Two Critical Perspectives: The Exodus and The Cross

Posted by David on August 27, 2006 under Sermons

Every life, without exception, lives through dark hours. No one escapes days when all circumstances say the worst is inevitable. We all experience times when we are overwhelmed with setbacks, losing struggles, and painful realities which dominate our todays and threaten our tomorrows. Sometimes the threats are physical and put physical existence in jeopardy. Sometimes the threats are emotional driving us to the point of despair. Sometimes the threats are financial attacking our sense of security. Regardless of the source, the issue is always the same: "Will I survive?"

Many of us already have survived some dark hours. If you have, what enabled you to survive? What enabled you to endure, and, in time, to triumph over your dark hours? The key to survival is this: "Something to hold on to" or "something to keep us going." Sometimes that is an undeniable truth so important, so valuable that it gives us the courage to continue. It refuses to give up when we have no other reason to try.

That essential truth is critical to every person’s survival. The person who has that essential truth finally overcomes his/her dark hour. The person who has no such truth enters a depression that becomes despair, a despair from which he/she rarely escapes.

Many things create dark hours: relationship problems, financial problems, career problems, family crisis, death of a loved one, national crisis, wars, undesirable life changes–the list is endless! To survive such crises there must be a truth so strong, so great that not even the worst circumstance can veil it.

For all Judaism in the Old Testament and for all Christians in the New Testament, God declared that truth existed. For the Old Testament Jew and the New Testament Christian, the truth was the same: God’s love.

I want you to consider the importance of the exodus and the cross.

