Onward Christian Soldiers

Hebrew Scripture Reading: Judges 7:2-8 (NIV)
The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’  Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.”  Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.”  So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
New Testament Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Message: “Onward Christian Soldiers”
“You have too many men.” No commanding officer would ever tell their subordinate such a thing when they were sending them into battle, “You have too many men.” And yet that is what God told Gideon. And then after sending 2/3 of the army home, God said, “There are still too many men.” God then gives them a test and those 300 that passed (or perhaps those that failed) were left to go into battle against the scourge of the Middle East.

The Midianites ranged from one end of the area to the other, destroying everything in their path. And then they would turn around and go back just as people were beginning to rebuild, looting, pillaging and destroying it all over again. The Midianites were not just constantly at war, they were a living, breathing war machine. And God in his wisdom, weans Gideon’s army of 32,000 down to 300 and sends them into battle. And guess what! This mighty, terrifying swarm of living weapons runs away. God didn’t need an army. He just needed a few men who believed that God would give the victory.

Onward Christian Soldiers! Marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe. Forward into battle. See His banners go!

Yes, the Prince of Peace is leading the charge into battle. And we (you and I) are to follow into the fight. This is not a battle over land or resources or ideologies as human wars are fought. This is a test of the ultimate good over the ultimate evil with our (yours and my) eternal lives at stake.

For many years I thought that being a Christian meant fighting a defensive battle. I thought we were to defend ourselves against the onslaught of Satan and his followers. Then one day as I was reading the sixteenth chapter of the gospel of Matthew, where Peter has just declared that Jesus is the Messiah. It is such a familiar story and yet I saw something that I had never seen before. It stood out almost like a flashing light and I couldn’t believe that I’d never noticed it before. Look here where Jesus says, “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Wait! What? The gates of hell shall not prevail against His church! The gates of hell are not attacking the church (you and I). You and I are attacking the gates of hell! The is not a defensive battle. We are on the offence. We are to take the battle to the very gates of hell.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why does hell have gates?” Well, it is certainly not to keep us out of hell! Satan is trying his damnedest to get us in there! Literally! The gates are to keep the lost from getting away.

Now here is some sad news. Satan didn’t build the gates of hell. We built the gates of hell and of our sins are they constructed. Our sin was keeping us from coming into the full presence of God. And Satan wants us securely locked behind those gates of sin.

You see the-great-liar has people convinced that once they have sinned that they are forever lost! That they are not good enough for God to love them. That they will have to work really hard to earn God’s love. That God can never forgive or forget what they have done. And Satan is always there to keep reminding us of how unworthy we are.

And, as all strong lies are, it is partially true. We are unworthy. We can never earn God’s forgiveness. We can never do enough good to make up for the bad that we have done. We can not balance the scales of justice. We are guilty!

The devil really does not want anyone hearing the good news; that by simply accepting the free gift of salvation, by accepting the Jesus is our Lord, we can break down our own personal hell’s gate. For you see, Jesus died to set us (all of human kind) free from the judgment of eternal damnation. That’s right. Simply by praying the sinner’s prayer, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.” From that point on, we are free, no matter how often the liar whispers in our ear. For Christ died once, for all. His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of all sin … of everyone’s sin.

By believing in our heart and confessing with our tongue that Jesus is Lord, we have broken down our own personal gate of hell. But we are called upon to do more. We are to attack the gates of sin that others have built for themselves. We are to share the good news that Jesus’ blood has cleansed away our sins. We are no longer separated from the fullness of God’s love.

Years ago I heard a story about fleas. No, wait, I haven’t gotten off the topic, I promise. Did you know that a flea can jump vertically up to seven inches? That is 200 times its body length. I’m six foot tall. If I was able to jump 200 times my height, that would be 1200 feet straight up! I’d have a big S on my chest and a cape on my back … but I’d skip the spandex tights! Not a sight anyone would want to see.

