Views of the cross
Romans 3:21-26

Now the death of the Lord Jesus Christ can be viewed in several different ways and from several different perspectives, as you well know. Most frequently when we examine the death of Jesus Christ we do it from our viewpoint. We come to the cross and see it through man's eyes. We see the cross of Jesus Christ as that act by which Christ provided salvation for us, by which He saved us from sin and death and hell and the power of the flesh, by which He delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and put us in the kingdom of His dear Son, by which He ushered us into that place where we're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies; by which He delivered us from the wrath to come, by which He took us who were enemies and made us friends of God, by which He granted to us eternal life and all that it involves. We see it from our viewpoint. It could be looked at that way and legitimately so.

    We also could come to the cross and look at it from the viewpoint of the holy angels. The angels, by the way, look at the cross and they are searching over the cross and they're examining it and looking into the atoning work of Christ, trying to comprehend and understand its great profound mysteries, mysteries which they cannot fully understand and they will not fully experience because holy angels need no redemption. And they see in it the wonder and the majesty and the glory of the mind of God and the goodness of God and the love of God as He provides for unworthy sinners. Theirs is a fascinating perspective.
    We could look at the cross from the standpoint of Satan and his demons. They see the cross as that point in which the Son bruised the serpent's head, that point in which the one who had the power of death, Satan, was destroyed by the One who now carries the power of death, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Demons see the cross through their own eyes. They thought it was their moment of victory and in one split second Jesus showed up in the pit to announce His triumph over them and He has openly displayed His victory over principalities and powers and rulers and so forth. We could look at the cross from the vantage point of demons.
    We might even look at the cross through the eyes of Jesus Christ. We might even see it as He must have seen it. There it was that He was to bear the sins of the world in His own body and we could go through the excruciating agony of that kind of sin bearing and that rejection and hear Him cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
    We could also see the cross as the moment of His glory for He said, "If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to Myself." We could also see it as the verification of His word because He promised that He was going to die and there His promise came to pass. We could also see it as the moment of His greatest triumph when He indeed bruised the serpent's head. We could see it as the great demonstration of His love for He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
    You can look at the cross, as it were, through your own eyes. You could look at it through the eyes of holy angels, fallen angels, through the eyes of Christ Himself and you will see its glory.
    But for today, I want us to look at the cross in its relationship to God, to God Himself, God the Father. What did it mean to God? We know what Jesus' death meant to us. We know what it meant to the holy angels, it gave them a new verse to their great hymns of praise. We know what it meant to the demons, it was the end of their control of their own destiny. We know what it meant to Christ. But what did it mean to God? What did the death of Christ mean to God? How did it represent God? How did it glorify God? What is His perspective on that great event?
And to understand that, look again at Romans chapter 3:21-26….
    Now that great text tells us what the cross meant to God. What the death of Christ, the atoning work of Christ, the blood- shedding sacrifice of Christ meant to God. Four things stand out. It declared God's righteousness, it exalted God's grace, it revealed God's consistency and it confirmed God's Word.
    Christ died on the cross to demonstrate or to reveal or to declare God's righteousness. This is a very, very essential, a very, very important issue. Men have always struggled with this matter. Why? Because when you understand God to be a righteous God and you understand yourself to be a sinner, it puts you in a very difficult position. How can a sinful man be right with God? This is man's age-old longing, how can I know God, how can I be forgiven by God, how can I be right with God...it is that very question that has spawned religion. Religion is in every sense an attempt to answer that question, to solve the cry of the heart of man to appease whatever deity he may believe in, under whose authority he feels himself and under whose judgment he is afraid. How can I be right with God? Is God a righteous, holy, just God? And if indeed He is, then how can I appease Him? How can I satisfy His requirement for holiness, perfection, justice and righteousness and be right with Him?
    Many suggestions are made about how man can be right with God, we call them religion. But apart from Christianity, all of them involve human achievement and works, and they don't satisfy God. They don't make provision for us and they don't make us right with Him.
    You remember Bildad, the friend of Job, echoed Job's cry? How can a man be right with God? How can he be clean? And you remember Paul on the Damascus road, "What will you have me to do?" And you remember those who heard Peter cry, "What shall we do?" And you remember those in hearing Jesus who said, "What do we do to work the works of God?" And you remember the Philippian jailor who said, "What must I do to be saved?" …How can I connect up with a righteous, holy, and just God? That has always been the cry of man's heart.
    And so, God says, "Look, I'm going to give you the gift of a right relationship with Me, the gift of forgive-ness of sins, the gift of eternal life, but the price will be paid." And it was paid, He says, in my son Christ Jesus.
    No amount of optimism, no amount of love or grace or mercy can put sin aside and stop requiring its penalty. A holy God could never bypass sin and be complacent about evil. And even though He loved the sinner deeply, He cannot forgive the sinner unless His justice is satisfied. The death of Christ then was not only an act of grace, it was an act of justice.
How great is the love of God for His creation!

 “The Power and the Promise of the Cross”
1 Cor. 1:17-25

    The Apostle Paul has said; “we preach Christ” and the power of the Cross! The power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the back-bone, the foundation of our faith!  Paul says “the message of the Cross is fool-ishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”…In 1^st. Cor. 15:17 he says “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; and you are still in your sins”. If there is no resurrection, then there is no power…Yet, I am able – some two thousand and more years later – to tell you that the greatest story ever told is also the truest story ever told!... It is a story that stands unequaled in the history of man… It is a story that God knows we need to hear and a journey we need to make every year… to find the power and the promises of the Cross.  There is saving power to be found in the Cross for sure, but because God raised Jesus from the dead, there is power through his Holy Spirit, made available in every area of life to accomplish everything that God has planned for our life.

    Satan hates the Cross. We found that our in our previous series on “Satan’s Whispers”… Satan despises those who preach it, and he will use every trick in the book to deceive and keep people from experiencing and exercising the power of the Cross in their lives. Satan knows that when we get “plugged in” to the power of the Cross it gives us intellectual power! That’s right! People who understand the power of the Cross are smarter! People who have an under-standing of God’s Word are able to make smarter, wiser, choices and make better decisions in life; and thereby avoiding the consequences of wrong choices and decisions.
    The power of the Cross is a transforming power. It will transform our thinking…It will transform the way we feel about ourselves; our families; our friends; our neighbors; and our world! In doing so, it will trans-form the way we act! The power of the Cross is all about change! And, the manifestation, or the measure of that change is fruit! It is simple; No change, no fruit, NO CHRIST!
    The power of the Cross is also an overcoming power. It gives us the power through the Holy Spirit to overcome habits, attitudes and even handicaps that can hinder our relationship with God and with others. The good news is that you don’t have to overcome all of those things before you can come to God! You don’t have to “clean yourself up” before you can experience the power of the Cross; that’s what the power of the Cross is for! That is what God does in and through and with us – after we come to the Cross – to bring us to the place in life he created us to be and to have and to do! “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, (listen) which God prepared in advance for us to do!” God has a plan for your life. God has things prepared for you to do. The Bible says that “no mind can conceive what God has prepared for those who love him”… But nothing will ever change in your life unless you first come to the Cross!
    Because of the power of the Cross, we have been given some promises. Promises in God’s Word that are available to everyone – because we serve a risen Savior.
I. My past is forgiven and forgotten!  Because of sin, we owe a debt…we deserve punishment…there is no way that we can be forgiven and be made right with God outside of the Cross. Colossians 2:13 and 14 tell us “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, he took it away, nailing it to the Cross”. Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
II. I have been given new life and a better life in Christ Jesus. John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly”! “Therefore if any-one is in Christ, he is a new creation;” (2 Cor. 5:17 We are restored to the original intent of God when he created man in His image. Someone may say “Well I have seen many Christians who don’t look any different to me!”… That’s because they haven’t allowed what’s in their head to reach their heart! We need to make God and God’s Word and Jesus – God’s Son – personal… “Jesus came and died on the Cross to pay the penalty for MY sin… and He rose from the dead so I could have eternal life and life here and now more abundantly! Because of the Cross, God has restored ME to original condition… I am a new creation! Given a new life! Given a chance to start over! To make things right and do things right! He has given me a chance to serve Him with the skills and gifts and talents that He has given me and created me with; that I might use them for his glory and not mine! He is God, and I am not!  It’s all about Him, and not about me! That’s what personalizing the Cross will do in our lives, if we allow it to move the 18 inches between our head and our heart.
III. We have the assurance of heaven. John 20:31 “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”…The entire Book of 1^st John is about assurance. The words “And we know” appear over and over…And the Book ends with these words in chapter 5 verse 13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

