“If Not Me, Who? If Not Now, When?”

“If Not Me, Who? If Not Now, When?”

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:51-62 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him,

"I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Message:

As I was preparing this lesson, lines from a Lovin’ Spoonful song kept coming to mind; “Did you ever have to make up your mind? You pick up on one and leave the other one behind.  It’s not often easy and not often kind.  Did you ever have to make up your mind?  Did you ever have to finally decide? And say yes to one and let the other one ride. There’s so many changes and tears you must hide. Did you ever have to finally decide.”

Well, that is not exactly a hymn, however it does speak to a very human concern. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
As a manager and a business owner I made decisions all day long.  Decisions that affected not just my business and my family but also the lives and families of my employees and my vendors.  Sometimes I had time to weigh all the pros and cons of my choices.  Sometimes however, an answer was needed ‘right now’.

Over the years I have picked up some ideas on how to make decisions.
1. Earnest Prayer
2. The coin flip
3. If not me, who and if not now, when?
4. Don’t let anyone should on you
5. Watch the direction you’re going and go the direction you’re watching.

The first method is, of course, always the best.  Earnest prayer for guidance should always be your first choice.  I remember a conversation that I overheard when I worked at a food production facility.  A contractor was talking to Bill, the company president, about some changes that the contractor wanted to make in a remodeling plan.  Bill said, “It sounds good to me but I need to talk it over with the Boss.”  The contractor grinned and said, “I always talk these things over with my wife too.”  Bill shook his head and said, “No, I meant I need to pray about it.”  The contractor didn’t know what to say.  Bill had just witnessed to his faith that God is ultimately the Boss, the final decision maker in his personal life and in his business.

When you pray expecting an answer and truly tell God what is on your mind and on your heart, you will receive guidance. Don’t try to make it a “pretty” prayer.  Say what you really mean in the same language that you use talking to your friends.  God knows what is in your heart, so tell Him honestly and bluntly what you want.  Sometimes I have been gladdened by the Lord’s guidance and sometimes I’ve been saddened by it.  Sometimes I have followed His leading and sometimes I’ve gone my own way.  Though it is not always easier, God’s way is always better.

Flipping a coin, rolling a dice or leaving it up to chance has been a decision making process since the beginning of time.  In the book of Judges it is recorded that Gideon, when faced with a hard decision, puts out a fleece.  He said to God, “I’ll place some wool on the threshing floor.  If there is dew on the wool while all the ground is dry, then I’ll know that you will rescue Israel.”
After Jesus’ ascension, while the disciples were waiting in the upper room, they drew lots (cast dice or drew names from a hat) to choose a twelfth disciple to fill the void left by Judas’ death.
A college professor told me that he would sometimes flip a coin to make a tough decision.  No, he wasn’t really relying on luck to make the choice.  His process would go like this:  Heads I will.  Tails I won’t.  Flip.  It came up tails.  How do I feel about not doing it?  Am I happy that the coin chose that way?  If not … chose the other option.  It forces you to confront your true feelings.  So, flip a coin but don’t necessarily follow its guidance.

Here is another decision making aid that I’ve used.  If not me, who?  And If not now, when?  I first heard those two statements sometime while I was in college.  When faced with a situation, they are great questions to ask yourself.  As a manager and a business owner I used them a lot.  And I’ve tried to teach them to my children.

If not me, who?  Sometimes I am the person to handle the task.  I am the best qualified and capable of seeing this through to the end.  Sometimes I am not.  Sometimes I am the one who sees the need and my task is to bring it to the attention of the one who needs to handle it.  And sometimes I am not.  Sometimes I am ‘butting in’ on someone else’s process.  Sometimes I need to get out of the way.

If not now when?  Sometimes, “This is the day and this is the hour” when action needs to be taken.  Sometimes the “important” have to give way to the “urgent.”  Remember, the early bird gets the worm.  Sometimes, the time is not right and we must have patience.  Remember, the early worm gets eaten by the bird.

Don’t let anyone should on you.  The idea here is simply that the world is full of advice givers.  Don’t make decisions based on what someone else says you “should” do.  Read the book of Job sometimes and look at the good advise that his friends gave to Job.  Really, the advise was not bad … it was just wrong for Job.  If you are going to listen to experts, pick the experts carefully.

Another piece of advice I’ve passed on to my kids, “Go the direction you’re looking and look the direction you’re going.” Which means know your goal and work toward it.  If what you are doing is not leading you toward your goal, readjust.

In his earthly life Jesus called a lot of people to follow him. Each person has to decide for him/herself what to do about Jesus’ invitation/command to follow him.

To Simon Peter and his brother Andrew Jesus said, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And they dropped their nets and immediately went with him.

A little further along the sea shore, Jesus also called James and his brother John to follow him. They left their father and the family business and became disciples of Jesus.

Jesus saw a man named Matthew, a tax collector, and said, “Follow me”. Matthew invited his friends to his home to hear what Jesus had to say.

In these accounts these people immediately dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. Can you imagine? Jesus walked into their lives … into their businesses and said, “Follow” and they did. This was at the very beginning of his earthly ministry. It makes me wonder what these people saw in Jesus that they would abandon all that was familiar and become his follower.