Okay, now I’ve gotten a little off topic. However, I needed you to understand what remarkable jumping abilities fleas have. If you were to put a flea in a quart jar, it could easily jump out! No big deal for a little flea. However, the story goes that if you put a flea in a jar and put the lid on the jar, the flea will jump and hit the lid and not be able to get out. It will try again and again and again. Each time it will hit the lid. Eventually, the flea will jump just high enough that it no longer hits the lid. After that, even if you remove the lid, the flea will not jump out. It is trapped under a lid that is no longer present.

Many people are trapped behind their own personal gate of hell even though the gate is gone. Jesus has already set everyone (you, me, the guy across the street, and the guy on the other side of the world … everyone) free! We have the obligation, the command, to let people know that they are free. We don’t have to save them … they are already saved by the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. We just have to let them know that the gates of hell are gone. And by simply believing in their heart and confessing the Jesus is Lord, they can step into the presence of Almighty God without fear of damnation but with the confidence of a child of God.

Here is the “warning label” that is attached to every Christian: So gear up with the armor of God: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” If you become (or became) a Christian thinking that suddenly your life was going to be all sunshine and roses or milk and honey, you have another thought coming. By giving your life over to God, your eternal life is secure. However, you still have to live in this broken world with all of its daily troubles. Remember Jesus told his followers in Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I doubt that the devil spends much time tormenting those he already holds captive. Their choices will carry enough consequences so that he can turn his attention to his main activity. His target is the man or woman of God. He will use every trick he can to make you turn away from God. Remember his response in the book of Job when “the Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” And 1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
· The belt of truth: The devil is a crafty liar. And quite often he tells the truth in a way meant to deceive. Matthew and Luke’s gospels describe how the devil even quoted the scriptures to Jesus in order to tempt him. Keep the belt of truth securely around you that you many neither be deceived nor deceive others.
· The breastplate of righteousness: Righteousness does not simply mean “being right” it means “being right with God”. To be righteous we must act within the will of God.
· The shield of faith: Faith is one of the most misunderstood concepts of Christianity. I have faith that if I hold this book at arms length and let go, it will fall. That is a secular type of faith. We have faith in gravity because we have seen its effects before. Religious faith is to believe in the unseen and often unverifiable word of God. To the nonbeliever, this kind of faith is foolishness. Saint Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”
· The helmet of salvation: The helmet of salvation covers our head and protects our mind, the seat of our knowledge. As I mentioned earlier, the devil will work to deceive us by attacking that which we believe. Trust in your salvation. It is enough protection because Satin can not take it away from you. Romans 8:39 “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.”
· The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: The sword is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. So is the word of God, the Bible. Read it. Study it. Live it. The best way to keep from being deceived is to know the truth. The only way to know the truth is by the word of God. And if we are to fulfill the commandment to go into the entire world a share the gospel, we need to have the sword of the spirit to cut trough the enemy’s defenses and free the captive.
· And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace: the gospel of peace is the good news that we are no longer at war with God as we were in our sinful nature. The gospel of peace means that we are in a battle to save not destroy, to release not to take captive, and not to destroy the enemy but to befriend him. (I’m speaking here of the souls held in bondage). Jesus declared that we are to love our enemies. What fantastic wisdom that is. If we love them, they are no longer an enemy we have “killed them with kindness.”

And rejoice in each victory while remembering the lesson that God gave to Gideon: God intentionally sent a weakened army against one of the mightiest armies of the ancient world so that men could not boast about the victory. The victory is God’s. We are just the vessels. No man or army of men could stand against a battle with the devil. But one man plus God is more than a match for anything that the evil one can muster. By wrapping ourselves in God’s armor, we are ready to both defend and attack. So go, not in your own might, but in the name of God in the armor of God and the gates of hell will fall away.

