Rejoicing and Groaning

Posted by David on June 8, 2003 under Bulletin Articles

This congregation brings me joy in many ways. I see the elders increasingly focus on shepherding human needs. I see Christians showing compassion with a sense of passion for God. I see quiet kindness and obvious kindness. I see incredible generosity, in depth caring, compassionate service, generous commitment, and selfless sacrifice. I see thoughtful things done for individuals, for families, and for groups.

Always, I am hesitant to note specifics for fear I will forget something truly noteworthy. Think of things you know happen–health clinics in third world countries using equipment CARE collected, loaded, unloaded, and shipped; school children receiving eye exams and glasses this fall because of equipment, supplies, and volunteers coming from your concern; 300 people from the inner city community receiving help here last Saturday; the inner city community outreach; the Hispanic conversions; 41 members returning from Mexico; a group leaving for Guyana; involvements in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Thailand, Laos, Romania, France, etc.; the blossoming college student work; local, active declarations that we care because God shows us how to love; the struggling encouraged; the hurting to whom we minister; the confused to whom we provide guidance.

Consider the quilting ladies, the VBS planners and workers, the quiet maintenance people, the teachers, the projectionists, the song leaders, etc. I am constantly amazed by the number of caring people involved in our weekly functions!

Is everything ideal? No! I am equally amazed at how discouraged some are in the same spiritual environment. Who is at fault when that occurs? No one! We all have different background experiences. We all have different needs. We all perceive differently, learn differently, understand differently, grasp differently, feel acceptance differently, feel rejection differently, and find purpose differently. That is not “good” or “bad.” It is just real. It may be just different, but it is absolutely real.

Reality demands God’s people in God’s kingdom be flexible, always learn, always grow toward God’s purposes, and always spiritually mature in understanding God’s priorities. People are different. That does not bother God, but it sure bothers us. God can forgive all who come to Jesus–even if they are different. God can give grace and mercy to anyone–even if he or she is different. God can make a son or daughter from anyone–even when he or she is different. Through Christ, God can place anyone in His kingdom and use him or her–even if he or she is different!

Should we rejoice when good is done in Jesus’ name? Absolutely! Should we pat ourselves on the back? Never! Why? For every good thing done in Jesus’ name, someone in need cries for help. Our challenge: be as flexible as God is in meeting needs and encouraging us who are different.

Familiar Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Posted by David on June 1, 2003 under Sermons

This evening I am going to do all I can do to make you think, and by thinking to grow closer to God, and in the process of growing closer to God to deepen your faith in Jesus our Savior and God our Father. I truly hope that our thinking this evening will open [even further] your heart and your mind the God’s Spirit.

When I was growing up, certain scriptures that were frequently emphasized in the pulpit and in classes. One of those scriptures was 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. To many of you, that is a very familiar passage.

1. The only translation I heard of this scripture as I was growing up was the King James translation.
   1. In the King James translation, these verses are translated:
      2 Timothy 3:16,17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
      1. The common emphasis given to this statement was:
         1. “All scripture” was the Bible with emphasis on the New Testament.
         2. “Inspiration of God” was rarely discussed, and when it was there were differences of opinion as to the means God used to give scripture. Whatever means was emphasized usually involved some literal, “hands on” approach such as dictation.
         3. Much emphasis was given to what scripture was profitable for:
            1. Doctrine–a basic teaching or principle that must be believed
            2. Reproof–a declaration of what is wrong
            3. Correction–a declaration of what is right
            4. Instruction of all things God wants done.
            5. Thus scripture supplies every spiritual need people have.
            6. Much of the time it was assumed that when we talked about the adequacy of scripture, we were talking about the New Testament.
         4. “The man of God” was a Christian.
         5. “Perfect” meant without flaw or blemish.
         6. “Thoroughly furnished to every good work” meant God specifically told us in Scripture everything He wanted us to do, and we must do only that.
   2. My sophomore year at David Lipscomb College I was introduced to the American Standard translation by some godly men who were serious students of Scripture. The result of that inclusion in my studies introduced me to some understandings that were not new, but that I had not heard them.
      2 Timothy 3:16,17 Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
      1. In this translation, the emphasis is slightly different.
      2. If it is scripture, it is from God.
      3. Its benefits go beyond the fact it is from God: it is beneficial for all spiritual needs.
      4. The objective of scripture is to make the person who belongs to God spiritually complete–the concept of maturity rather than the concept of flawlessness.
         1. It “furnishes” the person who belongs to God.
         2. It directs that person towards God’s good work.
      5. For the first time I was introduced to an understanding I had never considered before–in this statement Paul was more likely referring to the Old Testament scriptures than the New Testament scriptures.
   3. When I was on the mission field, a friend and fellow preacher visited us and brought me a copy of the New American Standard translation.
      2 Timothy 3:16,17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
      1. The emphasis is not different, just more specific.
      2. If it is scripture, God was involved in producing it. Scripture is divine directive, not human advice.
      3. The purpose of scripture is to develop adequacy in the person who belongs to God.
         1. No human being can be spiritually adequate apart from scripture,
         2. Or, unless the person who belongs to God depends on scripture, he or she will be spiritually inadequate.

