The Courage to Learn

Posted by David on April 6, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

1935-2006

It is easy to indoctrinate. It is hard to teach. Why? Indoctrination only requires that willing people give you their minds for you to tell them what to accept. Teaching requires the student to possess his own thoughts, but to learn how to think. It is harder to teach people to possess their thoughts and think than it is to capture minds of willing people and tell them what to think.

For a number of reasons, I rarely discuss the death of a member in this article. In this article, I make an exception. Richard Hostetler died last Friday in Sallisaw, Oklahoma after a lengthy illness. Richard was a member of this congregation, but had not been able to attend for health reasons for a few months.

Early after I came to work with you, Richard-after hearing a few lessons-came to me to offer what I would call ?insightful encouragement.’ Frequently he would specifically encourage me in some matter. His insights were always appreciated.

Since his death, two members of the class he was in stated how much he would be missed. Both commented on his biblical scholarship. One discussed his positive attitude and his insightfulness. Both observed what an addition to the class he was. When was the last time you heard members of a class grieve the loss of a Bible scholar and a positive attitude in their Bible class? All those who were blessed by Richard will miss him!

Repentance (part 2)

Posted by David on April 2, 2006 under Sermons

Genesis 15:1-6 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Psalm 32:1-7 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Romans 4:1-1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

1. One of the reasons we think religious acceptance is so tough today is this: We have a poor understanding of how tough religious acceptance was in the first century.
   1. Jewish Christians simply could not accept as truth and fact that God could accept idol worshippers in a forgiveness relationship without going through Judaism, the law, and proselytism.
      1. If you will consider a little insight into a huge problem, listen to the difficulty voiced in these three statements from the Bible.
         1. Acts 11:1-3 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
            1. This was the manner in which Peter was greeted by Christians when he returned to Jerusalem after baptizing the non-Jew Cornelius.
            2. Cornelius was a god fearer–a devout man who feared God, gave alms to poor Jews, and prayed to Jehovah God daily. This was not a man who worshipped idols and did not know who God was!
            3. The issue was more fundamental than baptism: “You had table fellowship with him–you know no Jew can do that!”
            4. If Jews cannot even associate with them, how can God forgive them?
         2. Acts 15:1-5 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
            1. Paul and Barnabas returned from their 1st missionary journey [which God directed them to go on] in which they converted gentiles.
            2. They returned to a huge argument in the gentile church who sent them out: the argument was from Jewish Christians from Judea [likely Jerusalem] with Christians [the church] in Antioch [likely the first gentile congregation].
            3. Paul and Barnabas could not settle the argument!
            4. The matter had to be referred to the apostles in Jerusalem.
            5. When the matter was discussed, some Pharisee Christians said gentile Christians must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses! Such compliance was not an option!
         3. Acts 21:17-26 After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
            1. Paul and his company were well received by the leadership of the Jerusalem church–the leader obviously had an understanding of evangelism among gentiles that many of the typical members did not have.
            2. The leaders also had a problem: how were they going to dispel false rumors about Paul’s work among gentiles?
            3. They encouraged Paul to demonstrate his Jewish ways [which he did not bind on gentiles] to try to dispel false accusations believed by the Christian community among the Jews and in Jerusalem.
            4. Paul did as they requested, and there is no note of objection.
            5. Jews did not have to stop being Jews and gentiles did not have to stop being gentiles [culturally] for either of them to be Christians.
   2. In his letter to the Christians living in Rome, Paul affirmed there was [and always had been] a relationship with God in which God ignored some people’s sins.
      1. That had been the case in the lives of two of the most prominent Israelite ancestors the Jewish nation celebrated.
         1. It was true in Abraham’s life before he was circumcised.
         2. It was true in King David’s life when he had his affair with Bathsheba.
         3. It was true in David’s life when he had Uriah killed.
            • Leviticus 20:10 If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
            • Leviticus 24:17 If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death.
         4. Yet, the prophet Nathan told David:
            • 2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.”
            1. “Wait a minute! We are talking about adultery and murder here!”
            2. Yes, but it clearly stated God took his sin away, and he would not die.
            3. Were there consequences from his act? Absolutely! And they were severe!
            4. Yet, God forgave him.
            5. God can forgive an offense against Him [and does!] but the offense can set in motion consequences in the world that continue even when forgiveness is given.
         5. If you doubt God’s ability to forgive by refusing to acknowledge sin, take note of two facts.
            1. David kept Bathsheba as a wife.
            2. The next king of Israel was Solomon who was the son of David and Bathsheba.
      2. There is a relationship with God in which God ignores a person’s sins [which is what forgiveness is basically about!]
         1. Rules keeping is not relationship.
         2. Relationship is much deeper than rules keeping.
         3. Obedience involves much more than keeping some rules.
      3. Repentance is about relationship.
         1. Repentance involves the realization of an injustice that hurts and offends the God who loves you.
         2. Repentance involves returning love to Someone who loves you dearly.
         3. Repentance is not about ‘jumping through hoops’ to complete some divine obstacle course.
         4. Repentance is about loving enough to regret offenses, about redirecting life because ‘I have been offensive to Someone who has treated me kindly.’