Not everyone followed. In Matthew 19 we meet the young man who came to Jesus to ask what he needed to do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him simply, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” And then the young man asks, “Which ones?” Notice that this man came to Jesus seeking to GAIN something … eternal life. Jesus gives him the answer, “Keep
the commandments.” To this the man wants to know which ones. He is saying to Jesus “What is the minimum that I have to do to gain what I seek.” Jesus said to him,“If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and COME FOLLOW ME.” The man went away grieving. He weighed what he had against what he had to gain and could not let go of what he had.  Notice that the command to “Come follow” was no different than what was given to the disciples.  It amounts to “stop doing what you are doing and start doing as I do”.

As Jesus’ fame grew so did the crowds.  Many were attracted by the power of his words and deeds.  But as time went on, most abandoned him.  What happened to the thousands that followed when he fed them with a few fish and loaves of bread?  The commitment waned as the days went on.  As he went into Jerusalem crowds gathered and lay their coats and palm branches on the path before him.  Once he was arrested, however, the crowds vanished like smoke.  We know that at his crucifixion only John, Mary (mother of Jesus) and few women were with him as he died.  After his resurrection and during the forty days before his ascension he had gathered only 120 followers back to himself.
Jesus never promised his followers an easy road.  On the contrary he told them (us) that it would be difficult.  He also promised that he would be with us … and that it would all be worth it in the end.

Saul (who became Paul) had a lot going for him.  He was both a Jew (God’s chosen people) and a citizen of the Roman Empire (the Super Power of its day).  He was well educated far above the norm.  He wielded the power given to him by the leaders in Jerusalem.  Here is what he has to say about what there was to gain and what there was to loose by following Jesus.  “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

Decisions!  Yes or no?  Now or Later?  That is what today’s gospel reading is all about.  Did you ever have to make up your mind?  Did you ever have to finally decide?

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  Unlike most Jews who avoided Samaria, Jesus has passed this way before. Remember the woman at the well who came to believe that Jesus was the messiah and brought her townsfolk out to meet him?

But on this pass through … even though he had sent people ahead to make reservations for the night … the Samaritans would not accept him.  And why?  Because he was bound for Jerusalem.  One of the biggest divides between the Samaritans and the Jews was over where to worship God: in Jerusalem or on the mountain where Jacob had built his altar.

The Samaritans could not give up their hold on an ages old grudge over property and ideology to follow the Messiah.  His own disciples were no better when they asked,“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"  Obviously they had their own prejudices that they could not abandon.

How sad and frustrated Jesus must have felt.  Three years of concentrated teaching and instruction and two of his “inner circle” were behaving like this?  After all, when Jesus said, “Follow me.”  He didn’t mean “walk behind me”. He meant, “Do as I do, speak as I speak and love as I love.” These words were spoken by the man who knew that if you truly love your enemy … you have no enemy … only another loved one.

They went on to another village.  I find it interesting that the gospel writer does not say if they are still in Samaria or if they have crossed the boarder into Israel.  At any rate, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

This sounds like music to his ears … don’t you think?  Then Jesus warns him of what it will cost to be his disciple by saying, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." He may have been referring to the rebuff that had just happened in the last village, however it more likely that he was stating the fact that the follower must be willing to give up his home, his family or whatever might tie him to a place. The writer leaves us wondering … did the man make good on his statement and continue to follow … or was being homeless too great of a stumbling stone? We have to ask ourselves these same questions. Though we may not be asked to give up our homes or our families … are we willing to do so?

Jesus invites another to follow. But the other said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."  That sounds harsh doesn’t it? Remember that Jesus has a totally different view of death than most have. Death is not a permanent condition.  Death is not the end … it is only a transition.  Death was not as important as proclaiming the kingdom of God.  Every once in a while you have to stop and re-adjust your thinking.  This is one of those times.  Nothing, not even death is more important than reaching the kingdom of God.

Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Before the days of GPS guided tractors, the way to plow a straight furrow was to look for a guide post at the far end of the field.  Line it up with the front of the tractor (maybe using the exhaust stack like the sights on a rifle) and go straight for it … constantly keeping your eyes on the target.  If you keep looking back to see how you are doing, you’ll end up with a crooked furrow.  And since the first pass through the field is used as a guide for all of the other passes… if the first is a mess … all of the rest will be a mess.  Looking back will never get you where you want to be.

Jesus was clear as to where he was going, to Jerusalem and to the cross, to the grave, to the resurrection and to the ascension. He was also clear as to where his followers were going. “And if I go prepare a place for you, I shall come again and bring you to join me, that where I am you shall be also.” John 14:3

In this day and age Jesus is still calling for disciples. He asks each of us to follow him. Did you ever make up your mind? Did you ever finally decide?

Jesus is calling for people to follow in his footsteps and continue his teaching, his preaching, his reaching out and his healing. He is willing to save us from our sins … from ourselves. And his call is universal as he is unwilling to see any perish. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Once you are saved then what?  That is when we follow Jesus’ last command and pass it on.  Or as Paul wrote, “How, then, can they (the unsaved) call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone to tell them?”

Whose job is it to tell the good news?  Ask yourself. If not me, who? And If not now, when?

The Jesus Club

New Testament Reading:  Galatians 1:1-12
    ¹ Paul an apostle--sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--² and all the members of God's family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

    ⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- ⁷ not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!  ⁹ As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

    ¹⁰ Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.  ¹¹ For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin;  ¹² for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Message:     “The Jesus Club”     

    Once there was a rocky coastline that jutted out into a shipping lane.  A careless navigator or raging storm would occasionally cast a ship upon the rocks.  It was a dangerous and deadly place.  One man took it upon himself to go out in particularly bad weather and watch for just such an occurrence.