2. All of this was just a matter of growth and development in understanding.
   1. Most of that growth was not revelatory in nature when I realized is was okay to grow in understanding.
      1. My first transition required that I do some thinking and understanding instead of just defending what I had always heard and thought.
         1. After I understood that it was desirable [more than okay] to move toward spiritual maturity, I had a sense of privilege and appreciation instead of a sense of crisis.
         2. If it is scripture, God is actively involved in producing it.
         3. The objective of scripture: to allow God to address the spiritual inadequacy of men and women who belong to God.
         4. We cannot know what God considers good unless we know scripture. [Our history, traditions, or heritages cannot teach us–an understanding of scripture always takes precedence over those things.]
      2. The only real challenge to my thinking was the realization that when Paul wrote these words to Timothy, the evidence indicates he was speaking of what you and I call the Old Testament.
   2. Consider some situations.
      1. The scriptures of the early first century church were the Old Testament scriptures.
         1. When the first century was half over, most of the New Testament had not been written.
         2. It was more than a hundred years after the letters were written that they were generously accepted as scripture and declared to be a part of the Bible.
      2. What is your image of a Christian in 45 AD studying the word of God?
         1. It is likely that no New Testament writing that you and I have in our Bible was even written in 45 AD–the books you and I study so much had not even been written a decade after Jesus’ resurrection.
         2. No Christian teacher would say to a class, “Read the book of Philemon this week and we will discuss it in class next Sunday.”
         3. No Christian would say, “Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5…”
         4. If you were a Jewish Christian, you had heard what we call the Old Testament discussed in the Jewish synagogue all your life.
         5. If you were not a Jew, but a fourth or fifth generation idol worshipper, it is possible you had never heard Jewish scripture.
      3. To remind yourself of the importance of Old Testament scripture in the early church, go back and examine how often a writer like Paul, or James, or the author of Hebrews used the Old Testament to give authority to his statement.
         1. Let me use just the example of Paul’s writing we know as Romans.
         2. Paul used the Old Testament to prove the Jewish people of the first century misrepresented God’s intentions in Romans 2:17-29.
         3. He used Old Testament history and quotations to prove God’s love for people who were not Jews in Romans 3.
         4. He used Old Testament history and quotations to prove the power and importance of faith in Romans 4.
         5. He used Old Testament history and quotations to prove that God was not unjust to first century Israel in saving people who were not Jews in Romans 9.
         6. He used numerous Old Testament quotes to verify the importance of faith in Jesus Christ and his word in Romans 10.
         7. He used Old Testament quotes to prove that God had not rejected Israel by making Jesus Christ Lord in Romans 11.
         8. He used the Old Testament’s ten commandments to verify the power of love in Romans 13.
         9. He used an Old Testament quote to verify that it was wrong for Christians to pass judgment on each other in Romans 14.
         10. He used Old Testament quotations to verify that Jewish Christians should change the way they looked at Christians who were not Jews in Romans 15.
         11. Paul made enormous use of Old Testament scriptures in teaching Christians.
   3. Listen to these words written almost a thousand years before Jesus’ birth:
      Psalm 119:105-112 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me Your ordinances. My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end.

3. Let me direct your attention back to 2 Timothy.
   1. In 1:5 Paul said he remembered the sincere faith that existed in Timothy that first lived in his grandmother Lois and then in his mother Eunice.
      1. Question: how did that sincere faith come alive in his grandmother and mother?
      2. By studying what you and I call the New Testament?
         1. That is very unlikely in his mother.
         2. That is nearly impossible for his grandmother.
         3. The faith that Paul so admired in Timothy began with his grandmother’s acceptance of the message of Old Testament Scripture.
   2. Let me close with a statement Paul made to the Christians at Corinth regarding a whole list of Old Testament events:

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

If we want to be the righteous people who belong to God, we dare not neglect a proper understanding of Old Testament scriptures.

Substituting Hope for Despair

Posted by David on under Sermons

This morning I want you to focus your attention on Christian hope.

The first century world in which Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected was a very brutal age. When I say it was brutal, I mean we would declare it to be brutal if we compared it to our American middle class culture.

In the early first century, the amphitheater called the Circus Maximus was an established reality in the city of Rome. Basically, it was an oval chariot race track (2,035 feet long and 460 feet wide and three stories high). It was used for a variety of things in its early history including chariot races, gladiator fights, wild animal hunts. Early in the history of that amphitheater, chariot races were authorized to be conducted there 17 days a year. Typically, 10 to 12 races a day were run with each race traveling around the race track 7 laps. Because the races were so popular, in time, the number of days devoted to racing were increased. The horses for those chariot races were carefully bred and trained, but the drivers were often untrained slaves. Often the results were violent crashes that maimed or killed the horses and the drivers.

Since the circus maximus could seat around 200,000 people, it also became a forum for the masses anonymously shouting grievances to the emperor. Some emperors did not appreciate this voice of descent. At times people were killed for daring to speak out.

The chariot races were a popular, violent form of entertainment in Rome.

In late first century Rome the Coliseum became extremely popular. Though it was Nero’s idea, it was built after his death. In its early history it was called the Flavian Amphitheater, named for the family of emperors who built it. Centuries later it was known as the Coliseum because of the 120 foot high statue of Nero that stood in front of it.

It measured 620 feet by 510 feet and was also 3 stories [160 feet] high. It seated between 40,000 and 60,000 people. While it was home to a number of entertainment activities, by far the most popular were the gladiator fights. The crowds loved blood and killing. What they considered entertainment, we would call murder.

Anyone in Rome’s society could attend, but where you sat depended on your station in their society. When Emperor Titus opened the Coliseum, he had 100 consecutive days of gladiator contests. By the beginning of the second century, there was a contest in which, 4,941 pairs of gladiators fought each other.

Men who fought as gladiators in the Coliseum were trained. At times unarmed criminals and slaves were slaughtered in the Coliseum by gladiators as a form of punishment.

Exotic animals were imported from all over the world to be slaughtered in the Coliseum “hunts”. As many as 5000 animals were killed in a single day in the Coliseum.

Slavery was common in first century Rome.

To be a slave was to be another person’s property. The person who owned you could do anything he or she pleased with you–that even included sexual acts [not excluding homosexuality], physical abuse, and death.

The Roman culture used slaves more than any previous culture. In the first century in both Rome and the Roman empire, the ratio of slaves to free people was about one slave for every three free persons. The only hope a slave had in his or her harsh life was the small chance that some day he or she might be free.

