Word's from the Pastor:
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THE DARWIN AWARDS
Mark 8:13-21 Then He left them, got on board the boat again, and went to the other side. They had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Then he commanded them: "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. Aware of this, He said to them, "Why are you discussing that you do not have
any bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Is your heart hardened?Do
you have eyes, and not see, and do you have ears, and not hear? And do you not remember?When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, how many baskets full of
pieces of bread did you collect?" "Twelve," they told Him. "When I broke the seven loaves for the 4,000, how many large baskets full of pieces of bread did you collect?" "Seven," they said. And He said to them, "Don't you understand yet?"
Have you ever known someone who just didn’t get it? Don’t answer.
In these verses, Jesus’ disciples don’t get it and Jesus questions their lack of understanding.
They had been with Jesus. They had listened to him teach and saw his miracles.
Jesus’ question to them was "Why don’t you get it?"
That is a good question both then and now.
How many of you know what the Darwin Awards are?
Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who do incredibly stupid things, and thus, improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.
In other words, they die.
(1) Ill. - Man who did not want to get stung while destroying a hive of bees so he tied a
clear plastic bag around his head and was found dead by his wife in the yard where he had suffocated.
(2) Ill. - Man who standing on the railroad track talking on his cell phone couldn’t hear
because of the roar of the train. He simply covered his other ear so he could hear and was
run over by the train.
There are folks who just do some things that are not overly smart.
I want to share with you some things from a spiritual standpoint that are not overly smart.In fact spiritually they would qualify for Darwin Awards.
First: There are people who consciously make the decision that they do not need Jesus as
the Lord of their lives.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?"
A. There are those that wear the name Christian. There are those that are in worship
services every week and yet live contrary to Jesus’ instructions.
B. Jesus wants to know why you take the time to call Him Lord.
My first question to you is;
How do you live without Jesus?
a. I have never figured out how to live life without Jesus.
b. I don’t know how to raise my kids…make my marriage work…deal with issues of life…etc
My next question is;
How do you die without Jesus?
a. It is beyond my imagination to think of dying without the hope Jesus gives.
As sure as you live you, you will die; And as you die you will surely stand before God.
As you stand before God, so will you be throughout all of eternity. To live and die without Christ is unthinkable.
Spiritually, one who believes they do not need Jesus is a candidate for a Darwin Award, for such a decision is unimaginable both in life and in death.
We have an opponent named Satan and he is not an imaginary character running around in a red suit with a pitchfork in his hand.
He is real and he is interested in one thing – YOUR SOUL.
I Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
Another question: When Satan takes his best shot at you, how do you plan on winning?
Sin enters our lives a little at a time and one day we wake up and it has taken over. We tell Satan that there is not enough room in our lives for both Him and Jesus and he suggests that Jesus might then want to leave.
Ephesians 4:27 Don’t give place to the devil. James 4:7 Resist the devil.
You cannot wait until the battle is raging, the emotions have taken hold, you are engulfed
with passion to decide where you stand. It is too late then.
If you don’t want to receive a Darwin Award for giving into temptation you had better
decide today: Whose you are…Where you stand…What you will do when faced with opportunity to sin.
Another really dumb thing that people do and certainly are to be nominated for a Darwin Award is they believe they have tomorrow.
I wish I could tell you with absolute fact that you have tomorrow, but that’s not my call.
The apostle James says that "life is a vapor that appears but for a little while and is gone."
Solomon tells us to give everything we have today (Ecclesiastes. 9:10)
All we have is today.
Psalm 118:24 This day belongs to the Lord. Let’s celebrate and be glad today.
Three things that you can do today to make today count.
1. Learn something good today.
a. You are who you are and what you are because of what goes into your mind. Put something in it today that is pure and clean and powerful and positive.
b. Paul tells us what to think on in Philippians 4:8. Put something in your mind today
that will help you to be more of the man or woman that God calls you to be.
2. Look for something good today.
a. It is a fact of life that you will find what you look for. Go to any city and you will find the kind of people that you look for.
b. Look for the good and not the bad, the right and not the wrong, the positive and
not the negative.
c. The bad is always there, but you will benefit no one, especially yourself by looking
for it.
d. In fact, you can take two pennies and blot out the world by holding them over
your eyes.
3. Do something good to day.
a. The truly good do good for no other reason than good.
b. There should never be a day in your live that you cannot look back over the day
and pinpoint something good that you did. No Christian should ever live a day without in
some way by word or deed, bless the life of another. And in so doing you are blessed far more.
Here are more Darwin Awards;
“The following mind-boggling attempt at a crime spree appeared to be the robber's first,
due to his lack of a previous record of violence, and his terminally stupid choices:
1. His target was H&J Leather & Firearms. A gun shop.
2. The shop was full of customers - firearms customers.
3. To enter the shop, the robber had to step around a marked police patrol car parked
at the front door.
4. A uniformed officer was standing at the counter, having coffee before work.
Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a holdup, and fired a few wild
shots. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, covered by several customers who
also drew their guns, thereby removing the confused criminal from the gene pool.
No one else was hurt.”
“Tallahassee, FL - 24-year-old college student Brian McGregor was returning to his car
after a night out with his friends. He was severely inebriated and as he reached the 5-story parking garage he had a genius idea. The Kleman Plaza parking garage has a huge spiral stairway that goes from the top 5th level all the way down to the 1st, with a nice shiny
banister just waiting for a passing idiot. McGregor decided that, despite his state of intoxication, he would attempt to slide down the banister, all the way from the 5th story
where he was at. He kicked his daring feat into gear by hopping onto the banister; unfortunately, he never made it, hopping over it instead. According to witnesses he wasn't
even close. And thus our Darwin Award hopeful plunged 52 feet straight to his death.”
“In July, 2010 During the American Sprint Car Series, two crew members--smart people
with a high degree of mechanical ability--were working at a custom machine shop when
they dreamed up an unusual thrill ride. The men put a a 55-gallon barrel in the parking lot, poured in four gallons of methanol, sat on top of the barrel, and lit the bunghole!
Apparently they thought the barrel would skid across the parking lot like a rocket, with a
tail of flame shooting out, and two rodeo clowns sitting on top waving their caps and
wooting! But instead of sliding across the pavement, well, let's just point out that four
gallons of methanol in a 55-gallon drum greatly resembles a bomb.
The barrel blew up beneath them with enough force that the end of the barrel landed
120 feet away. The two inspired geniuses landed in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where one man lost his life. The other survived with a sobering lesson on the power of internal combustion.”
"On August 25, 2010, in Daejon, South Korea; A handicapped man, annoyed that an
elevator closed and departed without him, thinks it over before ramming his wheelchair
into the doors not once, not twice, but three times in all--only to plunge down the
now-empty elevator shaft to his death. Simultaneous success and failure combine to
earn the 40-year-old "Angry Wheelchair Man" lasting immortality as a Darwin Award
winner.”
1. We laugh at the Darwin Awards.
a. How could people be so dumb?
b. We need to ask ourselves that same question.
2. Spiritually it is dumb. It is double dumb. It is eternally dumb…
a. To think that you don’t need Jesus.
b. To put off making that decision today, because you think you have tomorrow.
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06-10-11
Spiritual Renewal: A sabbatical is a specific period of time-off granted to the minister for in-depth focus on professional and spiritual renewal and calling. It is a gift the congregation can give to their pastor in recognition of faithful ministry over an extended period of time. It is not a vacation or personal leave. Rather it is a time for creative and intentional meditation, reflection, study and “going deeper with God.” A very important result of sabbatical (Spiritual renewal) leave is that the pastor returns to the church with renewed focus and energy to fulfill God’s calling.
I believe the Bible as the Word of God and our authoritative
guide in all matters of life. Christian belief and behavior are soundly based on our interpretation of God’s Holy Word.
The concept of sabbatical is deeply and indisputably rooted in Scripture. The term is derived from the Old Testament idea of “sabbath.” The Hebrew word means “rest.” God created the world
in six days and rested on the seventh (Genesis 2:1-3). During the Hebrew children’s exodus from Egypt, God directed them (Exodus 16:26) to gather the manna daily but to rest on the seventh day (Sabbath).
In numerous Old Testament passages, God warned his people to work six days but to devote the seventh day to God as a
day of rest. And then, among the Israelites, God instituted the sabbath year (Leviticus 25:1-5). On every seventh year, the
children of Israel were to refrain from farming the land and let the earth rest. Both the Israelites and the land benefited from the sabbath rest.
There is no doubt in my mind that there is a rhythm to life. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1; “… for everything there is a season”. Jesus’ own life and ministry reflect a deep understanding and appreciation for the rhythms of life.
The demands upon Him were so great that his own ministry was punctuated with times of withdrawal for prayer and spiritual solitude (Matthew 14:23Matthew 14:22-23 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. (23) After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, And here in the 5 chapter of Luke, in verse 16 it tells us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
During the Middle Ages, the sabbatical idea was reemphasized by the doctors of the church, most of whom were related to universities as professors. The general practice provided a year’s sabbatical after seven years in the classroom. The primary
purpose of sabbatical was to bring renewal to the individual’s spiritual calling.
If Jesus needed to separate from the pressure and chatter of the crowd to find peace and renewal of calling and purpose, how much more do today’s pastors need that!
Getting Away in Order to Stay on “THE WAY” (What Sabbath
did for me)
+ Getting away from the demands of the church helped put things
in perspective and helped me remember Who I really serve.
+ Getting away helped me appreciate my family more.
+ Getting away from the church actually helped me appreciate the church more.
+ Getting away revived my soul and renewed my relationship with God.
+ Getting away helped me rest heart, mind, body and soul. Spiritual, mental, emotional and physical rest made the Sabbath complete. I came back “completely” renewed.
+ Getting away helped me be “fed” spiritually without being
drained by feeding others. I love teaching and preaching, counseling, etc.,
but I came back “full” and more ready to carry
out all the tasks of being a pastor.
+ Getting away helped me see how important it is to get away.
+ Getting away helped me to be amazed at God again and thus be amazed at being a husband, dad and pastor.Getting away gave
time to think again without it revolving around the church. I remembered that everything does not have to be about what is
going on at church.I simply came back a better husband, dad and pastor because of feeling empowered by Gods Spirit again.
Clay King, pastor
Mount Hermon Baptist Church, Clarksville
Having said all that, the last couple of months have been pretty rough. It seemed that the whole world was on my shoulders. I was mad, I was depressed, I had the last straw and I felt like I just couldn’t take it anymore. I freaked out. You know, my family and I have been serving Church Without Walls without any breaks for almost twelve years. And in all that time we have never missed a service. On Thursday night or Sunday afternoons, if my wife Tere
or I had plans, the other would fill in.
Last Sunday after I got home from service, Tere came up to me crying and said, “Why are you so mad at me?” I said, “I am not mad at you, I’m mad
at myself!” And I stormed outside to my truck. I took a drive down by the water, parked, and just sat there. Praying, meditating, crying, watching the birds feeding, praying; I didn’t come home till after midnight.
By Monday morning I was ready to be committed. And guess what, I was committed that afternoon. On the sixth floor; ‘The Mental Ward’. I had a meltdown. I’m tired, I was ready to quit last week. But after speaking with
my pastor, Tracy Watson from Padre Island Church, he spoke to me about taking a break. A sabbatical, a spiritual leave. I need some time.
To our supporters, we are asking for continued help to assist us in
preparing for August. Thank you.
So, from today until further notice, Food, Clothing and Funds will be available when we come back from our spiritual leave.
GOD BLESS YOU
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03-13-11, posted on 06-10-11
You're sitting at home reading the newspaper when your door flies off its
hinges with a bang so loud you jump out of your chair.
"Hands up, and don't move," shouts the first officer of a SWAT team as he
shoves a .357 magnum in your face.
"You have the right to remain silent," says another as he grabs your wrists
and pulls them behind your back and slaps handcuffs on them.
Two hours later at the police station, you're relieved to see your best friend walk into the room. You know he can verify you were with him earlier that night when a man was shot and killed at a convenience store one block from your house.
"I don't know this man," says your friend.
Your mouth drops open in disbelief, but then, you think this has to be some kind of practical joke.
"Are you sure?" asks the detective.
"Oh, definitely!" he says.
Pointing to you, the detective says to your friend, "He claims you're his best friend."
After swearing, your friend says, "Never saw him before in my life!" and walks out of the room.
Wow! Looking back on that story reminds me of that old saying;
‘With friends like that, who needs enemies?’ Wow!
It’s almost exactly what happened to Jesus when He was arrested in Gethsemane.
Let’s read it. Mark 14:66-72 NIV
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said. But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." Again he denied it. After
a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." He began to call down curses on himself, and he
swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about." Immediately
the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.
Have you ever made a mistake? Hey, it just means you’re alive.
Everyone wants to succeed. Society wants us to succeed. We see it all the time, people will do anything lie, cheat, steal, in order to succeed.
Striving for success is good. There is nothing wrong with that, but the stress
for success can sometimes put failure in a very bad light. We end up with an over-exaggerated view of failure. Failure is not an option.
We have to remind ourselves again, from Peter’s experience, that failure isn’t the end of the world. You fail, you pick yourself up, and you go on. We need to redefine failure today.
Peter failed. The one who was chosen to be one of those in the inner circle
with Jesus failed Him. He was chosen to be the privilege one among three, to
be close to Jesus. He was taught personally by the Master, and he obviously
had some good leadership skills, since Jesus asked him to head the church.
He was the first to openly declare that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt 16:16). And Peter failed Him!
People fail, no matter who they are. There will be winners at every game, but remember, over 90% of them WILL NOT win any medals. Like them, many of us tried our best, but never win. Things do not always turn out the way we expect them. Nobody is immune from failures.
The Bible records failures because it records life as it is. The Bible is about
real people.
