Understanding God’s Acts So He Can Lead

Posted by David on February 20, 2005 under Sermons

[We begin with a welcome and a prayer.]

Among the hardest attitudes and behaviors for a Christian to learn is the attitude and behavior of humility. Yet, humility is a critical attitude in Christian existence. Our humility is essential for accessing God’s strength.

It is hard for American Christians to understand and to accept the fact that they are not in control. It is a part of our culture to emphasize the importance of the individual. The American dream stress opportunity for every person. Our constitution declares that it is a personal right to pursue happiness.

As a culture, for the past few decades we have attacked any cause of low self esteem. We have changed the American vocabulary. We have developed a ‘politically correct’ language. We stress the importance of being sensitive to other’s struggles. While it is true that each of us regard some things as an over reaction to past insensitivity, most of us also agree that some of those changes are good.

However, one undesirable affect of stressing the individual is the encouragement of arrogance. Arrogance often focuses on the importance of the individual. As individuals grow in a sense of personal importance, they grow away from a sense of humility. Arrogance erects barriers between a person and God. Humility destroys barriers between the person and God.

Through Christ God offers us incredible help. Humility allows the person to respond to and accept that help. We desperately need that help. We do not need to arrogantly instruct God. We need to humbly be instructed by God.

Unless we learn to listen to God, we destroy ourselves. Often our personal prayers focus on telling God what we want. Rarely in our personal prayers to we listen. To often in our service to God we see ourselves taking care of Him. God is alive. God is active. God will continue to be alive and active long after we are gone from life on this earth. God will continue to be a presence in this world as long as this world exists. You and I will not!

This evening as we read, may I challenge you to listen. After you listen, I challenge you to respond to what you hear by singing. We will think together by reading and we will respond to what we hear by singing.

John 4:5-26 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

[Song about hope: 533–“My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”]

John 4:27-38 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

[Song about sharing Jesus: 623–“If the Name of the Savior Is Precious To You”]

John 4:39-42 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

[Song about personal faith: 539–“Higher Ground”]

John 4:46-54 Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

[Song about personal faith: 470–“Victory In Jesus”]
[Prayer for faith (trust)]

1. John 4 reveals to us a very unlikely situation in the Samaritan woman. I would like to call some things to your attention.
   1. She was a very unlikely (to us undesirable) person for Jesus to use to alert Sychar to God’s work and actions.
      1. She is a Samaritan, and the Jewish people contemptuously considered Samaritans as religiously undesirable outcasts.
      2. The fact the she was alone when she came to draw water may indicate even her own people in her own village considered her an undesirable person.
      3. She was a divorcee–divorced five times!
      4. By Jewish standards and Samaritan standards (both accepted and followed Genesis through Deuteronomy), she is an immoral woman–she lived with a man to whom she was not married.
      5. Only Jesus would pick such a woman to be the first to carry news about him!
   2. Jesus used a daily, physical need (water) to increase her awareness of her eternal need.
      1. “You come to draw water that can only last until you return to draw water.”
      2. “I offer you water that is a permanent solution.”
      3. “I know who you are and what your real need is.”
   3. “God this very moment is in the process of changing the concept of worship.”
      1. “It will no longer be a ritual that is regarded to depend on ‘doing the right things at the right place.'”
      2. It will arise from the adoration of God from the individual regardless of where he or she geographically is.”
   4. She asked about the Messiah (how unlikely a person to know about the Messiah), and Jesus identified himself as the Messiah.
   5. Though she was an outcast, she led her village to the Messiah.
      1. Because she saw, they saw.
      2. Because they saw, faith came from themselves.

2. The second event also involved a very unlikely person–a man who was an official to the ruling Herod.
   1. As commonly is the case, rulers are not well liked.
      1. Consequently, being attached to the ruler had disadvantages as well as advantages.
      2. The man came to Jesus for miraculous help, and Jesus helped him–even though he knew the man’s motivation.
   2. Even though the man was an official, he confronted a situation he could do nothing about.

I challenge you to realize the fact that though we or any other person is undesirable does not mean Jesus cannot help us or use us. Jesus gives the hopeless hope. Use your life in the joy of having hope from Jesus. This week use what Jesus does for you to give hope to the hopeless.