    If the Holy Spirit has been speaking to your heart this day, and you know that these words are true…

Don’t resist the power of the Cross; it is a power unto salvation…able to save completely those who would submit to the grace of Almighty God…It gives us an intellectual power to make good and right decisions in life…The power of the Cross will transform your life, and give you the power to overcome habits and handi-caps in your life that not only are destroying you…but your family as well…God has a better plan for your life… He wants to change you and give you another chance at life…this life and the life to come.

“A Face In The Crowd”
Luke 18:31-34 and 23:26-43  Matthew 27:11-26 … 27:27-44… 27:45-56

    The Cross... it rests on the time line of history like a compelling multifaceted diamond. Its tragedy summons all who would suffer.  Its absurdity attracts all critics. Its message of hope reaches out to all seekers. It is just a piece of wood, but what a piece of wood it is! History has idolized it; despised it; burned it; gold plated it; and worn it around their necks; whether they believe it or not. History has done everything to it but ignore it; that’s one option the Cross does not offer…No one can ignore it. The Cross…its bottom line is sobering. If the account is true, it becomes history’s hinge and eternity’s hope! If it is not true, it is history’s greatest hoax!

    I’m curious as to how many of us hate to have our picture taken? Most people run and hide from the camera like a cat fleeing a bath! We don’t really like our picture taken because it reminds us of all the things that have changed about us. It seems the older you get, the less we like to see pictures of ourselves.  Pictures show all to well how our bellies have gone out and our hairlines gone up! I like to look at what I call “natural” pictures; the ones that are not posed or where someone says “Now say, CHEESE!”…I like to see the look on people’s faces when they are not expecting to have their picture taken.
    Well, back in the day of the Cross, they didn’t have cameras, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have any pictures. The Bible is full of pictures. As we read all of these scriptures, we were given pictures of several people who were there and saw what was taking place. As I take you back through this photo album, I want you to pay attention to the faces in the crowd…And, may I also suggest that along the way, we look for our face in the crowd.
    The first picture is a snapshot taken in Matthew 27:32 “As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the Cross!”
    Simon was a common Jewish name. He was just a common church going, religious, kind of guy, who was forced to the Cross…or you could say, he had the Cross forced on him!  Someone once said that “as a boy, the times he went to church he felt like a drug addict, because his momma drug him all the way there!” Some people feel forced to the Cross. Maybe because mom or grandma or some other family…or a girlfriend or boy-friend made them go to church out of obligation or tradition. The truth be known, they didn’t really want to go, but they went. It was the right thing to do, but they feel like they were forced to the Cross or that the Cross was forced upon them. Even though this is a snapshot of Simon of Cyrene, somehow I don’t think he is the only one in the picture.
    It is possible to be so close to the Cross, and yet far from Christ. Time and experience have shown us that many who have been forced to the Cross, walk away when they get older. Yet, some, when they have children of their own, repeat the process! “You are going to church whether you like it or not!”  You see, they know that church is good and right and needed…so they force their kids to go, some while they themselves stay home.
    The second snapshot is of those who were foolish at the Cross. There are at least three different people in this photo, the soldiers; the crowd; and the religious leaders. From 27:38-44 - “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads. In the same way, the chief priests and the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him…In the same way, the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.” 
    It is a picture perhaps of the religious “surface” believers, who touch the Cross but never let the Cross touch them. “They cast lots for his clothing” it says. I wonder if we too play games at the Cross.  I call them Church games; like; denominational games; personal games; gambling with life…? They were very close to the Cross, but few were really changed by it. Let me ask you this morning; “Have you allowed the Cross of Calvary to change you? Have you allowed it to transform your life?” Or are you in this picture of the foolish?
    In these first two pictures, we have seen people who were close to the Cross perhaps by chance…but it’s only in this last snapshot that we see people who were there by choice. It’s found in verses 45-54… “The women were there”…We also know that John was there…And, I’m sure we can see Nicodemus and Joseph, and many others…perhaps in the background, but they were there as well.
    It’s a picture of those who somehow understood the meaning of the Cross. Look, There is a picture of the criminal who repented in Luke’s album…he deserved hell, but he gets heaven by the grace of God.  Oh, look, there is the Centurion saying, “Surely this was the Son of God”… Over there, that’s an ex-con and a pagan Centurion, and yes, Mary the prostitute, knowing more about grace than a thousand theologians. If a “picture paints a thousand words” then we ought to get a dictionary full from this one!
    Jesus, God in the flesh, died on the Cross of Calvary as a final sin offering…He died on this Cross, taking upon himself the sins of the world. He looked down from the Cross and he looked at all the people there around the Cross…and he looks into their eyes, and your eyes, and my eyes, and he says “Father, forgive them”… Even though they don’t deserve it; even while they are yet sinners; place the pain and the judgment and the consequence of their sin upon me, and forgive them! Max Lucado writes, “No wonder they call him a Savior!”
    Like a master painter, God reserved his masterpiece until the end. All the earlier acts of love had been leading up to this one…God on a Cross… The Creator sacrificing for his creation…You see, God’s greatest desire was to make room for you in the final family portrait…say cheese…!

“Before The Cross”
Matthew 16:13-21

    I personally like to think of the period of time that we call Lent as a “journey to the Cross.”  It begins on Ash Wednesday and takes us through Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and of course, to the destination of our journey, Easter.  It’s kind of like taking a road trip. As we drive along toward our destination, we focus on many different things and several landmarks along the way. That’s what Lent is like. It’s a time of turning our focus to the many things that took place along the way to the Cross.

