New Year "answers."

    I am starting the new year with some answers to (anonymous) questions I have received, and I have also added an Email widget on my blog and a comment section on my website for this purpose. If you have a question you want answered, I will do my best to do so as often as I can.

Let’s start with this one;

Question; Why do I always feel like I never can live up to what God desires? I listen to sermons and other teachings and I come away feeling defeated. I have this picture in my mind of standing before God and all my sins will be flashed on a screen for all to see…

    First of all, thank you for your questions. I want you to know that there are many other Christians who don’t understand this and have many other questions as well. In my years of ministry, I have tried to do my best to understand God’s Word from all perspectives and teach it to the best of my ability, allowing the Spirit to lead us all into the truth. I hope this will help in some way.

    As believers, we are going to have times when we fail to live up to God’s standards. We may lie, we may lust, we may be unkind at times, or we may struggle with some strong sinful habit in our life that we seem continually defeated by. This is when we need to KNOW – (have the assurance) that we are forgiven because these failures can lead to an overwhelming guilt, and feelings of despair, and fear of God’s judgment.

    I know because I’ve been in this position and I have experienced those same fears and feelings. I’ve also counseled those who, even after many years of being a Christian, still encounter those fears and feelings of despair and guilt. What I want to share with you and what God wants you to know with absolute confidence today is that those feelings of guilt and those fears are totally unwarranted because... As verse 1 of Romans 8 puts it: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." I want our focus to be on the words “those who are IN Christ Jesus”.

    The Bible gives us many scriptures to go along with this:

(Colossians 1:21-22). “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”

(Romans 5:8) “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

    This is grace.  Forgiveness and love are given to us when we do not deserve them. In fact, we still do not deserve it, nor will we ever deserve it. Grace means that God has forgotten about my past sin, so I should too. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2).

    Grace means that forgiveness and reconciliation with God have come, not based on anything we have done, but on who God is. The Bible says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

The first and foremost thing we must understand today is: Grace is the defining element of the Christian faith.

    Now, let’s look at another reason the focus is on the words “in Christ”…

1 Thessalonians 4:16 says; “For 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.” (speaking of the Rapture of the church) “After 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.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 says– “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” – This goes along with 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 – “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. ¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

    Paul is talking about “deeds” not sin…our deeds are judged as to good or bad,,, the good will be rewarded and the bad will be burned up. There is a quote that says “Only one life, will soon be past, and only those things done for Christ (or with unselfish or right motives) will last.”

Verse 18 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. 

Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Luke 6:23 - “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

Ephesians 6:8 “Because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Revelation 11:18 – “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small”

Finnally, Revelation 22:12 – “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

So, you see, judgment for our sins took place at the Cross, If we believe our sins were forgiven, we are IN Christ and are now “whosoevers”…Jesus said “Whosoever believes in me shall be saved!” If this were not true, why would we look forward to heaven?

Hail the incarnate Deity

John 1:1-5 and 14

    The second thing I want us to notice is how verse 1 and verse 14 fit so well together. Bible scholars call it a “couplet”…Verse 1 – “In the beginning was the Word” – Verse 14 – “And the Word was made flesh” - Verse 1 – “and the Word was with God.” – Verse 14 – “and dwelt among us” - Verse 1 – “and the Word was God” – Verse 14 – “Full of grace and truth.” It might be easier to see it all put together; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh; and the Word was with God, and dwelt among us; and the Word was God, full of grace and truth.”

    Many people embrace Jesus as Savior, but don’t want him to be God. They welcome Jesus as a babe in the manger, but not as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Many sing of his birth and come and adore him at Christmas, but they brazenly reject his authority in their lives the rest of the year. By doing so, we ignore the core truth of the Christmas story, and that is that it is not about his infancy, it’s about his Deity! God in a manger - Emanuel, God with us!

    In Colossians chapter 1 – written by the Apostle Paul – he captures the very essence of the deity of Jesus Christ - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation”… Have you ever heard someone say “He’s the splitting image of his father?” However, Jesus wasn’t merely a created being who bore the likeness of God, that’s true of all humanity, but again the Greek word used here is “eikon” which means “an exact image, a perfect copy or duplicate”. In verse 19 Paul says “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him”… and again in 2:9 he says “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” He is not only the Son of God, the Savior, He is God!