[Invitation Song: 376–“He Paid A Debt”]
[Song: 222–“There’s Something About That Name”]
[Dismiss with Song: 227–“On Zion’s Glorious Summit”]

The Impact of ‘My’ Life

Posted by David on February 17, 2005 under Bulletin Articles

“What a rotten, lousy break! How horribly unfair! Don’t tell me the Lord is blessing me! Don’t challenge me to see good in this unjustifiable situation!” That easily could have been Joseph’s response to his “fall.” He was an undesirable teenager-probably the families’ arrogant tattletale. He was a rich man’s favored son. His father was married to two wives. Joseph had the wonderful situation of being the son of the favored wife.

In the older brothers’ experiences, Joseph was a pain in the neck, an intolerable threat to their future. The solution: catch Joseph away from Dad, sell him into slavery, and forever be rid of this brash, favored son who was an arrogant tattletale.

The undesirable teen brother quickly became a faith-filled slave. His owner prospered because of Joseph’s faith and relationship with God-and he knew it! Unthinkable choices for the teenager were faith choices for the slave! Joseph’s relationship with God was real! Because of Joseph’s attitude in grossly undesirable circumstances, God could and did work through him. Though Joseph knew he was a victim of injustice and forgetfulness, his faith in God unquestionably blessed others.

Many things happen in our world and families that we prefer not to happen. Sometimes we are filled with grief because we cannot “fix” a situation. Sometimes we are filled with despair when situations force us to face this truth: we have no power. In such moments we feel quite useless.

The power lies in God, not in us. God is the source of the power. In grace and mercy He gave us His son to lead us back to Him. It is through Jesus that a person grasps the nature, the character, and the power of God the Father.

What significance is that understanding? Our most powerful influence for good on those we care about arises from “who we are,” not “what we can do.” We are never the power to a permanent “fix”! We are merely encouragers who know what it means “to be.” When we have the faith “to be,” we allow God to work in and through us. A Christian’s greatest resource and power is the power of prayer. Through prayer, through faith “to be,” turn God loose to work through you! Joseph learned a person does not have to be the son of a rich man to trust God. A slave can do that!

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1, 2).

God Wants Us to Be Encouragers

Posted by David on February 13, 2005 under Sermons

I want us to begin our thoughts this evening with a reading from Hebrews 12:11-17.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

The objective of discipline is to teach someone you care about ‘how to live’. The person does not know ‘how to live’. The person is unlikely to understand ‘how to live’ from personal experience. By the time he or she realizes what he or she thought was a ‘good idea’ was a ‘horrible idea’, it is too late. Inescapable, irreversible consequences have occurred. The purpose of discipline is to make those inescapable, irreversible consequences unnecessary.

The difference between discipline and abuse is concern for the person. Discipline comes from the caring of love. Abuse comes from the selfishness of the abuser. God does not abuse His children, but he does discipline his children.

1. The context of the situation:
   1. My understanding is that the writer is writing Jewish Christians or proselytes [or both] because they were distressed and discouraged by the things going on.
      1. The declaration that Jesus was the resurrected Jewish Messiah or Christ began in Jerusalem on one of the holiest festival occasions in the Jewish nation.
      2. All the first converts were either Jews or proselytes.
      3. Christianity grew among the Jewish people in Palestine at an incredible rate.
      4. Though there was a lot of debate about Jesus’ identity as the Christ among the Jewish people, believers basically looked at Jesus and his teaching as we would look at the restoration movement.
      5. Jewish Christians commonly focused their expectations on the restoration of Israel as a nation.
         1. But that did not happen.
         2. The longer the movement continued, the more Israel ostracized Jews and proselytes who believed Jesus was the Christ.
         3. Constantly the pressure was placed on Jewish believers to make a decision–‘you can be a member of the nation of Israel, or you can be a Christian, but you cannot be both.’
         4. The Jewish Christians or proselytes to whom this letter was first written seemed to be giving serious consideration to returning to the good graces of Israel by renouncing any relationship with Jesus Christ.
   2. The basic message of the letter is this: ‘you cannot do that for two reasons: (1) Jesus is superior to the leadership and rites of Judaism; (2) the purpose of Israel is to allow God to make the resurrected Jesus the mediator between God and the people of the world.
      1. The letter systematically declares the resurrected Jesus’ superiority over the leading figures and rites of Israel.
      2. It gives Jewish Christians and proselytes a call to faith in Jesus as the Christ.
   3. That was a hard, challenging message to receive.
      1. It was hard for these people to understand that the nation of Israel was a vehicle to lead to and achieve God’s purposes rather than the goal of God’s purposes.
      2. People who were not Jews were becoming Christians in many places.
         1. These people had never offered sacrifices at the Jewish temple, had never been circumcised, had never lived by Jewish law or tradition or rites, and had never even understood the difference between clean and unclean.
         2. Now they who did and understood these things were being classified with the people who had never done these things.
         3. It is tough to be rejected by your own people!

