Lifeshapes - 2

So, what is lifeshapes? Well it is designed to help us as disciples link the memorable principles of Jesus with memorable images or “shapes”.

( Draw three circles)…What immediately comes to mind? … Now, what other information or responses does that single image or shape conjure up for you? …Disney? Cartoons? Trip to Disneyland?Lifeshapes employs this same principle. It is a way to learn and remember a lot of information…and be able to share it with others…which is called discipling or multiplication       



               Let’s start with a circle. I am going to plant an image in your mind of a circle. Draw your own circle on a piece of paper. Every time you see a circle from today on; I want you to think of TIME. If you put a little arrow at the top and one at the bottom, what do you think that represents? ( eternity ) Put a small dot at 3:00 o-clock…and one at 6:00 o-clock… Let’s say that this represents your life. – dot one is when you were born, and dot two is when you die; much like the dates on a tombstone. Once again, the circle represents time and life.

Okay, now let’s make connections to God’s Word. What does the Bible, God’s Word have to say about life?
1. It says that God created life and living things.
2. God breathed into man the“breath of life”;
3. In the garden was the“tree of life”;
4. It says that “the life of every creature is in the blood”;
5. It says that the life-span of man shall be 70 or 80years;
6. It also says “Thou shalt not kill” or “take life”;
7. It tells us that there is a “righteous life that pleases God, and therefore a life that does not;
8. It says that sin brings an end to life or “the wages of sin is death”;
9. It reminds us that you are the only one responsible for your life and one day we will give an account;
10. It says “ narrow is the road that leads to life” and Jesus came to give us life and life eternal;
11. Jesus said that worry will not add a single minute to your life;
12. Paul said “if this is the only life there is, we are to be pitied”;
13. Revelation tells us that there is a “Book of life” and the “Lamb’s Book of life” and only those whose names are in the Lamb’s book will inherit eternity with God in the Kingdom of heaven; the rest inherit Hell…. You get the point.

Now, what does the first dot represent? (birth) And, what does the Bible say about birth?
1. It is the natural process of creation;
2. God “knew you in your mother’s womb”
3. That we were sinful at birth; but God gives us new birth;

And, what does the second dot represent? (death)…What does the Bible say about death?
1. There is a time to live and a time to die;
2. “it is destined unto man once to die” – not twice;
3. Jesus holds the power over death;
4. “there is a sin that leads to death”;
5. There will be a “second death” for those whose names are not in the Book.

Next time we will look at more about the circle…that represents what?...TIME and LIFE.

 

Lifeshapes – Matthew 28:16-20

    I believe we are going through a cultural earthquake in the church. What happens when there is an earth-quake? (Shaking; destruction; unstable buildings collapse; change in the landscape; loss of life; etc ) Can we relate this to the church? I think we can.
(Shaking) – in the last two generations there has been a shaking of the church. This may be a wake-up call for some; It may call for a change in some; It may lead to a loss in many; Those that are unstable, will collapse; even some that are stable will get knocked around a little. Some that collapse may get a new mindset, and rebuild – newer and better (we call them “re-starts”); some may collapse and never exist again.
    There has been a lot of change in the last two generations. We live in a postindustrial, high-tech society with a whole new way of thinking and doing. The phenomenal rate of change (not all good) at the social and political levels has been breathtaking and seems to be accelerating. Amazing technological advances have gathered momentum at an incredible pace. Would you say that the church has or has not adapted well to those changes? All we have to do is point to the increasing medium age in the church and the decline of Mainline church attendance!
    George Barna reports that the number of unchurched adults in the U.S. has doubled since 1991. Even more astounding is the statistic that nearly thirteen million people claim to have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, but do not attend church on a regular basis.
    Our old maps of Sunday School; VBS; church growth formulas; evangelistic outreach campaigns no longer work as they once did. The location of the unchurched are not on our Sunday morning maps. And, if we contin-ue to follow the maps we have always used, we will never find them nor reach them. They have moved to a land that wasn’t even around twenty years ago!
    For the next few days, I am going to use a teaching called Lifeshapes. It  is not about a new program or some new way of attracting people to church…It’s really about going back to the basics with some principles of discipleship that are both memorable and multipliable. I have said before that – Jesus left only one plan – one program – for church growth; ( Disciples making disciples.) The amazing thing is that Jesus didn’t have a plan “B”! He didn’t leave the disciples with a book of wonderful ideas for church growth. His last words to his followers were “You shall be my witnesses…Go and make disciples” and he didn’t offer this as an optional assignment. Now, listen very carefully to this next statement; “If the disciples failed to carry out his instruct-tions, the church would fail”…It was up to them to multiply or cease to exist. Maybe the dinosaurs died faster than they multiplied! (Think about it.)
    We need to look carefully at the emerging twenty-first century culture. The artifacts of this culture – like television, videos, movies, music, books and the internet – communicate who they are. Many in the last twenty years have grown up in broken and dysfunctional homes. Consider how this is reflected in the media: Until the 1990’s family shows dominated the programming; Family Ties; The Cosby Show; The Brady bunch; while not the same as Leave It To Beaver or Father Knows Best, it was all about family sitcoms. These have been replac-ed with shows that reflect the real life of today like: Friends; Seinfeld; Two-and-a half Men; Will and Grace; Sex and the City; and multiple “reality” shows that call for lying, cheating, and backstabbing in order to win! The two most influential media of today’s culture as far as affecting life and lifestyles are movies and music. While we as Christians are appalled at today’s media, it truly is a reflection of real life. And, just not watching or just turning the channel or just staying in our own little “pretending to be holy” life, will not change anything…nor make it go away.
    We have the greatest story ever told! We have the real truth about life! We have “good news” to share with this generation and every generation that never changes! It is a message of “Covenant” (a relationship with a living God who can transform lives.) We have a message of Kingdom living that shares faith, hope, and love in ways the world never will. We have the presence and the power of God available like never before. Lifeshapes is simply a teaching tool that anyone can use to share this message.
    People stay away from our churches – not because the message is boring – but because it is shallow, and they don’t see it lived out in those who call themselves Christians. We find ourselves at a point in history where we are like Peter, who, when he was on the mountaintop with Jesus when Moses and Elijah appeared, said “Let’s build monuments so we can hold on to this moment for-ever” (my own words) A cloud overshadowed the mountain top and God spoke saying “This is my Son…listen to him!” There is no new answer today.

“A Form of Godliness” 2
2 Timothy 3:10-17

    As we read last time, Paul starts chapter 3 with a list of fifteen things that will characterize many people in the “last days”; “They will be lovers of themselves; lovers of money; boastful and proud; abusive; disobedient to their parents; ungrateful; unholy; without love; unforgiving; slanderous; without self-control; not lovers of the good; treacherous, rash, and conceited; lovers of pleasure rather than God; and finally, having a form of godliness, but denying it’s power!” Wow! When I look at our world today – and especially our government – I have to say that we are in the “last days!”