1. How can an enduring hope exist in a society filled with injustice, despair, and death?
   1. I want you to focus your attention on some statements Paul made to Christians in the blood thirsty, brutal city of Rome.
      1. Romans 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
         1. “Life is tough, but I want to understand the benefits of living in this difficult, evil world.”
         2. “Troubles give us Christians the ability to persevere [hang in there].”
         3. “‘Hanging in there’ demonstrates we have godly character.”
         4. “Developing God’s character strengthens our hope.”
         5. “That hope does not disappoint us. Why? Because that hope is built on God, not on justice, or prosperity, or living the ‘good life’.”
         6. “God lives in our hearts, and a tough life cannot touch that.”
         7. “God’s Spirit lives in us, and an evil world cannot take God’s Spirit away from us–it is God’s gift to us.”
      2. Romans 8:18-25 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
         1. “We Christians dare not compare our suffering in this evil world to what God will someday give us in His world.”
         2. “Nothing in this entire creation is as God intended.”
         3. “Everything that exists knows it has been perverted; only when everything belongs to God will anything be as it should be. Everything is corrupted and enslaved by evil.”
         4. “It is not just humans who have been perverted by evil; it is everything God made.”
         5. “We were saved to live in the hope of what is to come.”
         6. “We have not yet received what God will give us, but we eagerly wait for it.”
      3. Romans 12:9-13 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
         1. This is the character of the man or woman who has given himself or herself to God and lives each day on God’s altar as a living sacrifice.
         2. We hate evil but will not turn loose of good.
         3. We are sincerely committed to each other, genuinely help each other out.
         4. WE REJOICE IN GOD’S HOPE! It is not what we have or where we are, but what we look forward to.
            1. When there is hardship, we ‘hang in there.’
            2. We trust God to sustain us, and we demonstrate that trust by prayer.
            3. We are a caring people who take care of each other.
      4. Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
         1. Let me set this verse in context.
            1. “You Christians in Rome–it does not matter to God if you are a Jew who has known God for centuries or a non-Jew who has worshipped idols for centuries, if you are a slave or you are free–just accept each other like Christ accepted you, and let your accepting each other give God glory.”
            2. “Never forget that Jesus died for all of you–no matter who you are or where you came from!”
            3. Those are very difficult instructions! All of us have a very difficult time accepting people who are basically not like us! It just is not easy!
            4. How can we do that?
            5. We do it the same way they did it–we let the God of hope fill us with the joy and peace of believing so that our hope directs our whole lives as it is empowered by God’s Spirit.

2. Let me ask each one of you to do some serious thinking about yourself (please do not think about someone else, but think about yourself).
   1. Think about the matters you prayed about this week. Hopefully, each of us prayed about a number of things.
      1. Did you pray for some people who were struggling? That is good! What did you ask?
      2. Did you pray for some people who were going through a very difficult time? That is good! What did you ask?
      3. Did you pray for some undesirable situations? That is good! What did you ask?
      4. Did you pray for some of the difficult happenings in your own life? That is good! What did you ask?
      5. Did you pray for God to make things better in some specific hardship situations? That is good! What did you ask?
   2. If God gave you exactly what you asked for in all your prayers, what would happen?
      1. Would someone get a new home?
      2. Would unhappy marriages become happy marriages?
      3. Would a sickness come to an end?
      4. Would people be raised from the dead?
      5. Would physical hardships be removed?
      6. Would a number of people be given the physical things they want?
   3. In all the things you asked for in your prayers:
      1. How often did you ask for God to strengthen the hope of the resurrection in other people?
      2. How often did you ask for God to strengthen the hope of the resurrection in you?

3. As Christians, we earnestly need to remember the ‘bottom line’ of belonging to God.
   1. “What ‘bottom line’? What are you talking about?”
      1. The ‘bottom line’ is not, “God, give me what I want in this world and life right now.”
      2. The ‘bottom line’ is, “God, teach me how to live in the hope of my resurrection in this life so I can live with you in the life to come.”
      3. Surely, almost everything in this life that we experience has an influence on our hope.
         1. But I can have a very good job and it be taken from me.
         2. But I can have a lot of money and it be taken from me.
         3. In fact, there is not one single physical thing in this world that cannot be taken from me.
         4. However, if Christ lives in me, this world cannot take the hope of the resurrection from me.
   2. We have made the Christian existence something God never intended it to be.
      1. It is not some mystical way of getting the things in this life that we want.
      2. It is about learning how to serve God right now so that I can live with God in eternity.

In the first century world life was tough. Slaves who became Christians would likely remain slaves. Gladiators who became Christians would likely still die violent deaths. In fact, depending on where one lived, people who became Christians might be martyrs just because they believed in Jesus Christ. Their physical world would not suddenly become a wonderful world because they placed their faith in Jesus Christ. But they would have something more wonderful than any physical reality could offer–peace with God.

We do not become Christians as a means to getting everything physical that we want. There will always be struggle in this world. There will always be injustice in this world. There will always be sickness in this world. There will always be death in this world.

But in Christ God can give us something that goes far beyond anything the physical world can give us–God’s hope. And in that hope, there is peace.

The Speed of Time

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

When I was a small boy, “good” things took forever to arrive-birthdays, breaks from school, vacations, Christmas, etc. The small boy saw time as an enemy. When I became a teen [thirteen] time still crawled. The “really good things” were terribly slow to arrive– sixteen, driver’s license, graduation from high school, etc. When high school graduation occurred, time moved faster, but it was still slow–four years in college were faster than the four years in high school, but they were still slow.

As I grew older, time gained momentum. Thirty came fast. Forty came faster. Fifty came too fast! Amazingly, sixty came even faster! In fact, in our 60’s we ask ourselves, “Did my forties really have ten years?” From listening to those in their seventies, eighties, and nineties, they ask about life what I ask about a decade: “Where did it go? How can time move so quickly?”

To the joyfully married, after a year of marriage, did it seem strange to think about ever being single? A happy marriage makes happiness as a single seem strange! May I ask all who transitioned from being a couple to being parents to remember. Remember how fast that tiny infant grew? How much time did it take to go from seven pounds to fifteen pounds? From fifteen pounds to a toddler? From a toddler to four years old? From four to kindergarten? From kindergarten to elementary school? From elementary school to junior high school? From junior high school to high school? From high school to an “empty nest”? During the “present,” it seems to be a long time. When it becomes the “past,” it seems incredibly short.

Use time thoughtfully, carefully. Treat time with respect. Regardless of how we use life, the truth is that death is only one breath away. Do not live life in fear. Let the Lord teach you how to live in faith. Please, do not “waste” time–when it is gone, it cannot be recalled, changed, or redirected. The only moment we can redirect is the “now” moment. Only the “now” moment is subject to our decision.

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

The Holy God and the Unholy Us

Posted by David on May 25, 2003 under Sermons

This morning I want you to involve both your mind and heart in your focus. I want to lead your thoughts to God’s holiness in this specific way. I want you to go deep inside your heart, deep inside your mind, and recall a cherished memory of an incredible place. This place overwhelmed you with awe, filled you with a spirit of wonder within, inspired you with its breath taking beauty. The sense of mystery in this place captured you.

Let me be specific. I am not talking about a place that caused you to say, “That sure is pretty.” I am talking about much more than that. I am talking about a place that took your breath away. As you soaked in this scene, you stood silently as you were filled with a sense of awe, a sense of smallness, a sense of mystery. Have you ever visited such a place? Where was it? I want you to remember it right now.