Take a look, and we’ll probably appreciate Peter as a great disciple.
Jesus has been betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
He was taken to the high priest, and we see in Mark V.54;
Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. “Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.”
There is not a more dangerous place that Peter could have been than right there, in that courtyard. Peter could have easily been identified as a disciple
of Jesus. It’s like he was standing in the lion’s den.
First, a servant girl spots him, and Peter denies knowing Jesus. Then,
someone else recognizes him, and again, he denies it. And then a little
while later he was again identified, and he denied it for the third time.
Then the rooster crowed and he remembered what Jesus had told him
earlier, and he broke down and wept.
Nobody’s perfect and everyone fails. It doesn’t matter who you are. You can
still fail.
Just a couple of hours before this, Peter was boasting of his loyalty to Jesus - Mark 14:29-30 Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not."
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today - yes, tonight - before the
rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." 31But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown
you." And all the others said the same.
Peter failed, and so did all the rest of the disciples.
Now remember, don’t be too hard on Peter. At least Peter got out of the boat, trusting Jesus, and walked on water.
We learn something here; great men can fail. Just because you fail at one
thing does not make you a failure. Peter broke down and wept. He realized
his mistake and acknowledged it. Great people admit their mistakes.
No matter how you have failed, no matter what sin you have allowed into
your life, the Savior who died for you still loves you.
You see, all the disciples failed. Peter failed. Judas failed. But what made
\Peter different from Judas was his awareness of the true love of Jesus.
Both Peter and Judas were remorseful, but Peter repented and Judas …
In fact, in Luke’s account when Jesus tells Peter that he will deny knowing
Him three times, He said something before that - Luke 22:31-34
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you
to prison and to death." Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."
Jesus said, “…when you have turned back.” That’s the key. God expects us to turn back, to learn from our mistakes and stand up again. God doesn’t want
us to condemn ourselves. He knows that we will fail. He is not looking for successful Christians but obedient ones.
God does not come to condemn – only the devil does that - but to restore. He comes to call you to repentance.
Thomas Edison, on many occasions, was told to just quit by other scientists, and his friends. But thank God he didn’t or we might still be fumbling around
in the light of gas lamps. On his 5000th attempt to invent the light bulb,
Edison said something like this,
"I am not a failure. Rather I have successfully identified and eliminated 5000 ways that do not work, which brings me 5000 steps closer to discovering the one way that will work."
Take advantage of your failure; don’t waste it. Learn all you can from it; every bitter experience can teach us something. We must never use failure as an excuse for not trying again.
God will go to great lengths to help you, but He can’t do anything for you if you just lie there!
The best part of Peter’s story is not written here. Look at what happened later on;
Mar 16:6-7 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the
Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. (7) But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
Peter’s last encounter with Jesus, in John 21:15-18. Jesus asked him to “feed My sheep”, that is, be the leader of His church. His credentials were that great; impulsive, boastful, betrayed his master, yes, yet the Lord uses him.
Let’s look at Moses – raised by a foster family, a violent temper, a stuttering tongue and a murderer. He could have given up before he even started! Yet
God used him to lead the greatest migration of people in the history of the world.
Failing does not make you a failure; quitting does. Get up and try again. Next time, with God’s help, you’ll make it!
Pro 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
Oliver Goldsmith: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising each time we fall.”
One day a young man sat on a park bench watching a squirrel in a tree. It
was aiming for a limb so far above it that it looked like "a leap of suicide."
Suddenly it jumped, missed, and landed on a branch several feet lower
down. Immediately, it steadied itself, and got ready to jump again.
An old man sitting on the same bench said to him, "Funny, I’ve seen
hundreds of ’em jump like that, even with dogs barking at them from the ground. And a lot of them miss. But I’ve never seen one get hurt trying."
Then he added. "I guess they must think it’s better to take a risk, than
spend your whole life where you don’t want to be."
You want to do something great for God? You want to influence your friends
to Christ? Go ahead, use your faith, take the leap, do whatever you need to
do. If it fails, try again. Or try something else. God will catch you if you fall!
Otherwise, where you are today is as far as you’re ever going to get.
John Maxwell: "Failing doesn’t mean I’m a failure; it just means I have not
yet succeeded. It doesn’t mean I’ve accomplished nothing; it just means I’ve learned something. It doesn’t mean I’ve been a fool; it just means I’ve had the courage to take a risk. It doesn’t mean I’m inferior; it just means I’m not perfect. It doesn’t mean I’ve wasted my time; it just means I have a reason to start over again. It doesn’t mean I should give up; it just means I have to try harder. It doesn’t mean I’ll never make it; it just means I need more patience.
It doesn’t mean God has abandoned me; it just means He has a better idea!"
Your time will come, when you let God help you, and you will rise.
How high can we rise? As high as we can.
Giving glory to God by rising as high as you can."
FAILURE, IS NOT AN OPTION!
Later …
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01-11-11, posted on 06-10-11
Let me give y’all a little background: The Jews had returned from
70 years of foreign captivity in Babylon. While they were in Babylon,
the Jews were not able to practice their religion completely. In fact,
they didn’t even have access to the Law of God. For most of the
captives, whatever they knew of their Faith came from memory and
the memories of others. After 70 years, they forgot way more than
they remembered about the Will of God.
And now, they had just completed rebuilding the Temple and then
the wall around all of Jerusalem so that they might enjoy security
again. Ezra the priest, believed it was time to begin teaching the people the Holy Scriptures. We read this in;
Nehemiah 8:1-9 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the LORD had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law. (2) So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered---men, women, and the children who
were old enough to understand. (3) There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively. (4) Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood
at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. (5) As Ezra stood there on the platform
high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as
he opened the book, they all stood up. (6) Ezra said, "Praise the LORD, the great God!" All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, "Amen! Amen!" They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.
(7) Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. (8) They gave an oral translation of God's Law and explained
it so that the people could understand it. (9) When the people heard
what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the
Law, and the Levites whowere explaining the Law told all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God, so you are not to mourn or cry.
When they heard the Word of God, they were totally bummed. The more they heard the more they realized just how much they had
strayed from the Will of God. Now they could see it. Their guilt was obvious as they cried.
In our spiritual lives, feeling guilt and weeping for our sins can be
a good thing. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly
sorrow brings death.
When we start to realize how we have fallen short of the
righteousness and holiness of God, how we have offended God, One
who is so loving and kind ... it should generate regret in of our hearts.
It should cause us shame, and sorrow. And that’s good if it causes us
to turn from our wickedness.
It’s good for us if it causes us to humble ourselves, seeking
forgiveness, and motivating us to make the decision to change our
ways.
God wants us to feel that guilt!
Guess what?
AFTER we have have been convicted of our sins,
AFTER we have confessed them to God,
AFTER we have sought forgiveness and made the commitment to
change, to feel sadness is totally counter-productive to what God
wants for us in our lives.
AFTER confession and forgiveness, God wants to replace our sorrow
with holy gladness and joy.
In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared,
"Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.” Matt 5:4
That is the essence of the Gospel - the good news - that if you
mourn over your sins, Jesus will give you comfort and joy.
Return back to Nehemiah 8:9-10, Then Nehemiah the governor,
Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the
people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do
not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they
listened to the words of the Law. (10) Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
The strength we need to live a godly life doesn’t come from crying about it, but from our joy in the Lord.
Cryin’ does not promote any type of growth. Guilt does not encourage thanksgiving, praise, or worship, There is no victory over temptation with guilt.
JOY, is the power that produces a victorious Christian.
I have seen so many, brothers and sisters in Christ, who are not seeming to grow spiritually because they totally lack spiritual joy in
their lives.
Why is this? I really think that part of the problem is Satan. It says
in Revelation 12:10 that the Devil is "the accuser of our brothers."
He strives to snatch peace and joy from our souls. He works hard to discourage us by whispering lies into our spiritual ears. Maybe you
have heard him whisper to your soul, saying stuff like:
- You’re no good.
- God’s not pleased with you and He never will be.
- You are a loser.
- You’ll never be able to please God.
- You have screwed-up so many times, He is gonna stop forgiving you.
- You might as well give-up because you’ll never make it.
- You don’t have a chance in reaching Heaven.
- You are going to hell and you know it.
Sound familiar? Have you ever had such thoughts? Have you ever believed those accusations and experienced the resulting despair?
If you have, you’re not alone. It’s just one of those things in life
we hate to admit out loud.
BUT, let me tell you, those thoughts are LIES. If you have these thoughts in your head, the Deceiver is playing head-games with you.
The mind is the primary battleground where Satan attacks us. If he can get you to think how he wants you to think and believe what he wants you to believe, your mind becomes his fortress under his control.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
When Satan starts to attack, we need to fight back with the teachings and promises of Jesus Christ through His word. We need to bring our thought processes and align them with Christ. The truth shall set you
free from your spiritual despair.
If we feel ourselves under attack from Satan, we need to find Scriptures that challenge and defeat those destructive lies.
Maybe it would help to write down and post scriptures around our homes, or where-ever we are stayin’ that contradict the lies and help us
to ts our thoughts with God’s thoughts.
On the door to my bedroom Vanessa, my daughter, hung a sign
that says,
“GOOD MORNING, THIS IS GOD.
I WILL BE HANDLING ALL YOUR PROBLEMS TODAY!
I WILL NOT NEED YOUR HELP!
SO RELAX, AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!
I want to close by pointing out a few things we should do to create
joy in our Christian lives.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks
in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
When Satan tries to get you down on yourself. When he tries to discourage you and pull you down, HEY, that’s a good thing.
REJOICE.
Don’t forget to PRAY. Tell God what is going through your head
and what you are feeling. Ask Him to bring you peace. Ask Him to put His arms of love around you. Ask Him to restore a spirit of joy in your life.
1 Peter 3:10-12 "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
Guys, gals, brothers and sisters, don’t stop trying to live right.
Don’t give-up. You will only feel worse. God’s commandments, when performed, give us happiness and joy.
As David says, in Psalms 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Trust and obey; for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.’
My heart goes out to all who are weighed down with sorrow. And I know just how awful it is because I have experienced it.
I hope that the things I have talked about today will be of some help.
My wish and prayer would be that all of us would know every moment, the joy of the Lord and be strengthened by it.
Peace …
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WOW! Will you look at the time. Seems like it was just yesterday, when
I was thinkin’,
“Lord, please help October go super fast, cause I’m really looking
forward to that Parkdale Baptist Men’s Retreat in November along the
FrioRiver …
WOW! He sure did …
I just got back from the Retreat yesterday morning at around 1:30am,
made it to Morning Service at 8:30. Thank you Lord!
We DO have an AWESOME GOD!!!
I will tell you more about the Retreat later this week.
But first, let me tell you, I’m sorry for not keeping up on our website
lately. I have no reasons, only excuses. My fault. Slothfulness :( Pray for me.
Please! Keep checking out our sight as I am going to continue updating either Notes and/or Pictures weekly.
Thanks for your prayers.
Colossians. 4:3 & 4 <---WOW!
Here are the last two weeks I was at CWW.
God bless y’all!
Later …
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11-07-10
Ezekiel 37:3-5 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." (4) Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! (5) This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
(Sing), “Breathe On Me.”
Holy Spirit, breathe on me until my heart is clean.
Let sunshine fill its utmost part with not a cloud between.
Breathe on me, breathe on me
Holy Spirit, breathe on me;
Take Thou my heart, cleanse every part,
Holy Spirit breathe on me.
First, God says, “Can these bones live?”
Ezekiel 37:1-3 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. (2) He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. (3) He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
When a preacher looks out from the pulpit, that is what we see
sometimes. Many are just like bones,
Ephesians 2:1 “Dead in trespasses and sins”.
Colossians 2:13 “Dead in your sins”.
Ezekiel 37:2 “And, lo, they were very dry”.
Is that where you’re at this afternoon? Are you so dead that nothing moves you? Is your heart “very dry” in the sight of God? Sing that chorus, “Breathe on Me.”
Holy Spirit, breathe on me, my stubborn will subdue;
Teach me in words of living flame
What Christ would have me do.
Breathe on me, breathe on me
Holy Spirit, breathe on me;
Take Thou my heart, cleanse every part,
Holy Spirit breathe on me.
Ezekiel 37:3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
God called Ezekiel “Son of man.” This shows that the preacher is just a human being. The preacher is just a man, a “Son of man.”
A preacher has no power to help you. I can preach to you, but many times the words will only fall on dead ears. Often it seems to me that God is asking me the same question, “Son of man, can these bones live?” That is the most frightening and probing question God can ask a preacher, “Can these bones live?”
I was asked to preach at one church once and was told not to preach the Gospel because they heard that all the time and everyone there was saved.
I didn’t know what to do. God seemed to be telling me to preach a simple Gospel sermon. But a man who knew the church said not to do it – everyone was saved already. I didn’t know what to do. I spent the whole afternoon in prayer. I only had a simple Gospel sermon. I went trembling into the pulpit.
Ezekiel 37:3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
In other words, Ezekiel said, ‘I don’t see how they could. It’s beyond me – you alone know whether these bones can live or not’”
I went into that pulpit trembling and sweating. I began to preach. Then the Holy Spirit fell on that congregation! Let’s sing that song, one more time!
Holy Spirit, breathe on me, fill me with pow'r divine;
Kindle a flame of love and zeal within this heart of mine.
Breathe on me, breathe on me
Holy Spirit, breathe on me;
Take Thou my heart, cleanse every part,
Holy Spirit breathe on me.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to come down here this afternoon!
Then God says, “Prophesy upon these bones.”
Ezekiel 37:4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
God says, “Prophesy” – preach to these dry, dead bones! Say to them, “O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” The preacher thinks, “How can a dry bone hear the word of the Lord? How can they? How can they?” Oh, my God, I know they can’t. Their minds are somewhere else. They are going over and over the same dead mental patterns. They can’t hear anything that I am saying!