1. There is an incredible parallel between the Jewish exodus from Egypt and Jesus’ cross on Calvary.
   1. Look carefully at the great similarity between the exodus and the cross.
      1. The Jews were in bondage to Egypt; people were in bondage to sin.
      2. The Jews existed under an abusive ruler who exploited them to their own hurt and destruction; people were under Satan who exploited them to their own hurt and destruction.
      3. The Jews in Egypt had not yet become God’s covenant people; people in sin had not yet become God’s covenant people.
      4. Those Jews were totally powerless to deliver themselves from their slavery; people were totally powerless to deliver themselves from slavery under sin.
      5. In bondage, the Jews did not know God’s true identity and doubted His ability to deliver them; in sin people did not know God’s true identity and doubted His ability to save them.
      6. For the Jews, God provided a leader (Moses); for people in sin, God provided a leader (Jesus).
      7. To the Jews, God proved deliverance was His work through Moses’ signs; to those in sin, God proved deliverance was His work through Jesus’ signs.
      8. For the Jews, deliverance was totally God’s work–all they did was obediently follow; for sinners, deliverance is totally God’s work–all we do is obediently follow.
      9. With the Jews, God provided victory through what seemed certain defeat at the Red Sea; with sinners, God provided victory through what seemed certain defeat at Jesus’ death and burial.
      10. With the Jews, God established a perpetual memorial to be continually observed (Passover); with the delivered from sin, God established a perpetual memorial to be continually observed (the Lord’s Supper).
   2. As fascinating as all those parallels are, none of them is the essential parallel.
      1. The exodus was the undeniable proof of God’s love for Israel.
      2. The cross is the undeniable proof of God’s love for all sinners.
      3. No thinking Jew of understanding could take the Passover without thinking of God’s great love!
      4. No thinking Christian of understanding can take the Lord’s Supper without thinking of God’s great love for sinners.
      5. It was and is impossible to take either and not know this truth: “God loves us!”
2. The central, unending proof of God’s love for Jewish people was the exodus.
   1. The emphasis in the Old Testament on the importance and meaning of the exodus is overwhelming.
      1. I challenge you to consult a complete concordance, look under “Egypt” and “bondage,” and note the emphasis–and those are not all the references!
      2. There is so much emphasis on the exodus’ significance as a declaration of God’s nature and love that there would not be enough time to read all those references in this assembly!
   2. To this day, the best known act of God in Israelite history is the exodus under Moses’ leadership.
      1. It is the central event of the Old Testament.
      2. It marked the beginning of Israel as a nation.
      3. It marked the point that they as a people became God’s representatives which He promised Abraham.
      4. It was the divine act of God anointing the Jewish people to function as His nation.
   3. The unforgettable importance of that deliverance is powerfully stressed throughout the Old Testament.
      1. The Passover was instituted to be an annual reminder of God’s deliverance.
         1. Exodus 12:17 You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
         2. Deuteronomy 16:3 You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.
      2. The exodus was the foundation on which the Ten Commandments stood.
         1. Exodus 19:3-6 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
         2. Consider Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 5:6 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
         3. The point is clear: Israel should keep God’s laws because God is the God of their deliverance.
   4. Throughout Old Testament history, the undeniable proof of God’s love for Israel was the exodus.
   5. Let me try to make this point unforgettable.
      1. If in the horrible period of the judges, we asked a faithful Jew, “Does God still love Israel?” he would have said, “Yes! Unquestionably!”
         1. If we responded, “How can you say that with all these horrible things happening?”
         2. He would say, "The exodus is proof God never stops loving us!"
      2. In the awful wickedness during Samuel’s lifetime, if we had asked, “Does God still love Israel?” a faithful Jew would have said , “Yes! Unquestionably!”
         1. If we responded, “How can you say that?”
         2. He would say, “The exodus forever proves God loves us!”
      3. And so it would have been in the terrible days of Philistine domination or the Babylonian captivity: The exodus proved God’s love!
3. Just as the exodus was the irrefutable proof of God’s love for ancient Israel, the cross is the irrefutable proof of God’s love for all people.
   1. The unquestionable proof that God loves us is Jesus’ death and resurrection.
      1. What God did for all people in Jesus Christ’s cross cannot be exaggerated.
      2. Without Jesus’ death and resurrection, Christianity would not exist.
      3. We can exist as Christians only because of Jesus’ cross and resurrection.
      4. God’s cost in redeeming us from our sins is too great to comprehend.
   2. The central importance of Jesus’ cross as the proof of God’s love for us is powerfully stressed in the New Testament.
      1. Romans 5:6-11 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
      2. Romans 8:31-34 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
      3. 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
      4. Ephesians 5:1,2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
      5. Hebrews 12:1-3 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. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
      6. 1 John 3:16-18 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
   3. How can we know God loves us?
      1. There are many evidences of His love for us, but no evidence equals the proof of Jesus’ cross.
      2. When we are in circumstances were all other evidences seem to fail, Jesus’ cross still stands.
   4. May I attempt to make that fact unforgettable?
      1. When in Acts 5 when the apostles were beaten by order of the Jewish Sanhedrin, if we asked them, “Does God still love you?” they would have answered, “Of course!”
         1. If we asked, “How can you say that after that beating?”
         2. They would have responded, “The cross shows us His love!”
      2. When Stephen was stoned to death in Acts 7, had we asked as he died, “Does God still love you?” he would have answered, “Absolutely!”
         1. Had we asked, “How can you say that?”
         2. He would have replied, “Jesus’ cross proves God’s love!”
      3. And so it would have been with all the faithful Christians who suffered in the New Testament.
      4. Yet, in times of distress and suffering we ask, “Does God still love us?”
         1. The book of Revelation written to distressed, suffering Christians answers that question.
         2. It says, “The sacrificed Jesus reigns right now!”
            1. “That Jesus, God’s sacrificial lamb, proves God’s continuing love!”
            2. “The crucified, resurrected Jesus proves your victory is certain!”
4. Without doubt all Christians will face dark hours that challenge their faith in God’s love and concern.
   1. In those hours all circumstances will seem to shout, “God does not love you!”
      1. “He has deserted you!”
      2. “He does not care about you–you do not matter that much to Him!”
      3. “If He loved you, this would not happen to you and you would not hurt so much!”
      4. “If He loved you, the wicked would not be doing well at your expense!”  
   2. In that moment, the Christian must never fail to see Jesus’ cross.
      1. He or she must be able to say:
         1. “I cannot explain the circumstances.”
         2. “I cannot explain what is happening.”
         3. “I cannot explain my suffering.”
         4. “But I know God’s love for me is irrefutable.”
         5. “Not even this uproots the truth of Jesus’ cross.”
         6. “If he loved me that much, He still loves me.”
      2. That is the truth that empowers you to hold on in life’s darkest hours.

Do you remember singing the words of Elizabeth Clephane?

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand, the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land, a home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way, from the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

Upon the cross of Jesus, mine eye at times can see, the very dying form of one who suffered there for me; and from my smitten heart, with tears, two wonders I confess: the wonders of His glorious love, and my own worthlessness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place: I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face; content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss, my sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.

Have you seen the cross? Have you seen the love?

Living Too Long

Posted by David on August 24, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

2 Kings 20:1-3, In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ?Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ ” Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

2 Kings 18-20 records the rule of King Hezekiah of Judah. He was one of the few kings in Judah who led a spiritual reform to lead the people back to God. After some striking events in which he placed his trust in God, he became sick to the point of death. When the prophet Isaiah confirmed Hezekiah would die, Hezekiah prayed for an extended lifetime. God added fifteen years to his life and told him he would protect him and his kingdom throughout this period.

