian needs. Hopefully, we would find a diversity of people with a diversity of backgrounds. Hopefully, we would find numerous people being stretched spiritually to meet a complex situation, and people in Christ using an understanding of God to meet that challenge. These Jesus-led, God-directed people of faith have the courage to walk righteously.
A practical question: What is the newly baptized person learning from me? How to “safely” gossip? How to be bitter and hold grudges? How to “get my way” correctly? How to exploit people? How to “be political” in the church? Generally speaking, how to “play the religious game” to achieve “my interests”?
Or, how to serve? How to sacrifice? How to encourage? How to be godly even if wronged? How to be committed to a Savior’s values? How to be God’s light in an evil world? How to trust in God in hard times? How to endure injustice (which God and Jesus did in Jesus’ cross) and yet remain spiritually true to God’s character?
Or am I a confusing mixture of both?
Nothing is more powerful than a godly example. Effectiveness in helping others spiritually depends on people holding themselves to a high level of accountability that exists because of a love commitment to God. It exists voluntarily, not by force. Mature congregations are filled with individuals who dare to be Christ-like examples. Spirituality is not a veneer finish only surface deep-it is intentional godliness!
Posted by David on April 16, 2008 under Sermons
All of us tend to exaggerate our loveableness. First, we exaggerate our personal loveableness by asking what each of us considers a rhetorical question: "Why shouldn’t anyone love a person like me?" We tend to think "everyone should love a person like me!" If I love me, why shouldn’t you love me?
Second, we exaggerate our personal loveableness by citing all our good qualities: "I am this, and I am that; I do this, and I do that; this person is blessed by me, and that person is blessed by me." Most of us tend to have a very good opinion of ourselves! If I convince you to look at only my good qualities, deeds, and characteristics, I can make you see a pretty good person.
Third, we exaggerate our personal loveableness by citing all the good things we do. "Look at all the good organizations I am a member of! Look at all the good things I do in those organizations! Look what I did for him! Look at the ways I helped her! Look at what I did for that family! Look at how much I give and what I give to!"
By doing those things, I can control the way you see me and all my goodness. Inevitably (if I succeed in determining the way you look at me), when someone else is in conflict with me, you say, "I do not see how anyone could have problems with (him or her). (He or she) is such a nice person and does so much good to so many!"
Do something (honestly with yourself) that likely will make all of us feel very uncomfortable. Honestly list all your worst characteristics (in your mind). Honestly admit to yourself all your weaknesses. Honestly confess to yourself all your flaws. Honestly admit how many times your wife or husband, your children, and your friends had to forgive you last month. Honestly admit to yourself your biggest goofs. Honestly admit to yourself what others would see if they saw you at your worst.
After doing all those things, ask yourself why should anyone love you?
Listen or read with me Ephesians 2:1-10: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
- Paul declared a deadly war raged (which has raged for a long time) and described those who were victims of that war.
- Fifty per cent of the war is waged by what Paul referred to here as "the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience."
- Paul also referred to this force in Ephesians 6:12 in this statement: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- Jesus said in John 12:31-32, Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.
- Most of us would refer to this war as the war between good and evil.
- Paul said there were two casualties in this war.
- We need to understand that many casualties did not consider themselves casualties.
- The first casualty was the person who was dead (spiritually) in his trespasses and sins, in context the non-Jewish person that Jews called gentiles.
- The second casualty (in which Paul included himself) was the person who lived in lust and indulgence, in this context the Jewish person.
- All the Christians to whom Paul wrote were in one situation or the other–they all needed God’s intervention when they were victims of the war between God and Satan.
- God rescued all of them.
- Their salvation (their deliverance from an impossible situation) occurred because God acted.
- God acted for two reasons:
- God by character is a merciful God.
- This merciful God loved them with a great love.
- How did God do this?
- God made them alive with Christ.
- In Jesus’ resurrection from physical death, God made it possible for all of them to be resurrected from their spiritual death created by their past errors and rebellion.