    Don’t ever buy into the myth and the lie that says God made everything, wound it up like some kind of toy, and then went away leaving everything to work out on its own in a natural sense. Far from deserting his creation, God has always been a part of His creation. He has always been involved with and concerned about His creation. He had a plan from the very beginning that would involve him stepping into the realm of time, and walking this journey we call life with us. His plan included everything from birth to death, and while he was here he gave us the most encouraging words we could ever hear – He said “I am the Lord thy God, and  “Lo, I am with you always”…”Never will I leave you nor forsake you”. (Matthew 28:20)

    When you hear the Christmas story, “Do you hear what I hear?”… When you see the nativity scene, “Do you see what I see?”… When you look into the manger, “Do you know what I know?” “Veiled in flesh the God-head see, Hail the incarnate deity…Pleased as man with men to dwell Jesus our Immanuel.”

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From our house to yours,

Rev Fred and Judy Flatten

Veiled in flesh.

    In the great Christmas Hymn “Hark The Herald” we find the words; “Veiled in flesh the God-head see Hail the incarnate deity…Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.” This is where we find ourselves this morning, looking once again into the manger of Bethlehem at the baby Jesus, and trying to understand something that we truly can’t comprehend… and that is the fact that this child was indeed God.

    In J.B. Phillip’s New Testament Christianity, a senior angel is showing a very young angel around the splendors of the universe. They view the whirling galaxies and blazing suns, and then flit across the infinite distances of space until at last they enter one particular galaxy of 500 billion stars.

    As the two of them drew near to the star which we call our sun and to its circling planets, the senior angel points to a small and rather insignificant sphere turning slowly on its axis. It looked as dull as a tennis-ball to the little angel, whose mind was filled with the size and glory of all he had seen.

    “I want you to watch that one particularly,” said the senior angel, pointing with his finger. “Well, it looks very small and rather insignificant to me,” said the little angel. “What’s special about that one?” To the little angel, earth did not seem so impressive. He listened in stunned disbelief as the senior angel told him that this planet, small and insignificant, was the renowned Visited Planet.

    “Do you mean that our great and glorious God…went down in person to this fifth-rate little ball? Why should He do a thing like that?” The little angel’s face wrinkled in disgust. “Do you mean to tell me,” he said, “that God stooped so low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures of that floating ball?”

    “I do, said the senior angel, and I don’t think He would like you to call them ‘creeping, crawling creatures’ in that tone of voice. For, strange as it may seem to us, He loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like Him.” The little angel looked blank. Such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension.

    That God became man is probably just as perplexing to angels as it is to us  but that is exactly what we are confronted with in John 1:1 -

    So Jesus is the Word here. But John goes on to say that that “Word was with God and the Word was God.” The literal Greek – I have found – he declares, "God was the Word."  For some people, that is where a problem arises. For you see, the Word is distinct from the Father. They are two separate Persons. And a lot of people have a hard time with that. For this introduces us to the mystery of the trinity, three persons, one God. Some might object and say “Wait a minute”, 1+1+1 doesn’t equal 1 but 3. Ah yes, that is true…But 1x1x1=1 and such is the mystery of the trinity.

    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.” “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    Logos is the Greek word that we translate – “word”. So, to say Jesus was the “word” means that Jesus was God’s way of expressing to us, and declaring to us, and showing us, HIMSELF.

    There are a couple of interesting things that I would like to point out about our scripture for today. One is that in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1, we are given the genealogy of Jesus; tracing his ancestry back through Joseph – “the father of…the father of…and so on. In the Book of Luke, we have a little different version. My study note for this says “From Abraham to David, the genealogies are almost the same, but from David on they are different. Some scholars suggest that this is because Matthew traces the legal descent of the house of David using heirs to the throne, while Luke traces or emphasizes the line of Mary.” But John, gives the genealogy of Jesus in its real form; “In the beginning was the Word” - He has always existed. When he became flesh, it was eternity entering the realm of time. One author put it this way; “He who eternally existed, came to earth and began to be what he never had been, then he died and rose again to continue to be what he eternally was”! … “I tell you the truth” said Jesus, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  Jesus was at the Father’s side in unbroken fellowship since before time began.