2. Who needs this forgiveness in which God does not hold us accountable for a sin committed?
   1. We all do!
      1. Do you actually think you are aware, fully knowledgeable of every way available to you to offend God?
      2. Have you never learned something in which you did evil that previously you did not realize any evil was involved?
   2. John acknowledged God’s solution to our sinfulness in 1 John 1:5-10 when he declared that God cleanses us from ALL sin through Jesus Christ and cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness if we confess our sins (that which we know to confess).
      1. Who needs God’s solution?
         1. We all do!
         2. Thank God He forgives me of matters I am yet to realize! If He did not, none of us would stand a chance!
      2. Does that give me a license to knowingly be irresponsible in matters of evil?
         1. No!
         2. It gives me hope as I seek to follow God’s will.
         3. I cannot be perfect, but I can be honest when I fail God.
   3. To whom does God attribute righteousness?
      1. To the person who in faith repents!
      2. We do not live as we please deliberately remaining in ignorance so we can do as we please!
      3. We seek God’s will!
      4. Life for every Christian is a constant redirection as we understand more completely what a godly life is about.
      5. Only people who understand God brings the best out of them repent!

God has a special appreciation for the man or woman [Christian] who: (1) assumes a sense of personal responsibility when he or she fails [guilt]; (2) is honest about his or her failure [confesses the mistake!]; and (3) learns from the failure [redirects life, repents]. That special appreciation from God is expressed in His forgiveness that refuses to acknowledge the sin.

Our commitment must be to develop that type of relationship with God!

What Does Faith in God Mean?

Posted by David on March 30, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

Questions: Is God at work ONLY when good things happen to us? Or is God working when ?bad’ things happen to us as well as ?good’ things? How can we know when what we perceive as a ?bad’ thing is actually a ?good’ thing? If what we want would eventually destroy our souls, is what we want a ?bad’ thing or a ?good’ thing?

Was God at work when Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter? Was God at work when Moses killed the Egyptian? Was God at work when Moses fled to the wilderness? Was God at work at the burning bush? Was God at work when Moses finally agreed to return to Egypt to lead Israel out of Egypt?

Was God at work in the ten incredible events? Yes. Was that a miserable time for some people? Yes. Was God at work when Israel left Egypt at night? Yes. Was that a convenient moment to begin an exodus journey? No. Was God at work in the wilderness? Yes. Was that a wonderful, simple vacation experience? No. Was God at work when Israel conquered Canaan? Yes. Did Israelites die in that conflict? Yes. Do you think that was ?family fun time’ for those grieving the losses?

Consider. Was the fall to the Babylonians fun? No. Was the Babylonian captivity fun? No. Was God at work? Yes. Were Daniel and other righteous people taken captive? Yes. When Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls, was it ?fun time’? No. Was God at work? Yes.

What about the crucifixion of Jesus? Or the death of James? of Paul? of Peter? of a number of Christians? of persecutions? of imprisonments? of riots in protest of faith in Jesus Christ?

Is our attitude to be ?if it’s good, God is at work; if it’s bad, God is absent’? Is a real war between God’s purposes and Satan’s anger raging? If so, will there be casualties? Can God’s purposes be accomplished as surely through the wounding or death of Christians as certainly as through good things happening to Christians?

To me this is an obvious truth throughout the Bible: God works through sacrifice as well as reward. God’s people do not belong to Him because they cannot be touched by evil circumstances. God’s people belong to Him because evil circumstances cannot defeat them. Because they are so strong? No! Because in any circumstance, Satan is NEVER bigger than God.

Christians place full confidence in Jesus’ cross! They place equal confidence in Jesus’ empty tomb! Evil may hurt any of us physically, but it cannot stop the triumphant resurrection of every person in Jesus Christ! Because we are good? No! Because God is good! Of that there is no question in the heart of every Christian man or woman!