- By what God did in Jesus’ resurrection, in Jesus Christ sitting at God’s right hand, they sit with Jesus–Jesus Christ perfectly represents those who accepted salvation.
- And God through Christ will yet do something even more incredible for these people!
- The emphasis must be (as it should be) on the fact that all of this occurred because God took the initiative in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- Salvation happened because of the goodness (grace) of God!
- Salvation did not occur because anyone obligated God, or deserved God’s kindness, or created an indebtedness that God was forced to respond to.
- Our salvation exists because God acted first in love for people–all we can do in any age is to respond to God’s kindness in love for Him.
- I ask you to take particular note of some statements in Ephesians 2:10.
- First, note Christians are God’s workmanship.
- The people of the first-century lived in a day when things were made by the "know-how" and the "patient" hand of a craftsman.
- There was no manufacturing, or mass production, or power tools and machines.
- The craftsman:
- Had to have the "eye" that "saw the possibilities and potential."
- The craftsman had to take what was and transform it into what could be.
- God had the "know-how" and "patient hand" to craft us into something that did not exist.
- Christians are not mass produced–each person is unique with his/her gifts and abilities.
- Christians are individually crafted by God in Jesus Christ.
- God has the ability to see in each of us our possibilities and potential in spite of our failures, flaws, indulgence, and rebellion.
- God has the power in Jesus Christ to transform each individual into what he or she has the potential to become (no matter what I am, God has the ability to transform me!)
- Note that God, the Craftsman, has created Christians for good works.
- We exist physically and spiritually because of acts of God.
- By God’s intent, we who are in "Christ" exist to do good (as defined by God).
- Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16?
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
- The focus of doing good is people, people in and influenced by an evil world.
- The objective of doing good is the glorification of God in this evil world.
- Obedience to God in fulfilling our created purpose in doing good works is not an after-thought of God.
- Before Jesus came, God’s intention was that those who accepted the resurrected Jesus as the Christ would do good works.
- The lifestyle and focus of life of these people would be on doing good works.
- They would be obedient to God in doing good (which involved a change of life focus) because they appreciated what God did for them in Jesus Christ.
- The objective of people in Christ doing good works was not to attempt to obligate God to themselves through human deeds.
- Those in Christ understand they are saved by God’s grace (goodness) given to them as a gift (an inheritance), not because God in any sense is obligated to them.
- Those in Christ are merely showing their appreciation for God’s grace.
- These people are merely fulfilling the purpose of the Craftsman who created them in Jesus Christ.
- They dedicate themselves to doing good works in order to do what God intended them to do.
The object of Christian obedience is not and never has been earning anything. The idea that humans can place God in any form of obligation through any human act fails to deal with the reality of divine nature.
God is God–He can do what He chooses to do. God does not have to consult with us or depend on us in any divine act He chooses to take. God does not need us. We need God. A basic distinction between an idol and the living God is the independence of the living God. An idol has to depend on a human act for everything–it can do nothing independently. However, the living God is independent–He cares for Himself. We depend on Him for existence–He does not depend on us. That is Paul’s point in Athens to idol worshippers in Acts 17:24, 25 and 28, 29.
The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, "For we also are His children." Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.
Christians obey God to express appreciation for what God has done and continues to do for them in Christ. Christian obedience says, "Thank you," to God. It is an expression of faith for those in Christ. It is not some form of hell insurance. If obedience is viewed as a means to obligate God, it is horribly misguided. Nor is obedience a way of getting God to act favorably toward us without our having to place trust in God.
Before we ever loved God, God loved us (Romans 5:8). There are two ways we show God our love for Him in what He did. First is by accepting Jesus as the Christ. Second is by obeying God as His children.
How do you express your love and appreciation for God in all He has done and does for you?