Maybe your place involves a mountain view. This mountain view filled you with a sense of awe and mystery. No matter how much you looked at it, you never tired of seeing it. (On the screen is a view of mountains.) As you look at your view in your mind, remember that it started with a creative act of our God.

Maybe your place involves the view of a valley. As you saw this scene, it touched you deeply. Something deep inside you simply never tired of looking. Through your eyes it spoke to your heart, and your heart stood in silence as it was filled with joy. (On the screen is a view of a valley.) As you look at your view in your mind, remember that it started with a creative act of our God.

Maybe your place involves a view of a desert. As you looked at this scene, you had difficulty believing what you were seeing. The view was simply too big, to inspiring to exist. How small you felt as you drank in its vastness. No matter how many others were near you, it was as though you were all alone. You were so awed by what you saw you could have looked, and looked, and looked. (On the screen is a view of a desert). As you look at your view in your mind, remember that it started with a creative act of our God.

Maybe your place involves a view of an island. Out of what seemed to be the “nothingness” of water suddenly there arises an island. It is almost mystical, full of life, just appearing “out of nowhere.” As you watch it rising before you, it is almost surreal. The closer it gets, the more life filled and awe-inspiring it becomes. (On the screen is a view of an island.) As you look at your view in your mind, remember that it started with a creative act of God.

Maybe your place involves a view of a sunset or a sunrise. Maybe it is a place that provides you a spectacular view if you get up early enough to watch the sun climb over the horizon or sit silently and watch the sun fall below the horizon. Maybe you listen to the world all around awaken at sunrise or listen to the world all around you go to sleep at sunset. The sounds and the sights truly overwhelm and absorb you. (On the screen is a view of a sunrise or sunset.) As you look at your view in your mind, remember that it started with a creative act of God.

Maybe your place involves a view of a city. It is not a view of an individual, but a view of where masses of people live. You look at where they live. You identify as a part of them, but you marvel at how different all of you are. (On the screen is a view of the skyline of a city.) As you look at your view in your mind, remember that it all started with a creative act of God.

1. There is nothing good that we see, nothing good that we experience that did not have its origin in our Creator God.
   1. Our God is a God of incredible power, a God of incredible holiness, and a God of incredible purity.
      1. The astounding thing is this powerful, holy, pure God has such concern for us weak, unholy, impure creatures.
      2. About three thousand years ago, the psalmist David wrote these words:
         Psalm 8:1-9 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
      3. About a thousand years later, Paul [who was the author of many of the New Testament letters] quoted from Isaiah and Job as he wrote these words in Romans 11:33-36:
         Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
      4. This same Paul wrote this statement to the Christians in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:18-23:
         Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.” So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.
   2. What does it mean to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and appointed him to be the Christ?
      1. “It means that I turn away from the evil in my life and turn to God.” Yes, it means that, but believing in the resurrected Jesus means much more than that.
      2. “It means that I choose to be baptized into Christ.” Yes, it means that, but believing in the resurrected Jesus means more than that.
      3. “It means I worship God as the living God and the only God, and worship Jesus Christ as the Lord of Lords.” Yes, it means that, but believing in the resurrected Jesus means more than that.
      4. “It means I serve God as the ruler of all things in my life.” Yes, it means that but believing in the resurrected Jesus means more than that.
      5. “What more does it mean?”
         1. It means that I constantly grow in my understanding of how great God is.
         2. It means that I constantly grow in my awareness of how evil I am.
         3. It means that I know that even when I am the best me I can be that even then I can stand in God’s presence only because He forgives me.

   [Let’s sing together “We Bow Down” (577)]

2. The same Paul who declared God’s greatness to Christians in Rome and Christians in Corinth made this statement to the Christian Timothy:
   1 Timothy 1:12-17 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. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
   1. Before Paul became a Christian, you and I would say that Paul was a very evil, violent person.
      1. He was a very accomplished religious person–he was not mean for the sake of meanness; he was mean because he misunderstood God.
         1. In his understanding of God, Christians were God’s enemy.
         2. In his understanding of God, it was God’s will for him to abuse and arrest Christians.
         3. In his understanding of God, it was a act of service to God to vote for the death penalty for some of the people he arrested.
      2. But the resurrected Jesus had use for Paul–even though this man thought Jesus was a dead disaster who even dead was a threat to God’s people.
         1. When the Christian Ananias thought it was a mistake to take a message from the resurrected Jesus to this man, the resurrected Jesus made this statement:
            Acts 9:15,16 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
         2. He who had caused suffering to those who belonged to Jesus would suffer because he belonged to Jesus.
   2. Please notice that Paul felt a deep sense of honor and privilege to belong to Jesus Christ.
      1. In no sense did he feel that he was being punished.
      2. In every way he realized how much mercy God gave him through Jesus.
   3. He noted two reasons that God’s mercy and grace we given to him in Jesus Christ.
      1. First, he received God’s mercy and grace because he acted in the ignorance of disbelief.
         1. “I don’t understand that. How could he say he was ignorant?”
         2. His ignorance was the result of a lack of faith.
         3. He did not understand the relationship between Jesus and God.
         4. He did not understand what God was doing for people through Jesus.
      2. Second, he received God’s mercy and grace to be the forever example to all who lived after Paul.
         1. God through Jesus forgave Paul to demonstrate Jesus Christ’s perfect patience.
         2. If God was merciful to Paul when he finally understood and turned to the Savior instead of fighting the Savior, God can and will be merciful to anyone who will understand what God does through Jesus Christ, and turn to the Savior.
         3. We all need to understand that God’s number one priority in His relationship with people is to forgive them.

Please notice that long after a believing Paul was baptized into Jesus Christ, long after the Christian Paul endured great suffering for Jesus Christ, long after Paul gave great service to Jesus Christ, he still knew who and what he was. By his own classification, he declared he was the greatest sinner on earth because of the mean, violent things he did against God’s purposes.

Paul understood that the only reason that he had the privilege of suffering for Jesus Christ was this: God’s mercy and grace.

You and I do not deserve God’s kindness and forgiveness. The only reason that we can approach God is found in the fact that He has forgiven us. The only reason that we have God’s forgiveness is found in the fact that God has mercy on us and in His mercy gives us grace through Jesus Christ.

Every good thing that exists began with a creative act of God. That includes your salvation and mine.