Repentance (part 1)

Posted by David on March 26, 2006 under Sermons

In the readings, pay special attention to the word ‘repent’ and ‘repentance.’

A statement about the ministry of John the Baptist:

The Power of Contentment

Posted by David on March 23, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

When Paul wrote the above statement, he discussed people who used Christianity as a means of financial success. These were people who viewed godliness as a means of obtaining wealth. Why should they not reach that conclusion? In both the worlds of Judaism and idolatry, those who controlled the workings of temples were wealthy people. Obtaining wealth was not to be Timothy’s motivation in his ministry.

Paul recommended a different focus to Timothy: godliness combined with contentment. Both are complex subjects. One focuses on a correct view of God. The other focuses on our attitude toward our complete environment. Of the two, we American Christians likely find ?contentment’ the more complex. That does not suggest we have ?mastered’ godliness! Yet, rarely do we humans [at least in this society] find and experience contentment. When we think we find it, we likely are ?discontent’ with our contentment. Everything that is ?good’ with us could be better!

I laughed at myself this week. I fell in late August and dislocated my left shoulder. This week for the first time I slept one night without my left arm awakening me. Even the few times I slept all night, I was aware that my arm hurt. Had I slept all night two months ago without an awareness of my left arm hurting, I would have shouted, “Wonderful!” Last week I said to myself, “Wonder when it will happen two consecutive nights?” When (if) that happens [knowing me], I already know what I will say to myself: “Wonder when it will happen for a week?” If that occurs, I will say to myself, “Wonder when it will happen for a month?” At that milestone, I will say to myself, “Wonder when it will happen indefinitely?”

What should I say each step of the way? “Thank you, God!” [with genuine appreciation!] I seek to remind myself of something we all need to remember: “Instead of complaining about the bad things, be aware of and grateful for the good things.” In our society, it seems to be more ?natural’ to keep tract of complaints than to be grateful for blessings!

To me, a powerful Christian example of the principle of contentment combined with godliness is found in Philippians 1. Paul, who unjustly was in prison, comforted Christians at Philippi by declaring how his imprisonment blessed the spread of knowledge about Jesus Christ. Wow! What awareness in horrible circumstances!

Are you a Christian? Pray to God and ask Him be your source of strength as He enables you to see His blessings in every situation and circumstance. Being a godly person is a complex commitment. Being content is a choice. Choose to see and acknowledge blessings even when your circumstances are a mess!

The Christian Worldview (part 7)

Posted by David on March 19, 2006 under Sermons

THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
part 7

In these readings, take note of the word “gospel.”

Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Mark 1:14,15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Acts 8:25,40 So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. … But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Acts 15:6-11 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Acts 20:18-24 “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

This evening I want to challenge you to think about something you likely are sure you understood a long time ago. In fact, all of us are sure we have a complete understanding of this subject. There has been no need to think about it, because we understood all there was to know about it. There was no need to discuss it because everything was settled about this subject a long, long time ago.

This evening I want you to think with me for a few minutes about the gospel.

1. The basic meaning of the word “gospel” is “good news.”
   1. Personally, I wish for our sakes today that the Greek word for “gospel” had been translated “good news.” The concept of good news is familiar; the word “gospel” is a strange word to most of us.
      1. Outside of a religious context, do you ever use the word “gospel” in any other context?
      2. For most of us, the word “gospel” is strictly a religious word used only when we use our “church language.” We just assume when we use the word other people know what we are talking about.
   2. When we tell someone we want to teach the “gospel” to them, many of them cringe. In fact, some people will do anything they can to prevent us from sharing the “gospel” with them. They may say, “I don’t want to talk about church things,” or, “I don’t want to talk about religion.”
      1. Do you understand the why of that?
      2. The word means good news, but many people do not expect good news when we tell them we want to discuss the gospel with them.
      3. The truth is that when people discuss the “gospel” with others, they might hear anything. Would you like to tell someone what to expect in such a discussion?
      4. Consider some of the ways we use the concept of gospel:
         1. Good news–you are going to hell!
         2. Good news–you are going to held accountable for every mistake you make!
         3. Good news–you cannot escape God’s judgment after death!
         4. Good news–you should be living in a sense of guilt and despair!
      5. Is there any way we would consider any of those statements good news?
         1. “Good news–God is going to stomp all over you, and there is nothing you can do about it because you are no match for God!” That is good news?
         2. “Good news–God is keeping a list of your mistakes, and you can never fool Him!” That is good news?
         3. “Good news–after you die you are going to suffer so much that you will wish you could die again–but you can’t!” That is good news?
         4. “Good news–there is coming a time when you are going to pay for every wrong you have done–without exception!” That is good news?