    As a young man starting out in the ministry, I would be thinking; “These are the people you want me to preach to, and teach, and…love?” In his wisdom Paul seems to perceive this question, and answers before Timothy could ask it. In verses 3:10-4:5 He gives four reasons why Timothy would be different; or how Timothy would be able to do that which he was called to do. It is almost like Paul points his finger at Timothy and says; “You however…will be able because…
#1. “You have me and my ministry as an example. You know all about my teaching; my way of life; my purpose; my faith; all of my persecution and suffering; and how the Lord was with me through it all!” How many mentors do you have in your life? How many people can you look up to as examples of faith and endurance?
#2. “As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it…” (Reference to Timothy’s mother and grandmother, who were also great mentors and made sure Timothy was “brought up in the way he should go”. I believe we are taught more by example – or those who really live what they believe – than any sermon or Sunday school lesson. People who have not had such a background need to be shown (as well as taught) that life can be much different than they have known or experienced in the world. For many it can be just the opposite of what they have known!
#3. Paul says “You have known the Holy Scriptures”…”so that the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work”. Just having a Bible in your hand without knowledge and understanding does you no good at all! One must constantly read it; study it; seek understanding and wisdom from it; and have the wisdom to apply it, before it can be useful in the ways Paul describes: (teaching; rebuking; correcting; and training in righteousness.)
#4. Finally in chapter 4 verse 5 – Paul says “But you…keep your head in all situations!” In other words “don’t let the devil deceive you!” Always remember, no matter what the situation or circumstance, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world!”...”God works all things out for the good of those who love Him”…I will “Lean not on my own understanding”…I will “keep my head” and know and trust the Lord whom I serve!”

    Four reasons why Timothy and we can overcome and serve the world.

“A Form of Godliness”
2^nd. Timothy 3:1-5

    The beginning of verse 2 says it all: “People will be lovers of themselves”…This is the typical pattern of sin - it was Lucifer’s downfall (Isaiah 14:13-14) and it is mans as well (Genesis 3). How that sin of “self” manifests itself is found in the rest of the paragraph…This is also what happens when a nation turns its back on God. People are unholy, ungrateful, lovers of themselves, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God… which leads to a total moral collapse. People become lovers of money, conceited, without love toward others, boastful, proud, unforgiving,  “not lovers of what is good.” This leads to a total breakdown of society. People will be treacherous, rash, slanderous, brutal, disobedient to parents, abusive and without self-control…

    That last phrase means that in the end, anything goes! No rules, no moral absolutes, no restraints of any kind. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes, and woe to the person who dares to question his “lifestyle choices.” Just as a side note: It’s interesting that Paul includes “disobedient to parents.” It may seem too trivial to be in such a radical list, but for Paul, disobedience is the spark that ignites the flame that leaves the home in ashes.
    In the light of Bible prophecy, we should expect that as we approach the end times, all these things will increase in intensity and frequency, until we have the situation portrayed in the Book of Revelation.
    There are two things that also stand out to me; These whom he is talking about also lack two important character ingredients: two things that Paul says they are “without” or lacking…“without love” and “without self control”. Love is putting the needs of others before your needs. Self control is putting God’s character or “godly character” before self.
    Ephesians 4:17-19 – “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” In other words, rather than love God and live godly lives, they love and do what-ever pleases “self”.
    I have said before that when a lack of self-control gets out of control, we have prisons where we put the worst so we can control them. Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
    As bad as all that sounds, we may think to ourselves, “so, what else is new? The world has always been this way.”  That may be true. I think the  “last days “ that Paul speaks of here carries two meanings; One means the period of time between the first and second coming of Christ; sometimes referred to as the “church age.” But, I also think that there is a reference to a time when all these things seem to increase in intensity to the point where the “last days” mean the short period of time just before, Christ appears and the rapture of the church takes place!
    But, to me, worse than all these things that Paul talks about here, is verse 5 – “having a form of godliness but denying its power."… Does that sound like an oxymoron to you?  How can people like those Paul just described have a “form of godliness”? ( Paul is not necessarily just writing about the world! )
    I heard a preacher describe it this way; - as it concerns hypocrisy and the way the world views the church; Quote: “They’ve seen enough weak-kneed, empty-headed, two-faced, finger-pointin’, big talkin’, no walkin’, wimpy actin, church-playin’, Godless-livin’, non-givin, doubt’n, pout’n, gossip-spoutin’, 3 strikes and you’re out’n, “I got problems big as a mountain”, cussin’ on Friday but Sunday morning shoutin’ Christians!”
    Selfish people aren’t walking around wearing signs that say "I love myself more than you" – or “more than God” in fact, they wrap a robe of religion or respectability around them, but in reality, there is no truth to their religion and their lives deny the power of God. This means that they could be church goers, who know the lingo and the songs and how to appear godly - but in reality they deny the power of the gospel and leave the power of God totally out of their lives! As Paul says in verse 7 – “always learning, but never able to acknowledge the truth.” In other words, never acting on or allowing what they have learned and know to be true, to change or influence their attitudes and lives. They live a false and insincere faith.
    What does it mean to us? You can’t just put on a Christian costume and be saved. Christianity isn’t a club you join or a part you play in the game of life. Church is not a place you go or something you do…it is who you are! I’m afraid that sometimes we get too comfortable confessing that we are sinners (but we don’t think we can be victorious over sin). What I mean is this: When God saved us through the grace of Christ, he put power in us by His Holy Spirit to live godly lives. Is that true or false? We do not have a salvation that leaves us powerless over sin!
    If my life is defined by anything on the list in these verses, I need to ask an important question: Where is the power of God in my life? What I am suggesting here is that we begin to live victorious lives. The question to us is not “Do we have the power?” … It is “Are we using the power?”  Next time we will talk about verses 10-17… “You, however”…

 “Second Chances”
 John 21:1-17

    His name is Simon Peter. We remember him as the disciple who tried to walk on water, but started sinking when the wind and the waves blew his faith away. He was the one who testified Jesus as the Son of God, yet denied him three times in one night. He swore never to forsake his master, but ran away for fear of his life. Simon Peter, a man of broken promises…a man of failure.