There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Peoplewere overwhelmed with amazement.
"He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." (Mark 7:32-35, 37)
What happened? God, breathed on him. Sing it again!
Holy Spirit, breathe on me, till I am all Thine own, until my will is lost in Thine, to live for Thee alone.
Breathe on me, breathe on me
Holy Spirit, breathe on me;
Take Thou my heart, cleanse every part,
Holy Spirit breathe on me.
Ezekiel 37:4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
This is the word of the Lord – Jesus Christ died on the Cross to pay the penalty for your sins! Jesus Christ shed His Blood on the Cross to wash away all your sins! Jesus Christ rose from the dead! Jesus Christ is alive up in Heaven, next to God! This is the word of the Lord!
It’s on the Cross that He died to pay for your sins. It’s on the Cross that He poured out His Blood to wash away your sin!
I was scared getting up there to preach in front of … ‘The Choir’. There was even some preachers out there in the audience. But all I kept remembering was what he told me, “Whatever you do, don’t preach the Gospel! They hear it every Sunday. They are all saved!” Was he right? I went into the pulpit with my heart pounding, stomach aching, and sweat dripping off my hands! I started to preach.
“O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4).
What if nobody listens? What if nobody comes forward? What if I fail? What will they say?
Ezekiel 37:4 “Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord”
.
God says, preach the Gospel of Christ, whether they hear you or not! Whether they shut their ears or open them,
“O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4).
That’s my calling! That is my task! That is what God has told me to do!
God says, “I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.”
Ezekiel 37:5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
God says, “I” (not me, but God) “I will cause” (not you, but God) “I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.” That’s what it has to be! God the Holy Spirit has to enter you. Then you will come to life! God said,
“I will put my spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:27).
I stood up to preach that night. They were all looking at me. That fellow had said, “Whatever you do, don’t preach the Gospel. They are all saved!” My heart pounded. Sweat dripped from my hands. I started to preach.
I preached the Gospel! Take it or leave it! That’s what you’ll hear! You’re lost! You’re lost! You don’t have Christ! You have religion – but you’re lost!
Come to Christ! Be washed clean by His Blood!
I said, “Get out of your seat and come down here right now.”
I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
Jesus said,
John 3:6-7Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
You are a sinner! You are lost! Nobody can save you but Jesus! That’s why He died on the Cross. He died on the Cross to pay for your sin and wash it away with His Blood! We’re going to sing it again.
While we sing, I want you to say, “I’m lost! I’m lost!” Right now, you, yes you! Get out of your seat and come down here! “I’m lost! Oh, Jesus, wash my sin away with the Blood you shed on that Cross!”
Holy Spirit, breathe on me, till I am all Thine own, until my will is lost in Thine, to live for Thee alone.
Breathe on me, breathe on me
Holy Spirit, breathe on me;
Take Thou my heart, cleanse every part,
Holy Spirit breathe on me.
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10-17-10
CWW Anniversary – 11 Years
October 17, 1999 - OCTOBER 17, 2010
When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, the LORD appeared to him at night and said: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
This afternoon we celebrate our anniversary at Church Without Walls … it’s about Jesus.
11 years today!
Hey, if you really want to, raise your hands in praise to God! Go ahead, no one’s watching. It’s just you, God, and the screen. Ya-WHooooo! We love You, Father!
Anyways, one of the things that I like to celebrate is the family of people who meet right here.
Did you raise your hands in praise? … remember, no one’s lookin …
Okay, today we are celebrating everyone who worships here on Sunday afternoons, whether they are young or old; and we’re also celebrating all of the many churches, who through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, has allowed us to continue to grow and still be here after all these years. Ya-hooooo! Praise Jesus!
God has created each one of us in his own image and everyone has different gifts and talents. And - just like the ingredients in a good ol' BBQ recipe - we all bring different things into our family. And yes, maybe a little too much pepper sometimes makes it too spicy. Or maybe it becomes too sweet or too bitter. Other times it's just HOT! There are so many spices in it that it just lights your mouth on fire and you don't want too touch it. Any 'seasoned' BBQ chef knows that it takes years to develope that one recipe that will be perfect. It kinda sounds like our own families, striving for that one recipe that says perfect. And guess what? His name is Jesus, He came to show us how to live as God's own image.
El Shaddai, Erkaum ka na Adonai! We praise and lift You high! El Shaddai!
In today’s Old Testament reading, we heard how Solomon built the First Temple but the bit we didn’t hear about was the fact that King David, Solomon’s dad, had prepared the way for Solomon to build the temple. According to stories in both the books of Kings and Chronicles, David drew it up – God planned it and Solomon carried it out.
And so, in addition to celebrating all the different churches and folks who have been part of our community the past 11 years, we also remember all of our members that have graduated and gone to heaven ahead of us.
The purpose of this remembering is not to dream reflectively about the past, but to thank God for the life, the work and the witness of those graduated. We remember how they lived and the love and the concern they showed to us, and we recognize all of this before God.
Remembering our mothers and fathers in faith can also help us to have an example of Christian living.
In addition to telling us the story of Solomon’s building of the Temple, The Old Testament also tells us that God did not allow King David to build the Temple, because David had too much bloodon his hands. In fact, as we read the stories of both David and Solomon, we realize that they were totally human in their mistakes.
David, as we know, used his power and authority to kill one of his most loyal men and supporters for his own selfish desires, Uriah died because David was trying to hide something. Yet, because of David’s later and true repentance, God forgave him.
But to acknowledge the difficulties as well as the goodness in our relationships is a truthful thing, and a real thing. And the best relationships are the ones in which we are free to be truthful and real. Because, when we acknowledge our differences, our disagreements and even our faults, we can make amends and start to move forward constructively.
We can learn to forgive and we can learn to be forgiven.
Forgiving and being forgiven are both difficult activities. For some people and in some circumstances, being forgiven can be just as difficult as forgiving.
That’s because many of us – and I include myself in this category – don’t like making mistakes. We don’t like doing the wrong thing and we don’t like hurting others. And worse, we don’t like having to admit it. And that can make it just as hard to be forgiven as it is to forgive. Because being forgiven means having to admit that we have done something wrong. This is what repentance is.
God’s Good News is, because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that being wrong can be forgiven. We never have to worry that one day there will come a time when we’ve messed up one too many times and God will no longer forgive us. God has promised that He will always forgive us.
So what’s all this got to do with the Church Anniversary?
Well, there is one group of people we’ve not mentioned yet. We’ve mentioned the people who are part of our community today and have been in our past. But we’ve not mentioned the people who will come after us.
Our children are our future. So Church Without Walls has decided to reach out to them.
Starting in January, 2011, we will be setting up our tent the second Saturday of every month, at a field right on Matlock, right there in the middle of Flour Bluff. Then from 9:30 – 11:30am we are going to have a kind-of Vacation Bible School, Once a month Kids Club, don’t really know the name we’re going to call it yet, but for kids grades K thru 6. Then at 11:30, we will offer a hot dog lunch for EVERYONE there. Kids, Parents, Neighbors, EVERYONE!
Just come!
So, what’s my final point?
Heh, heh. YOU have to be there! Jan 09, 2011
And by the way, if you can be there and would like to help, we would LOVE to have y’all. If you have 3 hours available, in the morning, on January 09, 2011, we would be blessed, rather, He will be PRAISED! :) Please Contact Us.
Matlock (west of Martha’s Vineyards) between Flour Bluff Dr. and Military.
LOOK FOR THE TENT!
God will be celebrating those that will be reached. Pray for us.
Later …
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09-26-10
2 John 1:6
And this is love: that wewalk
In obedience to hiscommands.
As you have heard fromthe beginning,
His command is that youwalk in love.
James 4:1-17NIV
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? (2) You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. (3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (4) You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (5) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? (6) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (7) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (9) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (11) Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. (12) There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you, who are you to judge your neighbor? (13) Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." (14) Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (15) Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (16) As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. (17) Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
Guess what? Did you hear that?
God just gave you a LAW that He says, “If you break this one, you’re in trouble. Cause you know better!”
We just heard who the lawgiver is in verse 12, please listen, There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you, who are you to judge your neighbor?
After all that advice on how not to act, the apostle tells us what God is saying here. He is saying,
“Hey, you know how to do good, so do it.”
Actually, the ability to do good in any case should compel us to an obligation to do it. I have to tell you, I really love how God works. For the past several weeks, I have been meeting Pastors from all around Corpus Christi area. And many of them I have told, “As Rey, I am not afraid of death. When something goes down, and it does every couple of years, I am usually right in the middle. And most of the time, it’s a fight that has broken out! Generally stupid stuff. And I am the one that has broken them apart when they’ve already started swingin’. You know what I mean.
Well, three days ago, Thurs night the 23 we were just ending CWW, when I heard someone yell, “Brother Rey, There’s a FIGHT up the street!”
Sure enough, it was going down. I jumped in my truck, drove down just two blocks from my house, and there was a fight going on, two guys were hurt and even the ladies wanted to scrap with each other. Slammed on my brakes, more for theatrical. And yelled, “What the hell is going on!” Oooh, these guys were giving me the look, “Who the hell are you?” is what I got back.
“I’m the preacher that lives right there. What’s going on, bro?”
God’s presence was around me and I could feel it! The first thing I did was grab the one I knew and start to head away from the crowd. These folks had been having a back-yard family BBQ, 10 – 12 Folks, 10 – 12 Lbs of meat for the BBQ, and 10 – 12 cases of beer for the BBQ. And again, I have to admit, those were some of my favorite past-times in my past life. No harm done so I don’t necessarily blame them. Quit chasing the rabbit Rey.
Okay, everyone starts talking; you really could say they were very intent on getting their story across, first, so they were screaming.
What started it was this; Our guy, (we’ll call him), was being called by mother nature, standing of course, so he chose a yard that happened to be across the street from this family outing. They yelled something at him because that was disrespectful anywhere! Our guy yells something equally abusive and the swords of the tongue have engaged in battle.
And of course, when the gloves of challenge approach their foe, it is but an Honor to engage in battle. Especially in front of family, yes?
Let me tell you, they had definitely engaged in battle. They both, instantly started to show the marks and designs of blunt force to the face. I really thought that the fight was over. Just lots of screaming and waiting for the police.
Then I found out that Our guy, had been stuck three times, with a pocket knife. Stabbed, as soon as I heard that, all of this happening in just a few seconds, here comes the other guy again and swung right in to Our guys face, and I’m right there in front of him when he swings.
I guess thankfully, Our guy it turned out, really knew how to fight, before I could even raise my hands, Our guy punches and then kicks the other guy right in the face. I jump right on top of them and I am praying out loud, above the screaming, “Lord JESUS, GIVE ME STRENGTH! And I shoved the two of them in different directions, and y’all know I just had Shoulder surgery two weeks ago. GOD GAVE ME THE STRENGTH. I pushed the other guy so hard it dented the left front of my truck.
Then he screams at me and I see him coming, and he is about as big as I am. I take my glasses off and throw em in my pocket, I take a quick step back and I’m praying, “Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus!”
And one of the other guys cousins grabs him and says, “That’s the preacher man, dude. You gotta stop!”
At this point I am praising God for everything right then. My wife sees it and the first thing she says is, “You’re bleeding! What happened?”
I look over my left shoulder and there is blood on my back, (praisingly not mine), mud and dirt all over my shirt. Our guy really was stabbed! Three times. One of our regular members walked up to me and said, “Brother Rey, what did you do that for? More folks get killed trying to break up fights all the time.”
I told him, “You know it’s kind of funny, but this week, I am going to talk about the law of doing good. God tells us, “If we know to do good, and don’t, we sin.” And all I knew was, I had to do something.
Friday morning Our guy came by and thanked me for being there for him. He said he really thought he was going to die. Pulled up his shirt to show me where his staples were in his gut and shoulder. Then he thanked me again and I told him, “No dude, that was His Spirit. You thank God, my friend.”
That was when I realized why God had givin me that scripture this week.
"Don’t just say that you want to know God's will or that you recognize your dependence on his will; look carefully at what God has already said about his will, and do that."
No one can be released from this obligation to do good to the extent of his ability; no one should want to be.
If a person does not do good when he has the means to do so, he sins against his own soul, against humanity, and against his Maker; if he does it cheerfully and to the extent of his means, it likens him more than anything else to God.
Matthew 25:35-36NIV
ForI was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
Iwas thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
Iwas a stranger and you invited me in,
Ineeded clothes and you clothed me,
Iwas sick and you looked after me,
Iwas in prison and you came to visit me.
Unfortunately, the previous passage, too many times, makes us feel uncomfortable because it hits so close to home. The sad fact is that the following version is probably more likely to happen;
For I was hungry, while you had all youneeded,
I was thirsty, but you drank bottledwater,
I was a stranger, and you wanted todeport me,
I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes,
I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness,
I was in prison, and you said I wasgetting what I deserved.
2 John 1:6
And this is love: that wewalk
In obedience to hiscommands.
As you have heard fromthe beginning,
His command is that youwalk in love.
James4:17 “If anyone knows to do good, and does not do it, it is a sin.”
I don’t believe it gets any clearer than that.
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09-19-10
This week one of our members spoke, but I was blessed by a sermon from a friend of mine who spent the last several months working with us at CWW. Here it is and THANK YOU Dale White.
There was a homeless woman that started attending the local church. One Sunday, after attending for several weeks, she went to the pastor wanting to become a member. The pastor listened as she told him how she had accepted Jesus and wanted to be baptized and become a member of the church.
The pastor thought to himself, "Oh my, she is so unkempt, even smells a little, and her fingernails are not clean. She picks through garbage, and doesn’t even have a home - what would the members think of her." He told her that she needed to go home and pray about it and then decide.