2. Then what is the good news?
   1. The problem:
      1. All of us are very weak, and our own worst enemy.
      2. We–all of us–do a horrible job of distinguishing between right and wrong, good and evil, what is kind and what is mean, being compassionate and being judgmental, and showing mercy instead of demanding justice.
      3. So often when we face a complex situation we just do not know what to do.
      4. Yet, when we are in need, we all want kindness, compassion, and mercy.
      5. If we are compared to God in any way, we just do not measure up at all.
      6. We are trapped by our own mistakes, and there is nothing we can do of ourselves to get ourselves out of the trap we created as a consequence of our own mistakes.
   2. The good news:
      1. God is not our enemy! As undesirable and “yukkie” as we are, God wants us.
      2. God does not merely want us, but He loves us. And He has worked very hard for thousands of years and has been very patient to solve our problem.
      3. He loves us so much that He sent us Jesus to enable us to do all the things we could not possibly do without him.
      4. Jesus is the forever symbol of how real, how genuine, and how deep God’s love is for us. When you look at Jesus, you see in flesh and blood God’s love for us.
      5. God wants to forgive us and has done everything necessary for us to receive forgiveness.
      6. The good news: who we were does not have to determine who we are; we can be cleansed; we can start over; we can be released from the trap and be forgiven.
      7. This can happen for any one regardless of who they are or what they have done because a loving God is on our side and wants for us to be forgiven.

3. We need to be very careful not to give people the wrong impression of God.
   1. Are we ultimately responsible for our choices and behavior? Absolutely!
      1. Must we assume responsibility for the way we live our lives? Surely!
      2. Must we seek God’s will and obey him? Certainly!
      3. However, the truth of those statements does not mean that God is our enemy.
   2. Speaking as a parent, my children must be responsible for their choices and behavior.
      1. When they lived with me, I made it no secret that I expected obedience.
      2. After they leave home, I hope they will continue to make choices on the basis of the principles that I taught them
      3. However, in no way does that mean I did not love them as children or do not love them now.
      4. In no way does that make me their enemy.
   3. We are not declaring we do not need to obey God when we declare the truth that God is not our enemy.
      1. We really need to understand that stressing people’s responsibility to come to God is not declaring the core of the gospel, the good news.
      2. The core of the good news is that God loves us and wants to help us even if our lives are a mess.
      3. The proof of God’s commitment to us is Jesus Christ.

4. God specializes in what seems to us to be lost causes.
   1. The night that Jesus was tried by the Jews, Peter (Jesus’ most committed friend who vowed he would never deny Jesus) cursed and swore the he had never known Jesus (Matthew 26:74).
      1. If someone treated us that way, we would be very angry!
      2. Less than two months later (50 days), it was this same man God used to preach the resurrection of Jesus and the fact that God made Jesus Lord and Christ in the city he denied Jesus.
         1. People simply do not do things that way!
         2. Did Peter repent (turn himself around)? Surely!
         3. The man who was a fearful coward the night of Jesus’ betrayal, publicly in broad daylight stood up for God’s work in Jesus on the day of Pentecost.
   2. Let me call your attention to a statement Paul made (a statement very familiar to most of you).
      1 Timothy 1:12-16 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
      1. Prior to being a Christian, Paul was a very religious man, but a very mean man–his religious perspective made him mean.
      2. He said of himself when offering his defense before King Agrippa in Acts 26:9-11:
         So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
         1. By our standards, the pre-Christian Paul was an obsessed hate monger, not a nice man.
         2. He did many things hostile to the name of Jesus; he put Christians in Jewish prisons; he encouraged the executions of Christians; he used physical force (pain!) in his attempt to get Christians to blaspheme; he was furiously enraged at Christians; he was willing to go outside of Palestine to arrest Christians.
      3. In the statement to Timothy, he described himself at that time as a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor.
      4. To put his point in our words, Paul said, “If God could save me, God can save anyone.”
      5. He even said that this was one of the reasons God forgave Paul.
      6. That is how serious God is about saving people!