    His name is Simon Peter. We remember him as a great Apostle. He boldly and tirelessly proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God. He baptized hundreds and perhaps thousands of people. He performed many miracles by healing the sick and even raising the dead. People chased his shadow believing that if his shadow fell upon them, they would be healed. Simon Peter: a man of great success and fame in the church of Jesus Christ.
    What made the difference between the first Simon Peter, and the second Simon Peter was the account in our scripture of Jesus – as he walked - approaching the shoreline – He was the God of “Second Chances”.
    It is interesting that in Mark’s gospel, we read about the women going to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus; there they see an angel who tells them “Don’t be alarmed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But, go tell his disciples AND PETER, he is going ahead of you into Galilee.” This kind of gives us a little hint that Jesus was especially concerned for Peter…“make sure you tell Peter”…
    The same reference in the Gospel of Luke says that two angels appeared and said “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here! He has risen!” It goes on to say that when they came back from the tomb they told all this to the disciples, but they “did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb…he saw the strips of linen and went away wondering to himself what had happened.” John’s account, of course, tells us that both he and Peter ran to the tomb…
    The curious thing about John’s Gospel is that the verses previous to our text – John 20:30 seemed to be the end of the story; it’s like John recounts the appearances of Jesus – but leaves out the Great Commission and the Ascension…and says “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name… The end.
    Then, chapter 21 is like an after-thought…”Oh yea, I almost forgot the time Jesus appeared on the shore when we were fishing…” John was there, and gives us the account of Jesus reinstating Peter…giving Peter a second chance.
    It is interesting that the first time Jesus called Peter he was also fishing. In Luke 5:5 Jesus tells Peter to “go out into deeper water and let down your nets for a catch”…Peter says “Master, we have worked all night and haven’t caught a thing!”  In John 21 it says that they again fished all night and caught nothing…Then Jesus comes and says “Let down your nets on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish”… In Luke 5 they caught so many fish their nets began to break…In John 21 “they were unable to haul in the net for the large number of fish”…In the first encounter, Jesus was in the boat with them…this time they were on their own…however Jesus was near, and directed them…there is significance in that. At any rate, John thinks this is to much like dejavu’ and shouts…It’s the Lord!”…and, of course, Peter jumps out of the boat!
    Now, all that being said, how do you suppose Peter felt? He had fled at the first sign of trouble; He denied even knowing Jesus for fear of his own life; He didn’t believe the women, nor did he believe the two men from Emmaus…He felt defeated, and now, here was Jesus - just like the first time they had met. But, what would he say? Could he still love me after all I have done? Is there still a place and a purpose for me in his kingdom? Will he give me another chance?
    We soon find out that it was not Jesus intent to push the knife of guilt any deeper into Peter’s heart, but rather it was his intention to remove Peter’s guilt…to remove the heart ache…and offer Peter a chance to start over. So, in full view of all the other disciples that were there, Jesus turns to Peter and says “Peter, do you love me more than these?” (Which could be a reference to “more than the other disciples, or more than fishing…)  Jesus deliberately uses “Agape’” as the form of the word love; And, Peter says “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter’s form of the word however is ”Philio” which means “friend. “Lord, you are my best friend!” Jesus tells him “Good, here’s the priority – “Feed my sheep!” Again Jesus says; “Simon, do you love – (Agape’) me?” Peter again uses the word “Philio” - “Lord, you know that I really care about you”… And, Jesus says “Here’s the priority – Take care of my sheep!” The third time Jesus asks the same question using the same form “Agape’ …This time Peter answers “Lord, you know all things, and you know that I Agape’ you” - I love you with a divine love, a godly love…Jesus says “Here’s the priority, Feed my sheep!”
    When Jesus first met Peter in Matthew 4:19 he said “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”… now, once again, forgiven and reinstated, Jesus says to Peter “Follow me!”
    There are two other separate occasions when Jesus appeared to His disciples, yet Jesus did not confront Peter. He gave him time! Then he gave him a second chance. Instead of rebuking Peter for his failures, Jesus gives him another chance to prove himself. Jesus was not looking to Peter’s past, he was looking to Peter’s future…He was looking to what Peter was going to do from that moment on…
    Now, all of this of course begs the question; How many of us find ourselves in a position spiritually, in our relationship with Christ and our service to the kingdom where we could use a second chance?  A second chance to tell Jesus, the risen, living Lord, that we love him, and we want to prove it by “feeding his sheep” and “fishing for men”… we want to serve him in whatever capacity he desires to use us. By the way, just so I'm clear, we only get second chances in this life. Now is the time!

“Beauty And The Beast”
Romans 12:9-21 and  Mark 15:6-32

    Once again I have to give credit for the inspiration and the insight of this series of messages to Max Lucado. His book entitled “He Chose The Nails” is destined to be another classic Christian writing on the Easter story. How many here today have seen the movie or read the classic story of Beauty and the Beast? When you were reading or watching, did you catch the parallel of the story to the biblical history of mankind?  Well, neither did I. But, Here was a person whose face at one time was handsome and his palace pleasant, but that was before the curse. Here is the parallel - There was a time when humanities face was beautiful and the palace pleasant…but that was before the curse….and, ever since the curse we have been different…mankind has become the “beast”.

    If you have seen yet another movie called “Star Wars” you could say we have been living on the dark side. Mankind has become the “Darthvader” within himself…while God desires the beauty and good of the “Jedi” spirit.
    The Apostle Paul wrestled with this same idea of the beast within in Romans 7:15 where he says; “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do! “For a what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil that I do not want to do…this I keep on doing! Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it!”  That’s the dark side…that’s the curse. Man, who was created to be a prince, has become a beast, and there is hardly a page of scripture where the beast doesn’t bare his teeth.
    The evil of the beast was never so exposed as it was on the day Christ died.  Look at the words of our scripture; They struck him; they scourged him; they spit on him; they mocked him; they hurled insults at him; they cast lots for his clothes; they forced him to carry his own cross; they crucified him!  This was truly the dark side of mankind.  What had happened?  How could mankind become so degraded?….The Bible has a three letter word for it…SIN.  It’s not that we can’t do good, we do. It’s just that we can’t keep from doing bad.
    God’s Word would agree; “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way.”  “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”  “There is none righteous, no not one…All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Some might disagree and they look around and say; “Well, compared to other people in this world, I’m a pretty decent person.”  Max Lucado says; It’s like a pig looking down the trough and thinking; “Compared to the other pigs, I’m not too bad!” However, the standard for righteousness is not found at the troughs of earth…but at the throne of heaven. If we feel the need to compare, then we must compare ourselves to the sinless perfection of Christ…and we fall short every time!
    And so, we have a problem. We are cursed…we are inherently evil and unrighteous…we are sinners and the Bible says that the “wages of sin is death”. And, if we are willing to face truth…We are guilty as charged!  Though we try our very best to change, we cannot. If anyone disagree, I challenge them to spend one day… or one hour…in sinless perfection.  We are beasts and we know it. We may not want to admit it, but when we look in the mirror of God’s Word… we know what the curse has done to us. We know that though we were once created to be a prince or a princess, we have become the beast.
    Herein lies the “beauty” of the Cross of Calvary. The beauty cares about the beast. The beauty sees something in the beast no one else sees. And through the power of love, the beauty has the power to overcome the curse ….and save the beast.
    Think about the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, could have shriveled the hand that held the whip…he could have turned the spit to dust…he could have called upon ten-thousand angels….but he didn’t.  Jesus never once used his divine, super-natural power for selfish reasons. His purpose was God’s purpose…and that purpose is found in the story of his birth, where the angel told Mary “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 
    Here is where the correlation between “Beauty and the Beast” ends. In the fable, the beauty kisses the beast and the curse is lifted and the beast becomes a handsome prince once again.  In the Bible, Jesus - the beauty - does much more. Jesus becomes the beast so the beast may become the beauty. Jesus changes places with us.
    We are under a curse - the curse of sin. Jesus takes upon himself the curse. He takes upon himself the sin of the world...Nails it to the Cross…Covers it with his blood…and suffers the punishment of death…so the curse, and the consequences could be taken away, and the beauty restored.
    My friends, whenever you again see or here of Beauty and the Beast, think about this message.  One story is a fable created in the minds of Disney animators…The other is a fact created in the heart of God.  Both have a “happy ever after” ending for those who believe.