In these fifteen years, Hezekiah foolishly showed all his treasurers to some well-wishers from Babylon. The prophet Isaiah told him that the day would come when Babylon would take all those treasurers and some of his sons to Babylon. Hezekiah said to himself, “That’s okay-I will live and die in peace” (2 Kings 20:20).

The greatest mistakes this great king made came in his fifteen year extension of life. He lived too long! He made God’s blessing his curse!

It is difficult to accept this truth: the significance of your life is not measured by how long you live but by how much faith in God you have. It is much too easy to use God’s blessings to curse ourselves.

If we are not careful, the older we get, the more important it becomes to declare our significance. As ability declines, the temptation to be arrogant increases. Wise is the person who is not intoxicated by a personal sense of his or her accomplishments! It is easy to “get drunk” on the memories of the past! It is challenging to leave the remembering to God as you use what ability you have to serve His purposes.

Do not be remembered for the arrogance of your old age. Be remembered for a lifetime of faith in God. Do not count your years. Mature your trust in God!

Why Am I a Christian?

Posted by David on August 17, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

This is a difficult passage. For a long time, a debate has been ongoing about Agrippa’s attitude when he made the statement, “Paul, you almost persuade me to be a Christian.” (1) Was the king near conversion? Or, (2) was he chastising Paul for a brazen attempt at evangelizing him? On Paul’s part, there was boldness in the original not evident in an English translation, a boldness the king may have considered shocking for a prisoner to make to a significant authority. However, we could say nothing that would end the argument-too little information is available.

Perhaps we could ask a fruitful question by each asking self the question, “Why am I a Christian?” Begin with the observation that the Christian in this situation was a prisoner. Eventually his appeal to Caesar resulted in a trial in Rome. Even later, his appearances in Rome resulted in his execution.

Am I a Christian:
1. To obtain advantages and blessings that would not otherwise be available to me?
2. To escape consequences which scare me?
3. To obligate God to protect me from bad things?
4. To express faith in the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
5. To declare faith in the restoration of the Creator God to His rightful position?

Consider some observations. (1) It is common in talking about salvation to discuss our benefits, but to rarely discuss God. We focus on matters like forgiveness, redemption, sanctification, justification, and propitiation as though salvation was primarily about us and not about the God who gave us Jesus Christ. (2) It is uncommon for us to focus on or discuss the enormous injustice the Creator endured when His creation honored the evil that odiously perverted the earthly creation of the Creator. (3) Perhaps the primary objective of our salvation is to promote the restoration of the Creator to His rightful place and the secondary benefit of our salvation is our forgiveness, redemption, sanctification, justification, and propitiation. Unselfishness focuses on God. Selfishness focuses on us.

“When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (Corinthians 15:28)

The Case of the Insensitive Pagan

Posted by David on August 10, 2006 under Sermons

Without sensitivity toward others, a human being ceases to be human. In any advanced civilization, the most cherished social qualities are human traits that encourage sensitivity toward other humans. The fundamental code words for such sensitivity include compassion, caring, kindness, neighborliness, mercy, and understanding. Any person would live in an earthly hell if he or she was forced to live in a society where such qualities were absent.

How would you survive if you knew no one felt for you, cared what happened to you, did anything kind to or helpful for you, never extended you one unselfish act, or never even tried to understand you? What if people laughed when you hurt, rejoiced when you failed, found pleasure in your abuse, treated you unjustly, and deliberately misunderstood you?

Such people exist. Such places exist. We could create such a place right here without a lot of difficulty. All we have to do is destroy sensitivity toward people, and we produce such people and places.

There are times when we see the ugliness left when such sensitivity dies. It too often is seen when a crowd urges a distraught person to commit suicide. It is too often seen when a woman is gang-raped as people cheer. It too often happens when imprisoned people brutalize the defenseless. Nothing is more frightening and dangerous than people who have lost the ability to feel for or care about others. A human who thinks and feels like a vicious animal is a terrifying creature.

It costs to have compassion, kindness, caring, mercy, and understanding. Often those qualities create pain. We do not like prices, and we hate pain. If the cost of such qualities are too high, too painful, we can exercise the option not to feel and not to care. Sometimes we cope with high stress occupations and burnout by distancing ourselves from those who hurt and are in need. That is an "easy" coping mechanism for doctors, counselors, and preachers. It is certainly an convenient coping mechanism for those involved in prison work who often are forced to work with hardened, insensitive people.

Consider a jailor in Acts 16:19-34.