    It is also a time of considering “self-sacrifice” during a time when we remember the greatest sacrifice ever given, when Jesus laid down his life as a final sacrifice - once and for all. This journey has been taken by countless thousands of people and preachers - in countless thousands of ways - yet it never loses its power to transform lives.
    Preceding these verses, Jesus had been teaching and preaching and healing and performing miracles…But, here in the 21^st. verse - which is where I really want us to focus our attention - Jesus turns his attention on his disciples and it says; “From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples what must take place in the coming days”…He begins to explain what his ministry is all about…He begins to explain the “Who”, What, Where, Why, and How” of what was going to happen. In other words, he tells them a few of the landmarks they should watch for on this journey to Jerusalem.
    If you read ahead to chapter 17, it says that 6 days later Jesus took them “up a high mountain” and, we have the story of the transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him up a little higher and it tells us that they witnessed Jesus in his “pre-earthly” glory. Jesus has a little rap session with Moses and Elijah; who, by the way, have been dead for a few hundred years…then, a cloud comes down upon them, and a voice comes from out of the cloud saying; “This is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, Listen to Him!”…What would you do or say at a time like this?  It says that the disciples “fell face down to the ground, TERRIFIED!” No kidding!  I would have been like the cowardly lion or the tin man in the Wizard of Oz…You would have heard my bones rattling from fear!  But, it says that Jesus came and touched them…Now, I don’t know about you, but if someone would have touched me at such a moment, I would take off like a rocket!
    The Disciples - Peter in particular - made a confession back in verse 16 of our text, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” and, now they witness what they had confessed with their mouths. (I think there is another sermon there…) But, there was a problem. In chapter 17 verse 22 it says; “When they came together in Galilee, he said to them again; “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life”…They didn’t get it.  In Chapter 20 verse 17 it says; “He took the 12 disciples aside and said to them; “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised to life”…They still didn’t get it. You see, what they had confessed with their mouths, and heard with their ears, and seen with their eyes; had not yet reached their hearts! The heart is the true “seat of understanding.” We know they didn’t understand, because when the time came and these things began to happen…they all ran!  And, Peter even denied knowing him at all!
    Something happened that turned their fear into boldness; Something happened that turned their grief into joy; something happened that finally sunk in and went directly to their heart! That something was the resurrection of Jesus!
    If we jump ahead to Acts chapter 5 - it was the Pharisee Gamaliel who said; “Remember Theudas? He was killed and his followers dispersed… Remember Judas the Galilean? He too was killed and his followers scattered….But, if this be from God, there will be no way to stop it!”
    The journey with Jesus was the preparation for the destination. It was in the journey that the disciples - and we - see the many things that took place. But, it was in the destination…in the resurrection…it was in the words “on the third day he shall be raised unto life” that we find understanding. It is in the resurrection that the disciples and we find the “truth, the way and the life!”  It is the resurrection that touches our hearts with under-standing.  It is the resurrection that sets us apart from any other belief or religion…And, “Upon this rock” says Jesus, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not stand against it!”

“A Story to Tell”
Romans 5:6-11 and 2^nd Corinthians 5:16-21

    What is the ministry of reconciliation? It’s the message of the Cross…It’s the message of the gospel… Without the message of salvation to be found in Christ Jesus, the Bible is just another good book. It is nothing more than a collection of the history of the life and times of Israel. So, what does it mean that “God has given us this ministry?”

    There are basically three dimensions or motivating forces that would cause our obedience to be ambassadors for Christ; The first is the character of God:
We have to remember that the gospel originated in the heart of God. It was His work…His idea…not mans. We did not read the Bible and say “This is a really good idea, let’s go and tell everybody about it!” It was God’s purpose for man from the very beginning of time, and it was He who gave us this ministry and said “Go!”
    However, there are two things about the character of God that are closely linked to this message of reconci-liation we are supposed to proclaim; they are both found in the Book of 1^st. John – ( 1:5 and 4:8 ) God is “light” and God is “love”…Verse 9 says – “This is how God showed his love among us…He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” This is the central fact of the gospel; God’s love, like himself, is eternal; unconditional; and all inclusive. It can never be compared to man’s love… The difference is found in both quality and quantity! Mans love is truly limited. What limits our love? ( Personalities; styles; ethics; morals; attitudes; looks; color; etc. ) In other words, it would be easy to love if it were not for people! But, God loves in spite of all our flaws and all of those things that get in our way.
    What about the fact that God is “light”?  What do we know about light? ( illuminates; warmth or heat; dispels darkness; it can be destructive; helps things to grow; etc.) However, the gospel message is not just one of light and love, it is also a message of wrath. The world also needs to understand that the holiness of God and the righteousness and justice of God is also a part of His character.  If man rejects the “light” and the “love” of God…then he will suffer the “wrath” of God. Without the love of God we would have no gospel; without the wrath of God we would have no need for the gospel.
    The second motivating force is the “command of Christ”. We have a tendency to put all the emphasis on the command to “Go” but, a closer look at the teachings of Christ reveals that he used three words to express his desire for his people; “Come”, “Follow”, and “Go.” (It is probably right to say “in that order.”) All three must contain a desire on our part! Many “come”…Some “follow”…but, few “go”! We need to realize that this is a command to all who come.
    The third motivating factor is the “condition of mankind.” This is also a part of the “go” command. Unless we have the compassion and the conviction that sees people as God sees them, we will never get past the “come” and “follow” part of God’s Word. Yet, God has given us – it says - as Christ’s ambassadors – the “ministry of reconciliation” which includes all three areas…and it is a continuing process… I am going to spend the rest of this week – leading up to Easter – writing about the Cross.

 “Holiness”
 Colossians 3:1-17;  Romans 6:16-23;  2^nd. Corinthians 7:1;  Hebrews 12:14,

    We are wrapping up this series that I have titled “Becoming A 4-H Christian” - which is a look at the four things that are the “stand out” attributes or characteristics of a Christian. Not our idea of a Christian… but God’s.  They are: “Hopefulness, Helpfulness, Happiness, and Holiness.”  Hopefulness is a look forward. Hopefulness allows us to not only look with assurance and anticipation to the future glory of Christ’s com-ing, and the Rapture, and the wedding supper of the Lamb and the Judgment of rewards, and the eternal reward of heaven…But, also the hope of a better today. A better life, a better family, a better tomorrow, all because of our relationship with God and His Word… But, there’s more:

    The second “H” was “Helpfulness”… Helpfulness is a look around. It is the characteristic of a Christian to always be looking for and listening for ways in which we can obey the Command of Christ to “love one another”. This is an attribute that real Christians have. Always looking to build up rather than tearing down. Always looking to help and not hinder spiritual growth in another. Always willing to come along side and carry another’s burden and help them through a tough time. Real Christians are part of the building crew, not the wrecking crew!
    The third “H” we looked at was “Happiness”… Proverbs 15:13 - “A happy heart makes the face cheerful”.  Happiness is a look inward. If the heart is happy, the face will show it. If our faith and trust in God were based on external happiness, most of us would not be happy or Christian. Our happiness, our joy, our peace, comes from what is happening IN us. We cannot pretend to be happy when we are not. We can’t pre-tend to be joyful when we are hurting. But God’s Word tells us that we can find happiness and joy IN all circumstances, not because of or in spite of, but IN…because we know the one who is in control of all things, and the God of the mountain is still God in the valley, and He will see us through - and even provide a way out. Happiness remember, is a choice. Don’t spend your life searching for the world’s happiness, just look in the mirror and make the choice to be happy…then what’s in your heart will reflect on your face.
    Finally, here we are at the fourth “H” - “Holiness”. In my N.I.V. Bible, the heading for our text says “Rules For Holy Living”…In my Life Application Bible, it says “Principles for Christian Living” There really is no difference in the context of these headings, but there is a difference in our perception of them. Whether it’s in the Bible, or somewhere else, it is easier for us to accept the word “principles” but harder to accept “rules.” It is easier for us to accept “How to be a Christian” than it is to accept “How to be holy”.
    The perception seems to be that of desiring, or trying to lead a Christian life by attempting at least, to follow some of the “principles” put forth in God’s Word. However, when we talk about “Holy living”, we tend to see it as something unattainable and therefore hardly worth trying. That comes from the fact that somehow we equate holiness with absolute perfection…As far as I know, there are only three who are absolutely holy and perfect; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
    In the Bible it speaks of God as being holy; it talks about Jesus being the holy Son of God; and it talks about the work of the Holy Spirit. But, it also talks about holy mountains, holy temples, holy sacrifices, holy cities, and Israel as God’s holy people…None of these were perfect and holy within themselves, they were holy because God’s presence made them holy. They were people, places, and things that were set apart for God.
    The theme that is interwoven through out the New Testament is that “in Christ”, “through Christ”, and “because of Christ”, we are holy in God’s sight. We are set apart for God…We are crucified, justified, and sanctified by God through Christ. Don’t take my word for it…believe God’s Word for it! So, in God’s eyes - if we are really Christians - we are holy in his sight.
    I wish I could say “That’s it…You are holy…you can go home now” but, then we have verses like “Be holy, for I am holy”… In other words, because you are holy…be holy!  Or, “Just as you used to do offer the parts of your body”…(Which parts? Hands, feet, heart, eyes, brain, voice)…”in slavery to impurity and sin…so now offer them in slavery to righteousness - leading to holiness”…“the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life”.
    What about 2^nd. Cor. 7:1 “let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”?  Hebrews 12:14 - “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy”?  What about all the “Rules For Holy Living” given to us in our text?  It obviously is a call by God to us saying “Because you are holy, because I have made you holy, you must offer yourselves, and do what it takes to seek after, and perfect those things that lead to the holy and righteous life I expect of you!” And, in case you don’t know what they are, here is a partial list of about 20 things you can do – I’ll put them down in Collosians 3… Holiness is not just something to have, holiness is something we must live!
    Someone once said - “Godly talk does not always imply a Godly walk”!  “Painting the pump white does not purify the water”!  God expects every Christian to live a holy life, but the idea of exactly how to be holy has suffered from many false concepts. In fact, they almost always lead to legalism… Holiness is equated with a series of prohibitions; “You should not, you must not, you cannot” If we follow this approach we may be in danger of becoming like the Pharisees with their endless list of rules and regulations and religious “self-righteous” attitude.  To some holiness brings images of “bunned” hair, long skirts, black stockings, no make-up, no jewelry, and several other mannerisms. You know what I’m talking about. Holiness is some kind of mold that we must fit into in order to fit as well into the mold we have created for a Christian! It is unattain-able perfection, don’t even try. God knows the thoughts of your mind, and the emotions and attitudes of your heart, and while you may look holy, God’s wondering if you are ever going to DO anything holy!
    While we keep concerning ourselves with “how”…God is more concerned with “when”.  The true, biblical, concept of holiness involves only three things; to be morally blameless; to be separated from sin; and to be fully consecrated to God.  I will pick up more on that tomorrow.

Becoming a “4-H” Christian – part 3
 Ist Thessalonians 5:16-18  and Psalm 119:97-112

    There are four characteristics that we must have in our lives in order to “run the race” as the Apostle Paul puts it; or to live the life; or walk the walk; or persistently and patiently, and perpetually carry on in the abundant life that God has chosen for us to have. You see, we can never do that…we will always fall and fail, if we are not consistently hopeful. Or, if we are not consistently and constantly helpful or showing love toward one another. And, we certainly cannot begin to have the motivation to live this life according to God’s Word, if we are not happy. However, our faith and our hope and our love and our motivation in life have as their source the “holiness” or righteousness that God expects and demands.

    So, let’s talk about happiness. Proverbs 15:13 says “A happy heart makes the face cheerful”….
    When it comes to happiness, I think everyone would agree that there are basically four things that control the extent of our happiness; And, probably in this order of priority;  #1 - Family…( This may include all relationships…)  #2 Health… #3 is our Finances; and, #4 is Possessions.
    I think it would be unrealistic to expect that as Christians we ought to always be happy, and joyful because the extent of our happiness is affected by these things. However, as I said, happiness is a look inward. There is a reason for that…It’s because while the external circumstances of these things may temporarily affect what is going on around us, as Christians we know that true happiness depends on what is happening within us!  It is all about having peace IN all circumstances; and giving thanks IN all circumstances; and praying through all circumstances… not FOR or BECAUSE OF.  We cannot pretend to be joyful when we are hurting in some way, but we can find strength, and comfort, and trust, and peace in knowing that God is ultimately in control…and that is our inner joy…our inner happiness.
    If our faith and trust and even belief in God were to depend on external happiness, most of us would never be happy, .and we certainly would not be Christians. “The God of the mountain is still God in the valley!
    Psychologists tell us that people need three things to make them happy; They need something to do; They need something to love; and, they need something to look forward to. I think scripture would agree with that. However, to be truly happy, we must be doing the right thing, loving the right way, and looking forward to the right thing! True happiness has to do with having the right focus; As Christians we are called to focus on eternity and eternal things; We are to set our minds and our hearts on things above!…Colossians 3:1-3 says “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
    We are to focus on people not possessions. Why? Because people are the only thing of this world that are eternal!  We are to focus on service not self…Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” God knows that it brings us joy and we feel blessed when we are helping someone else; that’s the way he created us. And, when we are helping others instead of serving self, we are storing up “treasures in heaven”.  It’s all about what’s going on within us and not around us.
   There once was a very wealthy and successful man. He had more money than he could ever spend and he was admired and looked up to by his community. Still, he knew that something was missing in his life. He wasn’t happy. All his life he had pursued happiness and strived for happiness but had never been able to find it. Then one day he heard about a hidden temple in Nepal that had a special room that contained the secret to happiness. He immediately sold all that he owned and set out to find this hidden temple. After many years of searching and countless hardships he arrived there. He was weary and penniless, but he knew that none of that mattered now that he had found the temple. He asked a wise, smiling monk if he could enter the special room. The monk agreed and showed him the stairs leading to the room. He climbed them with legs shaking with anticipation and slowly opened the door. He stared into the room with sun-light streaming through the window and saw what he had come so far to find. There hanging on the wall was the secret of happiness. The man gazed at his reflection in the mirror and laughed.
    It is time that we all realized that we are the secret to our own happiness. Happiness is a choice that we make within. God loves us and gives each one of us the ability to fill our lives with love, joy, peace, happi-ness, and oneness with Him. We need only choose to do so day by day. Don’t spend your life searching the world for happiness. Just look in the mirror and choose to be happy. Then what’s in your heart, will reflect on your face.

“Becoming a 4-H Christian” – part 2
Ephesians 4:29-5:2 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and Romans 12:9-16

     We are looking at four things that are characteristic of - as well as God’s expectations of Christians: “Hopefulness”, which is a look forward; “Helpfulness” which is a look outward; “Happiness” which is a look inward; and Holiness” which is a look upward!