What Christmas Means to Me

 

Hebrew Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 9:6-7

A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Councilor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince

of Peace.  His government and peace will have unlimited growth. He will establish David's throne and kingdom. He will uphold it with justice and righteousness now and forever.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 2:8-20

Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid! l have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David's city. This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have

his good will." The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. "Everyone who heard the shepherd’s story was amazed. Mary treasured all these things in her heart always thought about them. As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

Message:    "What Christmas Means to Me"

Chris-mus and Christ's-mass are two of  my favorite holidays.  They weren't always.  I grew up in a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, agnostics and atheists.  None of which celebrate the Christ's Mass.  The atheists' and agnostics in the family did at least celebrate Chris-mus.

You know the difference right?  For a long time I didn’t know the difference.  I didn’t even know that one was a holiday and the other a holy day.

Christ's Mass celebrates the birth of the Christ child.  The promised savior of sinful man.  The fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham that, through his decedents, all people will be blessed.

Chris-mus, (notice the way it is pronounced ... Chris rather than Christ) on the other hand, is a secular holiday that celebrates gift giving, Santa, flying deer, evergreen trees and colored lights.

My mother, a Jehovah's Witness, celebrated neither holiday nor did my sister.  My brother celebrated Chris-mus and gave gifts and decorated their home.  I was nearly the age of his children and occasionally would also receive gifts from him.  (actually is was his wife who was in charge of gifts).  As I grew older, I also exchanged gifts with my nieces and nephews.

When I had children of my own, we celebrated a hybrid version of the two holiday's.  We decorated and gave gifts but the focus was on the birth of Christ.  My kids knew the Santa myth but were never encouraged to believe it.

Now that I have grown into being Santa, my grandchildren and great grandchildren believe in Santa.  I enjoy it.  Santa is an example of the best of what we are as humans.  he is loving, jolly, giving soul who puts everyone else's happiness above his own and goes out of his way to be a servant to others.  And he gets paid in cookies and milk.  How great is that?

However, as we've all heard, Jesus is the reason for the season.  So I've made it my mission to put Christ back into my holy day greetings by trying to remember to say Merry Christ's Mass

Our Hebrew scripture reading from Isaiah delivers the promise that "A child will be born for us."  Did you catch that?  For us ... a gift ... for us.  For us ... not a random birth ... but a birth with a purpose ... for us.  I had a startling, mind opening thought here.  Listen ... here it comes ... the gift is never more important than the recipient.  Right?  The new socks that I received are not more important than I am.  The piece of jewelry that I gave is not more important than the person to whom I gave it.  Do you see it?  Do you understand what that means?  God valued US more than his son!  Or, if you understand the reality of the Trinity ... God valued US more than Himself.  But don't take my word for it, hear the words that Jesus himself spoke,  "For God so loved the world (us) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  That revelation alone should take us humbly to our knees to praise God for His love of us.

Listen as the promise continues, "A son will be given to us."  Now the promise is restated "to us".  "For us" spoke to the sacrificial nature of God's gift.  "To us" speaks to the direction of this love.  This love is to us ... not from us ... not because of anything that we have done to deserve it ... it is just "to us".

"The weight of the government will rest on his shoulders."  For centuries this was understood by most to mean that the Christ would rule an earthly kingdom.  A kingdom such as the people understood but with a benevolent leader who would unite all mankind under his rule.  We, from our perspective, have heard Christ's response when Pilate asked him about his kingdom.  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight to prevent my arrest by Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."

No, in his earthly life the only things place on his shoulders were the weight of the cross and the burden of our sins.  And yet, just as the prophet said, His kingdom continues to grow, there is no end to it.

I doubt that the shepherds who received the angel's greeting centuries later were thinking of Isaiah's words.  And yet, they were still waiting and expecting the Christ to come.