The Road to Emmaus
 Luke 24:13-36

    The Queen of England often visits Bob Morrow Castle. On one occasion when she was walking by herself in the early morning, it started to rain so she rushed to the shelter of the nearest cottage and knocked on the door. A lady came to the door who was obviously very upset that someone would bother her at this time of the morning. She opened the door a few inches and barked, "What do you want?" The queen didn't introduce herself. She merely asked, "May I borrow an umbrella?" "Just a minute," grumbled the woman. She slam-med the door, was gone for a moment, and returned bringing the rattiest umbrella she could find...it had several broken ribs and was peppered with lots of small holes. She pushed it through the door and said, "HERE!" The Queen of England thanked her and went on her way with the ragged umbrella.

    The next morning, the queen's entire escort, dressed in full dress uniform, pulled up in front of the cottage. One of the escorts knocked on the door and returned the umbrella to the woman saying, "Madam, the Queen of England thanks you." As he walked away he heard her mutter, in obvious deep embarrass-ment, "Oh, If I'd only known who she was......" Think about it....Imagine how this woman felt.....Royalty had knocked on HER door! Can you comprehend how embarrassed she must have been as she remember-ed her behavior the morning before in the presence of her queen? Now...it was unusual for the Queen of England to knock on the door of a commoner....but not impossible....after all, she was a living, breathing human being.
    Imagine then how these two men in this scripture for today felt when they realized that this stranger who joined them on the dusty road to Emmaus was actually the Prince of Peace Himself...who had been crucified...who had died...who had been buried three days earlier!
    Well, let's back up the road a bit... Cleopas and his companion were traveling from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus, which was located 7 miles to the west...Their hearts were filled with deep sadness as they walked. The events of the prior weekend had been horrible beyond belief.  Jesus - their Master and Teacher -  had been betrayed, arrested, crucified and then buried. As these two walked they found them-selves reviewing the events of the past three days and they probably slipped into "iffing"...You know – like; “if only Jesus had run from the garden when He had the chance, what a different day this would have been”…”if only we had stood with Him during His trial”... “if only Peter had not denied Jesus”….”if only Jesus had not admitted to Pilate that He was their king”….”if only the secret disciples among the Pharis-ees like Joseph and Nicodemus had spoken out on Jesus' behalf”....And while they were “What-if-ing"… Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. It says that “they were kept from recognizing him.”
    I think that this was an intentional way to get them to verbalize their feelings so He could lead them to solve their problems by seeing the truth for themselves. I say this because in verse 17 Jesus said, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They responded with body-language that reveals just how defeated they felt. Verse 18 says that when He asked, they stood still, their faces downcast...as if they were defeated....as if recalling and verbalizing the memories of the events of that weekend were just too much to bear.
    After this brief hesitation, Cleopas responds to Jesus' question...but he responds with a question of his own, "Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these last days?" So Jesus probed further....forcing them to review who they thought He had been, before He showed them Who He is by saying, "What things?" You see, at this moment these two were living in the past and Jesus wanted to show them that He was living in the present and by the way, He still is!
    Their shock at Jesus' lack of knowledge of the happenings in Jerusalem shows just how much Jesus was in the center of the news of that weekend. Everyone---even visitors---knew about the events that had transpired in the previous days....Jesus' trial and execution was top news. So, for Jesus to ask, "What things?" would be like someone coming to you two days after John F. Kennedy was assassin-ated and asking why all the flags were at half mast! Everyone knew what things had happened in Jerusalem that weekend. But Cleopas does answer Jesus' question...and in his answer, he shows that he is living in the past; for in his explanation in verses 19-21, he lists all the things Jesus WAS:
       1.He was Jesus the Nazarene....
       2.He was a prophet...
       3.He was mighty in deeds.
       4.He was mighty in word...
       5.He was loved by and the common people...
       6.He was crucified....
Then he says, "We were hoping that HE WAS the person to redeem Israel....He was....He was...He was...  For them, Jesus was now limited to the past. “He was wonderful! we loved him! he taught us so much! we had such high hopes!...but He was crucified...and it is all over”...For them, death was irreversible. Well of course it was not all over and as they talk and listen for the rest of their journey, Jesus leads them to discover that not only He WAS…but He IS!
    You know, of all the stories of the events around Jesus resurrection, this is one of my favorites because I see our own doubts and struggles reflected so clearly here. In this story, so many of our questions about the implications of Jesus' resurrection are answered with God's profound truth. So this morning I want to look very closely at this discussion between Jesus and these two travelers and I want to highlight two of those truths.
The first thing they discovered is this:
    Becoming a Christian...a follower of the Risen Lord... requires a PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, not a second hand one. Each of us faces a crisis of belief in the Risen Lord. there comes a time when every individual must decide on their own whether or not Jesus was indeed the only Son of God who died on the cross for the sins of the world and on the third day rose from the dead.    Cleopas and his friend had heard that the women had gone to Jesus' tomb that morning to anoint His body, and that they had found the large stone door rolled away and the tomb empty. They also knew that Peter had gone himself and confirmed these facts. But these two travelers on the road to Emmaus didn't know that Jesus was alive. Their inform-ation was rumor and hearsay; it was second hand. They had heard all the news but for them to be convin-ced of the resurrected Jesus would require a personal, first-hand encounter with the Risen One who had been their Master for three years; which is of course what Jesus gave them on the road that day. A second hand experience won't do for any of us. We too, must meet the risen Christ ourselves in order to begin a personal relationship with Him. Knowing facts related to us by other people is not enough.
    Secondly, Becoming and being a Christian involves more than something to believe -there is also some-one to RECEIVE and go on receiving, living with, and responding to. You see, Christianity is not a religion...it is a relationship...a personal relationship with the living Jesus Christ.
    Well, in the first part of the story Cleopas and his friend did the talking....in the last part Jesus did. And in His words Jesus emphasized a second truth that these two travelers discovered....
    Third, God gave us the Bible as a road map that will guide us to a personal relationship with the Risen Lord. These two disciples were basing their beliefs about the Messiah on their own expectations, and in so doing were ignoring the teachings of scripture. In verse 25 Jesus says, "Oh how foolish you are; how slow to believe in all that the prophets have said! Was it not inevitable that Christ should suffer like that and so find His glory?" In other words He says, "Guys. you should not be surprised at what has happened these past three days....all this is in the guidebook.... remember?" Then verse 27 says, "And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself."  What a great "Sunday School Class" that must have been!  John 20:31 says, "These things have been written that you might BELIEVE and in believing have life in His name"
    One night at one o'clock in the morning the phone rang, waking Dr. Leo Winters, the highly acclaimed surgeon from Chicago. The nurse on the other end reported that a young boy had been horribly mangled in a late-night car accident. Dr. Winters sleepily asked if there were not some other surgeon who could handle this emergency.  But the nurse told him no....his hands were possibly the only ones in the city---or maybe even in the whole region ---skilled enough to save the boy's life. The doctor dressed quickly, hopped in his car and began to drive to the hospital. But when he stopped at a red light, his door was jerked open by a man in a grey hat and a dirty flannel shirt. "Give me your car!" the man screamed, pulling him from his seat and throwing him into the street. Winters tried explaining who he was and where he was going, but the man would not listen and sped away. The doctor wandered for over 45 minutes before finding a phone. When he finally got a taxi to the hospital, over an hour had passed. He burst through the doors and into the nurses' station, but the nurse on duty only shook her head. It was too late. The boy had died about 30 minutes earlier. "His dad got here before he died," the nurse told him. "Please go see him in the chapel. He is awfully confused. He could not understand why you never came." Without explaining his tardiness to the nurse, Dr. Winters walked hurriedly down the hall and quietly entered the chapel. At the front knelt the huddled form of a weeping father, who wore a grey hat and dirty flannel shirt. This was the same man who had stolen the doctor's car. Tragically, he had pushed from his life the only one who could heal his son.
    Jesus Christ is the only one who can heal us from our sin; save us; and give us a relationship with God. But, Jesus will not force His way into your heart and life...you must ask Him - “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” says Jesus, “if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in”.  My prayer this morning echos the words Paul wrote the Ephesians (1:18-20), "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.... which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead."