The following week, here she came again. She told the pastor that she had prayed about it and still wanted to be baptized. "I have passed this church for so long. It is so beautiful, and I truly want to become a member."
Again the pastor told her to go home and pray some more. A few weeks later while leaving his favorite restaurant, the pastor saw the lady walking up the street towards him. He did not want her to think that he was ignoring her so he approached her and said, "I haven’t seen you for a while. Is everything all right?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "I talked with Jesus, and he told me not to worry about becoming a member of your church." "He did?" said the pastor.
"Oh, yes" she replied. "He said even He hasn't been able to get into your church yet, and He's been trying for years."
Matthew 25:31-46 NIV "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
In the passage we read from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus had gathered the disciples on the Mount of Olives and, knowing that his time on earth was quickly coming to an end, was teaching them about a variety of things, concluding with the final judgment. But, even though it is the main point of the passage, I don’t want to focus on the final judgment this morning. No, this sermon is about “the least of these”, and the Church’s response to them.
I have to tell you that Matthew never meant this passage to be used the way we use it. In the context of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus was speaking of how the world would receive and respond to him and his fellow Jews, not how Christians would respond to the needs of the world. However, that being said, I don’t think Matthew would be very upset with how two thousand years of Christians have chosen to interpret the passage. In chapter 22, he quotes Jesus’ response to a Pharisee’s question about which commandment was the greatest. “Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."” When we accept Christ as our savior, God’s love fills us to overflowing, and we direct that overflowing love to those who need it. So even though we go “outside the lines” of the immediate story, it still fits into the greater biblical story.
For the past several months, I have been blessed to work with Pastor ReyEscalante and “Church Without Walls”. During this time, I have been working among the homeless and the poor, and I must tell you that it has changed the way I look at a lot of things. During this time, I have met some really amazing people, and had some great “God moments”. One Sunday I was ill, but went to the tent service anyway. The next week, I was approached by one of the regulars who told me, “Brother Dale, you didn’t look very well last week, so I wanted you to know that I’ve been praying for you this week.” Here was a woman, who on a good day would have a blanket to cover herself while sleeping under a bridge, and she was praying for me. That was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had, and beloved, THAT is the face of Christ. Because that woman looked at me and, in that moment, saw “the least of these”, somebody in need, and gave the only thing she could, her prayers. I’ve gotten to know several members of the church fairly well, and sometimes I’ll encounter them outside the services. I was walking though HEB a few days ago and heard someone bellow “BROTHER DALE”. Turing around, I saw walking towards me a man we all call Shrek, because he is a bald, hulking behemoth of a man. When he reached me, he wrapped me in a bear hug. Trust me when I tell you, I was getting some pretty strange looks from the other shoppers.
I have also, during my time with Church without Walls, had some insights into how the Church, that’s big “C” church, the church universal, responds to the poor and homeless, and I truly think we could do better. One of my seminary classmates told a story about what happened at her local church. She was serving in a downtown church which had a program called “Ladles of Love” to feed the poor. Due to the downturn in the economy, more and more homeless and poor were coming around, some of them were sleeping in the alley behind the church, and there was more interaction between the homeless and the regular members of her church. The church members began worrying that they were attracting the “the wrong element” to the church. I really didn’t know how to respond to this. “The wrong element?” These were the people, living on the margins of society, the poor, the homeless, the downtrodden, the FORGOTTEN, with whom Jesus spent a large portion of his earthly ministry! He didn’t set up a storefront and put out a sign reading “Salvation…inquire within”. No, he ate, slept and worked among “the wrong element.” These are the people who need the church most! And these are the people the church should be reaching out to! The following was written by a homeless woman who approached her local church for help…and was turned away:
"I was hungry, and you formed a discussion group to discuss my hunger.
I was imprisoned, and you quietly crept off to your chapel and prayed for my release.
I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.
I was sick, and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
I was homeless, and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me.
You seem so holy, so close to God.
But I am still very hungry – very lonely – and very cold."
Too often, our response to “the least of these” is to cross the road to avoid confronting them or to avoid the physical reality of their situation. We are the hands and feet of Christ. We are the face of Christ’s love in the world, and real love sparks real action. Prayer is a wonderful thing. The world needs prayer warriors, and I don’t think I could have made it through seminary were it not for multitudes of people, many of them here this morning, who were praying for me. But at some point we need to follow up prayer with action. Not pondering “What would Jesus do?” but moving out to DO what Jesus DID, to work among the poor and the homeless, the imprisoned and the sick!
These are God’s Children. People just like you and me, who need a more than they can provide for themselves. They are people who have worked their whole lives and suddenly find themselves with no job, no home, and no hope. They are people with addictions to drugs or alcohol who can see no way out. We live in one of the most privileged countries in the world, and yet one out of every six children will go to bed hungry tonight, because one out of every six children in this country lives in poverty. Surely, these children deserve better. Surely, we can do better.
John Wesley believed that we have an obligation to the poor, sick and imprisoned because we must follow the example of Christ.
He wrote:
“Seeing then this is a duty to which we are called, rich and poor, young and old, male and female, (and it would be well parents would train up their children herein, as well as in saying their prayers and going to church) let the time past suffice that almost all of us have neglected it, as by general consent. O what need has every one of us to say, "Lord, forgive me my sins of omission!" Well, in the name of God, let us now from this day set about it with general consent. And I pray, let it never go out of your mind that this is a duty which you cannot perform by proxy; unless in one only case, -- unless you are disabled by your own pain or weakness. In that only case, it suffices to send the relief which you would otherwise give. Begin, my dear brethren, begin now; else the impression which you now feel will wear off; and, possibly, it may never return! What then will be the consequence? Instead of hearing that word, "Come, ye blessed! -- For I was sick, and ye visited me;" you must hear that awful sentence, "Depart, ye cursed! -- For I was sick, and ye visited me not!"”
During World War II, the airborne divisions dropped tens of thousands of paratroops on the battlefields in France and Germany. Great swarms of aircraft would fill the sky, and then parachute after parachute would open. But before this happened they would drop in a platoon, 12 to 15 men, sometimes less, who would scout out the area that the division was going to jump into. They would make sure that it was clear of the enemy, establish contact with the rest of the troops and then guide them in. These people were called “Pathfinders”.
Brothers and sisters, we have Pathfinders today, who are entrenched behind the lines, living every day with “the least of these”. Men and women of Christ who have chosen to answer God’s call and trade in the comfort and safety of air-conditioned sanctuaries, stable congregations and covered dish dinners, for tents, homeless shelters, prisons and any other place where they feel lead by Christ. People like Pastor Rey, who has led “Church Without Walls” for over a decade, and whom I am honored to call my friend and to have served with for these few months. I can only imagine that Rey starts every day praying to God for the strength to continue the ministry one more day. Because these Pathfinders live day to day. These men and women are leading the charge to spread Christ’s gospel of love to those who need it most. They are leading the way, and the Church should follow.
But this is a massive undertaking. How can we make a difference. One way is with our time and talents, serving in the trenches with the Pathfinders. Another is with our gifts. Did you know that if every Christian tithed, that would amount to over $620 billion dollars a year? What could the Church do with that?
With three billion dollars we could prevent the deaths of over 35,000 children under the age of five every year.
With seven billion dollars we could provide primary education for every child on the planet.
With eighty billion dollars we could virtually end hunger WORLDWIDE.
But…but,
Christians give less today than they did during the Great Depression.
Income hasgone up nine to 10 times in the last 20 years and giving has gone down 50 percent.
If all Christians went on welfare and tithed, money available to ministry would increase 30 percent.
No, this is not a sermon on tithing, or even on giving. I’m not trying to book anyone on a guilt trip. If I have made anybody squirm in his or her seat, or have made anyone uncomfortable, no apology is offered. This is a sermon on change, how we can change the lives of “the least of these”, by changing how we respond to Christ. In the sermon passage, the “goats” said “Lord, if only we had know it was you” and the “sheep” said, “Lord, we didn’t know it was you”. The difference is that the “goats” would have behaved differently if they had know it was Christ…the “sheep” gave of what they had and would have done no differently had they known. In the end, we will all be judged as goats or sheep, and a goat in sheep’s clothing is still a goat.
We must allow Christ’s love to overflow and overwhelm us and then share that love in every way possible. We must move to the front lines of the Kingdom and spread the love, and spread the gospel. The change starts here…thechange starts here.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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09-05-10
Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: (8) Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. (9) Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
We see, this writer of Proverbs, is only asking for two things. He says here “Please God, don’t deny these two things from me before I die.”
Of course, one was ‘Keep falsehood and lies far from me.’
He didn’t like being stabbed in the back! I don’t think anyone does. Isn’t that what falsehood and lies is about? GOSIP!?! He’s saying, “Father God, keep all the gossip and liesaway from me!” The best way God can help us stay away from gossip and lies, is any time you hear something said about family or a friend, if it’s negative, ALWAYS go right to the source. Here in Texas we say, “Gettin’ it straight from the horses mouth, or jack-ass’ mouth. Hey, the gossip might be true. We all have skeletons in the closet. Amen??
Alright, that’s the first request this man has to God before he dies. “Keep all the gossip and liesaway from me.”
Then he continues on,
“And don’t make me poor, or rich; just give me only my daily bread.”
And I’m thinkin’; “I don’t believe I have ever heard anyone pray that in my life!
“God, don’t give me too much, just give me enough to survive today.
It’s almost like, “God, please don’t give me savings, don’t give me retirement, cause otherwise I may forget You.”
I want to stay dependent on you.
“Lord, don’t give me too much, I might forget You.”
He is pretty much telling God, Please make me live paycheck to paycheck only.
There is so much wisdom in that simple prayer.
We say, God, give me enough so I don’t have to worry about anything, I don’t have to depend on you. I don’t have to think about you tomorrow, and have enough for the rest of my life.
I dare you to pray this,
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV
Balance and Contentment
Later ...
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08-29-10
Psalm 112:1 "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands.” Fear of God = A reverential trust in God with a hatred for evil.
A mild-mannered man was reading a book on being self-assertive and decided to start at home. So he stormed into his house, pointed a finger in his wife’s face, and said, "From now on I’m boss around here and my word is law! I want you to prepare me a gourmet meal and draw my bath. Then, when I’ve eaten and finished my bath, guess who’s going to dress me and comb my hair." "The mortician," replied his wife.
As a child, it was fun to watch movies about a swamp monster that terrorizes a summer camp, or the aliens that tried to conquer the world. These movies were fun because you could be afraid for an hour or so, and then it was all over. The monster was killed; the aliens caught a common cold and died.
On the other hand, maybe the fear of being strapped down in the front seat of a giant wooden Roller Coaster is more your style. You know, like ‘The Rattler’ at Six Flags, which creaks and squeaks like it’s going to fall apart as you ride it.
You get in, strap the seatbelt on, pull it REAL tight, and then pull the bar down across your lap and you are ready to go for it. Then as the cars are pulled slowly up the incline, clank, clank, clank, you look ahead and all you see is like a railway to heaven. It’s so high, clank, clank, squeak, squeak. Yet it’s still climbing, higher and higher. The anticipation and excitement builds as it keeps going higher, and higher. You look down over the side. Wow! It’s a lot higher than you thought it was. Clank, clank, squeak, I told you it was high. You’re just getting to the top and it looks light it just ends, like a cliff. What happened to the rest of the track? You brace your knees against the bar, lift your hands, and … SCREAM! That is fun fear!
It is not fun to be afraid in the "real" sense. Fear is that emotion that is so well known. It is produced by a sense of danger, impending disaster or some awful emergency, or even by walking into a dentist's office.
It is a powerful emotion that can damage both the physical body and the personality. Fear can even block your thinking.
John Madden, of CBS Sports crisscrosses the country many times every year in a customized bus because he is afraid of flying.
Several years ago, a televised circus act with Bengal tigers was broadcast live. The tiger trainer went into the cage with several tigers to do a routine performance. The door was locked behind him. The spotlights highlighted the cage, the television cameras moved in close, and the audience watched in suspense as the trainer put the tigers through their act.
However, in the middle of the performance, the lights went out! For 20 or 30 seconds the trainer was locked in a dark cage with Bengal tigers, a whip and a chair. The tigers could see the trainer, but he couldn’t see them!
After the event was over, in an interview, the trainer was asked how he felt about his situation in the cage. He first admitted to the chilling fear of the situation, but he pointed out that the tigers didn’t know that he couldn’t see them. He said, "I just kept cracking my whip and talking to them until the lights came on. They never knew I could not see them as well as they could see me."
This story says something about many fears. Face them and go on doing the best you can. As a child you may have had a fear of the dark. As an adult you may fear failure or rejection, the future, some potential health crisis, or of your death or the death of a loved one. The Bible has the answer for our fears.
John wrote: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear...." (1Jo_4:18). Christ's love is the perfect defense against the physical and mental effects of fear.
Paul said it this way; "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phi_4:13).
The phrase "fear not" is found at least 365 times in various forms throughout the Bible. The Hebrews writer says, "that we may confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid....'"
What we need to do is pray about our fears and our faith, and turn to the Lord for help to face our fears.
It is not enough to fear God, we must also love him: fear will deter us from evil; love will lead us to obedience.
And the more we fear and love God, the more obedient we become; Where we will enjoy keeping the commandments of our Maker. What happens as we face our fears? Scriptures tell us.
"Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. (I Pet. 2:17) 2 Sam. 23:3, 4 To have good governance over people. "When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of a morning at sunrise." Prov. 16:6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
"Teach me your way, O Lord and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. (Psa. 86:11)
No created thing can ever fill the place in our heart God intends for Himself.
A child was asked, "How many gods are there?" "Only one," he replied. "How do you know?" "Because," he said, "God fills heaven and earth, so there’s roomfor only one."
Only God who fills the universe can fill the human heart. (Our Daily Bread)
The next time you feel like God can’t use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk.