Posted by David on April 15, 2008 under Sermons
One of the most powerful negative forces that exist in our society today is discouragement. This force is even more powerful in the church. There are likely more people who worship no where, or have changed to a different kind of church, or who are a loud, negative voice in their congregation because they have been discouraged, than any other negative influence among Christians. If all the discouraged Christians assembled for worship on any given Sunday in their "home congregation" left their discouragement at home and praised God for His many blessings in Christ, attendance in most congregations would increase from one-third to over 100%.
People are discouraged for many reasons. (1) For many, life is just plain hard. Circumstances they never once anticipated descended on them, consumed them, and created a personal crises for them. Unfortunately, these people are in congregations that are unaware–for whatever reason–of their struggle. Or their congregation knows their struggle and either offers no help or no encouragement. Or the congregation is a part of the reason for their struggle. So these people look at life, or at the congregation, or at both, and are disillusioned.
(2) Many look at individual Christians they previously respected, but now they see "feet of clay," and these individual’s weakness or poor choices discourage them. That is why our faith in God should never depend on people. No human is perfect. Every human needs God’s mercy and grace.
(3) Many look at congregations and are discouraged because their home congregation is fractured. They look at "the groups" who are vying with each other for a position of control or ascendency. Their impression is that the church is more an institution than a relationship with God, more political than spiritual, or more about a sense of self-importance than serving. The result: they are disillusioned with the congregation.
(4) Many have a significantly flawed concept of unity, or a significantly flawed concept of God’s purpose in Jesus Christ, or a significantly flawed concept of the objectives of Christianity. The result: these people have significantly flawed expectations. What they expect to happen never happens, and they are disillusioned. Incorrect expectations was a real reason for Jesus’ rejection during the time of his ministry and death–it is nothing new.
Understanding discouragement is not new. Consider today’s text from 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.
- The first thing I want to call to your attention is that Paul encouraged an imperfect congregation.
- First, I want to produce a perspective–Paul did not write an epistle (letter) to a place just to be writing because he happened to have some time on his hands and nothing better to do.
- In Ephesians (and other of Paul’s epistles), Paul wrote about problems that existed at the place where he wrote.
- If that is correct (and I am convinced it is), many in the congregation did not understand the significance (importance) of Jesus Christ in 1:3-14.
- They did not understand their dependence on God’s grace in 2:1-8.
- They did not understand the relationship between grace and obedience in 2:9, 10.
- They did not understand God’s gift of unity in 2:11-22.
- They did not understand the importance of hanging in there in 3:12.
- They did not understand that God’s power had little to do with human expectations in 3:17-21.
- They did not understand God’s purpose for Christians in 4:1-16.
- They did not understand they were to become the "new you in God" in 4:17-24.
- They did not understand that the "new you" deliberately adopted a lifestyle that excluded lying, anger, stealing, ungodly speech, resistance to God’s influence in their lives, and an imitation of Jesus’ kindness instead of negative emotion in 4:25-32.
- They did not understand they had to be influenced by God rather than the "movers and shakers" who "made things happen" in 5:1-14.
- They did not understand they lived a lifestyle that rejected drunkenness in 5:15-21.
- They did not understand the "new you" involved a lifestyle that included the way you treated the people closest to you in 5:15-6:9.
- They did not understand the importance of wearing God’s armor in their personal struggle with evil in 6:10-20.
- There are a lot of basic things they either did not know or did not know the importance of.
- How would you like to be a member of that congregation?
- How easy do you think it would have been to get spiritually discouraged in that environment?
- Yet, in 1:1 Paul addressed them as saints who were faithful in Jesus Christ.
- Do you think we have a lot to learn about Paul’s use of the word "faithful?"
- Obviously, Paul did not restrict spiritual encouragement to individual or congregational spiritual perfection.
- Again, let me call something to your attention.
- First, they did not understand the meaning of unity at all.
- That, to me, is obvious in 2:11-22.
- They had no understanding of the fact that unity was a gift God gave in Christ, and their responsibility was to preserve that gift, not create the condition (see 4:3).