    When he saw a shipwreck he would push his boat into the water and row into the storm to rescue the survivors.  He did this alone for many years and saved hundreds from drowning.

    One evening one of his friends joined him in the rescue mission and was so excited about the thrill of saving the lives of these lost sailors that he enthusiastically began recruiting more helpers.

    Soon there were many people watching the shoreline.  And they had many boats to assist in the rescue.  As time they decided that they needed to build a boathouse to house all of these boats.  And a meeting place where they could discuss the best strategies for coordinating the rescue attempts.

    As time went on people began to bring games to play as they watched the sea.  And then some televisions were added to the meeting room to help pass the time between rescues. 

    Eventually the rescues become bothersome to those who were watching TV and playing games.  It was decided to hire someone to watch the shore for them.

    Then they decided that if they just built a tall tower on the top of the meeting room, they could place a bell up there.  The reasoning was that they could just ring the bell and those that needed saving could just find their way to the meeting room with out anyone else having to go out and risk their lives in the storm.

    This, to me, sounds all too much like what has happened to Christ’s followers over the centuries.

First there was Jesus who began his ministry by preaching this message, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Mark 1:15

And what was the good news in which we are to believe?

Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah when he read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent be to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And then Jesus declared, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  Jesus came to proclaim and fulfill the good news. (Luke 4:18-19)

We call that good news “The Gospel”

Jesus himself proclaims that, “God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  John 3:16-18

Jesus continued to preach this good news until while on the cross he said, “It is finished.”  No longer was the Kingdom of God “Near” it was now here.  What Jesus came to do was finished.  The captives (us) had been set free of our sins.  As I said in last week’s message.  We have been justified before God.  Which means that although we are truly guilty, we have been released from the death sentance that our sins carried.

At his ascention, Jesus told his follwers (Us), “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” (Luke 16:15)

Jesus’ final command was that the gospel continue to be spread.

That lone man on the rocky shore was no longer alone in his mission to rescue the perishing.  He had followers, helpers, friends.

                      

    On the day of Pentecost those timid, fearful friends of Jesus became powered up and dynamic.  Hear these excerpt from Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2 starting with 21-25)

 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;’

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
 until I make your enemies your footstool.’

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

    Yes Peter and the others stood boldly before the people who were looking to kill them.  They proclaimed the gospel that the Christ had come, that he had died to free all people from their sins, and that he was coming again to take the faithful to his father’s mansions where he had prepared rooms for them.  Many heard and were converted.  That is the power of the true gospel.

    The converted had that same enthusiasm and drive to tell all those around them this marvelous news.  The Jesus Movement grew from a handful of people hiding in an upper room to a movement that swept throughout the known world. (Read the book of Acts) It was a grass roots movement with only a few leaders who worked to keep the original message pure and straight to the point.  People met in homes to share with each other the joy of this salvation.

    Eventually it became inconvenient to have so many people in their homes and they began to build structures in which to meet.  Over time the term “the church” stopped referring to the people and became the common name of the building. 

In far too many instances the church became the building that housed the Jesus Club. It had stopped being the Jesus Movement to being the Jesus Club.  The club were members gather to shake hands, pat each other on the back and reasure each other of what good people they are.  If a stranger should happen to enter the clubhouse, he would be judged.   If he was deemed sufficiently good, if he walked like and talked like and looked like the rest of the club members, he may have been asked to join the club.

 Once a church becomes a club if its lost its true meaning; it is operating under a new gospel, a new good news.

    Paul sent letters to the churchs in Galatia because word had come to him that a “new” gospel was being preached.  A gospel that did not line up with the true gospel that he had taught them.  Paul warns his readers that there is no such thing as a new gospel. 

    Paul claims his authority to preach the true gospel by telling his readers that this was not something given to him by some human authority.  He was probably refereeing to his old life as Saul when his authority came from the religious leaders in Jerusalem. 

Paul remind his readers that he was commissioned by Jesus himself after Jesus death and resurrection.

Now Paul warns the churchs in Galatia of the need to get back to the true gospel that Paul originally proclaimed to them.  

Let's take a look at what Paul originally proclaimed.  in his letter to the Romans Paul laid out a clear path to salvation.

Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23   The wages of sin is death and the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8  But God proves his love for us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Romans 10 9-10   Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

Romans 10:13  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Please note that this is the same gospel that Peter proclaimed in Jerusalem on the day of Penticost.

This is the true gospel that we are commanded to share.  when Christ said go into all the world and share the good news, he did not necessarily mean that we (you and I) had to go to every place in the world.   However he did mean that wherever we are we are to share the good news.

Understand this is not the duty of your denomination.

This is not the duty of your local church.

This is not the duty of your pastor.

This duty belongs to each Christian individually, share the good news with those with whom you come into contact on a daily basis.

If we neglect our duty as Christians and expect others to do it for us, then we're only members of the Jesus Club, not members of the kingdom of God.

Here ends the lesson.