     We looked at “Hopefulness” which is a look forward…There are far too many people living in this world who have no hope! Paul says in 1^st Thessalonians 4:13 - “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have died, or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.” How horrible to live life thinking that this is all there is…that death is the end of life!  A Christian is an ever hopeful person.
     Next, I want to look at the “Helpfulness” of the Christian, which is an outward look.  As it concerns the helpfulness of a Christian, I invite you to look with me to the continuation of our scripture from yesterday; 1^st Thessalonians 5:12…“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” This is the “helpful” mark of the Christian.
     A couple of years ago, I spoke about “Observations from the chicken pen”… It had to do with the fact that chickens are always chasing one another around; they are always picking on and pecking at one another; and when one of them has a problem or a sore of some sort, rather than being helpful, they will pick and pick until the one with the problem practically bleeds to death! … But then, we’re not like chickens… are we?
    I realize that a lot of hurts go undetected, but the church is supposed to be a safe place where we can share our hurts with friends. Some of us do not know how to respond to hurts. Our scripture told us to: "mourn with those who mourn" or "weep with them that weep" and “rejoice with those who rejoice.”  Now these commands were written NOT to the elders or to church leaders, but to all Christians. God demands that we all are helpful to each other.
     So let me ask you this question: How good are you at comforting others? How good are you at weeping with those who weep? Some of you are probably skilled in these areas; too many of us are absolutely awful in this department, while many would say they are probably somewhere in between.
      Today I am going to try to be “helpful” by "helping" us all in the area of  being "helpful" rather than hurting. This is an important skill to learn, for you will use it in every relationship you have.
#1. The Most Important Piece of Advice: Shut Up and Listen.  Sometimes this is the most helpful thing we can do. I have to admit this is a hard one from me because I am usually quick to offer advise, when there are many times it would be better for me to be quiet and just listen.  In the Book of  Job,  Job’s friends were wonderful--until they opened their mouths and tried to fix things; they told stories of their experiences and thought they had everything figured out, just what was really wrong and what Job ought to do…and boy, were they wrong!
    In chapter 2 11-13 it says that Job’s friends “Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹²When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. ¹³Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”… If they would have left it at that they would have been fine. We ought to remember that comforters are welcome; but counselors should come by invitation only. If you really want to help others during times of crisis, grief, tragedy, personal loss, or even depression, it helps to know what you are doing… Are you there to listen and help or to be a counselor?
#2. Do not minimize their problems in any way.  (Proverbs 25:20) reads: "Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart."  This simply means we have tried to minimize the problem; “Oh, it’s not all that bad…” “Come on now, don’t worry, be happy!”… I have a bad habit of doing this…I hate to see people sad or depressed, so I try to get them to smile or joke around in some way…While in my mind I may be trying to help, I am in reality minimizing their problem!  Jeremiah 6:14, says "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. `Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace."
    Here is another example: a person says: “It is so depressing being out of work so long, I just don’t know what to do…this has really got me down.”  (Right Response): “I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do. It is a bad situation, and I would probably have some of those same thoughts as well. I want to pray with you about this. Let’s talk about it so I will better know how to pray.”  (Here is a Dumb Response): “What are you so down about. Don’t you realize it could be much worse. Take my friend Joe for instance, he got laid off and now he has lung cancer!” (Here’s an even Dumber Response): Well, the Bible tells us to “rejoice in the Lord”…Set your eyes on Him” and don’t fret about being out of work…God will work it out!  (Dumbest Response): You are just not trusting God!  He must have brought these troubles upon you to punish you, discipline you, or teach you something”…Which leads to #3…
#3. Do not condemn or put them down in any way.   Express that it is okay for a Christian to feel afraid, worry, or be angry...and even doubt. These are natural, human, responses. All of these things beset Moses, King David, the Prophet Habbakkuk, and there will be times when we will feel these as well… Mature Christians understand that we can feel fear, worry, grief, and even anger, and still have faith and hope!  It is even worse to deny any of these feelings. Remember, according to our scripture, the things we go through are meant to train us to empathize and help others...
    Finally, even if people bring troubles upon themselves, remember, they are still hurting.  It never helps to say things like;  "You made your bed, now sleep in it" or “You reap what you sow!” These are not proper responses at the time! We should not add to the consequences of their experience with a guilt trip!  Jesus did not come to rub sin in, but to rub it out.  The Holy Spirit is called the "Comforter"…The “Helper”…Our “guide” … He is our “help” in time of need!  Those who practice “helpfulness” are winners as Christians.    
   Paul, the apostle, once said, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."  I think it’s time we live life to our full potential by realizing that we, who are in Christ, are no longer little kids… let’s stop acting like little kids, and start acting and doing what mature adults are supposed to do…let’s stop being selfish or smug and start being helpful! 

“Becoming A ‘4-H’ Christian” (“Hopeful, Helpful, Happy, Holy”)
1^st Thessalonians 5:1-11 and 1^st Thessalonians 1:2-8a.

    As a youngster, I was involved in a 4-H club. I remember the 4 H’s were “Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.” The 4-H clubs were a big part of the County Fair every year, and there were several categories you could be involved with. Mine were leathercraft and woodworking. The goal and the reward for your displays of course, were blue, red, or yellow ribbons…1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place.  In all my years of involvement no one that I know of tried their best to get third place!  In 1st Corinthians 9:24, Paul says that we all ought to “run as if to win the prize.” Today, and for the next few days, I want to give you four things that will help us as Christ-ians, to win the prize…to receive the crown of righteousness! Think of this as being a “4-H” Christian… They are: Hopefulness, Helpfulness, Happiness, and Holiness.