5. I want to share a biblical example with you that I have thought about for a few years.
   1. The example I call you attention to is found in a letter of Paul’s to Corinthian Christians we know as 1 Corinthians 7:21-24.
      Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.
      1. The slavery discussed in the New Testament and American slavery years ago were quite different in some specific ways.
         1. First century slavery was not racial–you did not have one race serving another race.
         2. A person could become a slave in many ways–failure to pay debts, birth, a P.O.W. in a Roman war are some examples.
         3. It was not unusual for people who were slaves to be well educated and from the highest levels of society.
            1. Such people were commonly bought to be household slaves.
            2. In a world that very much sanctioned fornication, adultery, and homosexuality, it was not unusual for slaves to be expected to serve in sexual roles.
            3. Slaves were property; to refuse a order from a member of the owner’s family could mean harsh penalties including death.
      2. Paul said if you are a Christian who is a slave, do not make the goal of your life escaping slavery.
         1. He said that your circumstances as a slave was not a hindrance to God’s purposes.
         2. He said you could be a Christian even if you had no control over what happened to you.
      3. That is how much God is on your side!
   2. “Does it make you nervous to realize how we today might misuse that example?” Certainly!
      1. Paul was not talking about justifying our behavior.
      2. Paul was talking about circumstances we have no control over.
      3. He said that even if a Christian was in circumstances he or she could not control, he or she had no choice in, he or she still belonged to God and could was useful to God.
   3. That is how much God loves us and wants to save us!

The issue is not and never has been, “Can God save me?” The issue is, “Do you want God’s forgiveness? Do you want to belong to God?”

Because of God’s acts in Jesus, it is every person’s choice! That is the good news!

Who Do You Seek to Please?

Posted by David on March 16, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

To be a ruler in Palestine who had to maintain allegiance to Roman control was complex. The Jewish people in the first century hated their loss of independence. They viewed rulers dependent on Rome as enemies. They were endlessly on the verge of defiance through violence. They were almost impossible to appease. Ruling first century Jewish people was a headache, not a picnic! Their anger and volatility could make or break Roman appointed rulers! They often “broke” such rulers!

There is a small but insightful statement in Acts 12:3. Herod Agrippa I mistreated the church. The verse begins this way: “And when he saw that it pleased the Jews …” Mistreating Christians was in his political best interest as he tried to rule some very difficult people, so he continued to mistreat Christians in order to make his work easier.

In life’s complicated challenges, always consciously keep service to God as a real option. When you deal with complex situations in your family, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” When you deal with complex situations in your marriage, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” When you deal with complex situations in your work, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” When you deal with complex situations in your training, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” And when you are tempted to be selfish in your decisions, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my selfishness?”

Who do you seek to please? Your wife? Your husband? Your children? Your boss? Your clients? Your peers? Yourself? Whose interests define who you are and what your life is about?

Ungodly people typically cannot be pleased. To the degree that they are ungodly, they are unappeasable. To the degree that a person is selfish, he or she is unappeasable. Godly people can be pleased when their focus is on God. To the degree that a situation focuses such people on God, they are challenged to do and produce good.

Who do you seek to please? Ungodly people? Yourself? God? The more it is your intentional aim to please God, the more life’s journey becomes a joy and the less it becomes drudgery. Making the reactions of anyone else the foundation of your life is simply too complicated!

The Christian Worldview (part 6)

Posted by David on March 12, 2006 under Sermons

THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
part 6

1 John 2:12-17 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

John 16:25-33 (Jesus to his twelve disciples shortly before His betrayal) “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

When it comes to personal satisfaction, Americans have an important love affair with speed. Though the speed limit on highways is 55 to 65 in this region of the country, we insist on owning cars that go twice that fast. We want food fast. If the food does not come as fast as we think it should in a restaurant, we will not go back to that place. If we make a purchase that involves a lot of money, we want possession of what we buy “right now.” If we have to wait, we complain–and want to know why our wait was necessary!

We expect “one hour development” for our film. Yet, better still is to go digitial–we like to see the picture we just made. We want the oil and filter changed in our cars and trucks in less than 30 minutes. We want a convenient ATM close to where we live. We love convenience in stores. We hate waiting in line. Most states have removed waiting periods for a marriage to occur. We have made it as convenient as possible to divorce quickly. We not only want a cure for an illness; we want a fast cure.

This society [and some others] wants gratification “now.” We just do not want it; we demand it. It is our right! Some of the most popular commercial words and phrases in our society are “fast acting,” “instant relief,” “immediate delivery,” “quick service,” and “no waiting.”

All wars involving us should be fast, bloodless, and pose no danger to the American people. All jobs need to consider the needs of the workers above everything else. The highest form of responsibility is responsibility to self. As we say, “You owe it to yourself.”

The American worldview is “immediate gratification.” The Christian worldview is “delayed gratification.”