I invite you to the God who will forgive you, not because you deserve it, but because He is merciful.

An Attitude of Modern Idolatry

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

Recently I heard a study followed by numerous interviews on the dangers of tanning our skin. The author of the study discussed findings [admittedly not new] documenting that tanning [by any method] was dangerous. Common consequences included wrinkling and skin cancer. College aged persons tanning routinely could anticipate both consequences. Of course, nothing is new in this verification. Such information has been common knowledge for years. For years warnings have been issued.

The emphasis on these findings was followed by filmed interviews with college aged men and women. “Are you familiar with the danger?” “Yes.” “This is not new information to you?” “No.” “Do these findings affect your tanning habits?” “No.” “How can you know what you know and continue an intensive regiment of tanning?”

The answers to the last question revealed two common attitudes that captured my attention. Attitude one: “Wrinkling or skin cancer are likely to occur twenty-five years from now. That is far off. I will deal with those problems then. Right now what is important is how I look today.” Attitude two: “If my tanning results in skin cancer later, I will have the cancer cut off — no big deal!”

This is not about sun tanning, artificial tanning, skin tones, skin firmness, physical exposure, “looking good,” or “feeling good” because others admire your body. It is about an attitude, an attitude rooted in modern idolatry.

We saturate ourselves with “immediate gratification” expectations. We focus life on “right now.” I must feel good about myself “right now.” I must eat “right now.” I want to get well “right now.” I want problems solved “right now.” I want troubles ended “right now.” I want possession of my purchase “right now.” I want my family to fulfill my expectations “right now.” Spiritual blessings and protection must come “right now.”

We laugh at the ignorance that prostrated itself before carved stones or wood hundreds of years ago. How foolish! How silly! How ignorant! How short sighted! As we ridicule their ridiculous short sightedness, we prostrate ourselves before our god of “right now.”

Twenty years is not a long time. Ask me. I thought it was when a young, foolish me too often bowed before the altar of “right now.” Now I know differently. Often eliminating cancer is not simple. Ask a family member of someone whose life was shortened by cancer. Surely, you will be different! Tell us about it–in twenty years when your body does not have the regenerative powers it had when you were twenty-two.

Next time you want your spiritual expectations met “right now,” ask yourself how you can serve the eternal God with an offering on your altar of “right now.” The god of “right now” specializes in robbing life. The God who is Father of Jesus Christ specializes in giving life. Does “right now” or God govern your life?

Familiar Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Posted by David on May 18, 2003 under Sermons

This evening I want us to focus on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. In the past, a common approach to a scripture like this was to dissect it. We take out our spiritual dissecting kit and begin to cut and probe. We often come to seriously flawed conclusions because convictions are based on our opinions that we support with our dissecting.

Many of you took a biology class. At some point in your biology class, you likely went to a laboratory and dissected something. For years biology students dissected frogs. Hopefully you understood what a frog was before you dissected a frog. The purpose of dissecting was not merely to have an experience that developed skills in dissecting. The purpose of the dissecting was to better understand a living frog.

In our study of the Bible, too often we dissect a scripture before we understand God’s purpose. For example, often we have a poor understanding of the nature and purposes of God’s people. Too often we dissect to find reasons to support our ignorance or misconceptions. Too often our conclusions are not focused on God’s purposes. Too often our dissecting is more concerned about us than it is about God.

This evening I want to attempt to show you something that hopefully causes you to think. I hope your thinking will better focus you on who we are to be because we place our faith and hope in Jesus whom God declared to be the Christ by his resurrection from the dead.

1. Let’s begin by a broad overview of the failure of the Christians in Corinth [let’s make sure we have a picture of the frog before we begin to dissect].
   1. Allow me to begin with this emphasis: never forget that with all their failures and problems, Paul addressed the Christians at Corinth from the beginning of his letter as “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
      1. Because they placed their faith in Jesus Christ, they were God’s people.
      2. They were God’s people because of what God did and was doing in them, not because of some incredible human correctness or achievement.
      3. They were God’s people even though they had a lot to learn about how to act like God’s people.
      4. They had the responsibility to understand how to act like God’s people.
      5. But their hope was to be placed in what God did for them, not what they did.
   2. These Christians had a horrible understanding of what it meant to be God’s people.
      1. The problems they had among themselves were continuing proof that they had a terrible understanding of what it meant to be God’s people.
         1. Existing as God’s people always has been about “being,” not about “doing.”
         2. Are Christians responsible to “do”? Of course!
         3. But our “doing” must arise from our “being.”
         4. What we “do” arises out of what we “are.”
         5. A person can “do” without “being,” but “being” will always affect our “doing.”
         6. Those of you who are Christian parents understand that reality in providing guidance for your children.
      2. Look at the problems that existed in their Christian community.
         1. They did things that supported and encouraged division among themselves (Paul powerfully argued that their division was destroying God’s purpose in them).
         2. They were too proud, too arrogant to address an incest situation that openly existed among them. (They were more concerned about their reputation than they were about God’s reputation.)
         3. They settled their disagreements by using judges who did not even know the living God. (They were more concerned about defending themselves and their interests than misrepresenting God and His concerns.)
         4. They defended their immoral sexual practices (prostitution) because they had a basic misunderstanding of God’s purposes. (Sexual gratification is about physical desires, not about spiritual purposes.)
         5. They had some fundamental misunderstandings of relationships in marriage. (Marriage was primarily about human desires, not about divine purposes.)
         6. As was common in Roman cities, they were really deceived by the status that economic and social positions conferred. (Life was about who you were in society, not about who you were in Christ.)
         7. There was some fundamental confusion about idols being gods. (Many had a very poor understanding of the living God.)
         8. Their many worship problems arose from a concern about promoting self instead of praising God. (Worship was about them and their position, not about God and His position.)
      3. Christians in Corinth had a very poor understanding of who they were because God placed Christ in them.
         1. In a lot of specific ways they acted like the people who did not have Christ in them.
         2. Their understanding of “being” as people who belonged to God was very deficient.