    This, the Bible tells us was our intended purpose and has now become our destination; unbroken fellowship with the Creator. However, sin interrupted that fellowship and separated us from God. Jesus stepped into time in order to reconcile that relationship, and made it possible once again for us to complete that which we were created for! … Are you still with me?

More next week…

Do you know what I know?

“Do You Know What I Know?”

    “Do You Know What I Know?”

       The Christmas story really begins with one Old Testament prophecy after another of a promised Savior; a coming King; the Messiah; who would redeem his people and reconcile them unto God the Father. The centerpiece, so to speak, of all these prophecies is Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” and 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” These were written nearly 600 years before Jesus birth. That would be like someone giving a prophecy in the year 1415 that would we would see fulfilled today!  In fact, there was a prophecy, a promise given even longer ago that that; thirty some years after Jesus birth that could very well be fulfilled right now, today, at any given moment; and that is Christ’s return!  “Do you know what I know?”

    At Christmas time we tend to focus on the infancy of Christ, and it is the story of his birth, but the greater truth is his Deity. Even more astonishing than the Christ child born in the manger of Bethlehem, is the fact that this promised baby was the omnipotent creator of heaven and earth! He, in fact was almighty God in the flesh! John calls him the “Word.”  “In the beginning

was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!” (John 1:1Is it) any wonder then, that his coming would dramatically and forever alter human history?

    More than a baby…More than a man…More than a teacher or preacher… More than a prophet or a great leader of men…and my question for you concerning Jesus today is “Do you know what I know?”

    “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:4) Some other translations read “The light shines in the dark, but the dark has never extinguished it.” Oh, they have tried to extinguish the light for centuries, ever since Jesus was born. In the story, King Herod tries by ordering all male Jewish children under the age of two years to be killed… That was the beginning. Today, they have taken prayer out of schools, the Ten Commandments off the walls, and even tried to take “under God” out of our pledge of allegiance and “In God we trust” off our money! “The darkness has never extinguished the light”, and they never will!  Isaiah said “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end” which looks beyond the first Christmas to a time in the still prophetic future, when Christ shall reign over all the earth and “every knee will bow and every heart confess.” The kingdoms and nations, and governments will all be subject to the rule of Christ the King!  Zechariah 14:9 – “The Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name shall be the only name!”

    So, you see, the Christmas story goes far deeper, and far beyond just seeing and hearing, it is something we must know!  Though born a babe in a lowly manger, he was and is the “Alpha and the Omega” the beginning and the end. He knows and sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning!

    He who is timeless, chose to step into time and live as we live, and die as we die, in order that he might be – as scripture says - “the perfecter of our faith”.

    There is no greater purpose of Christmas than for us to truly understand and know this one who lay in the manger of Bethlehem - Who he was, why he came, why he died, and why he will come again… “Do you know what I know?”

"Do you see what I see?"

    Today’s part of the story tells us about a man named Simeon, whom, it seems had waited his whole lifetime for Christ to be born. Scripture says that it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Savior. Take a hard, long, look at that statement…How many people die every year…every day…every minute in our world who never “see” the Savior?

    Even though Simeon was an old man, he never lost hope. Every moment of every day he was expecting the coming of the Lord. What expectations do we have this morning? Do we wake up every day thinking this might be the day; this might be the time when Jesus comes again? 

    Simeon had his priorities right. He had to personally receive the Christ child into his arms, into his heart and into his life. The Bible says there is no other way! I have heard some men say “Well, my wife is the religious one, not me.”…Well, I’m sorry to say that your wife is going to heaven alone!  After picking up the child in his arms, Simeon said “now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” After death there is no repentance, there are no sermons, there will be no altar calls, the opportunity to see God’s salvation in the Christ child is here and now! “Today is the day of salvation.” Do you see what I see?

    So here’s Simeon, holding the Christ child, blessing the baby Jesus, who would in turn bless the whole world. Now, I want to draw attention to one phrase about Simeon. The NIV says he was “waiting.” The English word doesn’t really do the phrase justice. The NLT says Simeon “eagerly expected” the Messiah. The Living Bible says he was “constantly expecting” the Messiah. The Phillips Bible says Simeon was “living in eager expectation of the salvation of Israel” and the Jerusalem Bible says Simeon “looked forward” to Jesus’ comforting His people.