“That’s Impossible!”
Luke 18:18-27 and Luke 1:35-37

    My intent is not to talk about the Christmas story…it is to focus in on the last verse “For nothing shall be impossible with God”. In the other scripture we heard the same words in a little different way; Jesus said - “what is impossible with men is possible with God.”

    There were a couple of things that stirred the thoughts in my mind this past week. One was the yesterdays re-run of a blog from Februry concerning those times in our lives when it seems like we are going through a storm - when it seems all is lost unless God steps in and does something… I gave the examples of two different storms; one with the disciples and Jesus calming the storm; the other with Paul and the fact that God did not calm the storm, but in fact, brought them through the storm.
    My mind began to put all this together into the thought that kept coming back over and over, “all things are possible with God” This is very motivational to me in my own life. Let me give you a short summary of what these passages of scripture say to me (they are describing three humanly impossible situations;)
    The first we are very familiar with, the virgin birth. Here is the picture of a woman – Mary – who has not intimately known a man, but the angel tells her that she is going to bring forth a child. This ability, which is humanly impossible, is going to be made possible because the word says “she will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit”…In other words, the involvement of a supernatural source – God’s Holy Spirit - now takes an impossible situation and makes it possible.
    Then, we hear of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, who is now 6 months pregnant. And, it says that she is now of old age…past her child bearing years…and defined as “barren” - even when she could have had children. Without even saying it, there is this question lingering from verse 34 – “How can this be?”  We would say it’s humanly impossible. But, “with God, nothing is impossible.” The inability of man is always superseded by the super-natural ability of Almighty God.  Just because we can’t figure it out…or just because it doesn’t make sense…or just because we can’t see a way out, doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
    Now, in the next story we have a different circumstance. Jesus himself reinforces this same theme; but the subject is now salvation…The rich young ruler asks “How can I inherit eternal life”?  To this Jesus basically replies - “although you have obeyed the Commandments, there is a flaw in your life”…That is that the man thought he was self-sufficient. He put his confidence in riches rather than God. And, by telling him that he had to give all he had to the poor, Jesus was saying that he had to get rid of that which was his true dependence, and put his total dependence upon God.
    It says that he “went away sad because he was a man of great wealth”.  I suppose if he only had $10.00 he would have gladly parted with it to gain salvation…But to give all that he had?... That’s asking too much!  To this Jesus says  “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  To this, it says, the people replied; “Who then can be saved?” You see, the people were totally confused. It was their belief that if a man had great riches it meant that he had the blessing or approval of God.  The greater the blessing, the greater God’s approval on that man’s life. Now they are thinking, “If rich people whom God has seemingly blessed can’t get in…who can?  To this Jesus gives them the words that we are looking for; “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”  In other words, it is impossible for man to save himself in any way…We can’t buy our way in…We can’t work our way in…We can’t give our way in…It is only possible with God. It becomes a Divine reality only because of the ability of God to send His Son into the world - through an impossible situation like that of the young virgin Mary…. And, to send him into the world with one true purpose, to die for the sins of the world…a “final sacrifice, once and for all” the Bible says. The only possible way to find and receive salvation. All (impossibilities) in this life rest on man’s (inabilities) and (limitations)…But, whenever our limitations, and our inabilities become merged with God’s (supernatural) and divine ability – “all things are possible to him who believes!” (Mark 9:23)
    This is why the devil works so hard to keep us separated from God. He knows that apart from God, we have no power! Apart from God, the devil becomes the dominating entity in our lives….and we become – as the Word says; “slaves to sin”, and slaves to temptation, and to the passions of the flesh. Think about the fact that way back in the Book of Genesis it says that God gave man “dominion” over all the earth…But, when sin entered in, and man stumbled, and was separated from God, all power was lost.  Listen, Those who are separated from God, those who are unbelievers, have no power, no authority over the enemy. That’s why Satan does not fear an unbeliever! Satan does not fear the world! He fears the church! Because he knows what can happen when the church gets in contact with the supernatural ability of God!  Is it any wonder why Paul was able to make the declaration “I can do ALL things – not some things – but all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me”! 
    So, what is the key to tapping in to this power?  What is it that makes all things possible?  It’s a little word that is found in each one of these scriptures. A simple word that makes all the difference in the church and in the life of each and every one of us who are in or part of the church; it’s that little word “with”… “With” - God all things are possible”. Not apart from God, but with God… “With God we can beat the odds! With God, the odds become 1 in 1 ...let me explain that a little more;
    In the Greek, you will discover there are three different ways that they used this word “with”.  Let me give you the first two and then I will give the one that really applies in these verses. The first is the word “Meta” which means “to be in the vicinity of”… They used this to say for instance; “Jesus was in Galilee, and “The crowd was with him”… Which means they were in the vicinity of where Jesus was…they also were in Galilee. 
    The second word is “Para” – perhaps you have heard this in reference to the Holy Spirit who is our “paracleat”. It means to be “next to or very near or beside”… It implies being a little closer than just in the vicinity. For instance, the sentence that reads “They said of Jesus that he sits and eats “with” publicans and sinners”… is the use of the word “para” – in very close proximity…around the table.  When we look at the verses in Luke, neither of the words “meta” or “para” were used. Instead, they used the word that I think is pronounced “sun” or “soon” that means to be in union with or have a relationship to something or someone.  And, when the Word says “With God nothing is impossible” It is not saying just because you are in the vicinity – just because you go to church – or just because you hang around with church folks, nothing is impossible… It is not saying “just because you sit down at God’s table and eat with him” … It is saying that for those who have entered into a union with God, for those who have a deeper relationship with God, nothing is impossible!
    It also is not saying that if you are in the vicinity – if you go to church, you can be saved…and so on…but it is saying that the only way to be saved is through a relationship with God through Christ His Son.
    In the Book of John chapter 15, We have a perfect example of this; Jesus describes this by using an excellent  word picture of the vine and the branches. He says that the branch must remain in the vine, and apart from the vine, or separate from the vine, we can do nothing! 
    Let’s think about the Great Commission; it was an impossible task …but Jesus said to his disciples, “and lo, I am WITH you always”… Their human inabilities were to be accompanied, or merged, with his divine ability, and it becomes possible to “go into all the world”.  In Mark 16:20, at the end of Mark’s interpretation of the Great Commission, it says; “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by many signs and wonders”… The impossible became possible because the Lord was “with” them.  In our own ability, we are limited…we are in fact, many times power-less.  Without the supernatural ability of God, Mary can’t conceive… without the supernatural ability of God, Elizabeth remains barren… without the supernatural ability of God, along with the grace and mercy of God, no one would be saved. But “with” God – in the greatest sense of the word, every impossibility in life becomes a possible! Because God can do what He says he can do! 