Abraham was tooold.
Isaac was a daydreamer.
Jacob was a liar.
Leah was ugly.
Joseph was abused.
Moses had a stuttering problem.
Gideon was afraid.
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer.
Rahab was a prostitute.
Jeremiah and Timothy were tooyoung.
David had an affair and was a murderer.
Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked.
Jonah ran from God.
Naomi was a widow.
Job went bankrupt.
John the Baptist ate locusts.
Peter denied Christ.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
Mary Magdalene was, well you know.
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once.
Zaccheus was too small.
Paul was too religious.
Timothy had anulcer...Lazarus was dead!
And God isn’t finished with you yet. You are a vessel He will and can use, if you make yourself available as each of those folks I just mentioned. Fear the Lord and He will bless you despite your circumstances.
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08-22-10
Sin is an equal opportunity employer. We all do it, and nobody is free from sin.Sin, what is SIN? First, it’s one big Christian name that really means, at least down her’n TEXAS; This is what SIN means …“Something Y’ALL did, that Y’ALL knew was wrong to do! Yet, Y’ALL did it anyways.”
And when we come face to face with the reality of sin. We can respond in these three ways: we can deny our sin; we can rationalize our sin; or, we can confess our sin.
Denial of sin; The rich young ruler in Jesus’ story in Luke is a great example of the first alternative, denying our sin. When the young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus pointed to the commandments and … well, it was ‘kinda’ paraphrased like this;
Luke 18:18 - 22A rich young ruler walks up to Jesus and says,“Good teacher, how can I inherit eternal life?”Jesus says, “Who are you calling good? Only God is good. Anyways, you know the commandments: No foolin' around with another fellow's gal, No killin', Don't take what ain't yers, No tellin' tales or gossipin', and Honor yer Ma & Pa.”
The young ruler says, "I’ve done all those since I was a young’un".
“It wasn’t me!” We’ve heard it said, and said it ourselves. This young ruler was in total denial!
Sure, we can deny it, lie about it. Say it never happened.
I can’t tell you how many folks I have met that are so self-righteous that they will act just like the young ruler. The only way they know how to deal with sin, is to deny its presence in their lives, to claim to have followed all the commandments of God.
I could say that, I follow all the commandments, … but then I would be lying. That’s not who I am.
Rationalization of sin;A young lady who had gone away to college wrote a letter to her parents that demonstrates the rationalization of sin.
This letter, which came at the end of the semester, said:
"Dear Mom and Dad,Please forgive me for not writing sooner but all of my writing paper was destroyed when the dormitory was burned down by the demonstrators. I’m out of the hospital now, and the doctors said I should regain my sight soon. The young man who rescued me from the fire offered to share his apartment with me until the dormitory is rebuilt. He comes from a good family, so you won’t be surprised when I tell you we’re getting married next month. You’ve always been so anxious to have a grandchild, so I want to share with you the good news that you will have one soon."
Then she added this;PS: "Please disregard the above practice in English composition. There was no fire. I have not been in the hospital. I am not pregnant. I don’t even have a steady boyfriend. But I did get a ’D’ in French and an ’F’ in chemistry. I wanted you to understand how much worse it could have been."
Again, many times when we deal with our sin, we know it’s there in our lives, we don’t deny it, but we try to rationalize away its seriousness.
Oh, it’s not that bad. I really didn’t mean too. It’s just a little white lie. It was accidentally-on-purpose. Yeah, that’s it … “that’s the ticket.”
MMMmmmmmmm. (that’s the sound of thinking)
And finally, CONFESSION of sin;This is the biblical way, to acknowledge our sin, to lay our sin before God, and to allow Him to take it away.That’s called CONFESSION, which literally means to agree with God about our sin. We know we done did wrong, and we admit it to God.
Psalm 32 is one of the psalms of confession. Traditionally it is thought of as a penitential psalm.
Psalms 32:1-5Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah When we confess our sin to God, we see the opportunity of forgiveness. Psalm 32:1-2 Blessed is he whose transgressions areforgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
We don’t have to carry the load of guilt for our sin. God will lift it off our shoulders and take it away. He will forgive.We don’t have to look at that sin for the rest of our lives. God conceals them so it will no longer come into view.And, He doesn’t hold it against us.
Everyone of us can be forgiven!
But what happens when we try and hide that sin? According to David’s testimony in verses 3-4, this unconfessed sin literally ate him alive.“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
David realized that it was a mark against him in his accountability to God. David tried to deny his sin.Then he tried to rationalize away his sin.But this Alien – creator of the soul literally ate him alive. Can I say that?
Then something happened that turned his life around, the prophet Nathan uncovered the cancer that was eating at David’s soul. And then David did the one thing that would bring relief: he confessed his sin to God. David said, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and you forgave the guilt of my sin." David didn’t follow a nine step program, he used a three-step program as he moved from emptiness to blessing.
Here is ‘The Program’ - Psalm 32:5Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
First, He accepted responsibility for his sin. Notice that he said "my sin." He didn’t blame his sin on someone else. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t rationalize away its seriousness. He acknowledged it, and then he accepted responsibility for it.
Second, He laid his sin before God. No longer would he play his games of hide-and-seek with God. He not only admitted his sin to himself. He also admitted it to God.As the lament psalms teach us to be honest with God about our feelings, the penitential psalm teaches us to be honest with God about our failings.
And third, he confessed his sin. Again, the word confess means "To agree with." To confess our sin to God is not just to mouth the words "I’m sorry." To confess our sin to God is to say to God, I recognize that this sin is not good for me, that it is not fitting to my life."
The problem of guilt can only be overcome by the program of confession. Now here comes the hard part.
It’s my turn for confession … to God, to you, the church, Church Without Walls.
You had to be there … GOD WAS!Later …
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08-15-10
Isaiah 38:3 NIV
"Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Wow, you talk about a powerful prayer. But to really understand just
how powerful it was, why don’t we back up a little and read the whole story. Now, let’s read the whole story;Isaiah 38:1-8 In those days Hezekiah became
ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to
him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked
before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have
done what is good inyour eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word
of the LORD came to Isaiah: "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD,
the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. "'This is the
LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: I will make
the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. Isaiah, the prophet, had just told Hezekiah that the disease that he had
was going to kill him. Isaiah told him to get his house in order. And that
meant that he was dying soon. In other words, Isaiah was saying, “Are you ready to die?”
Are you ready to die? Both physically and spiritually, are you ready. I
am. Listen, our being ready to die does not make death come any sooner,
but so much easier: I heard it said once, “Those that are fit to die are most
fit to live.”
When you have that chance to look death in the face, will your life tell a story where Jesus is the Author? Will you be at peace with yourself?
This story is so overlooked! We hardly ever hear about Hezekiah’s
prayer. King Hezekiah, in fact, during his whole reign, never bowed to
idolatry, he worshiped God. He had been sponsoring, and encouraging a reformation to everyone around. He had shown his influence as a king in the service of Yahweh and he ‘weren’t done yet’!
He was still gonna git’r done!
He didn’t want to die!
So, Hezekiah prayed that his life might be spared.
He starts out turning his face to the wall and crying, “Remember, O
LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion.” What Hezekiah is saying here is,
“Remember me LORD? Hey, it’s me, Hez. You know, the king who lives
his life in You, in Your Word, in Your Scriptures. It has been like a journey serving you Yahweh.”
We are reminded here, that no matter how great you are, or how good a person you are, no matter who you are, nothing will free you from the pains
of sickness anddeath.
You know, it’s okay to pray for life, when we’re sick, or have a fatal
disease, where we pretty much know we are going to die. There is nothing wrong when praying, to believe, that the disease may be removed, and you
will enjoy alonger life!
His will be done.
James5:16 NIV “… The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
When we pray in our sickness, God probably won’t give us the same
answer that He gave Hezekiah. Just the same, when by his Spirit he
enlightens us to keep a good attitude, assures us that our sins have been forgiven, and that His grace shall be sufficient for us, whether we live or die,
we are His, and to say that God does not answer our prayers would be foolish. Hezekiah knew, with his whole heart, that his entire life had been
devoted to YAHWEH. This had been his only goal, his purpose for living. He
did not seek after riches or fame; his total royal influence had been on the
side of Yahweh. He loved God!
God always has his ears open to the prayers of his people.
Now, this same prophet that was sent to Hezekiah telling him,
“Get your household in order, You’re gonna DIE!” Comes right back and says,
“Uh, Guess what? You’re GONNA BE OKAY! You’re gonna live fifteen
more years king!”
Let me read it for you.
Isaiah 38:5 NIV "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God
of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I
will add fifteen years to your life."
This is probably the only instance where a man has been told, exactly
how long he would live. Why God gave him fifteen years, we’ll never know.
It was however, a full answer to the prayer of Hezekiah, and the promise is a
full demonstration that God is a hearer of prayer, and that he can answer it
at once.
Did you ever hear about this miracle? GOD, turned back the hands of
time to prove Isaiah was telling the truth. Here is what God said through Isaiah,
“I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it
has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight went back the ten
steps it had gone down.”
The prophet Isaiah said, “Watch that shadow!” The actual translation is that God caused the shadow on the ‘sundial of Ahaz’ to go backwards 10
degrees.
In 2 Kings 20 we read that the prophet Isaiah asked Hezekiah, “In what direction does the shadow go on the sun-dial?”
Hezekiah tells him that the shadow goes down because that is the way
the light travels.
Yet God, the director of time, who started the clock going, can also set it back as He pleases.
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.
The following are some lyrics I found from a song DavidCrowder sings called, ‘Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Die’
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.
Lord I wanna go to heaven, but I don't wanna die.
Yes I long for the day when I have a new birth;
Still I love living here on earth;
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die!
When Jesus lived here on this earth, He knew his father's plan.
He knew that he must give his life To save the soul of men!
When Judas had betrayed him, His father heard him cry.
He was brave until his death, But He didn't wanna die.
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die!
Today is the last day of your life, so far.
Are you ready?
Later …
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07-25-10
SEARCH and RESCUE
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
One of the great legacies of the 9-11 disaster is a greater appreciation for the debt we all owe to the “First Responders.” That’s a term that we all know what it means, first responders. We all depend on men and women whose job it is to step into harms way to rescue the rest of us. That’s true of great disasters like 9-11 and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. It is just as true on a smaller scale to the kind of personal emergencies that we are more likely to face. WE ALL, owe much to those who are in the search and rescue business.
Let me remind you of the definition of a major and minor surgery. Minor surgery is when the doctor is cutting on you. Major surgery is when it’s happening to me.
It’s the same thing with disasters. We just can’t comprehend the magnitude of disasters that happen half way around the world. We’re not there. That’s human nature.
The closer it gets to home the bigger it seems.
In an emergency, the police are the first line of response. Even our Flour Bluff Police force faces unknown dangers every day. I have several family members that either are retired or still serving the Police force in other states.
My Uncle ***** being one of them. He was one of the lucky ones. He was shot and still survived. Let me tell you, if you were to sit down with him sometime he could tell you some pretty interesting stories. A police officer never knows who’s driving the car he stops or who will be behind the door of the next call he answers. Every policeman is trained to assume the worst. They have to. It can be a matter of life and death. They still do it. That’s their job - their mission.
Please pray for them.
Next on the scene are the firemen. Fortunately, our local fire department hardly-ever has to confront major situations. But even a car wreck or grass fire can turn into a life and death matter at any moment. When a home or business does catch fire, the men and women are trained to risk their own lives to save others. In 2001, when the TwinTowers and the Pentagon were struck, firemen stepped up and did their job. Company after company of New York City firemen marched into the Towers even when they knew it might mean their certain death. They did it to save others. They were in the search and rescue business.
Please pray for them.
Right alongside the police and firemen stand the medical emergency people. It takes a certain kind of person to be an EMT and be prepared to step into an unknown situation and provide life saving help.
Please pray for them.
There are countless other relief professionals and volunteers.
We owe a lot to those who are in the search and rescue business.
Then, of course, is still another level of people helping people that has blossomed in the last decade. Lots of folks have started their own search and rescue missions. Neighbor helping neighbor. Friends reaching out to friends - not because it was their job.
Let me tell you; Sometimes you do what you do, because that’s what friends and neighbors do - even for strangers. Nothin else said!
We are not trained, nobody tells us what to do in this life. Amen?
Now we come to the discussion of Evangelism
Here is a story I once heard, read, or saw somewhere, anyways, one possible method of Evangelism:
“A Christian man owned a barber shop. One night, at a revival meeting, the barber felt greatly burdened to do more with his testimony for Christ. The next evening, the barber began attending a "soul winners class" at his church. He attended faithfully every night for two weeks. He rehearsed all the material, took extensive notes, and memorized the assigned Bible verses. At the end of the two weeks he received a plaque acknowledging his completion of the course.
The next morning, in the barber shop, he hung the plaque and bowed his head. "Dear Lord," he prayed, "help me to witness to the first man to come through that door this morning."
At that moment in walked the biggest, meanest, foulest man the barber had ever seen. It seems this man had recently lost a bet with some "biker" buddies and now he had to get his head shaved. Needless to say, the barber did not feel very comfortable quoting the "Roman Road
" to a man with a tattoo on his neck.
The rest of the day did not go any better for the barber. At 5:00 p.m., the barber was sobbing with shame. He had not witnessed to a single person. He bowed his head again. This time he prayed, "Lord, if you will allow one more opportunity, I promise I will do my part." At that, the door opened and in walked a pleasant looking gentleman. The man smiled at the barber, apologized for coming in so late and took a seat in the chair.
As the barber draped the man in his protective sheet, he began to try to remember what he was supposed to say. He began to get very confused. As the barber put shaving cream on the man’s face, he tried to remember the answers he had learned to the possible objections. As the barber began to strop his razor, he realized that he simply could not remember A THING he had learned. This made the barber very nervous and soon sweat began to break out on his forehead.