- God made them one in the cross of Jesus Christ, and they did not know it (see 2:16)!
- Second, it jumps out at me that some of them were continuing to steal as they did prior to becoming a Christian (see 4:28).
- "Steals" is present tense.
- Some of these Christians stole prior to becoming Christians and continued to steal after becoming Christians.
- They did not even understand that conversion involved accepting a new lifestyle!
- They obviously had an enormous amount to learn about Christian existence after conversion–it was not easy to go from idol worshipper to Christian in their social environment!
- Even though these people were Christians and received Paul’s encouragement, they had a lot to learn and understand.
- How does that fit with your concept of Christian existence?
- How does that fit with your concept of Christian encouragement?
- There are some things in our text (Ephesians 1:15-23) that I want you note besides Paul’s encouragement because he heard of their faith in Jesus and of their love for other Christians.
- First, I want you to note Paul’s prayer for them in 1:18, “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 …”
- He prayed that they would be able to see with their hearts.
- They were too much like us.
- They saw with their eyes, not their hearts.
- They saw what their society saw.
- They had to be trained to see with their hearts.
- They had to be trained to see as God sees instead of the way their society looks at things.
- Only if they learned how to see with their hearts could they know the hope of God’s calling.
- Their environment in their society was pretty hopeless.
- Only if they could see as God sees would they allow God to be their source of hope.
- The reasons for God supplying hope would not even compute in their society–and so it is with ours!
- Only if they learned to see with their hearts could they recognize the riches of the glory of their inheritance.
- According to their society, God had no inheritance to give.
- Society principally measures an inheritance in terms of money, of valuable possessions, and of property–none of which God offered.
- The things God offered were:
- A place to belong, to "fit in" for righteous people.
- Forgiveness coupled with compassion.
- Grace and mercy.
- Kindness to people who had nothing to offer.
- Those are things the heart sees!
- If you cannot see with the heart, those things are impractical and foolish!
- Verse 19 talks about the surpassing greatness of His power and the strength of His might. "… [W]hat is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might …"
- God revealed His power and might in two things:
- Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
- The resurrected Jesus being enthroned at God’s right hand–the most prominent place that the One who ruled could give.
- In those two things God made Jesus Christ the most prominent human-divine being they would ever know.
- He had the most important position they would ever know as humans.
- He had the most important name they would ever know as humans.
- He is Lord–the Ephesian Christians answered to him!
- Jesus is God’s fullness who cares for God’s interests in every situation.
- One final thought I want you to see.
- Jesus represents God and His purposes, and each of us as Christians represent Jesus and his interests.
- Just as people look at Jesus and see God,
- People should be able to look at us and see Jesus.
- Thus, even if I am a scoundrels, I still represent Jesus.
- Because any Christian acts less than ideal, his or her behavior gives none of us a reason to discourage others.
- Our imperfections and flaws provide no one a reason to live and act in ungodly ways.
- Representing Jesus is a privilege that provides everyone of us a reason to be godly no matter how ungodly others behave.
The challenge for a Christian to be an encourager rather than a discourager is as big as God Himself!
Posted by David on April 10, 2008 under Bulletin Articles
The apostle to the gentiles who wrote this held the clothes of those who killed Stephen (Acts 7:58), confronted the apostle Peter face-to-face (Galatians 2:11), and sharply disagreed with his mentor, Barnabas (Acts 15:39). My point is not that Paul’s belief and actions were inconsistent. My point is that respect is difficult to maintain.
When Paul [Saul] held the clothing of those who killed Stephen, Paul was not a Christian-killing Stephen was “right” (Acts 8:1). When, as a Christian, he confronted Peter, Peter’s behavior was inconsistent with God’s revelation to Peter. When Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply, they had an extreme difference of opinion about John Mark. In Romans 14, Paul wrote about the enormous gulf between Jewish and gentile Christians-a major problem in first-century congregations (see Acts 15:1-5).