2. The immediate context of the reading:
   1. God is disciplining you, not to destroy you, but to teach you how to live in Jesus Christ even if it means you do not have the approval of the nation of Israel.
      1. Discipline is not fun!
      2. Discipline focuses on a destruction, but the destruction does not have the objective of destroying the person.
      3. Discipline focuses on destroying something that threatens to destroy ‘me’.
      4. Often the person enduring the destruction has a lot of trouble distinguishing between ‘me’ and ‘that which wants to destroy me’.
   2. I don’t remember my father being mad at me many times.
      1. One time Dad was disking up our front yard to plant some grass.
      2. The disk he was using was a mule drawn disc with a seat on it.
      3. I thought it would be fun to ride on the disc, so as he came by me I decided to jump on.
      4. I missed the disc and fell through an opening on the disc.
         1. Dad just happened to see me jump out of the corner of his eye.
         2. He instantly said, “Whoa!” to the mule,” and the mule stopped.
      5. I had no idea of the danger I was in–the disc blades would have cut me to pieces.
      6. Knowing what could have happened if the mule had not stopped instantly really shook my Dad up.
      7. He made it very clear to me that I was never, never, never to try that again.
      8. Dad was not trying to destroy me; Dad was trying to keep me from destroying myself.
   3. Some of the Christians who received this letter were very discouraged.
      1. The writer was not trying to increase their discouragement.
      2. He was trying to get them to see the superiority of Jesus Christ.
      3. In fact, the writer said, “Help those who are discouraged!”

3. One of God’s priorities in the world is challenging His people to pursue peace.
   1. “Do not ‘write off’ believers who struggle and are weak!”
      1. That is a hard, challenging expectation!
      2. A Christian must not say to another Christian who does not understand, “Forget you!”
      3. A Christian must not say to another struggling Christian, “You are more trouble than you are worth!”
      4. A Christian must not say to a Christian who is confused by his or her expectations, “We would be better off without you!”
   2. Quite the opposite!
      1. Take special care of weak or struggling Christians.
      2. Make special provisions to care for the spiritually weak and feeble.
      3. It is by ministering to them that you help yourself.
      4. The objective is healing, not ostracizing.
   3. Pursue peace!
      1. Understand the importance of sanctification [holiness] which is found only in Jesus Christ.
      2. Value God’s grace and make it your aim for no Christian to leave that grace.
      3. Learn how to live in a manner that values the important.
      4. Do not be like Esau, and learn too late.

4. It is impossible to live for God in this culture or any culture on earth and not experience discouragement.
   1. The closer you come to God, the more clearly you will see the things that oppose God’s rule in the lives of people.
      1. We will be powerfully tempted to condemn and oppose people who are living in ways that openly oppose God.
      2. Much to often, we are more concerned about ourselves than we are about other people.
      3. It is easy to condemn; it is hard to help.
   2. We all need each other’s encouragement.
      1. I probably could swap experiences with any of you about Christians who have hurt and discouraged me.
      2. Not a single Christian here has not had many, many opportunities to give up following Jesus Christ because another Christian troubled or discouraged us.
      3. With ungodly forces in this world trying to destroy our faith in God’s accomplishments in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we never need to fight each other.
      4. I need to make it easier for you to follow Jesus Christ, not harder.
   3. This evening we began by listening to Mark Anders tell us how encouraging the prayer pager was to his family in a moment of crisis.
      1. Never doubt the power of prayer.
      2. Never doubt the power of encouragement.
      3. Use both to help others constantly.
      4. By helping others, you will help yourself.