    The phrase in Greek carries a lot of meaning. The word literally means “waiting forward.” Simeon was waiting forward for the Messiah. Both words are important. It’s not about standing around and doing nothing – like a waiting room. Simeon was actively listening, watching, hoping, and praying. He was not at the water cooler with his hands in his pockets, just standing around, hoping that something spiritual would happen to him. No, Simeon was waiting forward, constantly looking ahead, looking forward to the day when Jesus – the Christ child – would come.

    It’s the same word given for us in Luke 12:35-37. Jesus tells us to be like servants who are waiting. The servants were ready and waiting. They were looking forward to being with the master. And Jesus says that we should be the same. Part of walking in the Spirit is “waiting forward” for God to move in, around, and through us. Keeping our eyes open and ears sensitive to what God might have in store for us. After all, we believe that Jesus is coming back…don’t we?  2 Peter 3:10 asks the question “then what kind of people should we be?” Verses 11-12 give us the answer- “we ought to live holy and godly lives as we “look forward” to the day of God, and speed it’s coming.” That’s the same word in the Greek meaning “waiting forward”. We need to be patient and vigilant. We need to keep waiting, but not forgetting what we are waiting for.

    When Simeon looked at the Christ child, he saw the Savior he had been waiting for! The one he was expecting to come!  When you look into the manger, do you see what I see?

“Do you hear what I hear?”

    I love the words of this classic Christmas carol - ”Do You Hear What I Hear?” I almost have a picture in my mind – if this were a child’s Christmas story – of a small shepherd boy skipping away from the manger in Bethlehem singing; “Do you hear what I hear?”...“Do you see what I see?”…“Do you know what I know?”

    Through the course of this Advent series, we will be taking a little more in depth look at this well known part of the Christmas story about the shepherds and especially the words of verse 20 “The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Later in the Book of Luke and in the life of Jesus, John’s disciples come to Jesus and ask “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replies; “Go back and report to John what you have seen and what you have heard!”

    The angel messenger who was sent to the shepherds of Bethlehem startled them with his presence, but his voice spoke the very words of God; words that God wanted the whole world to hear…”I bring good news of great joy! To you this day is born in the city of David – a Savior!”  I can imagine that as the tiny child in the manger of Bethlehem cried for the first time, Satan and all of hell must have heard God’s voice thunder in their midst!  Do you hear what I hear?

   There once was a skit out that asks the question; “What did Joseph do the day after Christ was born?” The play imagines that since Joseph is a carpenter, that he begins to make a crib for Jesus. And, as he does, he thinks about all the events surrounding the birth of Jesus; the angels, the shepherds, the

wise men, and he thinks to himself “If they treat him like this when he is just

a baby, how will they treat him when they find out that he is the Son of God?”

At about that time, the lights suddenly go out and all you hear is the hammer hitting the spikes… “How will they treat him when they find out who he really is?”

    The goal of any good communicator is not necessarily to speak well with perfect English, but to be heard and understood. In the Old Testament God spoke clearly through the prophets, but nobody listened. God spoke through the scriptures, but nobody listened. In our scripture today, God spoke through angels and the testimony of others, but they still did not listen. It says they were “amazed” but they were not listening! Today God still speaks in ways that we can hear Him, receive his message clearly, and understand Him…if we are listening.

    One of the most important Christian concepts that we can grasp is that when God speaks, he is speaking to us personally. Every scripture we read, God speaks to us. Every scripture we hear, God speaks to us. Every message given, every study taught, every testimony heard; God is speaking to us.

    I don’t know how many times you have heard the Christmas story, perhaps every year of your life since you started school, but if you don’t hear anything else I have said today, hear this; “God loves you!” The child Jesus – born of the virgin Mary – the Son of God – in the manger of Bethlehem – was born for you because God loves you!  I hope you hear what I hear…

Thanks-Living

    In Psalm 116, the Psalmist David asks the question; “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” If you really think about that question, there really is nothing materialistic or monetary that we can give God. He owns it all! I could say: “Because of all your benefits toward me Father, I’m going to give you this nice new watch. It’s a great watch. It keeps good time. It’s got the date on it and everything! And, it’s pure, artificial gold!  Then God says: “No thanks. You see, I have the sun and the moon which I created to keep track of time. And besides, I am eternal, I have no need for a watch! 

