“When He Reigns, It Pours”
Part - 2

    There were two seas that dominated the land of Jesus, the land where he was born and grew up, the land in which he lived and ministered, the land which some today call Israel, and others call Palestine. One of these two great bodies of water, filled with fresh water, fed by the head-waters of the Jordan River at Caesarea Philippi, was the center of much of Jesus’ activity during his ministry. It was a scene of sometimes tranquil, sometimes fierce beauty; for the length of its almost thirteen miles, fish abound in its waters, both in numbers and in kinds. As a result, from before the time of Christ to the present day, the boats of fishermen have dotted its surface and shoreline, giving birth to cities, like Capernaum and Bethsaida, that were haven and home to Jesus and his closest disciples…the fishermen; Peter, James and John. It is encircled by pebbled shores and rolling green slopes; trees huddle along its shores and sink their roots deep into the refreshment at water’s edge; the surrounding countryside is a patchwork of teeming cities and valuable farmland. At the southern tip of this sea, the Jordan River, having passed through the Sea of Galilee, continues its southerly trek through the land in which Jesus lived.
    Seventy miles south, after winding like a snake through the countryside, the Jordan empties into the other sea. This second sea Jesus knew boasted none of the characteristics of its northern counterpart. It receives water every day from the Jordan River, water that has collected mineral substances from the soil of the area, such as the chlorides of sodium, magnesium, and calcium. There these substances stay, for, unlike the Sea of Galilee to the north, this sea has no outlet… it receives but does not give… As a result, the water there is about four times as salty as the ocean; The water is bitter to the taste, and un-drinkable. In this southern sea can be found barely a trace of life; no fish, not even shellfish or coral are found beneath its surface. The landscape all around is unoccupied, it is a desert: a dry, rocky, wilderness.
    The dry, burnt look of the shoreline, the sometimes over-powering heat of the region, the lingering stench of sulfur, the apparent lack of life in and around the sea all combine to make its name—“The Dead Sea”— a fitting description.

    I mention these two seas as a parable this morning: one is a scene of beauty, a center of commerce, whose shores and depths teem with life; the other is quite the opposite; its shores are barren, the atmosphere is harsh, and its bitter waters cannot sustain life nor quench thirst. The Sea of Galilee is a blessing…the Dead Sea is not.
    In my last message, I spoke of the blessing of God to Abraham: “I will make you a blessing, and all nations shall be blessed through you.” I spoke also of the various ways and dimensions through which God chooses to bless…and when we think of blessings, we always seem to equate it with prosperity. However, the blessings of God go far beyond monetary and material things to the real reason and purpose for God’s blessing…and that is to turn people’s hearts toward Him. So it is that God’s plan has always been that through Abraham, through Christ His Son, and through you and I – the church – the blessings of God would flow out to the entire world. The key word being “through”…we are to be channels of God’s blessings in whatever form they may take; in whatever capacity He gives us.
    The list of examples is endless, but let’s thinks about the most obvious; If we are blessed with wealth, we can use it to buy whatever we need, want, or desire, and even store up things we don’t need and don’t use. Or, we can be channels of God’s blessing and use it to help others find and know God and the truth of the Gospel. We can use it to support missions and missionaries all over the world. We can use it to support and keep our local church alive.    
    Our blessing may be knowledge and we can help teach and advise those who do not know. Maybe it’s a talent or a gift that we can use to lead others to the love, and mercy and grace of God… Whatever the blessing, God wants to us to pass it on so other lives can be transformed and brought to a knowledge of God’s abundant life through Christ Jesus.
    The blessing of Christ is God’s ultimate blessing; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”! It’s not just a concept or a theory, it is truth. The Apostle Paul, filled with the joy of this greatest blessing of life through Christ, declared “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
    Christ came to bring healing and forgiveness to a world that had not heard from God in nearly 400 years. It is spoken of in Romans 4:7 – “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account”.
    God chose to pour out His greatest blessing through Christ as Paul says in Ephesians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Jesus was the channel of God’s blessing to the world. Every blessing we have should draw us closer to God through Christ. We don’t use Christ to get God’s blessings, we use God’s blessing to exalt and bring others to Him.
    Let me give you just another way in which we are blessed; Jesus said to his disciples, “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and blessed are your ears because they hear.” I am blessed and many of you are blessed because we have been given spiritual understanding and the wisdom of God’s Word. In the Parable of the Sower he said “the man who hears the word and understands it produces a crop yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
    In the Parable of the Talents we are admonished to use what we are given wisely in order to bring an increase of blessing.  In the story of the sheep and the goats, Jesus said “Come, you who are blessed by my Father”…Why were they blessed?...Because as Jesus said: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was sick and you looked after me.”…Why are they blessed? Because they were using whatever blessing – gift - or talent they had been given to bless others… “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed!”
    As Christ prepared to return to the Father in Luke 24:50, it says “When he had led them to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them!” The blessing of the Lord is never to be taken lightly, nor is it to be wasted on ourselves. If the disciples had not allowed the blessings of Christ to flow through them, we would not be here today. We are the product of God’s blessing through someone who allowed themselves to be channels of those blessings to build a church in order to worship God; to reach others for His glory! If we truly feel blessed, can we do anything less?  May all who have gone before us find us faithful! If He reigns, it pours! 