2. To me, the basic problem Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 is this: the Christians who composed the Christian community at Corinth had what even their local pagan societies considered an inferior sense of “being” as a people dedicated to God.
   1. First, in most Roman cities the judicial system expected religious organizations to take care of their own problems “in house.”
      1. In 1892-93 an archeological team excavated a large room in an area near Athens, Greece (which is less than 100 air miles from Corinth).
         1. In that excavated room they found a number of altars and a number of sculptures.
         2. They also found the minutes of a group known as the Bacchic society who honored the god Dionysus.
         3. The minutes included the reorganization of this religious society.
         4. Included in those minutes were the specified ways in which they internally took care of their problems.
         5. It included a section that declared the rules of group and the penalties for breaking those rules.
         6. They resolved their own difficulties between members, and even if a member went outside this religious society with his complaint, he was still subject to the punishments of the group.
      2. The point I want you to see is this: not even pagan religious societies sanctioned what the Christians in Corinth were doing to each other.
      3. There are many questions you can ask me about this passage that I could not declare a definitive answer in regard to the question.
         1. I cannot tell you in what way God’s “holy ones” (saints) will participate in judging the world (the forces that defied God). (6:2)
         2. I cannot tell you in what way those who were physical shall judge angels. (6:3)
   2. Instead of “spiritually dissecting” situations that we cannot know for a certainty, focus on the obvious that we can know.
      1. The situation: Christian individuals were resolving their problems and differences by taking each other to pagan courts.
         1. Judges, who had neither knowledge of or allegiance to the living God, who worshipped idols and embraced the moral concepts and principles of idolatry, were resolving differences among those who placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
         2. And that is what Christians wanted!
      2. In Paul’s two comments about Christians judging the world and judging angels (comments they had at least some understanding about), Paul said, “This is a ridiculous situation!
         1. “You mean you do not have even one wise person among you who can resolve these differences?”
         2. “You mean you do not realize that you are causing the idolatrous part of the community (which was a greater majority) to view the Christian community as behaving disgracefully?”
      3. “As a group of people who represent the holy God, you should be ashamed of what your are doing!”
         1. “You actually think the a judge who worships idols is in a better position to resolve differences among Christians than is a wise person who is a Christian?”
         2. “You actually think it is better for the community of Christians to be disgraced in the eyes of the pagan community if that allows you to have what you want? You had rather for the whole community of Christians to be disgraced than for you to endure an injustice?”
         3. “You mean you actually think God rather you cheat another Christian than for you to suffer an injustice?”
   3. Do you notice there is a lot of similarity in what happened in chapter 5 in the case of incest among them and what happened in chapter 6 when Christians took Christians before pagan judges?
      1. In both situations, Christians had a very poor understanding of who they were as the holy ones of God who represented God.
      2. They were behaving in ways that even idol worshippers regarded to be disgraceful.
      3. How could they possibly expect to demonstrate the desirability of God’s nature as the living God if they acted in ways that were inferior to people who worshipped things that were not even gods?

3. Bottom line principle: the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom.
   1. Being unrighteous included these things:
      1. Sexual injustice.
      2. Worshipping things that are not God.
      3. Practicing homosexuality.
      4. Practicing stealing.
      5. Being controlled by greed.
      6. Being controlled by alcohol.
      7. Being controlled by pleasure.
      8. Cheating people.
      9. If anyone tells you other wise, he is deceived. If you believe him, you are deceived.
   2. That is who you were, not who you are.
      1. That is what your baptism, your sanctification, your justification in Jesus Christ was all about.
      2. You cannot be alive in Jesus Christ and let God’s Spirit live in you and act like the person you used to be before you belonged to Jesus Christ.
      3. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian was changing your “being.”
      4. You desperately need to understand who you are and what you are about as people who represent God and the resurrected Jesus Christ.

There is a powerful temptation, a seemingly overwhelming desire, to make New Testament scripture a rule book. There is a powerful temptation, a seemingly overwhelming desire, to confine our spiritual responsibility to (a) finding the rules and (b) technically keeping the rules.

Paul said if you take another Christian before a pagan judge to resolve a dispute, you fail long before you reach the judge’s “court room.” If you have such a horrible relationship with another Christian, you have a basic failure to understand what God intends in Christian existence and relationship–and likely you both have the same basic failure.

The question most preachers are asked fairly frequently is this: “Does this act break the rules?” Wrong question! The appropriate question: “Is the holy God properly represented in what is happening?” This is an entirely different question.

Each of us as Christians represent the holy, pure God. Represent Him well!

Who Needs To Change?

Posted by David on under Bulletin Articles

If you are to have the “ideal existence,” what changes must occur? In Christian thinking, the “ideal existence” focuses on different realities. Some would focus on relationships currently unavailable to them. Some would focus on acquiring things they do not possess. Some would focus on changing undesirable circumstances.

Generally speaking, most American Christians focus on one of two matters [or both]. First, many say the “ideal existence” would involve possessing “things” they do not have. Second, many others would say, “If a certain person changed, my life would be ?ideal.’

Infrequently will a Christian say, “If I changed, God would lead me toward the ?ideal life.'” In this society, achieving the “ideal existence” too easily focuses on (a) acquiring things or (b) changing someone else, not on (c) changing me.

Achieving the “ideal life” is rightfully a lengthy discussion. There is no desire for this thought to be an oversimplified view of complex realities. Nor does it want to ignore unhealthy situations that make abuse victims “door mats” for abusers. Basically your attention is directed to consider a view of life held in relatively healthy situations.

First, Christians must examine the accepted concept of an “ideal life”. It is much too easy for Christians to allow society and culture to define the “ideal life” concept rather than allowing God to define that concept. Society and culture’s definition focuses on things, or people perceived responsible for struggles, or lifestyle circumstances.

Second, Christians must realize the “ideal life” cannot be defined as freedom from struggles. Nothing removes physical existence from struggles. Aging, relationship trials, sickness, pain of all types, human shallowness, human arrogance, injustice, and deceit guarantee any form of physical existence shall endure struggles.

Consider one illustration. Jesus told his disciples to pray for those who abuse them (Matthew 5:44, 45). Peter said suffer in a manner that causes abusers to inquire about the hope that sustains you (1 Peter 2:12; 3:15). Consider a Christian behavioral principle: Christian godliness impacts others when the Christian’s focus is on changing who I am rather than on changing (or controlling) the ungodly.

The Christian’s focus is reflected by this prayer: “God, give me the wisdom to understand the kind of person You want me to be. Then help me find in You the strength to be that person.” Its focus is not reflected by this prayer, “God, he [she, they] make my life miserable! Give them what they deserve!”

If I focus on changing my heart, God changes the focus of others’ hearts.