    “Well, O.K. then, How about a raise in pay! How does $5.00 more a Sunday sound?” And God says: “O Ye of little faith, don’t you know by now that no matter what the amount you give, it’s for your benefit and not mine!” “Don’t you realize that I have blessed you in so many ways because I love you?” “All I want is your love in return.”

    Once we realize that there is nothing we can render unto God except ourselves; our devotion, our time, our talents, our abilities, our prayers, and our praise, we will know that it is these things that are our “Thank-offering”. What can we do except “enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts!”

    Imagine, if you will, it is 1789 and George Washington is addressing the nation; “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection, aid, and favor; "Whereas, Both Houses of Congress" (Did you hear that, "Both Houses of Congress?") "have by their joint committee requested me `to recommend to the people of the United States a day of Public Thanksgiving & Prayer…To be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many favors of Almighty God. . .Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday the 25^th. Of November, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may unite in rendering to Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this great country; and for the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.” (Thanksgiving Proclamation declared by President George Washington - 1789 )

    Our founding fathers openly recognized God as Creator and the source of all blessings as a nation. It was also George Washington who said: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and His Word”.  How times have changed!  Our nation seems to be working hard to push God out of our lives and our schools and our government, and, I for one think we have lost what Thanksgiving is all about. However, we need to know that government, nor proclamations, not even laws can turn our this nation toward God. God , himself, has told us in His Word the only thing that will work. It’s found in II Chronicles 7:13 - “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 I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and WILL HEAL THEIR LAND”.  This Thanksgiving, let’s not just acknowledge all the little, undeserved blessings we have received, let’s take some time to humbly pray for ourselves, our churches, our community, and especially our nation. Let’s not just give thanks for what God has done, but also what He can do!  Our prayer should be as that of King Jehoshaphat in II Chronicles 20:13 - a classic line where he said: “O God, we know not what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee!” The nation turned to God, and the nation was delivered. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!” (Psalm 136)

    One of the most beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, & we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving & His courts with praise; give thanks to Him & praise His name. For the Lord is good & His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

    With all my heart I believe we are a people & a nation that has truly been blessed by God. And of all those who "give thanks to Him & praise His name" we should be at the top! 

    It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, & draw up a list of resolutions for New Years. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful.  Let me pass on a part of the list that several housewives compiled. They wrote that they were especially thankful:

"For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks. "For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house, because they usually end up making them big enough to call in the professionals.”  "For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents!” "For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.” And, "For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s done.”

    Now our list might not be the same as theirs, but I’m convinced that if we began to make a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions. Like you, I’m sure, my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, & the nation we live in, despite all its flaws…But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, our church family, & the mercy that God showers upon us each day.       

    Our forefathers had "a boundless faith in God." That almost sounds strange today in a time when powerful forces are at work in our nation to strip us of every reminder that the very foundation of our nation was built upon the conviction that we are "one nation, under God."  Our hallowed "Declaration of Independence" pro-claims, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . ." And it ends with these words, ". . .with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes & our sacred Honor."  Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our nations thanks to our nation’s God.

    The 100th Psalm was written for the people of Israel. God said to them, "When you come into the promised land, & settle down in your warm homes, & you have plenty to eat, don’t forget Me. I led you out of the wilderness & I brought you into a land flowing with milk & honey". But it doesn’t take very long to realize that the people of Israel needed a reminder, & I am afraid that we need it, too.  Maybe God had us in mind, too, when this Psalm was written. Did you notice to whom it is addressed? The first verse says that it is addressed to "all the earth," & the last verse says that it is includes "all generations." This message of thanks-giving is so deep & wide that it applies to every person in every era in every stage of life.

    Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why it was there?" Alex Haley answer-ed, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words & think that they are wonderful, & begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post & remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help." That is the basis of thankfulness - to remember that we got here with the help of God, & that He is the provider of every blessing we have.

    During this season we call Thanksgiving, the time when we typically remember all the ways that God has blessed us; with salvation; forgiveness; mercy; grace; love; good health; prosperity; family and friends; I would call you to remember that I call this a life of Thanks-living… It is a way of life, and not just a holiday. 