“When He Reigns, It Pours”
Proverbs 11:24-25

    Back in the Book of Genesis chapter 12:2and 3 God promised Abraham a blessing so powerful that it would impact all the nations of the earth. And, God also said that through Abraham and his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. (It is interesting to note that in Galatians 3:16 Christ is referred to as the “seed of Abraham”)…So, through Abraham, and ultimately through Christ, the blessings of God would flow out to all the world; especially and ultimately the blessing of salvation.

    God’s Word has a lot to say about the blessings of God. The power of God’s blessing can be a transform-ing power that is to flow through the life of a believer in many different dimensions. According to Acts 3:26 – the blessings of God are intended to turn people’s hearts from sinful ways and turn them back to God. We could say that the central purpose of God’s many blessings are to show him to the world, and turn their hearts back to him.
    Along with our scripture text for today, there are some other associated blessings I don’t want you to miss out on: First, Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” While this is not necessarily a message on Tithing, God certainly blesses us when we let his financial blessings flow through us.
    Here is another from Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I’ve chosen to sum up that principle this morning by taking some liberty with the Morton Salt slogan “When it rains, it pours”, and changing it to “When He reigns, it pours.”
    Flip Wilson was a popular comedian several years ago, some of you are old enough to remember him, but one of his characters was a Preacher at the "What’s Happening Now Church." In a skit that he did  He’d yell: "IF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO SERVE GOD IT’S GOT TO GET DOWN ON ITS KNEES AND CRAWL!!!" And the congregation would yell back "Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl!...And then he would yell: "AND ONCE THIS CHURCH HAS LEARNED TO CRAWL, IT’S GOT TO GET UP ON ITS FEET AND WALK!!!" And the congregation would yell back "Make it walk preacher, make it walk."… Then he would say: AND ONCE THIS CHURCH HAS LEARNED TO WALK IT’S GOT BEGIN TO LEARN TO RUN!!!" And they would yell, "Make it run, preacher, make it run!"…Then he would say, "AND IN ORDER TO RUN, ITS GOT REACH DEEP DOWN INTO POCKETS AND LEARN TO GIVE!!!" And after a pause, and the people would say "Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl!"
    The blessing of God is not intended to make us materially rich. In fact, material things have a way of hindering God’s blessing! While he has promised to provide our needs, our hearts must be set on Him and His Kingdom; “Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
    I could mention many ways in which we feel blessed by God…and they all are true blessings…but, I think one of the most important and fulfilling dimensions of God’s blessings is when we are “channels” of God’s blessing. The blessings of God in our lives, whatever we have received from God in our lives, be it financial, relationships, love, grace, they must flow through us to reach people and show them God…and when we are channels of those blessings, God will turn their hearts toward Him.  When we think of the many ways we have been blessed, we ought to ask ourselves if we have just received those blessings and held on to them for ourselves…or have we had opportunity to be a “channel” and shared that blessing with someone in need?
    I want to give you just five quick areas of our lives where I feel we can all become greater channels of blessing: I believe that God can take these areas and pour out so much blessing upon them that they will have an impact on our families, our community, and even our world, in a powerful way that has eternal results.