Make a difference for the better by encouraging a Christian this week. Always look for opportunities to share your hope with people who do not know Jesus Christ. May someone give glory to God this week because of the impact of your life on them.

Personal Preference vs. God’s Instruction (“The Slippery Slope”)

Posted by David on February 6, 2005 under Sermons

I want to talk to you this evening. Were I to pick a mode of talk, it would be a conversational mode. My objective is not “to tell you something.” My objective is to challenge you to think and examine.

For me, for most of my life, preaching has been and is a form of teaching. It is not an effort to draw attention to me. It is the effort of using a message to draw attention to God. My primary objective anytime I preach to you or to any other audience is to challenge people to think and through thinking to reach a higher level of understanding and thereby a higher level of faith. To me, this opportunity is about much more than a 30 minute presentation.

My goal is to get inside your mind in a manner that you think and reflect on the ideas and concepts presented throughout the next week. I do not want you to emotionally react; I want you to reflect. I am not seeking a ‘that cannot be right’ reaction. I am seeking for a ‘I need to think about that’ reflection.

All of this has to do with my understanding and concept of faith in God and Jesus Christ His son. Faith is not a “blind trust.” Faith is not a matter or listening to someone who is obviously sincere and committed and accepting what he or she says as unforgettably correct. Neither is faith just a matter of placing confidence in your religious heritage.

I once lived in a community where most individuals held to the faith of the grandparents. What the person was religiously was principally determined by the convictions of the grandfather. The person might not know why grandfather held the conviction, but knowing why grandfather believed what he believed was unimportant.

Faith in God and Jesus Christ is the product of a combination of knowledge and understanding. David Chadwell is just one stepping stone on the path to greater understanding. The goal of David Chadwell must be this: to share realities that will help you understand that which you have not yet known.

God is much too big for one person or one person’s heritage fully to encompass. Our faith must be in what God did in Jesus Christ, not in a human movement or endeavor. What God did in Jesus Christ will always remain the same. Our challenge is to grow in understanding of what God did in Christ.

1. I want to begin with a simple, but often disturbing, understanding.
   1. Part one of the understanding is this: “When I confuse personal preference and divine command, my confusion is dangerous to me and to God’s will.”
      1. Everybody has personal preferences–me, you, and everyone you have ever met.
      2. Having personal preferences is absolutely okay–as long as I do not transform my preference into God’s will.
         1. Never assume your preference is God’s will.
         2. Never assume that you ‘think just exactly like God thinks.’
         3. Those assumptions were at the foundation of the most significant problem in the first century church.
   2. Part two of the understanding is this: “When I actually substitute my personal preferences for God’s will, spiritual disaster occurs.”
      1. Likely more religious error is taught in this world because a person thinks his personal preference is God’s will than for any other reason.
      2. When that substitution occurs in your convictions, error will result.
   3. Let me share with you two personal illustrations.
      1. When I was a child, in my home congregation, I learned and sang “Showers of Blessings.”
         1. In my home congregation during my childhood, that was a very popular song.
            The chorus: “Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need;
            Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.”
         2. I personally cannot sing that song.
         3. I cannot look at my life in so far as physical blessings or spiritual blessings and call what has happened to me “mercy drops.”
         4. As far as I am concerned, my plea does not need to be for an abundance that I do not have, but for wisdom to use the abundance I do have.
         5. However, that focuses on my personal preference.
         6. Not everyone has my life.
         7. Because I cannot sing that song does not mean no one else can sing that song–some have struggles I do not have.
      2. Some use the word “hallelujah” in comical ways.
         1. The word comes from a Hebrew word that means “praise the Lord.”
         2. It was used to give adoration to God.
         3. I cannot understand what the word means and use it for purposes other than giving praise to God.
         4. My personal preference is to acknowledge the word and use the word only for its original intent.
         5. However, I cannot impose my preference on others as God’s law.
      3. There are many areas of personal preference that we need to recognize as preference.
         1. I use the New American Standard translation in my studies, teaching, and preaching–the translation a person uses is a matter of personal preference.
         2. The times of assembly are a matter of personal preference.
         3. The songs we sing are a matter of personal preference as long as our songs honor our God.
         4. Because you follow my preferences does not prove you are a person of faith, and because you disagree with my preferences does not mean you have left faith.
         5. Yet, we are more likely to get emotional about preferences than we are clear instruction from scripture.