Yet, the Christian who confronted could redirect. Years later as an imprisoned Paul neared death, he asked Timothy to bring Mark to him. Nearing death, he asked for the man who had been at the center of his controversy with his best friend and work companion!
Regarding the enormous controversy in the first congregations, this man who had been the “Jews’ Jew” (Galatians 1:14) understood God could save anyone (including gentiles) on the basis of faith that Jesus was the resurrected Christ. A Jew did not need to cease to be culturally a Jew to accept Jesus was God’s Christ. A gentile did not need to cease to be culturally a gentile to accept that the living God resurrected the dead Jesus to be the living Christ.
That was extremely difficult for Jews, including Jewish Christians, to accept! The teaching that gentiles could be saved without circumcision (Genesis 17:9-14) or the Jewish dietary restrictions (Leviticus 11) were just plain offensive to Jewish converts! They felt so strongly about this that they made the apostle Peter afraid of them (see Galatians 2:11-13). Paul understood when he wrote Romans 14 that God’s acts were not hostage to human logic, human desires, and human opinions. God could and would save Christians who, in God, did contrasting things. Why? God knows motives, the whys.
A healthy congregation is a growing organism composed of every level of spiritual maturity. Only with respect for each other can we become what God intended.
Posted by David on April 3, 2008 under Sermons
Today I want to focus us on the concept of gifts. At first mention, you might not think that is a very important concept. I hope when you finish thinking with me, you will find your insights and thoughts truly helpful.
I suspect all of us have received gifts. What concept do you think of when you think of the word "gift?" There are birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, welcome gifts, "thinking of you" gifts, various forms of appreciation gifts, various forms of accomplishment gifts like graduation gifts, various forms of event gifts like shower gifts, and various forms of need gifts like the gifts given in a disaster. There are all kinds of gifts people give.
My Webster’s Dictionary says a gift is a voluntary transfer of something from one person to another without compensation. That definition causes me to ask an interesting question: "When does a gift cease to be a gift?"
Let me give you a couple of illustrations. A few years ago there was a rather common saying in business circles: "There are no free lunches." To accept a free lunch appointment from someone in business often meant you accepted a sense of obligation. The sense of obligation: "I will be nice to you now, but I expect you to be nice to me later." The sense of obligation eliminated the concept of the lunch being a gift.
Even today sometimes a person or group is given something extremely valuable for one dollar. It may be a vehicle; it may be a building; or it may be some land. The value of that which is provided far, far exceeds the price of one dollar.
So I ask you some questions. Does a sense of obligation cause a gift to cease being a gift? If the value of that provided far exceeds the compensation, is that which is provided a gift? Is it a gift if it is a tax write-off? Is it a gift if there is in any way strings attached?
With these questions, consider our reading found in Ephesians 1:10-14, In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
- The verses in our reading are actually (in the Greek) one sentence that has its beginning in verse 3.
- It is one of 8 lengthy sentences in Ephesians, and one of the longest (202 words).
- Some biblical scholars hate this sentence because it is so hard to follow.
- Some biblical scholars love this sentence because of its lofty language.
- I do not begin to compare myself with scholars who love or hate it–our thoughts will not focus on how to dissect this long sentence.
- I want to call your attention to some words Paul used and their concepts which we need to note.
- The first thing I ask you to notice is that this long verse declares how indebted people are to Jesus Christ.
- He is our source of all spiritual blessing.
- He made it possible for God to choose us.
- He made it possible for God to adopt us.
- He made our redemption and forgiveness possible.
- He revealed to us the mystery of God’s will.
- He is the summation of all God’s purpose in heaven and on earth.
- And, in our reading today:
- Christ made it possible for us to inherit from God.
- Christ provided us hope.
- Christ allows us to be God’s own possession.
- One of the central concerns in the first century was the importance of Jesus.
- There were many people (Jewish people) who were convinced they could do the will of God without Jesus.