    The first area that we don’t usually think of as a blessing is prayer. We never think of saying “I feel bless-ed today because I can be a channel of God’s blessing on those for whom I am praying”. The power of prayer is incredible! If we could see the blessings that are unleashed through prayer, we would all become prayer warriors!  The next time you pray for someone, don’t just ask God to fill their need… ask God to release his blessings upon them, that they might turn to Him.
    Second, God wants us to be channels of Love. We receive God’s unconditional love, through Jesus Christ, we ought to let the love of God flow through us. The Word says that “we love because He first loved us.” Because God is love, he certainly has an infinite supply to pour into us so we can pour into others. I have said this before and it bears repeating; “If you are not going to love people – all people – unconditionally…then don’t tell them God does!”  It’s the most negative form of evangelism there is.
    Third, what about being a channel of God’s forgiveness? We ought to say that “I feel blessed today because I am forgiven…I have received God’s undeserved forgiveness.” It’s called Grace. The Lord, in fact, commands us to forgive others with the same kind of forgiveness we have received, and, He says, if we don’t forgive others then he won’t forgive us; that’s a sobering thought. Forgiveness is a blessing that must be passed on…
    Forth, just as God’s Word is a blessing to our lives, so our words can be a blessing in the lives of others. We can never underestimate the power of words. Words can bless, encourage, help, lift up and build up, but they can also have the opposite effect. Think about the fact that the hearts of people can be turned toward God because of our words…and they can also be turn away because of our words. If we want to be channels of God’s blessing, we must choose our words wisely and carefully.
    Finally, of course, we can be channels of all the blessings God has given us through our actions and deeds. Using our talents, gifts, time, resources, or whatever we have, to be channels of blessing to people in need. In the Church Doxology we sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”…Do we really believe that? I have to ask myself – “Am I living that?”
    Our scripture says “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” We have often heard that we are God’s hands and feet, we are God’s eyes and ears and God’s heart to the world… As we bless those around us, God pours his blessings back in an abundant supply. Proverbs 28:20 says “A faithful man will abound with blessings.”
    Captain Levy, a believer from Philadelphia, was once asked how he could give so much to the Lord’s work and still possess great wealth. The Captain replied, "Oh, as I shovel it out, He shovels it in, and the Lord has a bigger shovel."
    You can’t put a price tag on the satisfaction you get when you make someone’s life a little bit better. So, if you really feel blessed this morning – Pass it on!

“A Love That Gives”

1 John 2:9-11 and I John 3:16-19

    I want to begin today by explaining the difference between “pity” and “compassion”.  Pity looks at the television screen and says; “Oh, those poor people” and feels sorry for them, and goes on with life… Compassion however, looks at the television screen with tear filled eyes, and says “I must do something to help!” Often we are not physically able to be there and provide personal help, but there are ways we can help. Compassion will surpass sympathy and do whatever it can!  Number one of course, we can pray. We can pray for God to somehow give wisdom as to providing for the needs of those affected. For those who are able, we can also provide by giving to those organizations like the Red Cross and others who provide disaster relief.  We may feel that we can’t do much, if anything personally or on an individual basis, but maybe there is something we can do together, as a church, as the body of Christ.