I try to inject myself into these scriptures and imagine what it was like to be a shepherd on those dark hills that night.  No smog and no light pollution from our modern cities.  The sky would have been as black as the inside of a cave.  And yet the sky was ablaze with the light of billion upon billion of stars such as few of us have ever seen.  Most of the team of shepherds were dozing while a few kept watch, constantly aware that there are predators and other dangers in the dark.  They were probably talking about the scores other favorite sports are rebuilding (or whatever men talked about before professional sports and automobiles ... I have no idea.)  A small fire is crackling nearby.  It is not so large as to ruin their night vision but just enough to keep the chill of the night at bay.  Fragrant smoke curling upward carrying the scent of olive branches and grapevines toward heaven.  And into this peaceful setting, an angel, glowing with unearthly light, suddenly appears and says, "Do not be afraid."  Too late!  I would have already wet myself.  "Do not be afraid?"  You are kidding, right?  Then the angel continues, "Boys, I've got great new that will have everyone wetting themselves with joy!"  Okay, that's not a direct quote but understand that this news is unlike another news before or after.  No other news in all creation was more important than "Christ has come!"

The shepherds are not commanded to find him but it is assumed that they will so they are given this simple way to recognize this new born Lord of all, "He will be wrapped in

strips of cloth and laying in a feeding trough."

I'm sure that Bethlehem was no where near the 25,000 people that live there today, but it was a city who's population was swollen because of the people who had come to be registered for the emperors census.  How did the shepherds find Him?  Well, first of all they were not looking for a baby born in a house.  The baby was laying in a manger.  Probably the parents were travelers so go look where travelers go ... inns.  Or more precisely to an inn so full that guests would have to seek shelter in the stable.  And with the added assist of some divine guidance, the shepherds find him just as the angels had said.

And what was the scene in that stable that the shepherds found?  Well, unlike the romantic paintings, there were no angels hanging about outside or floating above the baby.  If you've ever been in a barn where animals are kept, you don't have to imagine too hard and long as to what it smelled like: a mixture of new hay, old wood and animal odors.  The animals are awakened by all the activity and probably expecting to be fed.  This would have not been unusual for shepherds.  But in the middle of all this is Mary, all exhausted from travel and childbirth.  She hasn't had a midwife or family or friends to help her through the delivery or the cleanup.  Childbirth is a messy business.

Joseph has done what he could to make his little family comfortable and safe.  All the concerns of a new father have just been made real in his life.  They are far from home because of the decree of some far off, foreign emperor to find out how many subjects he can tax.  The journey to Bethlehem was hard ... how hard is the journey home going to be now that there is a baby to be tended?  How much income is he loosing because he is away from his place of business?

We tend to overlook the human aspects in this story because of the divine.  The glorious news of the Savior's birth is glorious us to us because we don't have to deal with the day to day realities that Mary and Joseph and yes, the new born Christ child were dealing with. Enter the shepherds, all excited and animated as they tell of the appearance of the angels and the prophesy that was told to them.

Both Mary and Joseph had their moments of divine intervention, but that was months ago. we humans have a problem; even if we have experienced a divine moment, after a while the concerns of our daily life push the divine to the back of our mind. enter the shepherds, all excited, all talking at once, waving their arms with excited gestures, overflowing with the enthusiasm of their own divine intervention. The scriptures do not record how long this party went on before one of the shepherds realize that they have walked off and left her sheep. But it does say that they went away praising God.

And that's what Christmas means to me.

2013 July 22

 

Hebrew Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 9:6-7

A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Councilor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince

of Peace.  His government and peace will have unlimited growth. He will establish David's throne and kingdom. He will uphold it with justice and righteousness now and forever.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 2:8-20

Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid! l have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David's city. This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have

his good will." The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. "Everyone who heard the shepherd’s story was amazed. Mary treasured all these things in her heart always thought about them. As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

Message:    "What Christmas Means to Me"

Chris-mus and Christ's-mass are two of  my favorite holidays.  They weren't always.  I grew up in a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, agnostics and atheists.  None of which celebrate the Christ's Mass.  The atheists' and agnostics in the family did at least celebrate Chris-mus.