Familiar Scriptures: Ephesians 5:19

Posted by David on May 11, 2003 under Sermons

One of the most familiar verses in the Bible in the Churches of Christ is Ephesians 5:19.

Ephesians 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.

Among most of the Churches of Christ this verse is used frequently and holds a powerful significance for two reasons. First, it is one of a very few verses in the New Testament that mentions music. Second, it was adopted as a theological commentary on the musical form of Christian worship offered to God.

To me the essential question all Christians need to ask in regard to this verse is: what did Paul mean when he penned these words? Was he writing about a worship practice in the church of Ephesus? Was he trying to direct them in the theology of musical worship?

1. As we dedicate ourselves to understanding Paul’s encouragement in Ephesians 5:19, I want to begin by setting this statement in the broader context of Ephesians 5:1-21.
   1. First, I ask you to note something.
      1. The thoughts of Ephesians 5:1-21 come between (1) a powerful emphasis in chapter 4:17-32 that contrasts the lifestyle of an unspiritual person in Paul’s day with a spiritual life style and (2) an emphasis on the type of marriage relationships spiritual people sustained.
      2. Please notice this entire section is a contrast between the lifestyles of people who belong to Jesus Christ and are filled with God’s Spirit and the typical lifestyles of people in that time who did not belong to Jesus Christ.
         1. 4:17-32–Contrasts: a person who belongs to Christ lives life for different purposes (with specific contrasts given).
         2. 5:1-21–Contrasts: a person who belongs to Christ imitates God, not the values of people who do not belong to God.
         3. 5:22-6:4–Contrasts: a person who belongs to Christ develops and nurtures marriage relationships in a godlike manner.
   2. To call the contrast of 5:1-21 into focus, consider these slides on the emphasis in the texts. I ask you to turn to Ephesians 5.

   Slide # 1: The over-all emphasis of the section: Be imitators of God. The child-father analogy.

   Slide # 2: The section’s focus: Christian lifestyle. The example: Jesus Christ.

   Slide # 3: The contrast is between the godly and ungodly. moral and immoral. pure and impure.

   Slide # 4: unselfish and greedy. thankful and silly, course.

   Slide # 5: The consequences of a Christian’s dedication to ungodiness: forfeit inheritance. wrath of God.

   Slide # 6: Specific contrasts: light and darkness Lord and Satan wise and unwise

   Slide # 7: sober and drunk Spirit filled and wine filled

   Slide # 8: Point: those who are ambassadors of God through Jesus Christ must be holy people.

2. The primary challenge of the section (Ephesians 5:1-21) is the challenge for the Christians at Ephesus to be imitators of God.
   1. For them to be imitators of God, they must understand they are God’s children in a manner similar to Jesus’ understanding he was God’s son.
      1. In this challenge we see ourselves as God’s beloved children in a similar manner that Jesus saw himself as God’s beloved Son (thus our objective is to make God well pleased with who and what we are just as God was well pleased with who and what Jesus was).
      2. Jesus Christ shows us how to imitate God because he perfectly reflected God in his physical existence.
         1. Ephesian Christians had to allow Christ to teach them how to live lives of love (just as we must).
         2. In love he was God’s sacrifice for those who would believe.
         3. Those who believe must be God’s sacrifices also.
         4. Being God’s sacrifice is reflected in the surrender of ourselves to God’s purposes.
         5. This deeply pleases God.
      3. Saints (holy ones, Christians) are very different in the lives they live.
         1. The holiness of God, not the ungodliness of society, determines how they live their daily lives.
         2. They refuse to be immoral, impure, or greedy–allowing God to be their standard and concept of morality, purity, and greed.
         3. Their talk is filled with gratitude, not emptiness–to focus on values other than gratitude is to be deceived.
      4. The difference between how they lived right then as imitators of God and how they lived before they committed to imitating God was the difference between day light and the deepest darkness.
         1. The qualities of a life that is living in the light by imitating God were radically different from the qualities produced by not imitating God and living in the darkness.
         2. They are children of the light–they must look like people who imitate God.
         3. It was shameful to look like people who did not imitate God.
      5. They needed to give careful attention to how they lived their lives.
         1. They lived in a very evil time.
         2. They needed to be wise.
         3. They needed to understand living for foolishness was spiritual disaster.
         4. They needed to understand what God’s will was.
   2. Paul then gave three specific examples:
      1. Example one: The “wise” existence that realized the foolishness of evil would not surrender to a life of drunkenness.
         1. Instead of being filled with wine, they would be filled with the spirit.
         2. Drunkenness will waste life.
         3. Being filled with the spirit will give life.
         4. The evidence that you are filled with the Spirit instead of filled with wine: your songs.
         5. You sing the songs that honor the God you imitate, not the songs of a drunkard.
      2. Example two: Your are grateful individuals.
         1. You give God thanks for everything.
         2. You do this by acknowledging what God gave you and gives you by allowing Jesus Christ to be your Saviour.
      3. Example three: you serve each other.
         1. Every Christians sees himself or herself as God’s slave.
         2. He or she holds Jesus in such profound reverence, such fear, that just as Jesus surrendered himself to be God’s sacrifice, the Christian surrenders himself or herself to God’s purposes in other’s lives.
         3. The focus in living is not on “what can I get” but on “what can I give.”

Ephesians 5:19 was not written as Paul’s directive on how the Christians in Ephesus worshipped, but how Christians in Ephesus lived.

Am I encouraging us to adopt instruments in our worship? No. I am just encouraging all of us to place the emphasis where Paul placed it in his directive.

We have far too many Christians who have decided that because they are saved by God’s grace they can do anything they want to do. They can do whatever they wish to do sexually. They can get high on drugs. They can get drunk. They can indulge themselves any way they please. As far as they are concerned, it will not matter because God’s grace will cover them.

Paul said not so. People who belong to God imitate God. That includes what they talk about. That includes what they sing about. That includes how they use their lives.

We desperately need to place the emphasis where Paul placed it.

The Initial Matter: Spirituality’s Foundation

Posted by David on under Sermons

I want us to begin by accepting a challenge. Here is the challenge: what do you think are the five most powerful symbols of influence worldwide? I want you to focus on the world, not just America.

“David, it would be a whole lot easier if you would let us limit our search for influence symbols to America.” I agree. That would be much simpler. But I want you to consider worldwide symbols of influence, not just American symbols of influence. A huge symbol of influence in America might not be even a large symbol of influence in Europe, or India, or far east countries.