The Foolishness of God

 New Testament: : Romans 5:1-5

¹ Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.  ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Gospel:  John 16:12-15
¹² "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Message:     “Foolishness of God”      Tom Williams

Our message title “Foolishness of God” comes from 1 Corinthians 1:25 where Paul writes, “The foolishness of God is wiser than man.”

We are going to look at our scripture reading a little bit at a time and try to gain a deeper understanding of what Paul is saying to us.

It begins with,  5:1 Therefore, since we are justified

Justified is a legal term which means that, under the law, we have been declared innocent or guiltless.  We have been legally absolved of our actions.  We have been acquitted of all charges brought against us under the law.

Wait a minute!  This is the same Paul who wrote, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  And now he is saying that we are justified.  Maybe we need to understand just what justification is and what it is not.

Justified does NOT mean that the person was innocent it means only that they could not be PROVEN guilty.

Now, we can all think of court cases where the guilty have been set free because of a technicality of the law.  Every lawyer is looking for that loophole in the law that will get his client absolved of the charges. 

So the truth is that we are guilty! 

We might be innocent of nine of the Ten Commandments but every one of us is guilty of at least one.  Just in case you have forgotten them I listed them on the front of the bulletin.  However, according to Jewish scholars, there are actually 633 commandments of God … not just the 10 that Moses brought down the mountain.  Those were just the big broad strokes of the law.  The other 623 were detailed explanation of the basic ten and detailed in Leviticus.  We have a tendency to think in terms of BIG sins and small sins.  That is not the way God sees things.

Here is an example: Lev 5:2 “If you touch anything unclean – the unclean dead body of a wild or tame animal or the body of an unclean, swarming creature … and then ignore what you did, you are unclean and will be guilty.” 

Have you ever touched the dead body of a swarming creature (think fly or mosquito) and then not confessed it before God and made a guilt offering to the Lord?

Is it any wonder than that Paul, who was well trained in the Law, could say, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God?”

For all practical purposes, it is impossible to keep the law and remain right before God. And since God is holy, and his very presence is fatal to sin, we as sinful people are under a death sentence for our sin.

I’m not going to ask you to name your guilt … just recognize it.  Just understand that we were under a death sentence and have now been absolved by our faith.  As it says in our reading, Therefore, since we are justified by faith,

Here is another term that we use but do we truly understand what it means?  What is faith?

Voltaire, the French philosopher, said, “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

Saint Augustine in the fifth century said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

Martin Luther King Junior said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” 

Saint Paul said, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” - Hebrews 11:1 )

Now we have faith … not just any faith… not faith in ourselves … not faith in our government … not faith in our church.  We have faith in that through Jesus, God has eliminated our sins.

This is where that “Foolishness of God” comes into this message.

I will admit that this concept of faith was what held me back from becoming a Christian.  This whole book is full of things that are just plain foolish to those without faith.  Through faith the truth is revealed.  So take the first step, even if you can’t see the second step. Seldom does God reveal the entire path.  Often it is only after the first step that the second step is revealed.  And after the second step the third step is revealed.  And so on.  The first step is to believe in God the Father, creator of Heaven and Earth.  The second step is to believe in Jesus Christ His only son.  The third step, believe in the Holy Spirit who, as Jesus said, will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  These steps you have started … but where your path will lead … only God knows.  What I do know is that through these steps of faith we will be at peace with God.

We have peace with God

Peace with God.  Once we were at war with God.  In our selfishness we put our own desires and our own agendas before the will of God.  By being self-centered instead of God-centered we were stopping the flow of blessings that God had for us.  By following our own path we were lost and unable to save ourselves.  God, who was never far from us, made a way through Jesus Christ.

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

By acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus over our lives we have received the grace of God.  Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Every knee shall bow to him.  And the sooner we realize His Lordship, the sooner we bow our knee to him, the sooner the Grace of God can be ours. 

Grace, the unearned gift of redemption can only come when we truly say to God, “Not my will but thine.”  We can only be filled with God when we are empty of self.

5:2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
5:3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

Now, do you remember what I said a minute ago about this book being full of foolishness?  Here is one of those “foolish” concepts. Boasting in our sufferings or as the English Standard version says, “we rejoice in our sufferings.”

Now that is foolish outside of a personal relationship with God. 

When you read the Old Testament and you’ll find very clearly that bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people.  The concept was that bad things were punishment from God for some sin in the person’s life.  And the reverse was also believed to be true.  If you were a Godly person and right with Him then everything would go your way.

It is amazing how that concept believed and promoted by the religious leaders even though a cursory glance at the lives of the prophets, judges and other Great Men of God.  Let’s look at Moses the most revered of those great men.

As a baby he was cast adrift in the Nile River (think man-eating crocodiles … no wonder he had a stutter as an adult), raised by the oppressor of his people, and went from a position of power and wealth (as a member of Pharaoh’s household) to a wanted fugitive living in the wilderness raising sheep.  Ordered by God to go do battle with Pharaoh and gain release of the captives. After winning their release, he had to lead this undisciplined, argumentative, disobedient multitude of people to the Promised Land, where they refused to go in.  He then had to lead them in wandering the dessert for forty years before bringing them back to the Promised Land.  And for his faithfulness … he died alone on a mountain overlooking the Promised Land that he wasn’t allowed to enter.

As strange as this concept of Troubles as a Sign of Sin was.  It still persists today. How often I have prayed, “Why me, God?   Why me?  I’ve been faithful.  Why?”