Tonight I want us to consider a huge topic in just a few minutes.

1. Gratification basically is the pursuit of something that brings satisfaction.
   1. In this society, gratification is the pursuit of things that bring me personal satisfaction.
      1. In this country, being a teenager is often about seeking what makes “me” happy.
      2. In this country, dating is often about seeking what makes “me” happy by providing “me” satisfaction.
      3. In this country, marriage is often about “me” being happy in a lifestyle that satisfies “me”.
      4. In this country, one of the most important qualities of a job is “my satisfaction” in the context of “my sense of personal fulfillment.”
      5. In this country, quality of life is commonly considered everything.
   2. While we often laugh at some ideas, it seems to me that our laughter regarding personal satisfaction is often a mask for realities we do not care to consider seriously.
      1. For example, all of us most likely have heard or asked the question, “Are we having fun yet?”
      2. In this society “having fun” is the ultimate expression on personal satisfaction.
      3. If we are not having fun, we are being deprived of what many regard as a personal right, and we get depressed.
      4. Many think, “It is my right to be happy, and I cannot be happy if I am not having fun.”
      5. Thus if we look at someone and say, “That is no fun!” we are basically saying, “You cannot be happy living that way because that way of life is not fun, and if there is no fun, happiness is an impossibility.”
   3. In some societies, people live in the knowledge they will never have what they want-in fact they rarely think about what they want because they spend most of their thinking time trying to determine how to survive.
      1. Some of us have lived through times in which it was quite unlikely that the common person would have what he or she wanted.
      2. Many of us have lived through times that declared maybe someday in the distant future we might have what we want.
      3. Now most of us live in a time when we want what we want yesterday because today is not soon enough.
   4. I truly feel sorry for adults who marry having never experienced anything but prosperity.
      1. I have three children 42, 40, and 37–thus I speak as a parent who has thought about this.
      2. Have you added up the cost a newly wed couple faces today when they begin life together?
         1. A house or apartment?
         2. Furniture, appliances, television, CD player, microwave, etc.?
         3. One maybe two road worthy cars?
         4. Clothes for job or career?
         5. Recreational equipment?
      3. If you have lived all your memory life in a prosperous home, those things are just “normal living.”
         1. So what the couple expects from the first day of marriage is to “live normally.”
         2. One of the biggest threats to new marriages is expense!
   5. An essential part of the credit mentality in this and other Western societies is this: “I cannot wait until I can afford to buy what I want [need]. Therefore I will give you a part of what I plan to make in the future to have what I want [need] right now.”
      1. Too many of us cannot understand the concept of delayed gratification.
      2. Too many of us insist on having immediate gratification.
      3. “If you will give me the personal satisfaction that I want right now, I will pay you for that satisfaction for years and years.”
   6. We think that the key to happiness in this life is having the things you want.
      1. That is not true!
      2. Many are surrounded with the things they want and are very unhappy!
      3. Happiness involves much, much more than merely surrounding ourselves with the things we want!

2. This world [I am speaking of physical existence in this physical environment] is basically evil.
   1. To think that there is an existence in this physical world that will provide me an existence of daily fun through a satisfying lifestyle is to be deceived.
      1. There is no way that everything in physical existence is going to be “okay” in the sense of always working out just exactly like we want it.
         1. I am not trying to be pessimistic, I am trying to get you to think honestly.
         2. I am surely not saying that there are not many thoughtful, caring people.
         3. I am saying that we cannot and must not equate God’s blessings with physical benefits.
         4. Just look among us–and my perspective is to consider the people in this congregation good people who care about others.
            1. There are lots of widows and widowers here, and most of them represent a commitment story of love.
            2. There are lots of single, divorced people here, and everyone of them represent a broken heart.
            3. There are lots of blended families here, and many in those situations have memories they would prefer never to think about.
            4. There is lots of premature deaths here that represent accidents, diseases, and sickness we do not like to think of as being part of godly people’s experiences.
            5. There is a lot of financial struggle and disappointment here when physically things are anything but okay.
            6. There is a lot of disappointment and heartache here–most of us could tell a sad story that is completely true.
      2. If we think that we someday in this world are going to achieve a fulfilling lifestyle in which everything is wonderful, we are setting ourselves up for a major spiritual crisis.
   2. There are two basic ways to look at physical existence.
      1. One way is to view humanity as basically good.
         1. We can go about doing good as Jesus did because people make it easy to do good.
         2. When people are less than good, that is the rare exception, not the rule.
      2. One view is humanity is basically evil.
         1. If people are left to do as they please, they collectively will sink to their lowest common denominator.
         2. Humanity’s appetite for pleasure, appetite for greed, appetite for power, and appetite for selfishness continually will move it in a downward spiral.
      3. We live in the most prosperous, free society on earth–what we have is the envy of the world.
         1. Yet, everyone of us has to account for injustice in this society.
         2. Everyone of us have to account for spouse abuse in this society.
         3. Everyone of us have to account for child abuse and child neglect in this society.
         4. Everyone of us have to account for pornography, affairs, casual sex, and adultery in this society.
         5. Everyone of us have to account for theft, blue collar crime, dishonesty, financial scams, and violent crime in this society.
      4. How do you explain a people having the highest standard of living in the world and being so unjust in their actions at the same time?