2. One of the most common arguments we use to assert the control of our preference is the ‘slippery slope’ argument which is closely related to the domino theory.
   1. The ‘slippery slope’ argument is ‘you cannot do that because of what it will lead to.’
      1. Thus it has to be wrong because of what may eventually result.
      2. ‘We occupy the high ground here at point A.
         1. ‘Everything is tilted downward toward evil.
         2. ‘If we start down the slope, we cannot stop–we will just keep sliding toward evil.
         3. Point B is down the slope.
         4. No one can stop at point B–even if they try to stop, the person will surely slide to the bottom at point C and will be overcome in a horrible situation.
      3. The ‘slippery slope’ argument is not confined to religious considerations; it is used against many considerations we opposed.
         1. One of the largest poor decisions made in my lifetime was based on a ‘slippery slope’ argument.
         2. This argument was used as the justification and rationale for the Vietnam war.
         3. The rationale was this: if South Vietnam fell to communism, then all Southeast Asia would fall to communism. If all Southeast Asia fell to communism, then India would fall to communism. Then other major population areas would fall to communism, and before Americans know it, communism would take over this nation. Therefore, if we wish to keep communism out of America, we must stop it in Vietnam.
         4. America was forced to pull out of Vietnam, and, in time, the power behind the communist movement ceased to exist.
         5. Today, there are 5 Communist countries in the world. [China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba]
         6. There was no slippery slope.
      4. The same argument was presented in the 1960s that the ‘slippery slope’ of Medicare would inevitably lead to a socialized America which would produce a communist America.
      5. The ‘slippery slope’ argument often is an appeal to emotion and fear, not fact.
      6. It is the argument that because C at the bottom of the ‘slope’ is wrong, that B is the middle of the ‘slope’ has to be wrong.
         1. First, one needs to prove the ‘slope’ in fact exists.
         2. Second, one needs to show that is the objective or agenda of specific people to move things down the ‘slope.’
   2. A form of this argument is the domino theory.
      1. The argument goes if A falls, B must fall, and if B falls, C must fall, etc.
      2. As a result, something far, far down the line that is most undesirable will occur.
      3. So to keep the undesirable from happening, we must not let A fall.

3. Allow me to use the ‘slippery slope’ argument and scripture to challenge you to think. Let’s begin by reading 2 Peter 2:20-22.
   For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
   1. Let’s use the ‘slippery slope’ argument in regard to this passage.
      1. Peter clearly wrote that it was worse for someone to convert to Jesus Christ and then desert Jesus Christ.
         1. For a person to escape the defilement of the impure forces that oppose God through the knowledge of Jesus Christ,
         2. For the same person to be again entangled in that which they escaped and be overcome by those impure forces that oppose God,
         3. The result of leaving Christ is worse than the result of never coming to Christ.
      2. It would have been better for them to never have become a Christian than to become a Christian and leave Jesus Christ.
         1. He is like the dog that eats its own vomit.
         2. He is like the cleaned pig that goes back to the mud.
   2. Solution:
      1. If it is worse for a person to return to the rule and control of sin after he has accepted the control of Christ,
      2. If the end result is worse than if he never became a Christian,
      3. Then lets refuse to baptize anyone into Christ.
         1. No matter how genuine he is,
         2. No matter how much he begs,
         3. Let’s do him a favor and refuse to baptize him–because he may leave Christ, and if he does he will face worse consequences than he would face if he never became a Christian.
         4. Slippery slope!
   3. Hopefully, every single one of us would say, “Ridiculous! Stupid reasoning!”
      1. A person who enters Christ not only has the potential of succeeding,
      2. God will work with him so that he will succeed (Romans 8:31-39).
      3. Yet, the ‘slippery slope’ argument says be controlled by your fear, not by the promises of your God.