1. Background for the reading:
   1. Paul and his companions were instructed to go into the unevangelized region of Macedonia and preach the good news of Jesus.
      1. They immediately went to Philippi (a significant, prosperous Roman colony, but not the capital of the region).
         1. On their first Sabbath in Philippi, they went to the riverside to assemble with a Jewish group gathered there.
            1. Philippi was a Roman colony with special status in the area.
            2. It, as a city, was very fearful of any non-Roman religious influence, and that included Jewish influence.
            3. Such cities often required "new" religious influences in the region to gather outside the city walls–perhaps this indicates that Judaism was regarded to be a "new" and unwanted religious influence in a Roman city.
            4. It might also indicate there was a small Jewish population in that city.
            5. Paul taught the women gathered at this site or place.
            6. As a result, Lydia and her household (a prominent Jewess widow or single woman?) were baptized.
            7. She insisted that Paul and his company make her home (an indication of prominence) their headquarters while in Philippi.
            8. Her offer would give this new Christian group status in the Romanized city.
         2. One day a girl possessing a spirit of divination (a fortune teller) began following Paul.
            1. She was owned by two men who made money through her ability.
            2. As she followed Paul (and his company) she cried, Acts 16:17, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation."
               1. The words, “the Most High God” are literally translated, “a Most High God” (see the reference in a study Bible).
               2. Remember, this is an idolatrous city.
               3. Remember, the girl has a spirit of divination, not the spirit of Jesus Christ–she is not acting as Jesus’ helper.
               4. She is likely making a pagan statement of distraction, not of encouragement.
         3. Paul became extremely frustrated with her and her statement and commanded her spirit of divination to leave her.
            1. When he did, he agitated her owners by ending her usefulness to them in making money.
               1. They grabbed Paul and Silas and took them before the magistrates in the market place.
               2. They charged them with teaching customs it was illegal for Romans to obey–a very serious charge in a Roman colony!
            2. As a result, everyone became quite agitated (emotional) because the accusation meant they might lose some of their status as a Roman colony.
            3. Without a trial or hearing, the magistrates rushed to judgment and publicly beat Paul and Silas.
            4. They then placed them in jail and charged the jailor to keep them securely.
2. That introduces us to the insensitive pagan.
   1. Carefully consider who this man was as his day ended.
      1. In all probability he was a Roman soldier of rank who oversaw a jailhouse.
         1. Such people were not noted for their sensitivity.
         2. They were acquainted with violence and suffering which they were trained to inflict.
         3. Causing others to suffer was their job.
         4. Acts 16 documents the jailor was a man who was hardened to human suffering to the point he just did his job without noticing.
         5. Two men were brought to him in the late afternoon just having been publicly beaten.
         6. He was charged to keep them securely.
         7. Without concern for their pain, he does what he is told to do–he makes certain it is impossible for them to escape.
         8. He placed them in the foul smelling, filthy maximum security section and added to their discomfort by putting them in stocks.
         9. There sat Paul and Silas in the foul smelling darkness–wounds crusting over, not daring to try to lay down, feet locked in a fixed position, unable to stand, unable to help each other.
         10. The jailor was not moved, not concerned, not touched–without any conscience problem, he just goes to his comfortable quarters and goes to sleep.
         11. In their misery, Paul and Silas sang and prayed to the Lord they loved so much.
             2. They were singing and praying out loud–the other prisoners listened.
             3. In this way they revived themselves and lifted their spirits as they praised the Jesus they loved so much.
         12. Can you picture that scene?
             1. The insensitive jailor was sleeping in unconcerned comfort.
             2. Paul and Silas in horrible conditions were singing and praying to Jesus.
             3. The other prisoners were listening (not harassing, but listening).
         13. Suddenly an earthquake shook the jail house to its foundation.
             1. Doors flew open, chains fell from the walls, nothing lay between the prisoners and escape.
             2. All could go into the night if they wished!
   2. Look at the jailor!
      1. Before midnight all was under control and he had no worries.
      2. After all, the prisoners brought their troubles on themselves.
      3. He just did his job!
   3. One earthquake later and the jailor’s whole world crumbles!
      1. It was no accident that when the earthquake shook him awake that he headed for the locked cells.
      2. If the prisoners had escaped, he would be better off dead than to suffer the humiliation and penalties caused by their escape!
      3. Paul, knowing what the jailor was about to do, cried, "Do not kill yourself! We are all here!"
      4. A few hours ago he hardly noticed the suffering Paul, now that same Paul saved his life!
   4. Now look at the jailor.
      1. He called for lights and rushed to Paul and Silas’ cell.
      2. In trembling fear, he fell before them.
      3. With urgency, he asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
      4. They taught him about Jesus.
      5. He washed their backs, and they washed him and his household in baptism.
      6. He took Paul and Silas to his home, fed them, and greatly rejoiced.
   5. What a change!
      1. In the afternoon he secured two suffering men in horrible conditions as he "did his job;" at midnight he washed their stripes.
      2. He went to sleep harden to the suffering in his jail; at midnight he fell at the feet of the sufferers.
      3. That afternoon he was a hardened man in a hard world; that night he was a saved man filled with joy.
      4. That afternoon he was an insensitive pagan; that night he became a sensitive Christian because he knew about Jesus.
3. There are some important facts we need to note about the conversion of this man.
   1. First, we need to note his question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
      1. There is no way to know if this man heard Paul and Silas preaching prior to their arrest.
         1. We do know if he heard, he was unimpressed with the men or the message.
         2. He seemed to be a typical pagan in a pagan’s Roman world.
      2. Why ask that question?
         1. In some way he realized Paul and Silas were religious men.
         2. A common pagan belief focused on the gods acting favorably in behalf of those with whom they were pleased.
         3. It was not unusual to attribute events like an earthquake to the act of the gods.
         4. Since Paul did not escape, it would seem likely from a pagan perspective that the gods were with him.
         5. Whatever his reasons, this is obvious:
            1. The jailor realized Paul and Silas had a special relationship with deity.
            2. He knew they just saved his life, and that kindness astounded him.
            3. He knew they could address his need.
   2. Second, it is obvious he did not understand the full significance of what he asked.
      1. He did not know the source of salvation, how to approach the source, or how to change his condition.
      2. He just realized he had a need and these men had answers.
      3. Paul began the only place he could–with Jesus.
         1. One cannot place faith in what he does not know.
         2. They taught the jailor how to believe in Jesus.
         3. The jailor demonstrated his belief not with words but with actions.
   3. Third, note what learning about and believing in Jesus did to the man.
      1. He washed the beaten, bruised backs of Paul and Silas.
         1. The uncaring man became caring.
         2. The insensitive man became sensitive.
         3. What a beautiful example of repentance!
      2. He was baptized immediately when he learned about Jesus.
         1. That was not convenient–dark, without electricity or flashlights or kerosene lanterns, no baptistery, just a muddy river bank.
   4. Fourth, conversion (believing in Jesus, repentance, baptism) initiated a new direction for his life.
      1. He took Paul and Silas out of the jail, to his own home, and fed them.
      2. He did this in the joy of his salvation.
      3. I have no doubt this was the first time he did these things for prisoners!