You know the difference right?  For a long time I didn’t know the difference.  I didn’t even know that one was a holiday and the other a holy day.

Christ's Mass celebrates the birth of the Christ child.  The promised savior of sinful man.  The fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham that, through his decedents, all people will be blessed.

Chris-mus, (notice the way it is pronounced ... Chris rather than Christ) on the other hand, is a secular holiday that celebrates gift giving, Santa, flying deer, evergreen trees and colored lights.

My mother, a Jehovah's Witness, celebrated neither holiday nor did my sister.  My brother celebrated Chris-mus and gave gifts and decorated their home.  I was nearly the age of his children and occasionally would also receive gifts from him.  (actually is was his wife who was in charge of gifts).  As I grew older, I also exchanged gifts with my nieces and nephews.

When I had children of my own, we celebrated a hybrid version of the two holiday's.  We decorated and gave gifts but the focus was on the birth of Christ.  My kids knew the Santa myth but were never encouraged to believe it.

Now that I have grown into being Santa, my grandchildren and great grandchildren believe in Santa.  I enjoy it.  Santa is an example of the best of what we are as humans.  he is loving, jolly, giving soul who puts everyone else's happiness above his own and goes out of his way to be a servant to others.  And he gets paid in cookies and milk.  How great is that?

However, as we've all heard, Jesus is the reason for the season.  So I've made it my mission to put Christ back into my holy day greetings by trying to remember to say Merry Christ's Mass

Our Hebrew scripture reading from Isaiah delivers the promise that "A child will be born for us."  Did you catch that?  For us ... a gift ... for us.  For us ... not a random birth ... but a birth with a purpose ... for us.  I had a startling, mind opening thought here.  Listen ... here it comes ... the gift is never more important than the recipient.  Right?  The new socks that I received are not more important than I am.  The piece of jewelry that I gave is not more important than the person to whom I gave it.  Do you see it?  Do you understand what that means?  God valued US more than his son!  Or, if you understand the reality of the Trinity ... God valued US more than Himself.  But don't take my word for it, hear the words that Jesus himself spoke,  "For God so loved the world (us) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  That revelation alone should take us humbly to our knees to praise God for His love of us.

Listen as the promise continues, "A son will be given to us."  Now the promise is restated "to us".  "For us" spoke to the sacrificial nature of God's gift.  "To us" speaks to the direction of this love.  This love is to us ... not from us ... not because of anything that we have done to deserve it ... it is just "to us".

"The weight of the government will rest on his shoulders."  For centuries this was understood by most to mean that the Christ would rule an earthly kingdom.  A kingdom such as the people understood but with a benevolent leader who would unite all mankind under his rule.  We, from our perspective, have heard Christ's response when Pilate asked him about his kingdom.  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight to prevent my arrest by Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."

No, in his earthly life the only things place on his shoulders were the weight of the cross and the burden of our sins.  And yet, just as the prophet said, His kingdom continues to grow, there is no end to it.

I doubt that the shepherds who received the angel's greeting centuries later were thinking of Isaiah's words.  And yet, they were still waiting and expecting the Christ to come.

I try to inject myself into these scriptures and imagine what it was like to be a shepherd on those dark hills that night.  No smog and no light pollution from our modern cities.  The sky would have been as black as the inside of a cave.  And yet the sky was ablaze with the light of billion upon billion of stars such as few of us have ever seen.  Most of the team of shepherds were dozing while a few kept watch, constantly aware that there are predators and other dangers in the dark.  They were probably talking about the scores other favorite sports are rebuilding (or whatever men talked about before professional sports and automobiles ... I have no idea.)  A small fire is crackling nearby.  It is not so large as to ruin their night vision but just enough to keep the chill of the night at bay.  Fragrant smoke curling upward carrying the scent of olive branches and grapevines toward heaven.  And into this peaceful setting, an angel, glowing with unearthly light, suddenly appears and says, "Do not be afraid."  Too late!  I would have already wet myself.  "Do not be afraid?"  You are kidding, right?  Then the angel continues, "Boys, I've got great new that will have everyone wetting themselves with joy!"  Okay, that's not a direct quote but understand that this news is unlike another news before or after.  No other news in all creation was more important than "Christ has come!"