“Any Port In A Storm”
Luke 8:22-25  and Acts 27:12-25

    Here we have two different stories concerning boats in a storm. They have some similarities, however they have different outcomes. Today I want to look at the natural, literal, things that are taking place…as well as the symbolism of the many storms we may face in life…all of which have the same outcomes, if we cry out to or call upon God in the midst of the storm. What these two stories are really about is faith overcoming fear… and understanding that it is our faith in the power of God – and, our past experiences with God, that will help our faith overcome our fear of the storm, whatever that storm may be. Whether it is the disciples or the Apostle Paul, or you and I – it’s all about knowing and believing that God is who He says He is, and that God can do what He says He can do!

    A. C. Dixon once said “When we depend on organizations, we get what organizations can do. When we depend on education and technology, we get what the limitations of education and technology can give us; both of which depend on man and what man can do. But, when we depend upon and call upon God, we get what only God can do!
    Do you suppose it is possible that we have become so self-sufficient that we think we don’t need God? While we may be quick to answer “No way” think about this; If we get sick, we go to the doctor; if our property is destroyed or stolen, we file a claim; when we need food, we go to the grocery store; when we need clothes, we go to the clothing store; when we need money, we go to the bank or we go to plastic; If we have relational problems, we go to counselors; and many times, when the storms of life come at us, we either persevere in our own strength, or we draw from the help of family and friends…Not that any of this is wrong or bad, but we have to ask the question; “Where is God?”… “Who needs God?”  
    We can imagine at first, the disciples were probably relying on their own knowledge and skills as fishermen and sailors. They had certainly experienced storms before. It wasn’t until they realized that they were about to go under that they finally called out to the Lord, and were saved.
    It had been a long day of ministry for Jesus, so he withdrew to the stern of the boat and collapsed into a deep sleep. The disciples hoisted sail and set out to make the five mile trip across the lake. Then, unexpectedly, “without warning” Matthews account of the story says, they were in the midst of a terrible storm. Symbolically, God uses this story to remind us of a world where storms rise up out of nowhere and blindside us. If you have ever suffered a life threatening disease, you know this world. When the Dr. comes back with a bad report, or the phone rings in the middle of the night and a voice says; “I’m afraid I have some bad news”…you know this world.  Notice that even when Jesus is in the boat…the storm comes!
    Listen to the cry of the disciples; here in Luke they cry out “Master, Master, we are going to drown!”... In Matthew they say, “Lord, save us, we are going to drown!”... And, in Mark they cry out “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”...I think that all these things were said, and probably more! In the story from the Book of Acts – verse 20 says that “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved”…What had happened? Their faith had become paralyzed by fear! In reality, their problem was not the storm raging around them…it was the unbelief within them! You see, fear will always maximize the problem and minimize God…
    There is a true story of how the storms of life washed ruthlessly over one man named Horatio Spafford.  Some months before the great Chicago fire in 1871, he had invested heavily in property on the shore of Lake Michigan…but his holdings were wiped out by the disastrous fire. Just shortly before this, he had experienced the death of his son. Desiring a break from all the stress for his wife and daughters, and wishing to join D.L. Moody in an evangelistic crusade in Great Britain, Spafford planned a European trip for his family. In November of 1873, due to last minute business, he had to remain in Chicago, but he sent his wife and daughters on ahead as scheduled. On November 22^nd. their ship was struck by another vessel and sank in 12 minutes. Several days later the survivors finally landed in Wales. Mrs. Spafford immediately cabled her husband with just two words; “Saved alone”… Shortly thereafter Spafford left to join his wife… and somewhere in that trip he penned these words that described both his grief and his faith; “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, It is well, with my soul”.
Let’s take just a few minutes to look at some reasons why storms may come our way;
 #1. They may be brought on by our own stupidity or sin.
The Jews strongly believed that if something bad happened it was the result of sin. An illness, or financial loss, or even a death in the family, all of which were in the storm that raged around Job, were somehow sin related. Or, it may be the result of a bad decision on our part…or it may even be caused by the actions of someone else… and, at times they just seem to happen, and we have no idea why. However, we are told in the Book of James that “These have come in order to test and deepen our faith”…
2^nd. – It may be that the devil just seeks to swamp your boat!  When we set our hearts on doing God’s will, the devil will throw everything – including the kitchen sink – at us. He will use anything to make life miserable and cause fear to overcome our faith.
3^rd. – God seeks to demonstrate his power and faithfulness and strengthen our faith at the same time. Jesus led the disciples to the boat. He told them to set out for the other side of the lake. He who knew all things certainly knew the storm was coming. The whole event was divinely designed by God to increase their faith. Now, I did not say that God caused the storm… I said that God knew the storm was coming, and he used it for his purposes.
    Why would a God who loves us, and cares for us, and provides for our every need, allow this to happen? First, God needed to teach them that they were not as powerful and sufficient as they thought. Notice where this takes place; not in the fields or in the mountains, but in the very environment where they felt the most capable and competent… Yet, they were helpless apart from the power of God.
    Second, God’s purpose is not to make our lives pleasant and trouble free; His purpose is to transform our thinking, our feelings, and our actions…and in order to do that, he needs to re-direct our trust and confidence and faith in Him.
    Jesus had to demonstrate to them, in a way they would never forget, their inability to save themselves. He had to show them that where they were weak, He was strong! He had the power to do the impossible! In this case, it was to completely and immediately calm the storm… And, if He had the power to make even nature obey his command, then there was nothing that He couldn’t do!  We need to learn that same lesson!
    Now, let’s go back to the story of Paul’s journey in the Book of Acts for just a moment; Again we have a ship caught in a storm; those on board feared for their lives; they did everything they knew to lighten the load of the ship and make it through the storm…But, they end up at verse 20 again “We gave up all hope of being saved”… There is one crucial difference in these stories; In Acts, God doesn’t put an end to the storm, in fact, the storm rages until the ship is utterly destroyed. The point of this is that God does not always work the same way to protect and provide for His people…Sometimes he calms the storm…and at other times He changes the circumstances. Sometimes things work out well…and at other times things just seem to get worse!  In one case God simply ended the storm…In the other case God brought them through the storm. Which is better? We really don’t know. Only God knows what is best for us. But, remember this, there will be times when God will calm the storm and give us peace…and, there will be times when He expects us to ride out the storm, knowing that He will bring us safely home… even if we have to swim all the way holding on to a broken piece of wood. I have had to do that, but God always brought me through and provided my needs and prepared my faith for the next storm…