In closing, let me issue a challenge. Think! Use your faith! Never substitute your personal preferences for God’s will!

Our Greatest Influence

Posted by David on February 3, 2005 under Bulletin Articles

What is our greatest Christian influence in life? Words of condemnation or encouragement? Achievements? What we do for others? How we lead? How we follow? Our children? The money or property we acquire? Our lifestyle? Our death? How often we go to church? What we do for the church? Or something else?

On two occasions last week I heard the same statement in two situations. First, the statement was made regarding a couple as tribute to the way their lives served others. The second was from people attending a funeral regarding the lady who died.

The statement: “They are/were good people.” This was made in regard to the couple and to the deceased lady and her husband (who preceded her in death). In both instances, it was made by people whose lives were beneficially touched.

A striking reality I frequently encounter is this: people do not know how to live. Much of my life is spent sharing realities about life’s focus. As our culture “advances,” people’s challenges and problems become more (not less!) complex.

Two things astound me. First: numerous persons have little or no idea that choices and decisions produce consequences. Careless, thoughtless choices and decisions commonly produce bad consequences. It is astounding to witness how often people are shocked because choices or decisions made with little thought produce devastating consequences in their lives.

Second: people have a poor concept of God. With no disrespect intended, often people’s concept of God is the concept of an idol. He is what they make Him. They are definite about what He is and what He is not. They are certain about what He does and does not like. They are convicted about what He will and will not do for them (though most emphasis is on the “will”).

As a result, in each situation, God is commonly the “scapegoat” when something occurs they do not like. With strong conviction, they “know” the bad happening is God’s fault!

My life is spent as a preacher and writer. Obviously, I believe in the power of words. I have not lost confidence in the power of words (or I would not be writing this!).

Yet, I am convinced something is more powerful than words. A life well lived in faith is more powerful than words. I am not speaking of success-centered, or pleasure-centered, or fun-filled, or wealth-filled life. I speak of life well lived — a life that treats even an enemy with respect and kindness, that treats all with compassion, that draws his/her values and standards from God and lives by them, that understands faith is a 24/7 commitment, that understands Christ is reflected by service rather than control.

Only those who know how to live by faith know how to die by faith. These Christians teach people how to live! What do people learn about living from your life?

Agenda — God’s or Mine?

Posted by David on January 27, 2005 under Bulletin Articles

Unfortunately, Christians allow that attitude to explain much that happens among ourselves. If “I” do it, “my” reason is noble. However, if “you” do it, “you” are up to something. This attitude too often is adopted by Christians for numerous reasons. (1) There are con artists that use religion to work their cons. (2) Often people have “hidden agendas.” (3) Spiritual maturity is a demanding (often disturbing) journey-it is a journey, not a destination. (4) Maturing requires growth, and growth produces change. (5) Forming “emotional attachments” frequently attacks understanding. (6) It is hard to accept previously unknown information.

The pursuit of God’s will is a humbling, demanding challenge. The human finite mind will never fully comprehend the infinite God. That reality is distressing! The more we understand God, the more we are challenged. The more we are challenged, the more we grow. The more we grow, the more we confront the need to develop. As we spiritually develop, changes produced by improved understandings are certain.

As a result, the question, “What are they up to?” is horribly inadequate. Quite frequently, all that “they” are “up to” is allowing God’s will to transform them. That dedication often leads Christians to what other Christians declare to be the unthinkable.

Consider a first century example. Commonly, devout Jews did not approve of idol-worshipping Gentiles becoming 100% children in God’s family without converting to Judaism first. This disapproval was a major problem in the early church. Even Jewish Christians said, “Gentiles (1) have the wrong ancestry; (2) are not covenant people; and (3) come from the wrong moral/ethical background!” Justice is done to their concerns with these statements: “God would not do that! God does not think that way! God is upset! We demand things be done our way!”

Yet, it was God’s intent to bring all people to Him through Jesus Christ. While that is a common understanding to most of us, it was a radical, unthinkable, preposterous suggestion to first century Israel who were “the people who belong to God” for almost 1500 years. They were certain they understood God’s thinking, but they did not. May we accept the challenge to pursue God’s agenda and never call God’s values preposterous.