Here is what Jesus told his disciple and also the religious leaders of the day when they asked the same question.

9 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ² And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 

That the works of God should be revealed.

I hope that, like me, you can look back on your life and see where those times of hardship and loss have moved you to a place where God could bless you.  It is usually easy to see in hind-sight.  I’m trying to see it in fore-sight. 

I found this posted on Facebook and I think it explains this better than I can.

I am quoting now.

“For some time now, I have been trying to put together a presentation to raise awareness for ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Finally after much help I have come up with something. I could have given lots of numbers, statistics and other generalities, but it was suggested I tell my story.

First a little background about me. I was born January 20, 1958, the oldest of 3 boys in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most of my childhood was spent in Taneytown, Maryland before moving to Iowa in 1976. Like most boys I played sports. Lots of sports. As I said to the youth group a year ago, sports was my “god”. My parents split up when I was 11, so God was not a focal point in my life. Which now seems strange as my mom was raised in the church, choir member etc., and my dad’s dad was a preacher. I accepted Jesus as my savior at 19, but took a long time to live a Christian type life .Little did I know that God in His infinite wisdom was preparing me for this difficult, yet absolutely wonderful journey.

Like many others it has not been a smooth road. It did help determine, build and grow the faith I have today, though. The last 4-5 years have been particularly difficult. A divorce, raising 5 boys alone, and the diagnosis of a terminal illness. Thus I adopted the verse from Job13:15, “Tough He slay me I will hope in Him.”, as my own. Which is ironic in itself, because I once told Pastor Kent , I had very little hope. Mostly because it was placing hope in man rather then God I learned. Now I come to consider my disease a blessing rather than a curse. Yes, a blessing! Roman 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Amazing!! In this I know He isn’t done with me yet. He still has great plans, purpose and use of this dreadful sinner. What lies ahead, I am not sure of it all, but I do know He strengthens me in ways I was unable to do on my own. For that I am grateful will humbly go where I am led.” 

End quote

Do you see how this man came to realize that his disability was a blessing?  I’m not talking about “when life gives you lemonade”.   I’m saying that when life gives you lemons, praise God and thank Him for the lemons and ask Him what to do with them.

Sometimes WE have to fail … to have our world crash around us, for God to be revealed.  I was taught and raised to be self-reliant.  That means that I’m one of those guys who struggles and bulls my way through something without asking for help.  And when one of my friends says, “Why didn’t you call me?”, I have to admit that it never occurred to me to ask for help.  I do the same thing with God … sometimes.  We’re working on that.  Sometimes my self-reliance, my self-will, has to fail … for me to accept what God has in mind for me.

There is a famous prayer by John Wessley which I believe speaks to his own struggle with self-will.  It reads,

“I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.  Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

I like this prayer because it is so much more eloquent than a prayer that I had started to pray but still says the same thing.  My prayer goes, “God, lead me, push me, pull me, place me where I am to be and doing what I’m to do.  I give you permission to override my will with yours.  Amen.”

And what is the result of our suffering?  Our scripture says,

Suffering produces endurance

5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5:5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

So, since we know that God will use ALL of our circumstances for our ultimate good – we rejoice in our suffering.  That doesn’t mean that we have to rejoice FOR our suffering.  We just to apply that Foolishness of God principle and have faith that God has a blessing for us that we can only receive by passing through the time of trial.  God will then be able to pour His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Praise God!  Amen.

Forever People

Forever People

         We are Forever People.  We are born, we live and we go through death.  However, we do not die.  We change.  Our earthly life is an infinitesimally small portion of our true life and yet we often treat it as the most important thing in our lives.  Jesus said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Mathew 16:26 New Revised Standard Version)

         God is much more concerned about our Forever Life than He is about our earthly life.  I believe that we are so often concerned about our earthly existence that we fail to see God’s plan for our eternal life.  His plans sometimes take us through places, times and situations that we do not like.  Recall that the Israelites had to go through the Red Sea, across the desert, through the flooded Jordon River and then had to fight to secure the “Promised Land”.  And man o man did they ever complain about it.  They fought God most of the way.  You see, to God, this was less than the tick of a clock and was a necessary part of their conditioning and shaping as a nation instead of a disjointed band of family tribes.

         So consider this when next you come to your own Red Sea, desert, flood or fight for what God has promised; perhaps He has you in training camp and is preparing you for the glory to come.  He is thinking of your life forever with Him.

A study of Ephesians 1:1-10

This is not a sermon (though it may will turn into one someday), this is just my thoughts and connections as I study the letter to the church at Ephesus.  The words in black print are Bible verses   from the American Standard Version.  Words in green are my thoughts on the scripture.