Jesus came to destroy human insensitivity by destroying sin in our lives. He wants to destroy your insensitivity! He wants to make you a complete person by making you a compassionate person suitable for eternal relationship with God. Will you let him do that?

A Small Piece Brings a Huge Machine “to Life”

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

Years ago I was deer hunting in a remote area with my usual success-none! The hunting lease was at least five miles from the nearest house. This was long before cell phones! As usual, I hunted until dark-I could not see. I had a long walk through the woods back to my truck. Upon arrival, I shockingly realized I had no key! There I was beside a huge machine. However, because I had no key, it was useless to me!

This morning as I started my truck after working out at a rehab gym, I again considered that small piece of metal that could bring a big machine to life. I probably had $50 of gasoline in the tank, a few miles of wiring, a six cylinder engine, air conditioning (yes, it is hot enough now to need it early in the morning), new tires, a radio, and hundreds of pounds of metal, plastic, and cloth before me. Yet, none of it worked without that small key. Again I sat in awe as I considered that such a small thing allowed such a complex machine to function. The key did not give the machine its potential. It merely allowed that potential to roar into usefulness.

Grace is a small word. Basically it shows kindness and consideration when there is no call for kindness and consideration. Yet, what potential it unleashes! A useless being roars to useful life because that small word grace is utilized. Examples? Consider:

Thank God for giving us Jesus Christ when we are not worth the cost! Thank You for seeing our potential when we saw none! Thank You for giving us life when we were truly lifeless. Without Your grace, we are nothing. May we give as we received!

The Seekers

Posted by David on August 8, 2006 under Sermons

One of the most amazing realities in our world are the eyes of a child. Children see everything! Little escapes their attention. They dumbfound us with how observant they are. Because of their uncanny ability to observe, we adults who have small children attempt to "childproof" our homes. We deliberately go around our homes trying to see what a child might see. Then we remove or place out of reach anything that might harm a child. I guarantee you that when we adults try to see everything a child might see, the child will still see and approach things we did not notice.