When God’s People Value That Which God Does Not Value

Posted by David on January 20, 2005 under Bulletin Articles

On occasions Jesus condemned the motives and desires of the most prestigious in Israel’s religious ranks. Jesus’ statements concerning these religiously prestigious persons was so unthinkable that his closest disciples were astounded. (See Matthew 15:12.)

Matthew 23:12 is among Jesus’ most critical statements of these people known as the Pharisees. Please note three things. (1) When they read scripture (i.e., “sat on Moses’ seat”), they should be heeded. They shared God’s instructions, not theirs. (2) Yet, they had no concern for people. They were judges of others’ weaknesses or failures. They were unconcerned about encouraging or helping. They enjoyed making loads heavy, not assisting in carrying loads. (3) They loved occupying positions of prestige. They were certain of their significance! They loved others confirming their significance.

Jesus’ directive is chilling! When they speak from scripture, listen. However, do not act like they act. God’s key to spiritual greatness is found in humility, not in prestige.

It is easy to criticize the Pharisees. It is equally easy to repeat their mistakes. God was humble enough to care about us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). God was compassionate enough to send His son to us to direct us to Him (the way, the truth, the life-John 14:6, 7). God was (is) forgiving enough to cleanse us even when He knows we will fail again (1 John 1:5-10). None of us stand approved before God because we are so good, but because we are sanctified and justified in Jesus.

It is quite humbling to realize this: what God through Jesus Christ does for me each day He does for every other man and woman in Christ each day. No Christian is given the prerogative of judging those in Christ. Every Christian has the privilege of encouraging those in Christ. May the Lord say of each of us, “Follow his/her example.” Never let Him say of us, “Do not behave like he/she behaves.”

A Focus on God’s Nature

Posted by David on January 16, 2005 under Sermons

Artificial Differences vs. Real Differences

Posted by David on January 13, 2005 under Bulletin Articles

Jesus made this statement to the 12 Jewish disciples who had likely spent their entire lives in a Jewish community in a Jewish household as members of Jewish families. He said this to men who knew Jewish tradition and Jewish customs in the heart of Jewish culture.

Perhaps you ask, “David, why all this emphasis on ?Jewish, Jewish, Jewish’?” For this reason: it was too easy for them to place confidence in the fact that they were Jewish. “We are the right people! We do the right things! That is what makes us God’s people!”

Jesus said, “Wrong! There is an artificial distinction, and there is a godly distinction. To place spiritual confidence in ancestry and procedures is artificial. Rightful confidence comes from allowing God’s nature and character to become our nature and character. When we allow God’s nature and character to determine our nature and character, we will be different. It will not be produced by isolation, ancestry, or unique customs!

“Even the people you regard to be the height of wickedness (Jewish tax collectors collecting for Roman interests; idol worshippers)-even they like people who like them and greet people who approve of them. If we are kind only to people who like us, how are we different from people we regard to be wicked?

“Do we not realize that God is not that way? He lets the sun shine on and the rain water the crops of those who do not even acknowledge His existence. Let God be our guide and example! Let God determine how we act! Do not place confidence in human identity! Who we are is important, but what we are is even more important!”

How is Jesus’ statement relevant to Christians today? It is scary to see how may of us place our confidence in “where my membership is.” It is scary to see how often we allow the foundation of our faithfulness to stand on our preferences or on identity marks that are rooted in our past and not in scripture. It is scary to see how often we make scripture fit our convictions rather than allowing scripture to determine our convictions. It is scary to see how often we use only scriptures we are convinced support our convictions.

Jesus told the 12 not to do such things. Allow God’s nature and character to be your guide and example. That makes you radically different! Different enough to treat enemies with a kindness that rises from love! That’s hard! The objective of being Christian is to reflect God in whom and what we are. That’s hard! We praise God because He gives us this opportunity in Jesus Christ! Accepting that opportunity is demanding! It is easy to rest on the past! It is demanding to be a spiritual being!

The Grace/Works Challenge

Posted by David on January 9, 2005 under Sermons