    Well, let’s get to our message for today; Once again, I am looking at John’s letter of assurance. This is not a letter of condemnation or judgment, but rather a letter in which John gives us a list of things or ways in which we can point “inward” and KNOW that if these things are manifesting themselves in our lives, then we can be assured that we are a child of God; that we are born again; a part of the family of God, the body of Christ. If these things are not there in our lives, then John says we have a problem.
    Brotherly love, as the title of this message suggests, is a love that gives.  The command for God’s people to love each other has been around since the Jewish Old Testament Law. Leviticus 19:18 says, "’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
Jesus’ command is for us to love each other in the way we saw him love us by going to the cross, and that’s what made this command new when he told his friends at the last supper to "love each other, just as I have loved you." …it is a sacrificial love…a love that puts others and their needs first.  In John 13:34—Jesus said again; "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Then he repeats it again in John 15:12—“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” 
    The terms “love” and “hate” are not necessarily emotions or feelings as much as attitudes… Just as “light and darkness” are not places but rather actions that reflect our spiritual growth.  The love we have for one another and for our neighbors is a love that expresses itself in our actions and attitudes, not our feelings. In fact, we are to love others whether we FEEL like it or not. Some people are easier to love than others…I heard one preacher say  “Some Christians are like porcupines…they’ve got a few good points, but they’re hard to get close to!”
    What does John mean here by hate? -- "He who hates his brother…" The dictionary tells us that hate is "a feeling of extreme hostility or extreme dislike of another." That suffices as far as the definition. We know well this feeling, this dislike, this aversion to someone, a sense of extreme hostility toward another. Yet, you and I need to understand that it can be expressed in two different ways.  It can be active, in that we indulge in malicious talk or injurious actions toward another. We can strike them, or beat them,  throw our garbage over their fence, or mistreat them in some way. We can attack them; we can slander them behind their back. All of these are active expressions of hate, and perhaps most of us think of hate only in this sense. But hate can also be expressed passively and still be hate. It can be expressed by indifference, by coldness, by isolation, by exclusion, and unconcern for others.
    If you claim you are a child of God and yet “hate” any man - in John’s sense of the word - because of his face, his place, or his race, you are walking in the darkness…and, may need to check your walk. Sure it’s easy loving my wife, and loving my friends, but loving people I find irritating, people who I think are weird, or loving people who just grate me the wrong way...that takes God’s love. That’s why the word John chooses here is the Greek word “agape”, which describes God’s kind of love, the kind of love that’s given freely and generously, regardless of the worthiness of the object.  C. S. Lewis was right when he wrote in Mere Christ-ianity that “we spend too much time worrying about whether we really love our neighbor or not, when we should just act as if we do, and as we pray for them and do loving things, love will happen.”  When we give way to feelings and attitudes of hatred that John describes, we harden our own heart.
    Our love for one another is our badge of identity as Christians.  John is telling us the love we have is the badge that identifies us. When a police officer comes to your door, they will identify themselves by showing you their badge…when we claim to be saved, the badge people will see is the love - or lack there of - we have in our lives.  If we cannot love other Christians…those of God’s family, how are we going to love others who need to be in the family?
    Agape love is a love that gives. “For God so loved the world that He gave…His only Son”…The love motivates the action.  John says “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, (pity is not enough)…“That’s too bad” or “I feel so sorry for you” won’t cut it! But love with “actions and truth”… true compassion. We need to put hands and feet on our words if we are walking with our brother.
    “Here then is the assurance” says John, if we see someone in need…(and remember there are many types of needs)  and we have the ability or the capability to help, even in the smallest way, and yet are not stirred by compassion to take action, how can we set our hearts at rest?
    In Matthew 25:40 Jesus said; “Whatever you did for the least of these my brothers, you did for me”… The point is that we did something out of love, agape’ love, which tells us that we are not only walking in the light, but that we are truly walking with our brother.
    Finally, look at chapter 4 verses 7-12 …
I don’t know how you would interpret that, but to me it says “If God’s love stops here with me, it is income-plete!  God’s love is made complete when it flows through me and out to others! It’s a love that gives.  It gives of it’s time; it gives of its money; it gives of its talents and abilities; it serves without thought of reward.
    But, there is a flip side to this coin; when we are willing to give, there must be a willingness to receive!  We could say; “What good is it if we see a brother in need and we are willing to help, but he is not willing to receive? How many times do you suppose God has asked that question?  He is so willing to freely give of everything He has…all His love, all his peace, all His joy, all His wisdom…and the abundant life that He desires for us to live; but, we are unwilling to receive it.  What is stopping you from doing that today?