3. To be Christian is to understand God’s promise of delayed gratification.
   1. We will not make this physical world “heaven on earth.”
      1. Instead we prepare to be part of an existence in which there is no evil.
      2. In that existence people will never be used or neglected in order to acquire things.
      3. People will be valued because they are in the image of God.
   2. Yes, Christians want to be God’s light and preserving power for good in this world.
      1. However, many in this world do not want what God offers–they prefer the pleasures of evil.
      2. There are consequences to doing evil, but the gratification is immediate.
      3. There are consequences to doing good, and the gratification is greater, but it is delayed.

I want you to consider two readings as we close.

1 Peter 2:9-12 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Hebrews 11:13-16 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

We exist to encourage people to belong to God. That is our purpose. However, we do not belong here, and never will.

Theory Is Fine, But Practicing Is Hard

Posted by David on March 9, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

The theory of forgiveness is wonderful. Practicing forgiveness is hard. The theory of compassion is wonderful. Practicing compassion is hard. The theory of mercy is wonderful. Practicing mercy is hard. The theory of grace is wonderful. Practicing grace is hard.

Why is it so difficult to be forgiving, compassionate, merciful, or a person of grace? Why? Because you forgive those who hurt you, show compassion to those who offend you, show mercy to those who do not deserve kindness, and give grace to those “who do not deserve it.” If I do not deserve it and receive it, it is wonderful! If you do not deserve it, why bother?-You are just getting the consequences you deserve!

The standard is not “us.” We “measure up” pretty well to people. What is the standard? It is what God did and does for all in Jesus Christ. That is one standard above all of us!

In the above passage, Jesus completed the undesirable, humiliating task of washing feet. He asked the twelve, “Do you understand what I did? I gave you an example. And you are not superior to me. So?’put your money where your mouth is.'”

Satan constantly (all our lives!) places us in circumstances that demand we validate our theory by our behavior. He did with Jesus and will with us. He did with the twelve and will with us. He did with the 1st century church and will with the 21st century church.

It is easy to declare God’s love for all, but can be demanding to take God’s love to all. It is easy to declare that God champions the weak and helpless, but demanding to care for them. It is easy to declare kindness to all, but demanding to be kind to all. It is easy to declare God’s caring, but demanding to be an agent of God’s caring.

Matthew 5:43-48, You have heard that it was said, ?You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

It is simple to become God’s child. It is demanding to live as God’s child.

The Christian Worldview (part 5)

Posted by David on March 5, 2006 under Sermons

THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
part 5

Romans 1:18-32 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

This evening you may not agree with me. If you do not, that is okay. This evening my objective is not focused on getting you to agree with me. My objective is focused on making you think.

This evening I would like for you to think about God. The basis of the Christian’s worldview is based on the Christian’s perspective of God. I am not challenging you to think about Jesus Christ. I am challenging you to think about God the Father, the central character of the Bible.

1. I want to begin by challenging you to think about the Bible.
   1. The Bible is not about humans.
      1. Humanity, either as persons, individually or collectively, is not the central character(s) of the Bible.
         1. The central focus of the Bible is not on people, not on humanity.
         2. Surely, it talks about a lot of people.
         3. Surely, it has a lot to say about the basic need of humanity.
         4. However, even though that is true, the Bible is not based on the actions of people.
      2. The Bible is a book about God.
         1. Surely it speaks much and repeatedly about the human reaction to God.
         2. Surely humanity’s interaction with God is a constant theme in the material.
         3. However, God is the central character of the Bible.
            1. It begins with these words in Genesis 1:1.
               In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
            2. It ends with God and His Lamb enthroned in the heavenly, eternal kingdom in Revelation 22.
         4. Everything between the opening and the ending is in some way related to the great human need–correcting the separation of humanity from God.
         5. The central problem of the Bible is how is God going to address that human need.
         6. The Bible –Old Testament and New– focuses on God’s solution to that human need.