Purpose; Plan; Reward Part 2
1 Cor. 9:24-27 and Hebrews 12:1-3 and 11

Today I want to look at two more scriptures from the same perspective of the Purpose, the plan, and the reward…

    “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?” (Now don’t get discouraged, because Paul’s purpose is to show that we all can receive the prize or the reward that he has in mind) But, he stops in the middle of his thought to give us some encouragement – “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (In other words if you want the prize, there is going to be some effort involved!) “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” – (That’s the reward)…Vs. 26 – “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air; No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
    “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” ( This is, of course, part of the plan. )
    The Purpose: Paul says is to “run in such a way as to get the prize.” When it comes to the eternal reward, there is no 2^nd, 3^rd. or 4^th. place prize…Don’t just show up because you like to jog!.. Don’t show up thinking; “All I have to do is finish”… Run like you are going for the gold!
    The Plan: So, what’s it going to take to get there? 1^st. – “Don’t run aimlessly” – Have a strategy; a discipline;  set some goals; make a plan. 2^nd. – “Don’t fight like a man beating the air”…It’s not that easy. It takes knowing your opponents and training for endurance. Don’t wander through life – know where you are going and what it will take to get there. You will never hear an Olympic star say “I don’t feel like…” They always have their eyes and hearts set on winning…not whining! 3^rd. – “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that entangles” (Habits, doubt, past baggage, friends ) 4^th. – “Persevere”. Never give up! No matter how many times you fall, start over! No matter how much it may hurt, or how tough the discipline may seem, do it till you get it right! “No discipline seems pleasant at the time”…Don’t look for quick fixes or short term rewards.
    Finally, let’s look at the reward – In reality, we would probably look at this first because we want to know what we are going to get out of it. We want to make sure the prize is worth the effort! Well, not even the purest gold or the brightest diamond is worth more than this prize!... “A crown that will last forever”… “A harvest of righteousness and peace”…”In a kingdom that cannot be shaken”…and when we stand before the Judge – He will hold up a perfect 10 – and say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.

“Reap What You Sow”

Galatians 5:13 - 6:10

There are really three rewards given in this scripture – What are they? (destruction – eternal life – a harvest)

1. Vs. 13 “serve one another in love”… Let me paraphrase this a little and insert a couple of words; “If your purpose is to keep on biting and devouring each other – your reward is that you will destroy each other.” Or, let me reverse that – “If your purpose is to destroy one another; or destroy the church; then make it your plan to keep on back biting, and knit-picking, and finding fault with one another; and you will reap what you sow!”  The reward then is “destruction”
2. Vs. 8 – “reap eternal life” …This is the reward of the “Spirit led, Spirit filled life.” What is the “harvest” of this Spirit filled life? ( Fruit of the Spirit )…”love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control”
3^rd.  Vs. 9 – “at the proper time, we will reap a harvest”… We mentioned the harvest of the “fruit” but what other types of things can we harvest? (friends; loving family; good health; good reputation) It begins with Vs.16; “live by the Spirit”…
Vs 18, “led by the Spirit”…
Vs. 24 “crucify the sinful nature”…
Vs 25 “keep in step with the Spirit”…
Vs. 6:4 “test your own actions” ( “comparing” ) …
Vs. 9 “Don’t become weary”…
Vs. 10 “as we have opportunity, let us do good”… How many opportunities do we have to do good?
But, “especially to those who belong to the family of God” Why? ( This is what draws people to the Lord – when they see the “love for one another” they want to be a part of it. Sadly, the opposite is also true.
Ultimately, the truth is “You Reap what you Sow!”

Purpose; Plan; Reward Part 1
2 Peter 1:3-11 …

    I want you to know that God says that, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are Power Equipped to do all that He has asked us to do.
    There are about 10 different lessons in this passage, but we’re going to focus on one idea, found initially in verse 3, and expanded on in subsequent verses: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
    In His Word, God calls us to be godly, and He equips us to be godly... By His Word He gives us the tools to be godly... Cecil B. DeMille was making one of his great epic movies. He had 6 cameras at various points to pick up the overall action and 5 other cameras set up to film  developments involving major characters. The large cast had begun rehearsing the scene at 6am and they went through it 4 times. Now it was late after-noon. The sun was setting & there was just enough light to get the shot done. DeMille looked over the panor-ama, saw that all was right, & gave the command for action. One hundred extras charged up the hill; another hundred came storming down the same to hill to do mock battle. In another location Roman centurions lash-ed and shouted at 200 slaves who labored to move a huge stone monument toward its resting place. Mean-while the principal characters acted out their reactions on the hill. Their words were drowned out by the noise around them, but the dialogue was to be dubbed in later. It took 15 minutes to complete the scene. When it was over, DeMille yelled, "Cut!" and turned to his assistant, all smiles. "That was great!" he said… "It was, C.B.," the assistant yelled back. "It was fantastic! Everything went off perfectly!" Enormously pleased, DeMille turned to face the head of the camera crew to find out if all the cameras had picked up what they had been assigned to film. He waved to the camera crew supervisor…From the top of the hill, the camera supervisor waved back, raised his megaphone, and called out, "Ready when you are C.B!"
    It was a great scene…It was a perfect day…The lighting ideal…All of the actors & actresses performed their parts flawlessly…Everything worked just as it should… except there was something missing. Some-thing had been overlooked. And because something had been overlooked, all their efforts were in vain. Can you imagine how discouraging that must have been? Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to invest your life into a project of that magnitude only to find that it had been for nothing.
    Listen, Paul said that could happen to us as well: “no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his 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 man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (I Corinthians 3:11-15)
    Believe it or not, It is possible for us to end up empty-handed on the day of judgment. To stand before God on that last day and have nothing to show for all the time we’ve been in church. Or Sunday school or Bible study.  Paul was telling us that if we build with wrong materials - we can still be saved – but our Christianity will be shown to be – as we read in 2 Peter 1:8 – “ineffective and unproductive”.