Ephesians 1  ASV

1.   Paul, (not Saul but Paul.  Not the former person but the new man.  The man remade in an instant of transformation at the moment of contact with the Son of God) an apostle (Messenger … but different from the term used for angels who are also messengers of God.  The term used here is of and emissary or ambassador.  An angel is sent to deliver the message.  Where an apostle is sent to speak for the sender.  It is a broader concept almost as if this type of messenger has also been given the ‘power of attorney’ by the sender.) of Christ (The anointed one.  In Hebrew, the Messiah.  Christ is a title not part of his name.  It literally recognizes Jesus as King in the same way that David was anointed King by Samuel.)  Jesus through the will of God, (The will of God … this is all part of the plan that God as set in motion through his divine will.  This not a random or accidental fact that Paul is an ambassador, nor is it of his own choosing.  He is an apostle because God re-created him as his emissary.)  to the saints (not Saint with a capital S.  Paul is recognizing that he is not speaking to non-believers but to those who are believers in the Lordship of Jesus.) that are at Ephesus, and the faithful (Faith full: filled with faith.  And not just any faith but faith in the lordship/kingship of Jesus) in Christ Jesus;

2.   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, (Paul as a good Jew and steeped in the Jewish tradition did not begin his letter with Shalom.  Shalom means peace, an all encompassing type of peace.  Peace in your family, your self, your finances, your society etc.  Instead Paul wishes his readers the blessing of grace. Grace is the love of God, freely and limitlessly given without restrictions and totally undeserved.  Obviously to Paul this grace was a much greater blessing than peace.)

3.   blessed be the God and Father (This is not the common Jewish designation of God as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  Paul in this salutation acknowledges the singular distinction of Jesus, he is the Father’s Son.  Paul acknowledges that Jesus is more than a prophet, more than a teacher, more than a healer, more than a spiritual leader more even than a king; he is recognizing the divinity of Jesus and he wants audience to understand that special distinction.)  of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Again, Paul is recognizing that both he and his readers belong to Jesus.  They are servants and He is Lord.) who hath blessed (divinely favored or favored by God) us with every spiritual blessing (Paul is not discounting earthly blessing but he is about to enumerate the more important spiritual blessings and doesn’t want his readers to start mentally cataloging earthly blessings such as health, wealth, etc.) in the heavenly places in Christ:

4.   even as he chose us (Remember Christ himself reminded his followers that they did not choose him but that he had chosen them.  As I am writing this, it is the day before a national election where we will choose our next president.  We will choose the person who will be the recognized leader of our government for the next four years.  Not everyone who goes into the voting booth will choose the person who will win the election.  Some will cast the ballot for a different candidate.  In this election we can reject as well as choose.  Not so with Christ.  He chose.  We did not.) in him before the foundation of the world, (As John said at the beginning of his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.”) that we should be holy (Dedicated or devoted to the service of God.) and without blemish (By Jewish law nothing that is blemished, spotted, defective in anyway may be dedicated to God.  Since “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, it is only through the redeeming transformational power of Jesus that we can be seen as ‘without blemish’ before God.  Jesus is better than Clearasil, Oil of Olay, or Neutrogena.  Amen?) before him in love: (dedicated in love … not dedicated out of fear, or duty … not dedicated as an exchange for favors.  We are dedicated in love as a sacrifice pleasing to God.)

5.   having foreordained (We are non-denominational so I’m going to sidestep all arguments fore or against Calvin’s understanding of these terms of ‘foreordained’ and ;predestined’ and just say that they mean appointed beforehand) us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, (Paul as a Jew was not claiming his birthright as a ‘son of Abraham and inheritor of the promise of God’.  He was acknowledging that, through Jesus, Jew and Non-Jew had both been adopted into the family of God.  This was a vastly more important relationship than being a son of Abraham) according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: (Again Paul is saying that is all the will of God, a gift, unearned and purchased by Jesus.)

6.   in whom we have our redemption (redemption requires a price.  We have said and believe that our salvation is a gift, however it free to us only because Jesus paid the price of our sin, of our rebellion against the will of God.) through his blood, (this is the price, His blood in exchange for ours.  One day during communion we received the bread and dipped it into the chalice of juice and as I removed the bread, I automatically held my other hand under it to catch the drip.  And drip it did, right into the center of my palm.  As I looked at the round dot of red, my heart was broken, once again by the realization of the depth of Jesus’ and the Father’s love for me.) the forgiveness of our trespasses, (Trespass is such a gentle word.  We have just wandered into a place where we did not belong. At times in my life maybe what I did was trespass.  However there were also times that I SINNED!  I was willfully disobedient to the will and law of God.  In those times when I just stepped off the path, a gentle nudge was all I needed to get me back into the will of God.  But there were times that took off running, jumping fences, scaling walls and kicking down doors as I ran from God.  I deserved a whack upside the head, to be shackled and thrown into the pit.  However, God gave to me ((and you)) … according to the riches of his grace.

7.   which he made to abound toward us (Grace that comes not in a trickle but a flood.  An overwhelming, all engulfing outpouring of grace.  A grace that doesn’t just hide our sins it completely removes them.) in all wisdom and prudence,

8.   making known unto us the mystery of his will, (The mystery of His will?  Did you realize that God gave more than ten laws to Moses?  Orthodox Jews follow all 613 in the law of Moses.  God certainly never intended his will to be a mystery.  He tried repeatedly to make his will known to us.  It was only man’s hard heartiness that made his will a mystery to us.

9.   according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

unto a dispensation of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, (Bless you Paul for that image, “sum up all things in Christ”.  Did you just hear Paul say, “Jesus is the answer?”  Imagine a balance sheet; on one side is everything … everything ever … past, present and future … everything, add them altogether and on the other side of the = sign is Jesus.  “All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.” John 1:3.) 

The Price and The Prize

Mark 12:38-44

38.  As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,

39.  and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!