- There were also many people (in idolatry) that were convinced there were numerous others gods to appeal to that had nothing to do with Jesus.
- Thus, in the first century, placing confidence in Jesus was a "big deal."
- Paul said the living God did things through Jesus that could not be done through anyone else.
- Second, please note this long sentence extols God’s greatness.
- First, note the relationship between God and Jesus.
- It is a Father-son relationship, with God being the Father, and Jesus Christ being the son.
- It is not a brother-brother relationship, but a Father-son relationship.
- One of the objectives of Jesus Christ was to vindicate God’s greatness.
- That surely is in keeping with the same writer’s point to the Corinthian Christians in 1 Corinthians 15:28, When all things are subjected to Him (Jesus Christ the Lord), then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One (God the Father) who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
- God the Father is the author (source) of all that was accomplished in Jesus.
- Jesus, in life and death, just revealed the depth of God’s interest in and concern for us.
- The final objective of all the good things done for us in Jesus is to praise the goodness of God.
- For example, God adopts us, but God is able to adopt us through Jesus.
- Or, God is the source of our eternal inheritance, but God through Jesus has the means to grant us the inheritance.
- Thus, Christians can glorify God because of the wonderful things God made possible for us through Jesus Christ.
- There are some particular word concepts you are asked to note in today’s reading (Ephesians 1:10-14).
- The first word called to your attention is the word "inheritance."
- An inheritance is a gift provided on the basis of qualification, not merit.
- In our society, at death we can dispose of our possessions in any way we choose.
- We can give our possessions to an institution, a cause, to someone not related to us, or to something that is not even human.
- In an inheritance, the one who gives the inheritance chooses the conditions or qualifications.
- In an inheritance, the gift is dependent on the will of the giver rather than the claims of the receiver or non-receiver.
- To me, it seems ridiculous for any human to conclude any human act in some way obligates God.
- We respond to God’s gift of Jesus.
- We placed God under no obligation to give us Jesus.
- We have salvation because God gave first, not because we did first.
- I deeply appreciate this same man’s statement in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
- The second word I would like to call to your attention is the word "predestined."
- Because of earlier concepts of predestination, many of us have developed a prejudice to the word "predestination."
- The earlier concept associated predestination with personal salvation–God determined whether a person would be saved or lost before the person was born, and there was nothing a person could do to change God’s decision.
- However, there is a concept of predestination that has nothing to do with God determining a person’s salvation in a way that eliminates the person’s choice.
- It is likely that most of you accept through faith that concept of predestination.
- Consider some examples.
- Do you believe God sent Jesus to this world? Is that not belief in a concept of predestination?
- Do you believe God will cause an end the this evil world? Is that not belief in a concept of predestination?
- Do you believe God will cause a judgment of all people to occur? Is that not belief in a concept of predestination?
- Do you believe that God will finally destroy Satan? Is that not a belief in a concept of predestination?
- In any one of those things or in all of those things do you believe there is anything humans or Satan can do to prevent some or all of those things from happening? Do you believe one or all of those things will happen because God wills them to happen? Is that not a form of or concept of predestination?
- My objective is not to convince you to believe in something you reject. My objective is to challenge you to be aware of the fact that there is more than one concept of predestination.
- There are certain things that God wills to happen that will happen at some point in human events because God purposes and intends them to happen.
- Your salvation, your personal response to God is not one of them.
- God willed that all who place their confidence in Jesus Christ and enter him will be saved in him–a person cannot be "in Christ" and fail to be saved.
- In a general form of predestination, God wills that those in Jesus Christ will be saved–that is God’s desire.
- However, the choice to be in Christ is yours–you choose to place your confidence in Christ.
- Generally, God wills the salvation of all in Christ; specifically, God does not choose your response to Christ for you.
- God wants everyone to turn from Satan, have confidence in Jesus, and be in Jesus Christ. As Peter once wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
- God wants all of us to be saved–that is His sacrificial intent.