Finally, in desperation, he shook the razor at the man and screamed, "ARE YOU PREPARED TO DIE??!!!"
Contributed by: Howard Parnell
… Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you …
According to Jesus, his followers are on a search and rescue mission. He knew and he wanted us to know that the world is going to end. A lot of people don’t know how to get out alive. Our job is to sound the warning and convince all we can to follow us out. It is a matter of life and death, eternal life and death.
That’s why missionaries cross mountains and rivers to preach the gospel. That’s why parents work hard to teach their young the faith. That’s why churches start churches in other communities. That’s how ‘Church Without Walls’ really started. Neighbor helping neighbor. We came into existence in 1999.
It was a God thing.
These words of Jesus explain why ordinary people like, (pause - look around) well, like everyone here, should pray and reach out to friends, invite them to church or just try to interest them in Jesus.
My question is - what happens to those folks who know where this world is heading, and how to escape, but still don’t say nothing?
All I know is Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost. He said, “As the Father sent me so I send you.” Ready or not, followers of Jesus are on a “search and rescue” mission.
Let’s look at what Jesus first said more closely. He says,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus is in the one in charge. Because he is the heaven-sent savior, who died on the cross for our sins, and arose from the dead for our life, He ascended into heaven, and is coming back again some day.
Jesus, and Jesus alone has the right to command those who follow him.
“Therefore”—that’s the hinge word of this passage. We ask, “What’s it there for?” Jesus had just told His disciples, He was in command. And what does He say?
“…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This is a command, “make disciples.”
The word means follower, learner, or student. The statement was issued to the remaining followers of Jesus. Their task was to enlist others to become followers as well.
Now understand, it’s like, it takes one to know one. Right?
Only followers can recruit other followers. Only disciples can make disciples. This question is for all of us, whoever we are; ask yourselves, ‘Which group am I a part of. Am I a disciple?
Or am I part of the “all” that Jesus’ followers are to rescue?’
This is a search and rescue mission. Jesus said, "Go, make disciples.” Making disciples of all nations, as Jesus commissioned his disciples, requires a deliberate, pro-active effort to reach out of our normal comfort zone. Serious rescuing requires searching. Searching means going where lost people are found.
Jesus sent those who believe in him on a search and rescue business. Why? Because he knows what the future holds for those headed for eternity without him.
This is what Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
When we truly believe that, we know how serious our search and rescue business is.
Here’s the bottom line. We cannot save others until we are saved ourselves. You cannot help make disciples unless you are first a disciple yourself. This is my prayer to each of you today. Have you made the decision to follow Jesus? Not do you believe in God? Are you a follower of Jesus and his teachings? Not are you religious? Are you a follower of Jesus? Not have you been baptized?
Becoming a follower of Jesus comes first. Not are you trying your best to do good? Are you a follower of Jesus?
IF YOU ARE?
REALLY, I MEAN IT, IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, THEN YOU ARE DEFINITELY IN THE SEARCH AND RESCUE BUSINESS.
Thank you, Dr. Roger W. Thomas for your direction. I pray, one day, that Dr. Thomas can read this. Please pray for us.
God bless you.
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07-18-10
We are all lawbreakers! Every one of us!
Sometimes we break the law when we get too wasted and try to travel
from one place to another. D.W.I.Driving While Intoxicated. And then there are others who prefer P.I.s Public Intoxication. Been there and done that, it
still doesn’t make itany less stupid! THINK PEOPLE!
Sometimes we break the law by accident. Like driving down the road and having some trash fly out of my truck. That’s against the law. Thinkabout it
for a second, what are some other ways that someone can break the law, accidentally?
“Help me out here, go back and read that sentence again, and think!”
Okay, now think about other laws that we have and how people break
them for a moment…
Alright, if you really do think about it, laws are pretty straightforward,
right? I mean, the Law says, “STOP”, then ‘Stop’. Or “Don’t do this.” Then ‘don’t do that.’
But then sometimes there are those people who are just plain stupid!
You don’t know WHAT happened!
Talk about stupid, I knew this guy that was soooo stupid, …This dude was soooo stupid he started to brag on how he knew ALL the state capitals. So he says, "Goahead, ask me, I know all of them." So I said, "OK, what's the capital
of Texas?" This guy replied, "Oh, that's easy: T." Heh, heh, there's one in
every crowd.
Anyways, most laws are simple! It’s easy not to break the law.
However, I want to look at a law that is really hardto not break.The problem, I guess, is that all of us break this law, whether that is Un-intentionally, or on Purpose, or by Accident, or all of the above, or maybe just being Stupid …
Listen "First, love God your Creator more than anything else. Then, love
yourneighbor the same as you love yourself."
Now here’s Jesus’ explanation of who your neighbor is;
Luke 10:29-37 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the
other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw
him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to himand bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil
and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver
coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said,
'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
And then again in Matthew we see Jesus explaining …
Matthew 22:37-40 NIV Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is
like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
What’s the GOLDEN RULE?
Do to others before they do to you.
No, that’s not it. … Do to others as they have done to you!
Notit …actually it is in; Matthew 7:12 NIV So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and
the Prophets.
The Law and the Prophets, there it is again, what law?
SIMPLE!!! Love! The LAW_OF_LOVE!
"Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Let’s talk about the LAW_OF_LOVE!Youknow, Jesus gave us the greatest command. 'Lovethe Lord your God / Love yourneighbor as
yourself.
Jesus also gave us many other commands that tie into love, Actually I have counted 38, yes, 38 commands that Jesus made during His appearance. Anyways, today I want to bring out a few of them to look at and hopefully we
will seemore understanding in our walks under this;"
The LAW_OF_LOVE!
In order to follow the LAW_OF_LOVE hereare some of the commands
of Christ. Let’s start with …
"FORGIVE EVERYBODY OF ALL THEIR OFFENSES AGAINST YOU!"
Forgive, and be forgiven.As you forgive other people, God will forgive you. Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” You recognize that, right? The Lord’s Prayer.
Mark11:25-26 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your
sins." But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.
"LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS."
Do not hide your light under a basket.Matthew 5:15-16 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Our goal has been exactly that. We, Church Without Walls, have been doing a monthly cleanup since May of 2008. We meet next to the Burger King
on the firstSaturday of the month at 9:00am. We gather up our volunteers
and head to a different location every month. This purpose is to show the community that we really do care about our city. We do not call the
newspapers or T.V. stations. That’s not what this is about. Our light shines for
all to see.
ENDDISPUTES QUICKLY." Matthew 5:25 Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Do things out of love, not personal gain. Check out this letter I found about love. "Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! Yours
forever, Marie... P.S., And congratulations on winning the state lottery."
"LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO WORK AGAINST YOU." Matthew 5:43-45 NIV "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He
causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.”
I know I’ve said this before, but yes, pray for your enemies. Just don’t do it like that country song, “Pray for You”.Here are some of the lyrics;
Just know wherever you are Honey, I pray for you.
I pray your brakes go out, goin’ down a hill,
I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill.
And knocks you in the head like I’d like to...
"DO NOT JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE."
Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you.
John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said
to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The story goes on how every one of the men that were ready to stone the woman were convicted in their own souls, and realized that they indeed
were not without sin and walked away. Then Jesus knelt down, picked up a
rock, and said, “I’ll give you a ten second start." No, just kidding.
"KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."
John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments." If you love
Me, this is what God is telling us here. If you love Me; Don’t cry at my
funeral telling everyone how much you love Me, just keep My Commandments. If you love Me, Feed My Sheep.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER! In HIS NAME! 1 John 5:2-3 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,Finally in the;LAW_OF_LOVE
"BE PREPARED FOR YOUR MASTER TO RETURN."
Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at
an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:42-44 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be
broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come
at an hour when you do not expect him.
In our bulletin every week, John 13:35“By this they will know
you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
CWW HANDS- The only way to show you exactly what I mean by saying to love one another is this; I want you to stand up. Yes, right now. Lift your
right hand up into the air and your left hand reaching down towards the
ground. That’s right. Look, we need to live our lives like that, one hand
reaching down to lift up your brothers and sisters (Your neighbors). Whether that be with a handshake, a Christian hug, a clean joke, or just show them you really do care; and one hand up to drop your pride and say, “Hey, I’m the one who needs that handshake, a Christian hug, a clean joke, or maybe we’re that neighbor.”
And in the middle we talk about the love of Jesus.
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07-11-10
This week one of our Deacons, Henry Schultz, preached for us and did an excellent job. I also found a new song that had been recorded by Frank Sinatra back in 1968. Written by Gayle Caldwell, this song really touched my heart with its' message. The song is named;
CYCLES
So I'm down, and so I'm out,
But so are many others;
So I feel like tryin' to hide my head
‘Neath these covers,
Life is like the seasons,
After winter comes the spring.
So I'll keep this smile awhile,
And see what tomorrow brings!
I've been told and I believe
That life is meant for livin';
And even when my chips are low,
There's still some left for givin'.
I've been many places,
Maybe not as far as you;
So I think I'll stay awhile
And see if some dreams come true.
There isn't much that I have learned,
Through all my foolish years;
Except that life keeps runnin; in cycles;
First there's laughter, then those tears.
But I'll keep my head up high,
Although I'm kinda tired;
My gal just up and left last week;
Friday, I got fired.
You know, it's almost funny,
But, things can't get worse than now,
So I'll keep on tryin' to sing,
And please, oh please, ask me how.
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07-04-10
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Atop the hill in Washington, D.C. stands the Capitol Building of the United States of America. The cornerstone was laid in 1793, but the crowning touch, is the statue on top of the rotunda known as; that was placed there in 1863. 
The Freedom Lady, stands nearly 20 feet tall, and stands proudly atop the dome. A crest of stars frames her face. A shield of Stars and Stripes is in her left hand.
Sculpted in Rome, “the Lady” was brought to America aboard a sailing ship. It is said that during the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, a fierce storm developed. The Captain ordered cargo thrown overboard to lighten the load. The sailors wanted to throw the heavy statue overboard, but the captain refused, shouting over the wind,
“No! Never! We’ll flounder before we throw ‘Freedom’ away.” And so, “Freedom” was saved, and the statue stands above the dome today, because one man stood for “Freedom.”
For me, one word sums up America, freedom. America prides itself on her freedom. Freedom of, freedom from, and freedom for.
Freedom OF … This lead to the Bill of Rights. In 1787, our constitution was written, and sent for ratification to the states. As the ratification process went along, people wanted the guarantee of specific freedoms, and within a few years, the Bill of Rights was added as the first 10 amendments to our constitution. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of people to peaceably assemble, and many of the other ‘Freedom of’s’ we enjoy.
Paul reminds us in Romans 13:4, "The government is God’s servant working for your good."
This first phase of freedom flows out of the Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence that we celebrate today.
Freedom FROM … American Culture Today. Over the years, and especially over the last 40-50 years, we have seen a change in freedom out of phase one’s freedom of to phase two’s freedom from.
For many Americans today ‘freedom from’ means to be free from any type of restraints. Freedom that is similar to what one finds in the Old Testament in the book of Judges;
Judges 21:25, "At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing."
Well, somewhere along the road of freedom, we as Americans have fallen into the trap of being more focused on our freedom from, than our freedom of. Bill Maher said, “We have the Bill of Rights. What we need is a Bill of Responsibilities.” I think he’s right.
A recent survey indicates only 13 percent of Americans still believe in all 10 Commandments. 9 out of 10 citizens admit they lie regularly. For 10 million dollars, 7% of our people say they would kill a stranger.
Many Americans are living in this second phase, wishing for a better day, but also seeking freedom that goes along with whatever they feel like doing. That’s why I pray for a third phase.
Freedom FOR … Opportunities of Outreach. While Freedom OF takes us back to America’s birth, Freedom FROM describes today, Freedom FOR describes God’s eternal purpose whether one be free or a slave, to recognize that freedom is for an opportunity of outreach to connect people to Jesus, the ultimate source of eternal freedom.
As Jesus himself declares in John 8:36,
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be absolutely free."
In the movie, The Patriot, the story is told of Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, and his family’s involvement in the American Revolution and the price that was paid. The movie begins with Benjamin Martin speaking this line, "I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me."
Martin fought in an earlier war with the French and Native Americans, and though he was a war hero he was haunted by his own actions. Later in the movie when tragedy hits, Martin repeats the line, "I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me."
How about you, do you have that same fear? Throughout Galatians Paul affirms how Christ’s death takes away that fear, and how God provides lasting forgiveness and restoration in knowing that Jesus Christ has set me free not just for a day, but for eternity.
As we celebrate our nation’s freedom today, let us all celebrate and remember what God has made our Freedom FOR.
FREEDOM FOR - REST in what God has done for you. A prisoner in Sydney, Australia tried to escape from jail by climbing underneath the hood of a van delivering bread to the institution. When the van made its next stop, the prisoner sneaked out from under the hood—hot and dirty. As he looked around, he realized, too late, that he was in the yard of another prison just 4 miles from the first. Like that prisoner, our own attempts at lasting freedom often leave us in another prison 4 miles down the road of life.
I can’t tell you how many times I tried to run away from my many addictions only to find out I was running from me. And guess what? I haven’t won yet!
Often our attempts at freedom from our sins and with God leave us dejected, dirty, and in another prison. This shouldn’t surprise us. We can’t save ourselves.
I know it almost sounds anti-American to not encourage you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. But when it comes to our relationship with God, salvation and freedom come from what Jesus has done for you, not what you or I might do for Him. We don’t earn God’s love, we are invited to enjoy it, experience, it, and to embrace it.
You can rest in what God has done for you, because of what Jesus has done to make us free. John writes in Revelation 1:5b, "Jesus was the first to conquer death, and he is the ruler of all earthly kings. Christ loves us, and by his blood he set us free from our sins."