“A Missionaries Request”

Colossians 4:2-4 ^{– “}Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

Ephesians 6:19-20 – “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

In these two scriptures there are five things that Paul says we can pray for. These are what I call “general” prayers. The kind of prayers that all of our missionaries need.

1. He says “pray for us”… In other words, just praying for missionaries anywhere and everywhere, as they serve and allow God to work through them.

2. He says, “pray that God will open doors”. We can pray that God will open doors of opportunity to proclaim the message of the gospel of God’s love and grace extended to all people. The early church did this. They were watchful about people who needed Jesus and desired chances to share their faith. Paul was already in chains because of the gospel, but that didn’t stop him. We should pray that our missionaries would “make the most of every opportunity” to witness and honor Christ in all that they do.

3. Pray that they would proclaim the mystery of Christ. In other words that they would stay true to the message… the only message that can and will transform lives. “There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

4. Paul says – pray that the gospel is shared clearly. The Judeans had eyes and ears but couldn’t see or hear spiritual truth. There is a way that the gospel can be clearly shared with all people groups. The church has to be careful to share the gospel in a way that is culturally relevant. Finding ways to proclaim this simple, yet profound message. Our missionaries must be able to share the gospel in a clear and understandable and real way. An early church father used to say, “Share Christ at every opportunity, and if necessary, use words.” We ought to pray that God will bless their times of study, and their preparation and delivery of His message. Pray that it will be clear and helpful and encouraging to the people!

5. Finally, Paul says we should pray that our missionaries would speak “boldly” or “fearlessly”. Not with self-confidence but with confidence in God. Paul himself said in Romans 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for everyone who believes.” We must pray that our missionaries would know and believe and understand that we have the greatest message that the world has ever known and needs to know! And, that they would not be intimidated, or fearful, nor arrogant and conceited, but bold and fearless in the power of the one who is over all things.

Conclusion; As we think once again about missions and missionaries, we should never place more importance on giving over praying. We should never worry about just being a prayer partner rather than monetary supporters of missions. The Apostle Paul, the first and greatest missionary and church planter, mentions money and support only once in speaking of the Macedonian churches, but he mentions prayer in every letter he sent. Prayer is something we all can do, but we are to be – as Paul says – “Devoted, watchful, and thankful” – for what God is doing all around the world.

Religious things

Something I found stuffed in my Bible cover;

Subject: ReligiousThings

AMEN:

The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

BULLETIN:

Your receipt for attending Church.

CHOIR:

A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.

HOLY WATER:

A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

HYMN:

A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than most people can sing.

INCENSE:

Holy Smoke!

JONAH:

The original 'Jaws' story.

JUSTICE:

When your kids have kids of their own.

MAGI:

The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.

MANGER:

Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn't covered by Obamacare.

PEW:

A medieval torture device still found in many churches.

TEN COMMANDMENTS:

The most important Top Ten list not given by David Letterman.

USHERS:

The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

Little known facts about the Catholic Church in Las Vegas :

There are more churches in Las Vegas than casinos. During Sunday services at the offertory, some worshippers contribute casino chips as opposed to cash. Some are sharing their winnings - some are hoping to win. Since they get chips from so many different casinos, and they are worth money, the Catholic churches are required to send all the chips into the diocese for sorting. Once sorted into the respective casino chips, one junior priest takes the chips and makes the rounds to the casinos turning chips into cash. And he, of course, is known as The Chip Monk.

Seek and Save

Seek and Save

    In the first two parables, we have a picture of God who actively seeks that which is lost. In both cases the thing that was lost had to be sought after with great effort. The shepherd didn’t wait for the lost sheep to wander home and the woman didn’t sit around and wait for the lost coin to turn up.  In our Christian lives, and in the church, it sometimes seems that we do the opposite. We tend to wait for the lost to come to us. We’re passive rather than active. We’re waiting for people to come to Christ instead of putting effort into bringing them to Christ! I know that I have been guilty of doing this. I want people to be saved but I haven’t gone out searching for the lost with great effort. We need to seek out those who have wandered away.

    In the third story, we see God as the father who watched and waited for his son to come to his senses and realize that you reap what you sow…Yet the father’s love and patience were coupled with a readiness to forgive.