A spiritual quality Christians should develop is having the observant eyes of a child. Christians need to be seekers. We need to observe the will and ways of God, not just look at them. I am not talking about seeing the mysterious that is veiled to the eyes of others. I am talking about seeing the ways of God that others often overlook.

1. Seekers have always been a great source of blessing.

   1. Consider early scientific and technological advances.

      1. Several hundred years ago a man named Columbus saw something with inquiring eyes.

         1. The vast majority of people devoutly believed the world was flat.

         2. The majority thought if ships sailed too far away from land, they would fall of the edge of the world.

         3. Columbus noted ships in the distance sank into the horizon rather than fading away.

         4. His observation eventually led to the discovery of the ‘new world.’

         5. He dared try to prove what he observed.

      2. Sir Isaac Newton noted something that happened from the time of creation.

         1. One day an apple fell and hit him.

         2. Things always fell!

         3. Yet, he said there must be a reason for this happening.

         4. As a result of his observation, he discovered the law of gravity.

         5. Gravity always had been there!

         6. But he noticed it and sought to understand its existence!

      3. Alexander Fleming opened the door to amazing wonder drugs.

         1. A petri dish he planned to use in an experiment was contaminated with mold.

         2. He set the dish aside planning to clean it later.

         3. Later, when he started to clean the petri dish, he noticed the mold killed the bacteria.

         4. That observation forced him to ask how and why.

         5. As a result, he discovered penicillin.

         6. Penicillin was not new–he just observed it for the first time.

      4. There are two points:

         1. To see truth, you have to open your eyes and observe honestly.

         2. To see truth, you must seek to understand what cannot be explained.

      5. Seeing truth is often unpopular.

         1. Most people thought Columbus was crazy for thinking the earth was round–he even had difficulty in getting sailors to go with him!

         2. People did not immediately applaud Sir Isaac Newton for his observation!
            Fleming’s observation bordered on the unbelievable!

         3. It always has taken courage and honesty to "see" what others fail to "see."

          

2. Scripture declares people who belong to Christ must be seekers.

   1. Jesus stressed the importance of seeking.

      1. In his sermon on the mount, he stressed it twice.

         1. Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

         2. Matthew 7:7,8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

         3. The kingdom is for seekers; spiritual discovery is for the seekers.

   2. Paul also stressed the value of seeking.

      1. Romans 2:7 "… to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;"

         1. Eternal life is for those who seek glory and honor in Christ.

         2. A vital difference between the rejected and the accepted in judgment will be found in the courage to seek.

      2. Colossians 3:1-3, Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

         1. The Colossian Christians needed to keep on seeking in Christ.

         2. The person who belongs to Christ must seek existence in Christ.

   3. The writer of Hebrews stressed the importance of seeking with these words:
      Hebrews 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

      1. An important expression of faith is trusting God to reward the seeker.

      2. It is not enough merely to believe God is.

   4. Jesus spoke plainly about those who refused to find the way to God through him.
      Matthew 13:13-15, Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ?You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’

      1. The courage to follow Jesus must include the courage to seek.

      2. Jesus can guide if we will have the courage to understand.

       

3. The critical importance of seeking is illustrated in Jesus’ ministry.

   1. Most of Jesus’ teaching were public teachings.

      1. Jewish people heard and saw the same things when they heard and saw Jesus.

      2. Jewish people witnessed the same thing when they saw his miracles.

   2. Yet, the seekers looked with honest, open eyes and the courage to believe what they saw.

      1. They saw God’s undeniable power in Jesus.

      2. They saw evidences of Jesus being God’s son.

      3. They saw the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the promised Messiah.

      4. They saw life and hope.

   3. However, the skeptics saw none of those things.

      1. They saw a crazy story teller.

      2. They saw a prince of demons, a political disaster, an impostor, and a rival.

      3. They saw a traitor to Israel.

   4. What people saw was greatly influenced by a willingness to seek–only those with courage and honesty could see what really happened as they saw Jesus for who and what he was.