        We haven’t changed that much in the last two thousand years have we?  We know these people.  Amen?  We may even BE these people.  Opps!  I’d better back off before I start meddling.  It’s too early in the sermon to start stepping on toes.  Don’t worry; the toes that get stepped on are my own.  Remember, every message I deliver was delivered to me first.

40.  They devour widow’s houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers.  They will receive the greater condemnation.”

        Okay, here is confession time for me.  And please understand, I’m not telling you this to be boastful.  I’m telling you this in all humility.  When I am preaching, I write the corporate prayers in advance because I want to be sure to cover all the concerns of the congregation.  My goal isn’t for length but for completeness. 

       

        That is the difference between these public prayers for others and my personal prayers which are much different.  99% of my prayers are quick, one topic prayers, more akin to post-it notes than letters.  I talk to God a lot because I talk to Him about what is on my mind.  And, well, I guess my mind does hold a lot of thoughts at a time!  But the point is I don’t have to get “caught up” with God.  I don’t have to fill Him in on what is going on, ‘cause He’s there with me all the time. 

        Those prayers are also nearly always silent.  You could follow me around all day and never realize when I’m talking to God.  If you ever hear one of my public prayers and think to yourself, “I wish I could pray like that!”  you will have missed the point completely.  Public prayers may be for public use but they are not for public entertainment.  Prayer is “talking to God” and that is ALL it is.

        My mother had a saying, “He almost threw his arm out … patting himself on the back.”  It was her way of saying that someone was a little too full of himself.  That seems to describe the scribes that Jesus was talking about.  But let’s not get too smug here.  How many of you have a trophy case?  A scrapbook or shoebox full of mementos of past achievements?  How many have your old report cards from grade school?  Medals, ribbons, awards certificates, letter jacket letters?  I think I still have my sharpshooters and badge and even my good conduct ribbon from the military.  They are in a jar in a drawer someplace. 

        We all like to be recognized for what we’ve accomplished.  Especially we like to be recognized for achieving a goal that we had to really struggle to achieve.  I don’t believe that there is anything inherently wrong with accepting the praise of others for our honest achievements.  The problem arises when we fail to give God the praise for the strength, the wit, the ability to achieve those goals.

       

        I’m reminded of the old pioneer’s prayer that went like this, “God, I thank thee for this bread, that I baked, from the flour that I ground, from the wheat that I grew, in the field that I planted after I plowed after I cleared it of timber and grass and stones.  Yes, I thank you for this bread that I baked in the oven I built from the stones I gathered from the field and carried to the house that I built from the lumber I milled from the trees that I felled in the land I homesteaded. 

       

        I am sorry to say that I have at times had a few too many “I”s in my prayers and not enough “thee”s and “thou”s.  A more proper prayer would be, “Thank you, Gracious God, for this bread which you have provided.  Thank you for the seed that you created to grow in your good soil and watered by the rains in their season.  Thank you for the health and strength that you have given me to work the soil.  Thank you for the creative mind to conceive and construct my home.  Thank you most of all that you loved me enough to send your son to die in my place for my sins.  Amen.”

        You see, Jesus was trying to show his followers (that’s us) that we need to take our eyes off of ourselves and onto God.  And to be sure that his listeners heard the message he repeats it with another illustration.

        But before we get to this next part of the reading I don’t want anyone to start squirming in their seats.  We’re going to be talking about money.  And I know when a preacher starts to talk about money people start thinking, “Okay, here it comes … he’s trying to get into my wallet.”  So, let me make this clear.  I am not going to pass the plate.  I’m not going to take an offering.  If you have a home church, I encourage you to support them even while you are away from home.  This ministry has very little expenses and does not need your money.  By the same token, I was told by a couple who attended our service back in Iowa, that they felt the “need” to give and that I was being selfish for not allowing them to do so.  So, if you feel lead to support this ministry, it will be humbly accepted and put to use as God directs us.  But again, don’t hear the following part of the sermon as a plea for money.  That is not what Jesus was trying to teach his disciples.  He was teaching about giving all (not just money) to God.  He was teaching about the price and the prize of following Him.

        Okay, now as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story.”

41.  He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury.  Many rich people put in large sums.

        Praise God!  Rich people SHOULD put in large sums.  Jesus never spoke against that.  As a matter of fact, he made it pretty clear that the rich should put that money to its best use here in this life because it wasn’t going to follow them to the next.  He was quite pointed as to what happens to people who are bad stewards of the assets they are in charge of.  He also praised those who used their resources to gain an increase.  I believe that God gives us more than we can use for the purpose of giving to others.  So listen to what Jesus has to say.

42.  A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.

43.  Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.”

44.  For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.

        Now wait a minute!  All she put in was a couple of coins.  Those coins were an insignificant portion of the total treasury.  What difference could those coins make in a treasury so well stocked?  Well, that’s the point; you see Jesus wasn’t looking at the good it was going to do the treasury.  He was looking at the good it was going to do this poor widow. 

       

        Wait!  What?  Did I just say that Jesus was looking at what the widow had just gained?  Yep!  Stay tuned, we’ll get to that in a minute.

        Yes, she had given all that she had.  Jesus never asked anyone for less than all they have.  Think back to when Jesus called Peter and Andrew and James and John.  Do you remember what happened?  Matthew 4 starting with verse 18

18.                While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, one was Simon, also know as Peter, and the other was Andrew.  They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake.

19.                Jesus said to them, “Follow me!  I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.”

20.                Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.