2. Humanity’s separation from God created by human rebellion in accepting evil produced a horrible problem that humans could not resolve of themselves.
   1. The Old Testament’s emphasis is not on an “angry” God who had to be appeased.
      1. For certain, God was angry for two reasons.
         1. Something very precious to Him, something that He made and allowed to share His nature, was taken from Him through deceit and rebellion.
         2. As God tried to eliminate the problem, humanity kept resisting His efforts–the harder God tried to provide humanity a solution, the more determined humanity became in its rebellion.
         3. God was far more patient than any of us would be.
      2. However, the patience of God is declared repeatedly.
         1. God was patient with Abraham’s descendants.
         2. God was patient with Israel (the nation God formed from Abraham’s descendants) in the wilderness.
         3. God was patient with Israel in the period of the judges. (Read the last two stories in the book of Judges.)
         4. God was patient with Israel in the United Kingdom.
         5. God was patient in the Divided Kingdom.
         6. God was patient with the returning remnant.
      3. Though humanity failed repeatedly, God refused to give up.
   2. The typical American Christian of today has virtually no idea of how violent the ancient world was. People’s behavior was everything God was not.
      1. Most Americans do not grasp how violent today’s world is.
      2. We were once used to being privileged international tourists who can go anywhere and receive exceptional treatment.
      3. We have developed the view that American blood is more precious and valuable than the blood of people in other nations and geographical places; that is our view and not God’s.
      4. It has been only in about the past decade and a half that we increasingly look at many other places as unsafe.

3. God wishes to be at peace with humanity-that is not a new desire!
   1. There is a lot of emphasis in scripture on God’s desire for peace with humanity.
      • Acts 10:34-38 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)–you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
        1. “God cares about everybody–I just now understand that, but God always has been that way.”
        2. “God wants the persons who reverence Him–no matter what nationality he or she is.”
        3. “Jesus Christ is God’s message of peace!”
      • Romans 5:1,2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
        1. Faith in Jesus Christ is our access to God’s peace.
        2. We have access to God’s grace through having faith in Jesus Christ.
      • Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
        1. A natural expression of the fruit of the Spirit is peace.
      • Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
        1. Rejoicing should be a natural expression of being in Jesus Christ.
        2. Those in Christ Jesus have no need to be anxious because the Lord is near.
        3. If we are in Christ Jesus, we are guarded by God’s peace–even when we cannot explain it!
      • Hebrews 13:20,21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
        1. God is a God of peace!
        2. God is the equipper!
        3. God will use us for His glory!
   2. The fact that we are at peace with God does not mean we will have peace in this physical world.
      1. Do you remember these words spoken by Jesus to the twelve not long before he was betrayed?
         John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
         1. In a few hours of that statement Jesus died a horrible death.
         2. In a few hours of that statement the twelve were scattered.
      2. There were times the church Jesus established endured severe persecution.
      3. Tradition says all but one of the twelve died a premature death.
      4. The promise of peace obviously did not include a wonderful existence in this world!
      5. The peace God grants us is peace with God!
         1. We do not have to live in fear!
         2. We do not have to live with guilty consciences!
         3. We do not have to live unforgiven!
         4. We do not have to live without hope!
         5. We can live in the compassion and mercy of God’s grace!
         6. The peace that God grants is internal, and that is the form of peace we value the most!
   3. We American Christians are conditioned primarily to think in terms of material and physical peace.
      1. We want to live in a physically safe society in a physically safe world.
         1. It is to be expected if someone living in another nation suffers, but it is not all right if “one of us” suffers.
         2. We do not want to suffer from disease.
         3. We do not want to die prematurely.
         4. We do not want to be in situations that threaten physical life.
      2. We want to define peace as everything being okay right here, right now.
         1. We want that so much that we even define Christianity in terms in which there are no physical threats.
         2. If we are not careful, we decide our covenant with God through Jesus Christ is an agreement that everything will be just fine right now.
         3. As a result, too many Christians lose their faith in God when life does not go just exactly as they want it to go.
         4. In too many Christians’ concept, life is all about us right here, right now.

The Christian worldview understands peace is found in God! Not prosperity, not the physically “good” lifestyle, not an insurance policy against disease, not a guarantee that you will not die an early death, but peace!

Peace is not about the physical! Peace is about the internal!