God is in control over all worldly leaders, and Jesus by his blood has set us free. Why worry? God offers rest.
Here is something to try; If you’re really wanting to experience God’s rest and peace, confess your sins. You might say, “WHAT?, Pastor, you don’t know what I have done.” Guess what? I don’t care! However, I do care where you are headed in your walk. The best way to have real peace inside you is … here, listen what God tells us in His word from James chapter 5, verse 16 in the NIV bible,
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Freedom is for resting in what God has done for you.
FREEDOM FOR - RESPOND with a life empowered by the Holy Spirit. Understanding freedom is a bit like understanding kite flying. If the wind is strong, the kite goes higher, and grows smaller and smaller as it tugs against the string. The harder the wind blows, the higher the kite rises. Then let’s say the string breaks! The kite is free, but does it keep on soaring? NO. It tumbles, and crashes to the ground or gets tangled in the trees. What kept the kite airborne was the restraint of the string. When that was lost, the kite was unable to fly.
We are never freed until we are restrained by something that pulls us higher and higher. It is not the absence of restraints that makes us free.
There is no freedom in life until you belong to God. Every other form of it is just an illusion. We find the freedom to achieve the greatest desires of our lives only when we live in that relationship. The loving life of freedom is lived out wisely as we follow the Holy Spirit in how we live. Paul offers us a life empowered by the Holy Spirit when he writes in Galatians 5:22-23a, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
We have been freed for resting in what God has done for us and responding with a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
A chime that changed the world on July 8, 1776, was the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.
Do you know what is inscribed on the side of the Liberty Bell? Leviticus 25:10, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." KJV
We know of its importance in American history for it was used to call together the First Continental Congress in 1774. It rang for the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775, but its’ most resonant ringing was on July 8, 1776 as it called people to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Today (every July 4th) at 2pm Eastern time, children who are descendants of signers of the Declaration of Independence symbolically tap the Liberty Bell 13 times while bells across the nation also ring 13 times in honor of the patriots from the original 13 states.
God has placed us this day in our free country to have freedom for becoming a contagious Christian. We have freedom for reaching out and transforming lives with Jesus Christ.
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the American statesman Patrick Henry uttered the famous phrase,
"Give me liberty, or give me death!"
It became a slogan for the revolution. Liberty or death. There were no other options. The state motto of New Hampshire, which is on its license plates reads, "Live free or die." They take their freedom seriously.
As Christians we take our freedom seriously but also joyously, so we celebrate not only as a nation founded on freedom but as people who want to share the ultimate freedom in Jesus Christ.
This freedom in Christ calls us to celebrate it, to share and to live it out each day. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! Amen.
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06/20/10
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
This day always reminds me of the story of three little boys who were having a discussion on which dad made the most money.
The first little boy said, “My dad writes on a piece of paper, calls it a poem, and they pay him 50 dollars!”
The next boy says, “Well MY DAD writes on a couple of pieces of paper and calls it a song. He gets 100 dollars each!”
The whole time the third little boy had been listening with his arms crossed. He finally speaks, “Guys, My dad writes on some paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes eight men to pick up all the money!”
Yes, today is Father’s Day, and as such, it is a very special day for most families in our nation. And while fathers may not always be everything that they ought to be, it is interesting to note that when Jesus wanted to illustrate the love and the nature of God, He chose to have us think of God as a heavenly father.
And when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus told them to begin with these words, "Our Father, who art in heaven."
Probably the best-known parable that Jesus told is the one we call "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." In one way or another, most of us can identify with the prodigal. And maybe that is why we have given it that name.
But I have heard it said that the point of the story is really more about the loving, forgiving and waiting father than it is the prodigal son. It is about a father who waits and waits until finally his son comes back home again.
Hey, do yourself a favor, go get your bible, or pull it up on your computer, and read Luke 15:11-24. It’ll take less than five minutes to read and remember, stop at v. 24. The rest is another sermon.
Anyways, I remember when I was growing up, both my dad’s were strangers to me. Yes, I said both.
Growing up, my real dad, my daddy, I only saw about 3 or 4 weeks a year. And my step-dad, who I’ve called dad since I was about 7, is who really raised me.
Anyways, dad was a fireman, at least back then that’s what we used to call them. To be politically correct today we call them firefighters. He worked the ‘A’ shift, 24 hours on, 48 off, and it seemed that by the time he got home we were already off to school. And by the time we got home he was always working in the garage on one of his cars. He was really a stranger to me.
But my dad worked hard at providing us a good home, a place of security, a place where our needs were met.
Only in the last decade have I really had the opportunity to grow to appreciate them, both as friends and dads and son.
Do you remember when you brought your first child home? When our oldest child, Annette, was born I was able to help in the delivery, and I was a lot of help, I got to hold my wife’s hand.
And then I looked into that little face and realized just how fragile life is, and what an awesome responsibility I had just been given.
And then the first eight years of Annette’s life I wasted because of my own selfishness. Everything I did seemed to be for me. I was so wrapped up in my own desires that I spent very little quality time with any of my children.
As I reflect on this, if I had it all to do over again there would be two mistakes I hope I wouldn’t make the second time around.
Number one, I would realize how important it is to spend "quality" time with my children. I realize that is an overused word. But when my kids were growing up it seemed I was always so busy.
If I could do it over again, I would listen more, and ask more questions, and attend more activities with them.
My second mistake was that I didn’t realize how fast the time would pass. I somehow thought I had plenty of time to be with my children and to influence and mold their lives. However, that time passes so fast.
If you’re a young father today and you have little children, please realize that time passes away so quickly. That this time is not going to last very long, and you need to use it while you have it within your grasp. I mean, spend as much time as you can with your children now, listen to them, attend activities with them.
This parable about the waiting father teaches four very important lessons. I’ve put them together in clusters of three words each.
YOU ARE FREE!
First of all, it teaches that a loving father should be able to say to his children, "You are free!" These are words of release, and words of confidence expressed about your child. "You are free."
In the first few years as they watch Mom and Dad, children listen, they observe, their personalities are formed. And if we’re going to have much influence on them it must be in those first few years, because all too soon they begin to grow up.
Then comes a time when children almost resent parents. It’s a time of rebellion - a time of flexing muscles and saying, "I want to be free."
And even though you may realize that your child is not mature enough and not prepared to face life alone, there will come that point in time when you have no other choice as a parent but to say, "You’re free."
A few years ago the City Council of Dallas, in an attempt to re-establish law and order to their city, debated setting a curfew for children 17 years old and younger. It was proposed that if they were caught out on the streets after 11:00 a $500 fine would be levied against the parents.
Teenagers hated the idea. Parents weren’t very hot on it either. But the City Council was saying that parents are responsible for their kids. And the kids were out of hand. They were up too late, doing things they shouldn’t have been doing. So the City Council was considering a curfew where parents would either have their kids home by 11:00 or pay the city $500.
Compare that to the little town of Dermott, AR. Dermott had a similar problem. So, I’ve been told, the city council decided that if the parents could not control a child that they could pay $100 and assign the responsibility for punishing that child over to the city.
And the punishment that the city was considering was this: A child that was deemed “out-of-control” (ignoring curfew or certain other ordinances of the city) could be sentenced to be put in stocks for a period of time on the front yard of the City Council building. The severity of the offense would determine the amount of time spent in the stocks. Interesting idea, isn’t it?
Whatever the circumstances, with every child, good child, and bad child - the time comes when that child stands up and says, "I want to leave the nest."
And some of them are going to experiment with that far country. Hopefully, they will come to their senses and come back home again.
So a loving father says, "It’s your decision. You are free. I’ll pray for you. I’ll be waiting for you when you come back. But you are free."
I LOVE YOU!
Now with this next phrase, a loving father ought to be able to express to his children these words, "I love you!" These are bonding words, a foundation upon which a family is built, a love that is always there and consistently the same.
I think we make a big mistake as parents if we tell our children, "If you’re good, Daddy will love you. But if you’re bad, Daddy won’t love you."
No, real love is always there. If you do bad we don’t like the bad, but we still love you.
When children are small, have you ever noticed that whenever they did something wrong and you told them, "No, no." Or even if you had to spank their little hands or something, it wasn’t long until they came back to you to be reassured of your love. They knew that they had done something wrong. Now they needed to know, "Do you still love me?"
It is so important then that you take them in your arms and reassure them that even though they have done something you don’t like, you still love them and your love relationship is still intact.
Now love is not always hugs and kisses. Sometimes love has to be tough. We discipline because we love. There are times when you must draw the line and say, "Here are the boundaries and you are not to go beyond them."
Dr. Joyce Brothers tells about a survey of more than 2,000 5th and 6th grade children. She discovered in this survey that the children who were the most solid emotionally, who had the best image of themselves, who were doing best in school, were the children who came from homes where there was strict discipline.
Discipline given in love communicates that we care for you all the time. When you’re bad we love you. When you’re good we love you. But we want you to realize that there are limits as to how far you can go.
I FORGIVE YOU!
Then a loving father ought to be able to say, "I forgive you!" These are words that reconstruct a relationship - words of reconciliation - words that tear down the walls that have been built.
God is a loving father. And like the waiting father in this story, when we come home again He is anxious to forgive us. You don’t see this father saying, "You made your mistakes. You made your bed. Now lie in it."
No, when he comes home the father quickly shouts to the servant, "Bring the best robe and sandals, and a ring, and kill the fatted calf. We are going to celebrate because he was lost and now he is found. He was dead and now he is alive again."
That is so important. I think virtually every child will do something along the way that will cause Mom and Dad to be disappointed. Then how will you react? You can choose never to forgive and always to hold a grudge and remind the child constantly of the wrongs done, or you can forgive and forget and go on.
My friend says that he can remember vividly his mother and his grandfather arguing over some money that Grandpa had loaned Mom and Dad to invest in their business.
They hadn’t been able to pay it back just when he thought they should. So they argued and shouted at each other about it. As a result, for years they didn’t go to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house because of a grudge between them.
Even at Christmas time if Grandma wanted to give them presents she had to sneak them in because Grandpa wouldn’t approve. On the other hand, his Mom and Dad wouldn’t think of going out there, either. They were far too proud. And for years the children were deprived of knowing and loving their grandparents because each one was too proud to say, "I forgive."
Life is just too short for such grudges. And if there are differences in your family, now is the time to tear down the walls and rebuild the bridges so that there can be a loving and forgiving relationship once again.
I love the story about the little girl who went to Sunday School. When she came home with her Sunday School papers, she and her mom were leafing through them and they came to a picture of Jesus. Her mother asked, "Do you know who that is?" She said, "Well, I don’t know his name, but I do know he goes to our church."
I ENJOY YOU!
Finally, a loving father ought to be able to say to his children, "I enjoy you!" There ought to come a time in life when we can sit back and say, "I really enjoy being with you. You are more like a friend to me now then you are a son or a daughter. I enjoy your company and I enjoy talking and just spending time with you."
If you’re still wandering around in the streets of the far country this afternoon, I hope that somehow God is speaking to you and that you recognize your need to come home. I can assure you that the Father waits. He waits. He looks down the road of your life and waits to see your form as you walk back home again.
And when you come He’ll receive you with open arms and assure you of His love, a Fathers love.
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06-13-10
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
God so loved the world, When you read “the world”, do me a favor and put in, “me”.
For God so loved “ME” that He gave His only-begotten Son
Even Further,
For God so loved “PEOPLE” that He gave His only-begotten Son
Why? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!
Let me tell ya, I am not very loveable sometimes. Ask my wife, or children. Sometimes, I choose to be in a bad mood and everything irritates me! I say, “choose” because I have that gift of FREE WILL. I get to choose how my day is going to be. That's another story, anyways;
We have a God that loves everyone! EVERYONE!
What really saddens me is when I see stories about some church that has, “gone off the deep end.” We‘ve all seen them, you know, prancing around with Pickett signs saying, “GOD HATES YOU!” They need to take a step back and re-examine their own walks.
God does love us. He teaches us that in John 3:16. This verse totally destroys their argument.
Even those we think God hates … He loves. Pretty cool, huh? Real love.
Real love, just like real faith, is an action
Romans 5:8 But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Did you see that? He says, “commends His love”, that is a present tense. God shows us right now! He continues to demonstrate His love.
Sometimes I hear folks say, “But I don’t feel like God loves me.”
Feel, there it is. Feelings have nothing to do with it. Go back to the cross! God demonstrated that for us! Jesus died on the cross.
Whether you accept that or not, Jesus did it and He did it for you, if you want.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Whosoever. means born again or not; Every one of us is “Whosoever”.
Whosoever believes in Him. To believe in Him means to put your trust in Him. To commit to Him.
v. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.
God did not send His son to condemn. The Jews were looking for a Messiah to come in and judge Rome, kick them out, destroy everybody, straighten things up, get the bad people out, but Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus accepted sinners!
Remember the Pharisee’s complaining, “Look at Him, Look at those people hanging around Him. He accepts sinners.”
Hey, He took me, He took you, He took those around you. Think about that before you start condemning others.
Read the story about Jesus writing in the dirt. Check it out yourself, it’s in John 8:1-11
God sent His son that WE might be saved. Not to judge!
Ezekiel 18:32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Again, did you see that? From the old, right into the new testaments, God tells us He doesn’t want anyone to die without salvation. He wants us to repent and live!
God wants ALL people to be saved.
Will all people be saved? NO. Why?
Because you can’t get away from that FREE-WILL choice God has given us. Everyone makes their own decision.
You might say, “I disagree.” Well, that is your choice. Amazing, isn’t it?
v. 18 He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
Listen to me, If you believe on the Lord your God, Jesus Christ, if you place all your weight on Him, if you put your heart in His hands, total commitment to Him, you are not condemned from that point on.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
But those that do not believe are condemned already. It’s like being on death row. Death row means you have been condemned and you are waiting to be put to death, right?