- If we refuse to enter Jesus Christ and place our confidence in him, that is our choice–not God’s.
- The third word I call to your attention is the word "sealed."
- First, realize what he cannot be talking about.
- For us, in a democracy and technological age, we likely think of plastic bags and freezing when we think about sealed.
- In Paul’s age, our form of democracy did not exist, nor did plastic, nor did freezing as a form of food preservation.
- Thus, Paul cannot be speaking of our form of government or preserving food by using a freezer.
- Second, their form of government was centered in kings or emperors.
- They did not have our secure means of communicating nor our secure way of communicating.
- Thus if someone important wanted to send a secure message to someone, the message sender "sealed" his message with wax and put the imprint of his signet ring in the hot wax.
- If the hard (cooled) wax and its imprint were unbroken, it meant the message had not been seen by others.
- Thus the wax and imprint said, "This is the property of the sender, and it is intended for you."
- Paul said if they were in Christ, they were God’s property.
- The imprint was God’s gift of His spirit.
- That imprint was given to all in Christ (both Jew and gentile) in Acts 2 and 10, and to the individual who was baptized into Jesus Christ as verified in Acts 2:38 and Acts 5:29-32.
- Christians had God’s imprint in them that said they were God’s property.
- The person in Christ is not "on his or her own"–he or she is God’s property!
- The existence of God’s spirit in Christians demonstrates God’s seriousness in granting that person His inheritance.
- That Spirit is God’s pledge that He will give His inheritance to the person.
- God will keep His promise to save those who are in Christ!
I hope you will not look at the lengthy sentence in Ephesians 1:3-14 only academically as one of Paul’s long, long sentences. When you look at what he said, I hope you will see these things:
- The importance of Jesus Christ.
- That our purpose and Jesus’ purpose was/is to honor God.
- That God is earnestly committed to saving people in Jesus Christ.
- That your salvation is precious and deserves your absolute commitment.
The central question: do you want forgiveness as badly as God wants to give you forgiveness?
Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles
Healthy congregations understand that Jesus is the way people approach God (John 14:6; Hebrews 1:1, 2; 4:14-16). The Christians in such congregations understand one of God’s intents in Jesus (resurrected to be Lord and Christ) was to provide all people access to God. He is Lord because it was God’s intent that he conquer everything opposing God (1 Corinthians 15:25-28). God placed all divine authority in the resurrected Jesus (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:20-23).
Jesus is the Christ by God’s intent. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8, 16). (“Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew “Messiah.”) Jesus is the “anointed by God” to bring God’s gift to our physical world (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:31-33; John 3:16; Romans 5:8). He gives us immediate access to God (Hebrews 6:19, 20; 10:19-21) by allowing us to go where no one before us went. The resurrected Jesus is seated (mission accomplished!) at God’s right hand (the place of prominence) to intercede for us (Romans 8:33, 34). As Christians, we have a quality of representation with God that is unequaled and cannot be surpassed (Hebrews 8:1, 2).
Our confidence is in a Savior–not an institution, not a building, not a person or group of persons (humans), not a prominent historical figure, not an apostle, nor in a human perspective. We trust the One who died for us, who was raised for us, who intercedes for us, and who (by God’s appointment) is the Lord given to lead us to God.
Healthy congregations listen to Jesus, learn from Jesus, follow Jesus, and let Jesus show them God’s purposes and intents. Instead of being defensive of human ideas and desires, we are willing to learn. Instead of concluding we know everything to be known about God’s will, we are open to God’s guidance in Jesus Christ. Instead of turning people away from God, we encourage those who seek God. We never stop seeking God’s wisdom placed in Jesus.
We call ourselves “Christians” because we want to be like Jesus. We shine as lights in a dark world to attract people to Jesus and to glorify God (Matthew 5:16). Such people make healthy congregations. Lives and behavior are determined by Jesus, not people.