    

4. Why is it so hard to be an honest seeker?

   1. Let’s be honest:

      1. Many in the Church of Christ are not seekers.

         1. We are tempted to be comfortable, satisfied belongers.

         2. Many of us do not want to find things that lead to responsibility.

      2. Most religious people are not seekers.

         1. It is dangerous to seek.

         2. The religious often seek contentment, not courage.

   2. It is hard to be an honest seeker.

      1. Seeking requires an open mind that is not afraid to learn and understand.

      2. Seeking demands a willingness to abandon old views for a new understanding built on better knowledge.

      3. Seeking demands a willingness to accept newly understood realities that have proven themselves true.

      4. Seeking demands the courage to change.

   3. It is difficult to be an honest seeker because it is simple to seek the wrong things.

      1. Many sought Jesus for the wrong reason–they wanted benefits rather than forgiveness and repentance.

      2. Many still seek Jesus for wrong reasons–they want eternal insurance or conscience ointment rather than the destruction of sin within them.

Followers of God and Jesus Christ must be seekers because God and Jesus Christ are seekers.

Are you a seeker? What do you seek? Do you have a child’s eyes that see everything to be seen? Or, are you content to walk through life always looking but never seeing? If you seek Jesus, is it not time you become simply a Christian?

The Obstacle Course

Posted by David on August 3, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

Adult life might be described as an obstacle course. The adult race begins with a heavy dose of hormones, increases speed with a challenging mixture of responsibilities, maintains speed with urgent achievements, slows unwillingly with increasing physical weaknesses, and coasts to a stop with lots of remembrances [and perhaps a pinch of wondering about “what if”].

The ?hormones’ can be responsible for temptations of poor judgment. The ?mixture of responsibilities’ involves temptations coming from new relationships that irreversibly change existence. The ?urgent responsibilities’ form temptations from the old ?new’ awareness-the need for health insurance, the need for life insurance, the need for a higher education fund for the kids’ college experience, the need for retirement funds for the end of work life, the need for work success, the need to be competitive when you do not have the energy to compete, etc. Temptations from ?physical weakness’ come from just plain wearing out-that is when you sing to yourself, “the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be.” The ?remembrances’ give rise to the temptations of regret [the fact there are no “do overs” available to change any part of your past you do not like].

To think adult life was easy in any past time frame is deceitful. To say, “But they didn’t have to contend with …” is misleading. Adult existence always has involved insecurity, uncertainty, and physical decline. Every time frame and circumstance had [has] its own forms of powerful temptations. The truth is that no adult “has it made.” Anyone who thinks that would likely not last long in a “has it made” situation.

The Christian commitment is not an easy commitment. It never has been. It never will be. He or she who expects it to become simple will only be disillusioned. Thankfully, we have a God so filled with mercy, grace, and forgiveness that our weaknesses never weary Him. He proved that is true and cared for all our needs in Jesus’ crucifixion. All we must do is ?run the course,’ obstacles and all, to express our appreciation for what He did and what He continues to do in our forgiveness.

Thanks to what God did, everyone who runs the race with his or her eyes on Jesus is a winner-not because of what we do, but because of what God did for us. Never have you attended a victory celebration that can begin to compare to the victory celebration of praise when those in Christ are welcomed home to live with God!

Where Is the Hole?

Posted by David on July 27, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

Every person at some time in his or her life has dropped a stone in water. It may have been throwing rocks in a pond. It may have been skipping a rock on a river. It may have been dropping pebbles in a mud hole. The end result is always the same: the rock sinks, small or large waves radiate in a circle from the point of the rock sinking, and then in a few minutes all is calm and smooth again. It is as though the stone was never there.

Consider one other interesting observance in this fascinating phenomena: there is no visible hole. Unless it is a huge rock and a big splash, most people see no hole. Quickly, virtually instantly, water closes over the rock, and it is as though the rock never entered the water. You can see the rings of waves circling the entry point of the rock. You can, with a high degree of ease, guess the entry point of the rock. Yet, there is no hole!

When a death occurs, relatives and close friends may grieve a long time. There is a hole in their lives that cannot be filled. To them, there is an emptiness, a sense of loss that is visible every day. However, it is not so to people in general. Life, like water, quickly fills the void. Suddenly, to everyone else, there is no “hole.”

There are only waves moving away from the life that ceased a physical existence. If the waves are high enough, there can be disaster or healing in them. The waves Jesus’ death made are still rolling strong 2,000 years after he died. In those waves are hope-the hope of redemption, the hope of an existence that death cannot touch.

Years ago three friends shared much in their lives. One day one of the three suddenly, unexpectedly, died. The next morning one of the living friends drove down the street and past the home of the dead friend. When he reached his office, he called the other living friend and said in a sober voice, “Nothing has changed!” A life disappeared. A huge hole was left in two friends’ hearts. Yet, life, unchanged, continued on.

All of us will die. Except for the few who were close to us, life quickly will cover us and move on. As time passes, most will forget we lived, rarely recalling our name. There is little most of us can do about that truth.