    The sheep perhaps foolishly wandered away. The coin was perhaps lost because of negligence; and the sons were lost because of selfishness and rebellion. The great love that God has for all people - seeks - forgives - and saves - no matter who they are or why they are lost!

   Just a couple of chapters later in Luke chapter 18, Jesus tells a story of two men who went to the temple to pray; one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. In verse 9 of that passage it says; “To those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable”;

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collec-tor. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

    I guess the real message is really one we have heard before, but bears repeating…and must always be on our minds, that is, we must never think that we belong to some exclusive club of wonderful people, who get together on Sundays to celebrate the fact that we are “not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector”… But rather, that we would beat our breast and say; “God have mercy on me, a sinner!”

    Jesus pointed out that the one thing that matters most to God is the lost. They matter so much to God that when the lost are found, even only one of them, “all of heaven rejoices”. 

    If we then, are to become Christlike, we are to seek out those who have wandered away; we are to look for the one who is lost; and we are to watch and wait patiently for those who have rebelled and gone their own way. And, we are to rejoice with all of heaven over one who repents and “comes home”.

    The love of God can defeat the foolishness of man in wandering away, it did for me…. The love of God can overcome the indifference and neglect of others, it did for me…. and the love of God can certainly forgive the deliberate rebellion of man… it did for me!

    I want to ask a rather bold and thought provoking question; Is there anyone in your community who is not good enough to be a part of your church?…If someone popped into your mind - for whatever reason - I want you to jot their name down. Is there someone out there that you just don’t like or can’t get along with for some reason?...Jot their name down. Is there someone you would never think of witnessing to because of their occupation or their lifestyle or their background?…Just jot their name down. Is there a friend or neighbor or co-worker or maybe even a family member that you would like to see come to know the Lord and join a church? Then, jot their name down.

    Next week I will tell you why I have planted these little seed thoughts in your mind;

That Which Was Lost

    This started out to be a journey in prayer. But, it seems God has turned the focus of my mind just a bit… and, He has put upon my heart that we really need to get a better understanding of many of those for whom we have been praying. In one of my sermons years ago, I spoke of the three big questions in life that everyone - Christian or not - needs to have answered; Where did I come from? … Where am I going? … And, why am I here?

    Where did I come from is found in the first Book of Genesis…Where am I going is found in the last Book of Revelation… where it talks about both eternal heaven and hell.  It’s the third question most of us are still trying to understand; why we are here? The answer to that one is found in all the rest of the Books in between Genesis and Revelation.

    Jesus is our great intercessor and High Priest before God…. And, He does not want us to leave even one behind on the battlefield. “It is God’s will that not one should perish.” (Matthew 18:14) What we need is for God to give us a view and a better understanding of those whom we are trying to reach…. A better understanding of where they are at…Why they do and say what they do…and so on. If we have a better handle on where they are coming from, it helps us to know how to approach them and help them from where they are in their life. In order to gain that perspective, let’s look at some parables of Jesus concerning “That Which Was Lost” from the Book of Luke;

    When it comes to seeking the lost, I am reminded of something Lowell Lundstrom, an evangelist from South Dakota, once said; “Jesus comes with a full guarantee”… “Try him out for 60 days, and if you’re not satisfied, you get all your sins back!”

    In chapter 15 of the Book of Luke, the entire chapter speaks of “lost” things; a lost sheep; a lost coin; a lost rebellious son; and a lost older son and brother who stayed at home. This older brother personifies the attitude of the Pharisees and religious leaders toward sinners…they were jealous, critical, unforgiving, and had a lack of compassion. The very beginning two verses reveal - not only the attitude of the religious leaders, but that of Jesus at the same time! “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus tells three great stories, straight from the heart of God, by which he pleads “guilty” to their charge. Jesus didn’t worry about their accusations nor his reputation, and in Luke 19:10 he states why… “For the Son of Man came to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost!”

    I want you to notice that Jesus gives two things that have not changed as far as the mandate to the church; SEEK and SAVE. He didn’t say “I have come that they might have padded pews!” …or “that they might have the right worship style… or belong to the right denomination… But, that they may have life!  The truth is that the great love God has for all people, that he has for you and I,  SEEKS and SAVES no matter why we are lost or how we got there!