    One day while hunting, Larry and Elmer got lost in the woods. Trying to reassure his friend, Larry said “Don’t worry, all we have to do is shoot in the air three times (which is the universal hunting code for “I’m lost and need help”)…stay where we are, and someone will come and find us.” So they shot in the air three times and waited…but no one came. After a while they shot three times again…still no one came. Feeling hopeless, they decided to try once more, Elmer said “I sure hope it works this time, we’re down to our last three arrows!”
    The first thing we need to win in this Christian life is “Hopefulness”. The hopefulness of a Christian is based on Paul’s teaching in the chapter previous to our text, chapter 4:13-18… “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. ¹⁴We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage each other with these words.”… Put this together with 5:9 of our text - “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”…This is our hope!
    Hope is vital - in fact it’s critical for our every day survival in life. God understands that. That’s why, in Romans 15:4 we’re told: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have HOPE." When we speak of this type of hope it could best be described as an attitude of confidence, expectation, and trust; no matter what the circumstance.
    While “hope” is a future word, the hope of Christ’s return and our rapture, and the eternal rewards of heaven, are not just something we “hope” will come in the future someday…in the sweet by and by…This is our present hope! It is also not just “wishful thinking”…it is absolute belief, absolute trust, absolute assur-ance, that God will do what He says He will do! We are not called to hope that it might, maybe, possibly will happen, but that Christ IS coming and it could be at any given moment of time! In the twinkling of an eye!     
    Our hope is based on fact! By the way, Robert Schuller II said something that bears repeating and quoting in every church around the world today; He was speaking to the issue of the Davinci Code, and to the fact that it is pure fiction and is found in the fiction section of the book store…And he said, “The book that I believe in, the book that I base my life and my future upon is not fiction!” Where is your hope today?  Is it based on absolute fact, or just wishful thinking?  In order to have any hope for the future, we must have a relationship with the one who holds the future.
    Of course, the hopefulness of a Christian is more than a hope of heaven…it holds out hope for all things; Our relationship with God gives us a hope for a better future for our families; a better future for our extended church family; a better future for our world; not because we think life is just a bed of roses, but because we know that no matter what we may face in the future, God is on our side and He is by our side! And, “He works all things out for the good of those who love him.” ”If God is for us, who can be against us?” ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”… “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”!! My friends, that is a positive HOPE! It is a hope that the world does not have.  All who are in Christ are “blue ribbon,” #number 1, first place Christians because of our hopefulness!
    Some Christians seem to be hopeful and doubtful at the same time. A Christian cannot be hopeful and worry about the future at the same time. There is a way to overcome worry and doubt…the Apostle Paul tells us how in Philippians 4:8 - ( Before you turn there, let me tell you a story about my Grandfather’s coffee;) Granmps had the old time percolating pots that you put on the stove. Instead of taking the time to clean out the coffee grounds and the pot, he would just add water and more grounds! Thank God for coffee filters! And, water filters; and furnace filters; and pool filters; gas filters, oil filters and air filters…What does a filter do? It filters out the bad, the unwanted, the evil, and allows the good to flow through!  In Philippians 4:8 Paul tells us we need to filter our minds in order to remain hopeful; He says; “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things”…Why? …Because negative thoughts bring us down and they destroy our hope!  It is easier to filter out the bad and fill up with the good than it is to try and remove the bad later.
    When it comes to “running as if to win the prize” Hebrews 10:23 says “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful”…Hopeful, Helpful, Happy and Holy Christians are always winners!

“God Has a V.L.E.”

 1 John 5:13-15 and Matthew 13:12-23

    In the scripture in Matthew we read the words: “though hearing, they do not understand”….and, of course, in the explanation of the Parable, Jesus says; “One person hears the Word and evil snatches it away” … “One hears the Word and because he has no root, he does not last”… and, one “hears the Word and worries and deceitfulness choke it out”…But, one “hears the Word and understands the Word and so is fruitful”. In the Book of Luke, chapter 8, verse 18, Jesus follows up this parable with the words; “Therefore, consider care-fully how you listen.”

    Now, if you asked my wife this morning, she would probably tell you that I am not a very good listener. …but, I have an excuse…I think that all men are born with a “mute” button in their ears! There is something in my ears - an extra nerve or something - that acts like the mute button on the T.V. remote whenever I am thinking about something. For some reason I can’t seem to think and listen at the same time. It’s not that I don’t want to listen, or that what she is saying isn’t important, it’s just that dang mute button in my ears!
    All of us tend to be poor listeners at times. A stewardess tells of a time when she was frustrated by the inattentiveness of passengers while she was giving her “welcome aboard”, safety speech. One time she changed the wording and said; “When the oxygen mask drops down in front of you, place it over your navel and sneeze!”…Not a single passenger heard what she said.
    President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling and saying all the usual greetings in White House reception lines… So, one evening he decided to find out if anyone was listening. As each person came up to shake his hand, he would flash a big smile and say; “I murdered my Grandmother today”… People would automatically respond with things like: “Keep up the good work”!  or “You’re doing a great job”!… Except for one foreign diplomat who responded softly “Well, she probably had it coming.”
    There are really two things I want to bring out today. One is our need to listen to God…and the other is to know that God listens to us.
    God desires to speak to us. He speaks to us in several ways; in His Word as we read and study; by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirit; he may speak to us through other people; he may speak through circumstances. He speaks in ways that we can know it is God speaking - if we are listening.
    God wants to reveal His will for us; He wants to reveal Himself to us; and He wants to be actively involve-ed in our lives. This has been true from the very beginning. God walked and talked with Adam “in the cool of the day” says Genesis 3:8… Today He calls us to be led by His Spirit. I must tell you that anything that God chooses to reveal or speak to us will always be totally consistent with His Written Word.
    The Bibles says that the Bereans didn’t just take Paul at his word, they searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true or consistent with God’s Word. It ought to be obvious that those like Jim Jones, and David Koresh, and the Hale Bop Comet riders perverted the truth of God’s Word that had nothing to do with the leading of the Holy Spirit….”Consider carefully how you listen.”
   In the case of the scripture, “Ears to hear” is not a function of our physical senses like hearing an audible voice with our ears; it is a function of the intellect and the heart working together. In the Gospels, when Jesus spoke, he spoke to the disciples; to the people gathered around; to the Scribes and Pharisees; to the Teachers of the Law…those who taught the scriptures…and each one heard what he was saying based on three things;
1. Their intellect, what they knew.
2. Their heart, what they were feeling. And
3. Their attitude toward God… And, we do the same today. If we listen, we will hear what we hear, based on these same three things…. “Consider carefully how you listen”.
    In his book “Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life”, Donald Whitney describes something called a V.L.A.  Now V.L.A. stands for “Very Large Array.”  The V.L.A. is located in New Mexico. It is a series of very large radio wave receiver satellite disks on thirty eight miles of railway. Apparently it is able to pick up extremely faint radio waves emitted from outer space.  Basically this device serves as a huge ear, listening to what is going on in the universe.
    Well, I want you to know that God has a V.L.E…A Very Large Ear. And, He is listening to even the faintest prayers of His people and He desires to answer them. “This is the assurance we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.” There are times and circumstances when we really don’t know if it is God’s will to do something…and that’s O.K.  But, when we know something is God’s will, we ought to pray with confidence.  For instance, we know it is God’s will that “not one should perish”…so, if we are praying for those on our prayer list to come salvation in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, we don’t need to say “if it be Thy will”…because it is!  Romans 10:10 says; “Everyone who trusts in him, and calls upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. But, how can they call, how can they believe, if they haven’t heard”…Using that, we might pray for those on our list to be exposed to a clear, understandable, presentation of the Gospel message… knowing that it is God’s will.
    Jesus said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world in regard to sin, and righteous-ness, and judgment”…and, that He would guide them into all truth”…So, we might pray that those on our list might be convicted of the guilt of sin, and guided into the truth of God’s Word…That’s His will. My point is just what the scripture says “If we ask anything according to His will” … In my book, that’s a sure thing!
    We cannot force anyone to come to Church or come to Christ…That’s not our job.  Conviction and judgment is not our job. We can’t save anyone, it’s not our job. Being steadfast and prevailing in prayer… Now that’s our job.
    Why is it that Billy Graham can say a few simple words, and thousands of people come to accept Christ as their Savior?  Is it because he is the greatest preacher who ever lived? No. Is it because he has a large ministry and money and power and influence? No.  It is the reward and promise of scriptural, steadfast, prayer by hundreds of prayer warriors behind the scenes, praying God’s will, for the lost!
    So, my challenge to you this morning continues with - find a quiet place, a quiet time, and have a quiet heart to pray…. Pray scripturally, according to God’s will, and pray steadfastly with all sincerity, for those on your prayer list… Listen for God - as He listens to you - He may want you to DO something for His glory… And, remember, He has a V.L.E.

“Complaining” (Numbers 11-14 selected verses shown.)