Yet, there is one thing. May the waves you leave behind give hope and not despair. May they bring abundance of purpose to others and not a meaningless existence. May people be blessed because you were.

In Christ, that is a possibility for all of us-no matter how big or small this world considers us to be. Make your life of lasting meaning to you and others by belonging to Christ!

Can You See Too Much?

Posted by David on July 20, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

The context of the above statement is fascinating. Jesus called the Pharisees and the scribes’ attention to the fact that their positions nullified one of God’s Ten Commandments given to Israel in Exodus 20. The Pharisees and scribes’ reasoning seemed to be this. God commanded us to take care of our elderly parents. However, the temple is a national institution built to honor God. It is more important [spiritual] to support the temple that serves God through sacrificial worship and prayer than it is to take care of parents. Thus if you commit something to support the temple that should be used to meet your parents’ need, you are excused from caring for your parents.

Jesus made this statement to illustrate they actually did what they accused him of doing by violating the tradition of the Jewish elders. Jesus also declared their hearts did not belong to God and their worship was useless.

Please remember the Pharisees and scribes existed as a significant spiritual influence and scriptural authority in Israel. Even to Jesus’ disciples, the Pharisees and scribes’ feelings mattered. At that moment, the disciples could not fathom Jesus’ insensitivity to the Pharisees and scribes’ feelings and reactions.

This is the point to note now: Jesus “saw” a reality that not even the twelve “saw.” In fact, the only person who “saw” this reality was Jesus. What Jesus “saw” was a fairly simple truth: we honor God by valuing what He values, not by honoring what we value.

It was Israel that considered the temple as more significant than parents. It was Israel that regarded worship at the national temple as more significant than a command from God Himself. Do you give God the greatest honor by offering a sacrifice at the temple, or by obeying God?

Was what Jesus “saw” true? Yes! Was what he “saw” significant? Absolutely! Did what he “saw” direct people away from God? Certainly! Did what he “saw” cause spiritual people to substitute their values for God’s values? Without question! Did what Jesus “saw” make him popular or appreciated? No!

As we spiritually mature, we “see” things we never “saw” before. More times than not, those around us do not “see” what we “see.” Blessed is the Christian who refuses to stop “seeing” because he/she develops spiritually. Blessed is the Christian who leads as he or she “sees” rather than destroys as he or she “sees.” Read Matthew 15:13-20.

Matthew 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ?I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

The Goodness of God

Posted by David on July 13, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

God is to be accepted and praised rather than measured by human values and understanding. When Paul wrote the letter to Christians in Rome [we know as the book of Romans in the New Testament], he wrote to Jewish Christians who questioned gentile Christian procedures, and gentile Christians who resented Jewish Christians. He wrote to a situation that harbored more brotherly resentment than brotherly love!

Gentile Christians resented the arrogance of Jewish Christians, and Jewish Christians questioned the legitimacy of the gentiles’ salvation. In the presence of all this ill will in the Christian community at Rome, Paul discussed some astounding principles in salvation. He discussed the fact that Abraham was justified by faith just as we are (4:1-5). He used David to prove there was a relationship with God in which God ignores sin (4:6-8). He declared the Christian can be at peace with God because of the trust he/she places in God (5:1). He said the Christian deliberately died to sin [rather than continuing to do sinful things] in order to be alive to God through Christ (6). He said the Christian chose to live in the release of God’s Spirit rather than the defeating slavery of legalistic human behavior (7, 8). He declared God could pursue His own purposes without being unjust even if humans did not grasp His choices (9:14-33). He affirmed that God was not trying to destroy the Jewish people in offering salvation to gentile people (11).

Jewish Christians could have easily reacted by saying, “God would not pursue salvation in that manner!” Gentile Christians could have easily reacted by saying, “God loves us more than He loves you!” Paul said to both groups, “Do not go there! If you do, you miss the primary point of God’s salvation!” As Paul explained in 12-15, appreciation of God’s salvation is to be seen in Christian behavior, not in a human evaluation of God’s actions.

Paul ended his inspired insights into God’s work in salvation with our opening scripture. In essence, Paul declared, “When I consider all God did for us in our salvation through Jesus Christ, I am overwhelmed! I want to praise the God deserving of all glory! I want to declare He is beyond our understanding and worthy of our glorification! God is God-and we will never be His equal!”

Does your life declare every day that God is God and we are not? Is your life a continuing worship of God? When you gather with others in Christ, are you filled with a desire to praise and glorify God in appreciation for all He has done in making forgiveness and relationship with Him possible? Does your faith depend on your understanding, or does your understanding depend on your faith?