    In these parables, one thing that stands out to me is that all three things that were lost had great value…the sheep, the coin, and of course, the son.

    I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but I can remember a time when our son Mark was about four years old; we were at the local carnival and there were hundreds of people there, and somehow – in a split second - Mark wandered off and we lost him. I know of nothing that strikes greater terror in the heart of a parent than a missing child. Well, believe me, we quickly began to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost!

    Now, if God is our Father, and we are his children, do you suppose he says, “O well, I have lots of other children…I have lots of sheep, that one will just have to stay lost? – I don’t think so!

    Here is another view of the church that I can see in the attitude of Jesus toward tax collectors and sinners…(it’s just the way my mind works) I want you to consider this question as to why people gathered around Jesus…What was it that attracted them to him?

    When there is a crisis situation; an accident, there are usually three groups on the scene; the first group is the bystanders and onlookers. They are curious and watch to see what happens but have little, if any, active involvement. The second group is the police officers, whose response is to investigate the cause of the accident, assign blame, and give out the appropriate warnings and punishments. The third group is the paramedics. They are the people usually most welcomed by those involved in the accident or crisis. They could care less about whose fault the accident was, and they do not engage in lecturing about bad driving habits, their response is to help those who were hurt! They bandage wounds, free trapped people, and give words of encouragement to those who are in pain. Three groups - one is uninvolved, one is assigning blame and assessing punishment, and one is helping the hurting. Which group are we in?

    When it comes to reaching the lost and hurting, we’re going to be in one of these three groups.

We will be uninvolved bystanders, and let others do the work; or we will condemn people for their foolish behavior and bad habits, saying things like, "It’s your own fault that you’re in this mess. If you had been going to church and living like you should this never would have happened!" Or we will have compassion and be concentrating on helping those who are trapped, lost, and hurting. I hope we will be found in the last group!  No wonder they followed Jesus.

It'a all about "us".

    “Forgive us our trespasses” - A driver placed a note under the windshield wiper of his illegally parked car which read: "I’ve circled the block for 20 minutes. I’m late for an appointment, and if I don’t park here I’ll lose my job. “Forgive us our trespasses.” When he came back he found a parking ticket and a note from a police-man: "I’ve circled the block for 20 years, and if I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. “Lead us not into temptation."

    A Sunday School teacher asked her class, "What must you first do before you can be forgiven?" A child answered, "Sin."

    We have an obligation to extend forgiveness to others. People who are unforgiving cannot understand or accept the forgiveness God offers. Anyone who is not willing to forgive another has not experienced God’s forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others, we are asking God not to forgive us.

    There are many people who refuse to forgive; they harbor resentments and hold grudges. People often claim, "I forgive - but I’ll never forget!" When I hear this, I do something unexpected - I urge that person not to forget. I say, "I want you to remember! Every time you remember the offense and feel the hurt, I want you to remember your forgiveness." Amnesia isn’t the goal!

    “Lead Us Not into temptation” …The word "temptation" in the Greek is a neutral word--it can mean, based on the context, either temptations, testing’s or trials. A trial is adversity, suffering, or affliction. It’s been said, "Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger." Trials build character; they can transform common Christians into exceptional saints. Trials are part of God’s plan for us. They aren’t especially welcome, but they can - and do - increase our faith. This petition forces us to our knees. It makes us admit how weak and vulnerable we really are without God’s help. Temptation carries a two-fold meaning in most of Scripture (testing or trial.)

    “But deliver us from evil” - We battle an enemy who knows our weak points. He knows that often it is when we think we are invincible that we are the biggest targets. He delights in taking us down at the very points we think we are the strongest. “When I am weak, then I am strong,” was the cry of Paul. That was the heart of man who knew he needed protection as well as direction through the maze of temptation.

    Temptation is inevitable. Sin is not. Weakness is certain. Failure is not. But it will be for one who does not seek God’s direction and protection from temptation and Satan.

    It is worth noting again that each of these petitions is in the first-person plural. Give us. Forgive us. Deliver us. We are not in this alone. We are together like it or not. That’s good. We not only need to learn to pray. We need to learn to pray for one another. So, remember that when you pray the Lord’s Prayer it is not about you and it’s not about I/me/or my, it’s about “us.” We are all in this together.