Man went to monastery where they had a vow of silence…they could only speak 2 words a year – At the end of the 1st year he was called before the head Monk and said - “Beds Hard.” The second year he said – “Foods Cold.” The 3rd year he said – “I Quit” - to which the head Monk replied, “Well it’s no wonder--all you’ve done since you came in here was complain.”
Numbers 11:1-6  -  (They complain about God’s provision of Manna.)

Numbers 11:18-23 - ( Even Moses couldn’t see how God could possibly provide for everyone.)
Numbers 12:1-9 - ( They complain about Moses, God’s leader. )
Numbers 13:31,32 - ( Spies give negative report ) All they could “see” and “say” was “can’t”…
Numbers 14:2 - ( complaining is contagious.)
Numbers 14:4 - ( There is always a leader who will take you back to where you were. “We like the way things were!”)
Numbers 16  -  Read the entire story leading up to 16:50...( Don’t mess with God’s appointed and anointed!
    This walk is a faith walk…and it is a forward walk. If we walk by faith, then we cannot walk by sight. It is a call to   faithfulness - and faith in God. Regardless of what our eyes see, our ears hear, and our hands touch, “Lean not on your own understanding!” With all this complaining going on I am surprised that God did not wipe them all out! If you don’t want to succeed in life or enter into your promised land, or have a vision and a hope for  the future…then do likewise….
    There are some who will take their eyes of the objective and look at the obstacles, and refuse to walk by faith or take risks…There are those who will tend to complain about what they lack and allow fear of loss or the “what-if’s” to take control of situation. The accounts of Israel are examples, to help us avoid the same pitfalls according to - 1 Cor. 10:6 and 11.

    With all this in mind, let’s talk about the difference between “dream makers” and dream breakers…

1) Dream Makers ask the right questions; Notice what it was that the twelve men were to do. They were to search the land. It was the land God said He was giving to the Israelites. He wasn’t sending them on a mission to decide whether or not to actually possess the land; that had already been decided. They were just supposed to go explore the area that was now to be their home; the land God had promised to give to them since the days of Abraham. Then they were to strategize and plan and follow God’s lead. Often we ask the wrong questions: Can we make a difference? Can we change this community? Can we have an impact? Do we have what it takes? Those questions have already been answered. We are called; we are called to impact; we have what it takes; and if we don’t have it, God will provide it. The questions need to be “How do we reach this community? What are we going to do in order to have an  impact? …What is it going to take to make a difference?  And, are we going to trust God and plan for the future? …
2) Dream Makers Look for the right answers.  In life there are optimists and pessimists. In this story we see both. I tend to be an optimist. Optimists focus on what can be; possibilities, opportunities, and potential. They look for the positive. They have the ability to picture something done before it is even started. ( vision ) Pessimists on the other hand tend to focus on problems, obstacles and potential loss. They look for the cloud behind every silver lining. Optimists tend to operate by faith not by sight where the pessimist operates more by sight than by faith. Notice that all 12 men saw the same things all witnessed the same extraordinary blessings all reported the same treasure but not all came to the same conclusion. Caleb and Joshua said “look at the great land God is giving us. The rest said “Ya, but….”
3) Dream Makers see the world from God’s perspective. The 10 spies saw walled cities, giants, and strong armies facing them. Their conclusion We can’t!...Caleb and Joshua saw these same things but saw them in God’s perspective. (14:8-9) After the 40 years of wandering and the death of Moses, when Joshua leads these people’s children into the land, it has all the same cities with all the same fortifications and all the same giants, but the walls of Jericho fall down, the (giant) people of Ai are defeated and God delivers Canaan into their hands.
Here is the bottom line - the one thing that I myself came away with from the book of Numbers many years ago…II Timothy 3:2-5 - “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” … I think we can see most of this happening in our own day… But, the one thing that I would not want said about me is that I “have a form of godliness but deny its power”.….Are you a dream maker or breaker?

 

Yes Lord
Matthew 9:27-31
"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe. Augustine.

    First, a request is made (Verse 27) “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” These two (blind) men came before Jesus with a direct petition but also a vague request. Neither of these two men asked for anything specific other than mercy. Jesus could have answered their request in any number of ways. Why do you suppose they did not specifically ask to be healed? It becomes clear that both men had placed such a trust and a faith in Jesus that they believed He would not only know their needs, but also have the power to meet those needs.
    Second, there is a requirement of faith (Verse 28) "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Jesus asks a pointed and powerful question: “Do you believe I can do this?” Jesus wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter. He literally is asking them if they believe that He can do for them what He had done for others in the past. Is today really any different? Has the fundamental question of Jesus changed? The answer is no. Jesus is asking the same question to us today both personally and corporately. Do you really believe that I can and will do what I have said that I will do?
    The question may be the same, but the areas of life might not be. Jesus is saying I can save your lost friends and loved ones. Do you really believe this? Jesus is saying I can provide all of the resources that you need. Do you really believe this? Jesus is saying I can bring revival to your church. Do you really believe this? Jesus is saying I can send the Holy Spirit like a mighty rushing wind. Do you really believe this?
    Notice that these two blind men do not hesitate, they do not give a halfway answer, and they do not comp-romise. Their answer to the question of Jesus needs to be our answer too: “YES LORD!”
Do you believe that I can:
? Use your church to build my kingdom: YES LORD!
? Supply every spiritual need that the you or the church has: YES LORD!
? Supply every financial need that you or the church has: YES LORD!
? Supply every emotional need that you or the church has: YES LORD!
? Supply every personal need that you or the church has: YES LORD!
We cannot afford to hem. We cannot afford to haw. We cannot afford to hedge. We cannot afford to be halfway. We cannot afford to halfhearted. We cannot afford to hesitate. Where is our faith?
    Third, a Reward is given (Verses 29-30) "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Jesus rewards these blind men with healing because they believed; nothing more and nothing less. Jesus moved powerfully in their lives because they placed their complete and total trust in Him. It is just that simple. The same principle works in both our personal lives and in the life of the church. If we truly believe that Jesus can do what He says He can do, He will do it.

 “Unbelief puts our circumstance between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances.” -- F.B. Meyer

There must be belief before Christ can do anything!