    I want to talk about three things that are always important parts of the Christian life, as well as important parts of the church today… I will use just three words to describe them; Purpose; Plan; and Reward.
    Many times throughout scripture these three things can be found. For instance; “What would you say is the “purpose” in this scripture? ( end of vs 4 “so that”…”you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world” )  Does that mean that nothing bad will ever happen? Or, that we won’t have to ever suffer the consequences of sin? No. It simply means that – because of our knowledge of God and His Word - we will be smart enough and wise enough to keep our fingers out of the fire!
    What then is the “reward”? – ( Vs 10 “you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. )
    And, What is the plan – so that the purpose will be accomplished and the reward will be received? (“make every effort to add to your faith…” Why these things? …“they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive”… Hello?
    Now lets go back and look at the “Plan”… First we have to have “faith”…You can’t add to something you don’t have! The Word says that “those who come to God must first believe that He exists”! That’s faith… Believing faith! “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
    Add to your faith “goodness”. What is goodness? Goodness has to do with our character. It is a virtue of our character. If we say a person is a “good” person, we mean - ( honest, loyal, trustworthy, loving, kind, and so on. ) Someone once said; “Your ideal is what you wish you were; your reputation is what people say you are; and your character is what you really are”.
    Add - “Knowledge” – There are several levels to the meaning of Knowledge. First, there is “general knowledge” A lot of Christians I would say try to live the Christian lifestyle with “general” knowledge. They know a few Bible stories, a few Bible characters; a few scriptures that have become familiar; and of course they know at least five of the Ten Commandments…and could probably name at least ten books of the Bible.
The second level of knowledge would be “understanding” or comprehension. At this level there is an under-standing of biblical concepts…and of biblical truths. There is an understanding of who God is and what God did and can do…but little faith that He will!  Christianity is a faith or a belief and it somehow makes life better. The third level is “wisdom” knowledge. That is, the general knowledge and the understanding goes deeper into the brain and the heart…and we actually apply it to our lives and our daily walk..
    Add - “Self-Control” – Having control over…or mastering our desires, passions, appetites, senses, and emotions. Being able to live life according to Godly standards and God’s guidelines. One of the easiest ways for Satan to get in and destroy our lives and our witness is through the door of  “self-control” (or should I say the lack of…)
    Add - “Perseverance” – Perseverance calls for patience and the ability to wait… It also calls for depend-ence upon God and His power… It sometimes calls for true faith – as in “leaning not on our understanding” but trusting God and His knowledge and timing.
    Add - “Godliness” – This is not a holiness or “holier-than-Thou” kind of character, but, a reverence for a God that is! It is not an outward compliance to rules or even an outward compliance to God’s Word… It is an inward purity of heart and mind that makes our relationship real!
    Add - “Brotherly Kindness” and “Love” -  I have combined the last two because they are so inter-related. We are commanded to love one another…and to love God…and to love our neighbors… and to show kindness above all things to all people. We are asked a rhetorical question in God’s Word that says “If we can’t love our brother who we can see, how can we love God who we can’t see?”
    So, the “plan” is to add to our faith…all these things…And, notice that we never have enough. There is never a point where we can say “I have all that in my life”…because it says “in ever-increasing measure”
How do you know if you are following God’s plan?  ( There will be Fruit! )
Part 2 tomorrow….

Two Gifts Of God

    I want to tell you today about two gifts from Almighty God that you can receive and take with you that can change your life forever!  This book, that we call the Bible or the Word of God or the Scriptures, is truly the inspired words of our Sovereign God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who inspired the hearts and minds of those who wrote down everything God desired to have written in His Word…I have read this Word, and I find that in it is revealed the fact that mankind…and all mankind…has two basic problems; One is that we have sinned - Romans 3:23 says; “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”…. In our scripture - Romans 5:12; “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death came to all men because all have sinned”!  However, it also says that we have a gift, which is the grace of God given through Jesus Christ His Son. A gift that brings forgiveness of sin through His final sacrifice on the Cross for all who believe!  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.  This is God’s gift of salvation - by His grace - through Jesus - for man’s first problem of sin.

    Our second problem is that we are sinners!  The Book of Galatians chapter 5 speaks of our “sinful nature” - “So, I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature does what is contrary to the Spirit”…“They are in conflict with each other so you do not do what you want”.  Even if we have believed and accepted God’s first gift of salvation in Christ, we still have within us a sinful nature. A nature that desires all of the self-seeking things that lead to destruction…(Sexual immorality, lust, impure things, idolatry, hatred, rage, jealousy, drunkenness, selfishness) “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” it says.
    So, to help us overcome this battle of our sinful nature, God has given us a second gift; the gift of the Holy Spirit. Before ascending into heaven, in the Book of Acts 1:4, Jesus himself said to His disciples; “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about”…This was God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. 
        According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit;
1.     “convicts” (of guilt in regard to sin) - Jn 16:8
2.     “guides” (into all truth) - Jn 16:13
3.     “reveals” (wisdom of God) - 1Cor. 2:10
4.     “comforts” … 
5.     “empowers”
6.   “gives gifts” - 1Cor. 12   and  
7.   “bears fruit” - Gal. 5:22
    All of these things give us the power we need to live the Christian life He has called us to live.
In his book on the Holy Spirit, Billy Graham says that we are given a two-fold gift from God. First is “the work of Jesus, the Son of God, for us; and second, the work of the Holy Spirit in us. One is our eternal gift and the other is our internal gift.” Both are intricate parts of our growth as Christians.
    In His Word, God gives us four things that become a part of our lives when we accept God’s second gift;
1.     Being led by the Spirit.
2.     Having the power of the Spirit.
3.     Bearing the “fruit” of the Spirit. And,
4.     Using the “gifts” of the Spirit.
    The Holy Spirit’s primary goal is to “lead” us into Christlikeness; holiness; and righteousness. There is a difference between being “directed” and being “led” - as in someone giving directions or leading you themselves.
    Someone has once said that “knowledge is power”. I think the power of the Holy Spirit comes from the knowledge of who He is and what He does. The Bible says; “The things of God are foolishness to those who are without the Spirit”…Our knowledge of the Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome our sinful nature; power to overcome the temptations of Satan in our lives; power to live Christlike and holy lives; as we grow in our knowledge of Him… The power we need to - “witness” (To witness as to our faith and that which we have experienced!  Also the power to stand; to change; to grow; to apply that which we have been given (our gifts and talents) ; and to obey that which we have learned and understood.
    God’s second gift of the Holy Spirit also helps us to bear the fruit of the Spirit.  What is the fruit? - It is found in (Gal. 5:22) - “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”. To understand the Spirit’s role in the bearing of fruit, we need to turn to John 15:1-8….
    The proof of God’s presence in our life is not “gifts” it is “fruit”! If Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches, the Holy Spirit is the “sap” that flows and brings “life” to the branches. Spiritual fruit is just like real fruit, it first appears as a tiny bud… it soon becomes a flower… and then a small fruit appears and begins to grow into a full blown fruit!  This fruit has within it the potential to produce more fruit!  I don’t, at this time, want to get into the individual fruit of the Spirit, as much as gain an understanding of the role of the Spirit in our Christian walk. Again, we humans have two problems; the fact that we have sinned, and the fact that we are sinners. God, in His love and mercy has dealt with both. For the first he has given us His Son; for the second, He has given us His Spirit.
    1Cor. 12:7 tells us that the gifts are given (“for the common good”).  God has gifted us to help us function effectively as Christians; as His Church; and to prepare us to be participators in rather than spectators of, God’s work in the world. (1Peter 4:10) says; “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in it’s various forms.” We use our gifts and talents to serve one another and the church for God’s glory. Whatever gifts or talents we are blessed with we are to use for the common good of the church…1^st to promote growth and 2^nd. To bring unity. God’s purpose is not to bring competition but contribution!