Remember the focus: the top five symbols of influence worldwide. What would be your five?

Included in those five should be motherhood. Virtually every society in the world acknowledges the influence of mothers as a powerful influence.

Doubt it? Think. When a 350 pound professional football player trots to the side line, pans to the camera and waves after a big play, does he say, “Hi, sweetheart,” or, “Hi, brother,” or, “Hi, family,” or, “Hi, sports agent,” or, “Hi, money manager”? No. Most of the time he says, “Hi, mom.”

Have you ever heard the term, “The mother of all wars”?

Why is “yo Momma,” often used as an insult?

A mother’s influence is powerful in virtually any society anywhere in the world. Why? Why are mothers typically such powerful symbols of influence? May I suggest two significant reasons. First, one of the most powerful symbols of love in any society is a mother’s love. Mothers everywhere commonly make incredible sacrifices for their children. Second, a mother’s heart is huge. The amount of caring and compassion mothers show for their children is beyond description.

Anything that shrinks a mother’s love or a mother’s heart shrinks her influence. Anything that encourages her love and gives her the courage to have a strong heart increases her influence.

From a mother’s love and a mother’s heart we should learn some essential lessons about our relationship with God.

1. There always has been a primary emphasis on the importance of loving God.
   1. For a moment, consider the continuing emphasis on loving God.
      Moses said to Israel in Deuteronomy 6:4-6, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”
      Hundreds of years later, Jesus answered the question, “What is God’s greatest commandment?” Jesus answered in Matthew 22:37,38, And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.”
      1. The foundation commandment of all commandments is total love for God.
      2. No matter what commandments we obey, if there is no love for God, there is no meaning in obedience.
         The last night of his life, Jesus said this to the twelve in John 13:34, 35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
      3. His love for God was the foundation of his love for them.
      4. If they loved God, they loved him; and if they loved him, they loved each other in the same manner that he loved them.”
         Still later the Christian Paul wrote to Galatian Christians in Galatians 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
      5. Being a Jew is unimportant.
      6. Not being a Jew is unimportant.
      7. What is important is allowing your faith in God to express itself in love.
      8. When a person believes in God, his or her faith expresses itself.
      9. The appropriate godly means for faith to express itself is love.
         Still later, Paul made this statement from one preacher to another preacher in 1 Timothy 1:5, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
         John emphasized the importance of loving God and loving people with these words in 1 John 4:7,8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
      10. The progression is obvious and consistent: Service to God must be based on whole being love for God; whole being love for God reveals itself in love for people.
   2. Where does this consuming love for God come from? Again, the answer is consistent: it must come from the heart, from the innermost emotional core of the person.
      1. Though King Saul was selected by God Himself to be king of Israel, Saul was a total disappoint to God.
      2. God expressed His disappointment with Saul through Samuel with these words in 1 Samuel 13:13,14: Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart …”
      3. Later, God through Samuel appointed David to become Israel’s king after Saul died.
         1. Throughout the Old Testament David was the standard of the person who loved God, whose heart belonged to God.
         2. Hundreds of years later after Christianity was established, David was still known as the person who loved God so deeply that his heart belonged to God (Acts 13:22).
      4. When David used prayer to dedicate the supplies later to be used in building the temple, he made this statement:
         1 Chronicles 29:17 Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.
         1. The gifts honored God because they were from hearts.
         2. They could be given with joy because they were from hearts.
      5. In that same prayer, David made these statements in 1 Chronicles 29:18,19:
         “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision.”
      6. Two generations later when Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, became king of Judah, this is what was written of him:
         2 Chronicles 12:14 He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
      7. Yet generations later, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, this is what is written of him:
         2 Chronicles 19:3 But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth (wooden pillars used in idolatry) from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.”
      8. There is an enormous emphasis in 2 Chronicles on the heart.
      9. There is an enormous emphasis in Jesus’ teachings on the heart.
      10. Read with me these statements written by Paul to Christians at Ephesus:
          Ephesians 1:18-20 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places …
          1. Should Christians know the hope of God’s calling? Surely!
          2. Should Christians declare the riches of God’s glorious inheritance? Surely!
          3. Should Christians understand the surpassing greatness of God’s power toward believers? Surely!
          4. Should Christians fully realize all these things are consistent with the resurrection of Jesus and Jesus’ enthronement? Surely!
          5. Allow me to call one thing to your attention: all this can begin when people are willing to have the eyes of their hearts enlightened.

2. Let me give all of us, myself included, a test. May I emphasize it is not my test, but God’s.
   1. The test: how do you demonstrate your faith and your commitment to God?
      1. “I come to all the assemblies of the church faithfully!” Good, but do you love God from the heart with all your being?
      2. “I am very generous in what I give to the church!” Good, but do you love God from the heart with all your being?
      3. “I recognize God as my supreme authority in everything religious!” Good, but do you love God from the heart with all your being?
      4. “I have identified my abilities and gifts, and I make certain that I use all my gifts to benefit God’s work!” Good, but do you love God from the heart with all your being?
      5. “I am involved in a ministry!” Good, but do you love God from the heart with all your being?
      6. “I am involved in a care group or a small group or both!” Good, but do you love God from the heart with all your being?
   2. A few days ago I reestablished contact with a Christian friend I deeply value–he is one of those people who has blessed me by being a mentor to me.
      1. We have a friendship that is genuine, even though we might not contact each other for several months–no matter when we talk, it is like we saw each other yesterday.
      2. The first thing he told me was that his wife had died, and after her death he almost died.
         1. He had a long stay in the hospital and was not improving.
         2. He prayed to God and said his first choice was to die and be with his wife, but if God had a use for him here, that was okay.
      3. He told me about his recovery, and then with emotion he said he was grieved.
         1. He was grieved because he had never learned what it meant to love God with all his being.
         2. He was grieved because he loved his wife so much he would rather be with her than stay here and serve God.
         3. He was grieved because God had not been his number one love.
         4. He said he now commits his life to learning how to love God with all his being.

My question to all of us, including myself, is simple. Do you love God with all your being? Do you understand what it means to love God with all your being? How much of your heart actually belongs to God? How powerful an influence is your love for God?

We must learn to love God, and we must put emotion in our love for God. If we take the emotion out of loving God, we rob God by robbing the love.