The shepherds are not commanded to find him but it is assumed that they will so they are given this simple way to recognize this new born Lord of all, "He will be wrapped in

strips of cloth and laying in a feeding trough."

I'm sure that Bethlehem was no where near the 25,000 people that live there today, but it was a city who's population was swollen because of the people who had come to be registered for the emperors census.  How did the shepherds find Him?  Well, first of all they were not looking for a baby born in a house.  The baby was laying in a manger.  Probably the parents were travelers so go look where travelers go ... inns.  Or more precisely to an inn so full that guests would have to seek shelter in the stable.  And with the added assist of some divine guidance, the shepherds find him just as the angels had said.

And what was the scene in that stable that the shepherds found?  Well, unlike the romantic paintings, there were no angels hanging about outside or floating above the baby.  If you've ever been in a barn where animals are kept, you don't have to imagine too hard and long as to what it smelled like: a mixture of new hay, old wood and animal odors.  The animals are awakened by all the activity and probably expecting to be fed.  This would have not been unusual for shepherds.  But in the middle of all this is Mary, all exhausted from travel and childbirth.  She hasn't had a midwife or family or friends to help her through the delivery or the cleanup.  Childbirth is a messy business.

Joseph has done what he could to make his little family comfortable and safe.  All the concerns of a new father have just been made real in his life.  They are far from home because of the decree of some far off, foreign emperor to find out how many subjects he can tax.  The journey to Bethlehem was hard ... how hard is the journey home going to be now that there is a baby to be tended?  How much income is he loosing because he is away from his place of business?

We tend to overlook the human aspects in this story because of the divine.  The glorious news of the Savior's birth is glorious us to us because we don't have to deal with the day to day realities that Mary and Joseph and yes, the new born Christ child were dealing with. Enter the shepherds, all excited and animated as they tell of the appearance of the angels and the prophesy that was told to them.

Both Mary and Joseph had their moments of divine intervention, but that was months ago. we humans have a problem; even if we have experienced a divine moment, after a while the concerns of our daily life push the divine to the back of our mind. enter the shepherds, all excited, all talking at once, waving their arms with excited gestures, overflowing with the enthusiasm of their own divine intervention. The scriptures do not record how long this party went on before one of the shepherds realize that they have walked off and left her sheep. But it does say that they went away praising God.

And that's what Christmas means to me.

2013 July 12

2013 July 12 Friday

We were at the dentist yesterday so that Ella could be x-rayed.   Today we were back so that the dentist could explain about all the work needing to be done and how much it was going to cost.   And this was my day to have my mouth fully x rayed and to determine the amount of work to be done in my mouth plus the cost.   Over the next few months were going to spend a lot of time at the dentist office.   And it's estimated that, after the insurance pays, we will still owe about $2000.

Today after leaving the dentist office we stopped at the new Dunkin Donuts.  I really love their Bavarian creme donut without chocolate on it.   Guess what they didn't have.   Yep that's right, Bavarian cremre donuts without chocolate.   So I had a crewler and an iced coffee while Ella had coffee and a maple frosted donut. 

When we arrived home we picked up some items that needed to go over to the HitchHiker.   And once at the HitchHiker, I picked up some things that needed to come back to the Excel.

Ella is now working on something for our lunch.   She works 2 to 9 today and I work 3 to 10.

I am still without my laptop and writing my blogs on the Droid Razr Maxx.   It is getting easier for me to do it this way as I become more custom to doing it.   However, I will be very glad to have the laptop back so that I can add photos

“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.