21.                Jesus walked on until he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  They were in a boat with their father, mending their nets.  Jesus asked them to come to him.

22.                At once they left the boat and their father and went with Jesus.

        Do you see?  He asked EVERYTHING of them.  Leave your business.  Leave your family.  Leave all of the things that you have planned.  Leave it all.  Because there is so much more to gain! 

        In Luke 14:26 there are large crowds following Jesus.  He was becoming extremely popular with many people.  He was healing them and feeding them.  It appeared that life would be good for his disciples.  And so, many followed him.  Then he turned and said to them, … “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.”

        There is Jesus disclaimer.  In this day and age, to keep from being sued, it seems everything has a disclaimer attached to it: “Results may vary, consult a physician before proceeding, side affects may occur … some serious … including death.”   Jesus didn’t want these ‘fair weather’ followers to be unaware of he ‘side affects’ to become His disciple. 

       

        To become his follower, you must be willing to loose everything, to own nothing, not even your own life.  And he never promises that it will be easy.  Indeed he says “pick up your cross and follow me.” 

        We, in this day and age, are so far removed from the reality of “the cross”, that I think we fail to take in the impact of what Jesus was saying.  What those present were hearing him say was, “If you follow me, you must be willing to be tortured and executed in the most painful, brutal and humiliating way possible. 

        If you are looking for “sunshine and lollipops, where all your dreams come true”, don’t bother following Jesus.  He demands all that you own and all that you are … nothing less will do.

       

        “So what’s in it for me?” we ask.  If I am to give up everything, even my will, what will I gain?  That seems a fair question to ask.  Amen?   The Psalmist does a good job of answering that in the 23^rd psalm.

1.  The Lord is my shepherd … He provides guidance for our life.

2.  I shall not want … He provides for all our needs.

3.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures … He provides us with rest in a turbulent world.

4.  He leads me beside the still waters … He refreshes us.

5.  He restores my soul … our sin laden soul is cleansed and made new

6.  He leads me in the paths of righteousness … He gives us clear instruction and examples of how to live our life.

7.  for His name’s sake … We are children of God.  We are Christians.  We are His namesake.

8.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil … even in death  there is nothing to fear.

 9.  for You are with me … Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 20b

10. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me … we actually have the full armor of God … belt of Truth … breastplate of righteousness … the gospel of peace … shield of faith … the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:10-18

11.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies … Yes, even in the presence of our enemies.  Hear what Romans 8:38 & 39 say, “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

12. You anoint my head with oil … There are two ways of anointing with oil.  One is as a sign of acceptance and friendship, as when a host would anoint his guests with oil; it was a refreshment from the heat and dust.  The other use of anointing with oil is to sanctify or make holy, as in the anointing of the sacrificial altar or the priests or the king.  Both of these are true for us as Christians.  … Romans 8:17… “and if children then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

13.  My cup runs over … Blessings beyond blessings are ours.  More than we can consume … enough to share, just like a 3 Musketeers Bar.

14.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life … Again from the 8^th chapter of Romans in the 28^th verse we read … “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Goodness and Mercy even in those times when we don’t see them … God is at work turning everything into what is good for us.  Sometimes it’s ice cream and sometimes it is cod liver oil, but it is always good for us.

15.  I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever … Jesus said in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  As a follower of Christ our eternal home is already prepared; the woodwork is polished, the knick knacks are dusted, the bedspread is turned down, and the cupboards are fully stocked and the curtains are drawn back … home is waiting for us.

        All of this on the day when we give our life to the Lord, we lost everything … and we gained everything.  Paul understood this concept and tried to pass it on to the church at Philippi.  Philippians 3:

8.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

        Okay, I said earlier that it was too soon in the message to start meddling.  Well now we're far enough into it that it is time to start meddling.  I want you to think for a moment what you have gained by knowing Jesus as Lord of your life.  (If you don’t know him as your savior and your lord, come see me afterwards and I will pray with you about that.)  Maybe what you have gained is a better life … not necessarily an easy life … but a better life than you had or would have had without Him.  Perhaps what you have gained is a hope beyond this life.  The reassurance that where He has gone, you will also go to live with Him for eternity.  Maybe you have gained victory over an illness, or weakness or addiction that had held you.  Maybe you were raised in a Christian home and never strayed far from the path so for you what you have gained is a continuation of that fellowship into the next life.  What ever you have gained is personal and between you and God. 

        Now think, if you can, of what you lost by become a child of God.  Anything of value?  Speaking for myself here, I can’t think of anything that I can say that I gave up.  There are things that I no longer do, places I no longer go, thoughts I no longer have, and emotions that I no longer feel.  But, in truth, what ever was left behind was, as Paul said, rubbish. 

        Actually, I’ve heard that a translation closer to the meaning of his words would not be rubbish, but sewage.  That is what we who have found the Lord have left behind … sewage.  And in exchange we have gained it all!  Praise God.  Amen.

        Let’s bow our heads in prayer.  Father, I pray that if there is anyone here who has not yet made that commitment to surrender their will to yours, that you will speak words of power and reassurance to their hearts right now. 

        And Lord, for those who already have given our lives to you, we praise you for our salvation, for out strength, for our courage, for our peace, for our relief and for our comfort, but most of all we thank you for your abiding presence in our lives.  Amen.

My Theology - What I Believe