    The command not to judge others doesn’t mean that we can’t see the sinfulness of certain actions. Now, we are never to look down in self-righteous judgment on another sinner, for we have all fallen short of the glory of God, but we can recognize sin as sin, and we should never try to justify it.
    We need to be careful not to become harshly judgmental, looking for faults, taking the opportunity to look down on others from a position of self-righteousness….But neither are we to overlook sin. We need to be able to recognize sin for what it is. Any attempt to overlook or justify sin on any grounds is itself sinful. We also need to be able to judge a persons motive or position against the truth and standard of God’s Word. -  (False teachers, etc. ) There is a difference between exercising judgment and a judgmental attitude. One can be good, the other is destructive.
Illustration:
    It’s about Teddy Stallard, who by his own admission was an unattractive, unmotivated little boy; one of those that teachers find difficult to like and easy to judge as "the problem child." Teddy was a source of great frustration for his fifth-grade teacher, Miss Thompson, who all day long faced his deadpan, unfocused stare.  Although she said she loved all her students, Miss Thompson had to admit that deep down, she didn’t like Teddy as much as the others. She even received a certain pleasure in marking his papers with red ink and writing F’s on them. Though she was a Christian, she judged Teddy.
    However, as his teacher, she had his records, and she knew more about him than she wanted to admit: 
First Grade: "Teddy shows promise with his work and attitude, but he has a poor home situation."
Second Grade: "Teddy could do better. Mother is seriously ill. He receives little help at home."
Third Grade: "Teddy is a good boy but is too serious. He is a slow learner. His mother died this year."
Fourth Grade: "Teddy is very slow but well behaved. His father shows no interest."
    At Christmas, Miss Thompson’s class all brought her pretty gifts, and gathered round to watch her open them. She was surprised when she received a gift from Teddy -- crudely wrapped in brown paper and tape. When she opened it, out fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing and a bottle of cheap perfume. The other children began to giggle, but she had enough sense to put on the bracelet and apply some of the perfume to her wrist. She asked the class, "Doesn’t it smell lovely?" When school was over and the other children had left, Teddy lingered behind. He slowly came over to her desk and said softly, "Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother. And her bracelet looks real pretty on you, too. I’m glad you liked my presents." When Teddy left, Miss Thompson got down on her knees and asked God to forgive her.
    The next day when the children came to school, they were welcomed by a changed teacher. Miss Thompson’s eye plank was gone, and she had been given a new vision to see how to help each one by the grace of God. By the end of that school year, Teddy showed dramatic improvement and had caught up with most of the students.
    After that she did not hear from Teddy for a long time. Then one day she received a note that said: "Dear Miss Thompson: I wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating second in my class. Love, Teddy Stallard."
    Four years later, she received another note: "Dear Miss Thompson: They just told me I will be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be the first to know. The university has not been easy, but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stallard."
    Finally, she received another note: "Dear Miss Thompson: As of today, I am Theodore Stallard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; my dad died last year. Love, Teddy Stallard."
    Miss Thompson went to that wedding. God had removed the log in her eye, given her clear vision, and by his Spirit in her she had done something for Teddy that changed his life forever.
    All of this happened because one Christian stopped leaping to conclusions; stopped judging and looked to help and to heal…What would church be like if each one of us would change how we look at others, and  take on this attitude that is different from the way the world thinks and acts?

“Judge not lest Ye be judged” - Matthew 7:1-6 

      Jesus, here in the Sermon on the Mount, deals with two different extremes of the problem of human judgment. The first extreme is a harsh, critical spirit…that is always finding fault, and judging or jumping to conclusions by what is seen. The second extreme is permissiveness…The “Well everyone has to do their own thing” attitude.
    "Judge not, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you." As Jesus looked at the religious situation of his day, he saw that judging others had become a great religious problem. The Pharisees and scribes sat in the place of the critic. They were quick to pass judgment on those who didn’t live up to their expectations. When Jesus was in the house of Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman anointed his feet, Simon said, "This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39). The Pharisees, in their self-righteous arrogance, had created a special class of people called "sinners" as if they themselves were not such. Do you think we sometimes do the same?  It’s a self-righteous judgment… So Jesus says that we are not to judge. Now he’s not talking about the judgment in a courtroom. He’s not talking about judging open and obvious sin (we’ll get to that later). He’s not talking about judging false teachers. What he is talking about is a hasty, unloving, "holier than thou" type of attitude. Its that "jumping to conclusions" about what we see attitude.

    The Indians had their way of saying this: "Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins." And there’s something to that. For example, a person brought up in a Christian home can’t really know the temptations of a teen-ager brought up in a thoroughly sinful environment. The fact is that if we realized what some people have to go through, or have gone through, instead of condemning them, we might tend to give them a break, and maybe even marvel that they have succeeded at being as good as they are.
    There is a story about a newspaper reporter that is one of my favorite examples of what we’re talking about. A reporter was once searching for a story about the laziness that existed throughout the South, when he saw a man in his field, sitting in a chair, hoeing his weeds. This had to be the ultimate in laziness. So he rushed back to his car to get his camera, when he looked back a second time and what he saw changed his entire outlook. He saw that the pants legs on the farmer hung down loose -- the man had no legs. So what seemed at first to be a story of laziness turned into a story of great courage. But that goes to show the limits of what we sometimes see in other people. God once made the point that "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7). That’s why I don’t have the right to sit in judgment on someone else’s motives, for doing what they do or living the way they do…because I don’t know what their motives are. Only the Lord knows all.
    Notice that self-righteous judgment has a boomerang: "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." In other words: “What goes around, comes around.” If you start throwing out this critical spirit on other people, it’ll come back.  We’ll receive the same kind of treatment that we dish out. If we judge others harshly and jump to the worst conclusions about others, we can be certain that we’ll be treated in the same way, I believe by both others and God. Does it make you mad when you find out that someone has made a judgment about you without knowing all the facts?
    We’re not qualified to sit in judgment on others because it’s impossible to be impartial -- we’re influenced by our own imperfections. Jesus here uses the graphic example of a plank of wood and a speck of dust.  I think Jesus used the illustration of a plank and a speck because he was a carpenter; that was familiar to him and it was familiar to the people around him.
    Have you ever listened to a man watch a football game, especially if his team is losing? He’ll criticize the quarterback for not throwing well, the receivers for not catching the easy passes, and the linemen for not blocking well. Have you ever thought -- If he’s so good at knowing what to do, then why is he sitting in a chair watching the game instead of being out there playing? I’ll tell you why – like me, he couldn’t run around his easy chair without losing his breath! Jesus says, "You’ve got no room to criticize others because of your own ineptitude!"
    But you see, even though we are unqualified, we still judge. And we often do so for selfish reasons; it makes us feel better. If we have a problem with sin in our own lives, it takes a little pressure off to point the finger at others for a while. It makes our sin seem not so bad after all. But, Jesus warns us that we’ve got to clean up our own act before we tamper with the lives of others.  And I don’t think that the plank in our eyes is necessarily a worse sin. I think he’s talking about the sin of self-righteousness, appointing ourselves as the official speck inspectors of the church!
    But, Jesus doesn’t end his discussion of judging with the command "judge not"... He goes on to say, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs." If you think verses 1-5 prohibit any kind of discerning in judgment, you are wrong. Because you’ve got to use some kind of criteria to decide who those spiritual dogs and pigs are. First Jesus says, "Don’t judge, don’t condemn." Then, in the same breath he says its okay to make certain judgments concerning people and behavior."
    How can these two positions be reconciled? The two positions actually complement and limit each other perfectly. In the first statement, as we’ve already seen, Jesus condemns the critical, holier-than-thou, jumping to conclusions sort of judgment that the Pharisees were known for. In the second statement, Jesus acknow-ledges the need for making decisions concerning people and behavior that is detrimental to our Christian lives and values. Verse 6 stands as a safeguard against an extreme interpretation of verses 1-5….which is permissiveness. It’s not the case that Jesus condemns all judging. In fact, he demands that we make some judgment.
In John 7:24, Jesus said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
In I John 4:1, John tells us not to believe every preacher that comes along, but "test the spirits, whether they     are of God."
In I Corinthians 5:11, Paul tells us not to associate with a brother who is "a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner." That demands that we make a judgment of some sort.
So what is the message of Matthew 7:1-6? I think it’s a warning for us to avoid the extremes of judgment.
More tomorrow…