Now, the Warden comes up to you and says, “The governor wants to give you a pardon. We just want to know if you will accept it or not.”
Do you want to be pardoned? It’s an easy question to answer. Yes or no. It’s your decision. The free gift is there. The pardon is there. Do you want it or not?
You could say, “No way man, I’m innocent and if I take a pardon, that’s going to make me embarrassed in front of my friends and so you go ahead and kill me.”
A pardon has been offered to you through Jesus Christ. If you accept that free gift, that pardon, than you are no longer condemned. You are free.
However, if you reject that pardon, then yes, you are condemned. You are waiting on death row, it could be tomorrow, or twenty years from now, but …
You say, “I don’t believe.”
I say,”There it is. That was your choice. That was your chance at a pardon.”
If you say, “That’s a bunch of garbage.”
Fine, you reject the pardon but you know what the outcome is, …
Don’t be surprised!
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06-06-10
John 8:59Then they took up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and
went forth out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and passed on by.
John 9:1-2 And passing by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind?
The eighth chapter of John ends with the Jews insulting Jesus. They’re upset by His
claim to have been before Abraham was, In fact, they were getting ready to stone Him. It
was then that Jesus, going through the midst of them, passed by; and then, as you continue
to read in chapter 9, it was in passing that He saw the blind man. While He was cruising
from the last crowd.
Would you have had eyes for a blind beggar, do you think, after treatment like Jesus just got?
Then He stops to help a blind man,
And He spends His time to help this blind man.
Would we be that quick to help a blind beggar, or a neighbor, after a situation like that? Those Jews that were ready to stone and kill Jesus, had barely dropped their stones, when Jesus stopped and helped that man.
If there is one story which we know by heart, it’s right here.
Some of us may never see a blind man by the pavement, but we think of these eyes that were opened long ago.
There are folks today who have been blinded by disease or accident; this man was blind from birth. He had never seen green meadows or the beautiful colors of a rainbow after the rain, he had never gazed at his Mom when she kissed him.
The cleverest doctor in Jerusalem said No;
But Jesus of Nazareth passed by, and He said, Yes.
This is what Jesus loves to do, say, “Yes” when all the wisdom of the world is saying
No. And then how Jesus made the clay, and told the blind man to wash his eyes in Siloam,
and how the blind man went and washed and saw.
Sometimes, there is a purpose in our sufferings. That blind man was a puzzle to the disciples.The first thing Jesus thought of was to heal him; the first thing the disciples thought of was—
"Who sinned, this man or his father?" You would think that they would have learned
from Job, if nowhere else, not always to link sin and suffering together. Then Jesus taught
them what the blindness meant.
It was to bring the heart that beat in this man, to absolute trust, in the Savior of mankind. How many times had the blind boy asked his mother,
"Mom, what is the meaning of this darkness?"
And with a breaking heart his mother had to answer,
"My son, I don’t know; only God knows."
Then here comes Jesus, and mother and son were taught.
No more darkness.
The blind mans friends were all messed up. One man said that this was the man who begged. Another was ready to swear that it wasn’t. Some argued that he kind of looked
like the beggar, but every one of them recognized the change.
There are many things that can change a man. But nothing changes a man more, than
the amazing handiwork of Jesus. It gives new hope. It brings new outlook. It kindles new desires. It creates a new heart. Old things pass away under the touch of Jesus, and all
things become new.
After his healing, there was trouble at home; his parents were endangered. The priests
and Pharisees were more than a little bit angry at Jesus.
And to think that just yesterday, he was a blind man begging for change. And today, he stood in the temple and argued with the Pharisees!
I am sure that when he went to bed that night, he wondered in the dark how he had
done it. And then, through the lattice of his room, he saw the twinkling of a single star.
YES! It was that, that eyesight, that had stirred him. It was what Christ had done for him
that would keep him faithful.
May it be the same with every one of us.
Remember Bethlehem!
Remember Calvary!
Remember what Christ has done for you, and then;
Say YES! And help one another.
John 13:35 “By this they will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
p.s. Special thanks to G. Morrison
“We make more haste than good speed when we out-run opportunities of doing good.”
05-30-10
The Fatal Power of Inattention
“Where he was in torment, HE LOOKED UP” —
Luke 16:19-31 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. (20) At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores (21) and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. (22) "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. (23) In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. (24) So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' (25) "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. (26) And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' (27) "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, (28) for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' (29) "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' (30) "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' (31) "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
It wasn't heartlessness;
There is a well-known picture by a man named Gustave Dore, which portrays this parable of the rich man and the beggar. We see the rich man in the midst of luxury, and at the gate entrance, just outside, lying on the marble steps is a man. Who, through ragged clothing and bare feet, we can see he is diseased and dying. Lazarus. So far the picture is worthy of the genius, for it is absolutely rich with imagination and detail; but as you look at the picture, you see that the artist has introduced one other feature which tells us that he has misread the Savior's story. You see, over the beggar there is a slave bending with a handful of small branches ready to strike him if he does not move on. In this scene he has been commanded to drive Lazarus away, for his misery is bringing discomfort at the feast.
What is wrong with this picture is I don’t believe that this poor beggar was disturbing the rich man at all.
The rich man was not consciously and deliberately cruel; he was only totally and hopelessly indifferent. What created the ruin of that pleasure-lover was not heartlessness so much as inattention.
In today’s scripture, it was the fatal power of inattention that drove this man to his forever lost state. And that’s what I want to talk about today.
I believe this is something for all.
The attitude of innumerable people toward the great questions of God is just the inattentive attitude of the rich man to Lazarus at his gate. You know, almost since the beginning of man, there have been those who disbelieve in God. And right now, in our world, there are those who would rather kill you than to let you remain a Christian.
But here in this country, there is something far more deadly.
We call it inattention.
I’ve heard it said, “It is better, sometimes to hate than to ignore, cause there is at least something positive in hatred. There is hope in your enemy, that someday he may prove a worthy friend.”
However, the man who just takes it easy and pays no attention is the most difficult of all to deal with; and that is how many are today.
You ask, “Why the fatal power of Inattention?”
The inattentive spirit is hazardous to our health. Open your eyes and look around you, you can see it. It is one of the lessons that reach us every day as we walk through the crowded streets of our cities.
Not a day goes by in the city without someone getting hurt through being inattentive. I’ll even go past that and say every day in the streets someone is killed. They weren’t drunk; they were not looking to die.
And I don’t know what the coroner might say about em, but I know that a true judgment would be this:
“Killed through the FATAL POWER OF INATTENTION.”
Let’s look at some causes of Inattention:
Number one cause of all is Tradition.
Someone has said, that if all the stars ceased shining, and then after a hundred years shone out again, there is not an eye but would be lifted heavenward, and not a lip but would break forth in praise. Halleluiah!
But the stars were shining when we were little kids, and they are there tonight, and will be there tomorrow, and we are so accustomed to that glory that we hardly ever think about it.
How about when you are on vacation? Our eyes explore every river or farm house out in the country.
Cept’ in Corpus Christi, even Flour Bluff, we are so accustomed to the beautiful scenery around us that we have eyes for nothing but the newspaper, or e-mail at the library…
Is it bad to fall in a habit of not going to church? ABSOLUTELY.
But is it worse to grow accustomed to the right? You know, fall into the tradition of going to church every Sunday where you start to get accustomed to the Sunday service. And believe it or not, next thing you know, you’re only worshipin and talking to God because it’s Sunday. Be honest! Y’know who y’are.
Our Father in heaven is always calling you home. He loves you, and you know He does.
That is why I believe God likes to shake tradition up in our lives sometimes. He reminds us not to fall into that fatal sway of inattention.
Another cause of inattention is a Low Energy. I think we’ve all experience that. When we are weary, and the flame of life is low, somehow we can neither grasp nor grip. Everything becomes formless and elusive.
We read, yet don’t understand what’s on the page; we work, yet can’t seem to master anything; we pray, and might as well be praying to a shadow.
Then comes the morning, it may be in the springtime, when the life within us is strong and full again. It is a pure joy to be alive. And at once, in that renewed energy, we grow alert, attentive, able to grasp and grip.
John 10:10b NIV “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” says Christ, and to give it here and now, and not tomorrow. Can you see, now, how fellowship with Christ wakes us up? Kind of like having a ‘5 hour energy shot’ with a 16 ounce Red Bull for breakfast. Amen!
But the deepest cause of inattention is Lack of Love. Let a man once love a book, a land, a woman, and he will never be inattentive anymore. It was love that made the father of the prodigal son so quick to discern the figure of his son. It was love that made our Savior hear and help the blind beggar as he lay crying by the road.
"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me"—that was the threefold question of the Master. Only when that was clearly ascertained, was there given the commandment, "Feed My sheep." For love is quick to see the need of others, and to read what is hidden from a thousand eyes, and to discern beyond the veil the things that matter; for only he who loves, knows God.
Bro. Rey
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05-23-10
SITUATION ETHICS
Let me tell you one thing right now,
“Don’t get caught in Wrong Places!”
1 Corinthians 10:6-11 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
Are you hearing this? God’s breath! He’s talking to us!
Don’t be ‘as some of them.’
The sins committed by ancient Israel were recorded "for our benefit." (1Co_10:6, 1Co_10:11) that we might not make the same mistakes.
Remember when your parents told you not to do something, and you did it anyway.
Or tell your children not to do somethingand they do it anyway!
Many great men have failed God because they were found in the wrong places. With four questions, I am going to introduce several of the "wrong places" where these men of God failed.
Are you on the slippery path of DISHONESTY, as was Father Abraham when he went down to Egypt (Gen_12:10-20)? Since his wife, Sarah, was such a beautiful woman, Abraham feared that the Egyptians might kill him in order to have her.
So he lied, Abraham lied to them by saying she was his sister.
There is a modern name for what Abraham did:
"SITUATION ETHICS," the philosophy which says that one's ethics are determined by the situation in which he finds himself.
According to this kind of thinking, there is no standard of decency, no reason to behave. So, you lie, cheat, steal, etc., if the situation "calls for it."
However, that’s not good, God has always hated the practice of dishonesty, (Deu_25:13-16), no matter who was involved. Christians are to "provide things honest in the sight of all men".
Romans 12:17 …. Try to do what is honorable in everyone's eyes.
Don’t slip on the path of DISHONESTY
Don’t be ‘as some of them.’
Are you giving way to IMPURITY as did David when he walked upon the housetop (2 Sam. 11, 12)? David’s immorality led to further sin-murder!
It all began when David was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
In Colossians 3:2 it reads,
“Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.”
As Christians, our minds should be focused on things of heaven.
In other words, it would be to our advantage, to avoid people, placesand things that would tempt us to bow to earthly passions.
Don’t let IMPURE thoughts drag you away.
Don’t be ‘as some of them.’
Are you sitting under the juniper tree of DISCOURAGEMENT like Elijah did (1 Kings 19:1-18)? Elijah had just proven the power of God and had slain all 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, read about it, it’s a cool story.
Than found out that Queen Jezebel was out to kill him. He sat down under a juniper tree and prayed that God would let him die. He gave up all hope.
Hopelessness, many times, comes after a mountain-top experience, doesn't it? When it happens we want to crawl under our "juniper tree" and let the rest of the world pass us by. Remember, God is still on His throne and rules the world.
Psalms 42:5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.
Don’t get flattened by the tree of DISCOURAGEMENT.
Don’t be ‘as some of them.’
And finally the last question;
Are you sailing on the ship of DISOBEDIENCE like Jonah did when he took off to Tarshish? Jonah's prejudice, encouraged him to disobey God when he was told to preach in Nineveh.
Is it possible that as you read this right now, that perhaps you too, are "On the way to Tarshish" when you know that you should be on the way to Nineveh?"
Did you obey the Lord in becoming a Christian, but have now boarded the ship of disobedience and are fleeing away from your Savior?
Are you getting shipwrecked because of DISOBEDIENCE?
Don’t be ‘as some of them.’
Saints in the wrong placescauseSITUATIONETHICS!
Maybe we can learn something from them and avoid their mistakes.
Don’t slip on the path of DISHONESTY
Don’t let IMPURE thoughts drag you away.
Don’t get flattened by the tree of DISCOURAGEMENT.
Are you getting shipwrecked because of DISOBEDIENCE?
DON’T be ‘AS SOME OF THEM !’
Psalms 119:2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Rev. Rey Escalante
01/06/2010
Neighboring 101
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
You know, in every single Theological training school in the world they offer Evangelism courses. Am I right? But have you ever once heard of a course in Neighboring?
The greatest command of scripture and we can’t even get a course on it.
That’s what we are doing here in the Flour Bluff area of Corpus Christi, TX.
You could call it Neighboring 101.
Here is the bottom line, many of the so-called missions today have lost focus and have become “Soup Kitchens.” They become so involved in giving, giving, giving that they neglect the needs and cries of the people, and are enabling instead of helping. If only they would have programs that require earning meal tickets, that would be a start.
Starting this month, January, 2010, Church Without Walls starts it’s second year doing monthly neighborhood cleanups in the Flour Bluff area. Our hopes are that as we continue to make a difference in our community, we will help make a difference in the lives of those men and women who are volunteering to work. We believe that if we are part of the solution in cleaning up our city it may help these men and women build up their self respect and dignity, something they tend to lose from too much charity.
Let us all continue to open our eyes to the concerns in each of our neighborhoods. To step out and make a difference. To reach out and help those in need, not just give out.
I remember hearing about this old comic strip;
Two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask why God allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world.
And his friend says, “Well, why don’t you ask?”
The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, “I’m scared God will ask me the same question.”
You never know who you will be helping.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertainstrangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Peace, y'all.
Bro. Rey
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