June 27, 2016 · 9:34 am

The Door of Invitation

Peninsula Community Church

Door of Invitation

June 26, 2016

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

In the past few weeks we have looked at the door of hope and the door faith. We found that through Christ the door of sorrow, disappointment, and trouble can be turned into a door of hope. The fact is there is nothing beyond the power of God to bring change. The door of faith taught us what faith is and what faith is not. Through that teaching we learned how we can step forward by faith into the things God has called us.

As I was preparing for this message, the memories of my childhood came rushing to the forefront. First of all, I remember when I grew up our doors were always open. This was in part because we needed circulation in our home as we had no air conditioning. But it was also a means by which we welcomed people into our home. In fact family and friends did not even have to knock they would just shout out to us as they came through the door. We felt safe and we felt that no one would harm us. That has certainly changed in our lifetime. I would guess that most of us never leave our doors open. Today, we are more guarded about who comes into our homes. Most of us have locks and dead bolts on our doors and many of us have an alarm system to protect us from unwanted guests.

I can also remember a day when the fuller brush man, the encyclopedia salesman, and the vacuum salesman would go door to door to push their wares. Today that has also changed. When the door bell rings how many of us answer the door with joy, especially when we look outside  and see an uninvited guest. The result is that we have become guarded, fearful, and isolated. In many cases instead of being welcoming we have instead shut people out of lives. Unfortunately we have done this to Jesus as well. We have become guarded, fearful, and isolated in our Christian experience.

It is interesting that Jesus, when writing to the church of Laodicean, wrote that He was standing at the door and knocking. The church of Laodicean was one of the seven churches of Asia Minor to whom Jesus was writing to encourage and warn them of their spiritual condition. Jesus knew their spiritual condition intimately and He was warning them, they needed to change. We see this in the fact that Jesus pulls no punches in His analysis of this church as He calls them a lukewarm church.

He does this because the Laodicean Church had everything that it needed but it had left God out of the equation. They were trying to do good things but without the One who could make it happen. They had a false sense of who they were. They were going through the motions of Christianity without the power source. They were Christian in name but were not accomplishing much for God. They professed Christ but they trusted their abilities and their riches more than they trusted the one who died for their sin. They had therefore been neutralized in their effectiveness for Christ.

This was such an egregious act that Jesus makes an amazing statement in regard to their lukewarmness. He states that He would rather that they would be hot or cold. He is warning them about towing the line in the middle. He defines this as being lukewarm. He was saying  to them that they not try to play both sides of the fence. He was saying do not be half in and half out. By being lukewarm their effectiveness as believers had been diminished because lukewarm things serve no purpose. Cold water protects and preserves food while hot water is used to cook and prepare food. Lukewarm water does neither. It is ineffective to accomplish anything of value. It is interesting that this illustration of lukewarmness here is not a matter of being a Christian or not. It is a matter of being a believer that is fully committed and dedicated to the cause of Christ.

When we read through the Bible, we find that this idea of choosing is not a new theme of Scripture. Throughout the Bible we find references to believers choosing who and how they will serve the One true God. In the Old Testament, Joshua challenged the children of Israel. In Joshua 24:14-15, in one of his final messages to the nation, Joshua encouraged them to choose who they would serve. His challenge was simple. Choose God or choose Baal but choose one or the other and don’t ride the fence. He was saying, you cannot have it both ways. You cannot claim to serve God and then serve the devil at the same time. The result will be a fruitless life that is filled with a dissatisfaction with God and others.

Jesus also reminds us of this need to choose in Matthew 6:24. He stated that “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The Laodicean Church had become comfortable with their riches and their abilities when in fact they were wretched, blind, and spiritually poor. They had in fact deceived themselves into believing that they were ok with God. With the Laodicean Church Jesus had a response that might surprise us. He stated that the result of being lukewarm is that He would spit them out of His mouth. He is saying to them their spiritual condition is not tolerable and it is unacceptable.

As Jesus does so often, however, while He reprimands the church about their spiritual condition, He offers a way of renewal and He offers hope. First, Jesus says to buy from Him gold that is refined by fire so that they might be rich in what really matters. Gold represents that which is eternal and that which lasts. Riches will be lost. Success will fail. What we have stored away will become rusted and rotted. For that reason Jesus made this statement about this matter. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21). Their treasure was in themselves and not in the riches of Christ and who He was.

Secondly, Jesus paints a picture of Him standing at the door and knocking. He stands at the door of your heart because He wants to abide with you and not just visit. Before we look at this let me clear up a couple of misinterpretations or misunderstandings of this passage. Too often this verse is interpreted as if Jesus is knocking on the door of the sinner’s heart but that is not who Jesus is concerned with here. He is knocking on the door of the lukewarm believer who is settling for a wishy washy and uncommitted way of life.

Secondly, it has been suggested by some of America’s great pastors that Jesus was not just passively standing at the door but rather He was pounding on the door with a sense of urgency.  He meant business with the church. He loved them enough that He was willing to get serious about their condition and He was unwilling to settle for anything but their best. Jesus was standing at the door of the believers heart to usher in a new day. His desire was to come in and abide with them. In John 15 we are reminded that if we abide in Him, He will abide in us. He in fact desires to live in relationship with us. He desires to reside with us and not just visit us. This is important as we tend to treat visitors differently than we do people who reside with us.

Listen to this statement by Pastor John Piper. Christ did not die to redeem a bride who would keep him on the porch while she watched television in the den. His will for the church is that we open the door, all the doors of our life. He wants to join you in the dining room, spread a meal out for you, and eat with you and talk with you. The opposite of lukewarmness is the fervor you experience when you enjoy a candlelit dinner with Jesus Christ in the innermost room of your heart. And when Jesus Christ, the source of all God’s creation, is dining with you in your heart, then you have all the gold, all the garments, and all the medicine in the world. You have healing and the result is that you are an overcomer through Christ.

Finally, we witness, through this action of Jesus, that no matter how you have lived your life He is standing at the door of your heart and He wants to come in and dine with you. We are reminded that there is nothing that you can do to get Christ to stop loving you. You cannot get Christ to hate you. He loves you and He desires a personal relationship with you.

So how do you buy gold when you’re broke and spiritually drained? We do so by praying, and trusting the promise: ‘I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.’ When He dwells in the innermost room of our affections, He brings us the power to conquer selfishness and live for others.”

So what do we do with this message. We invite Christ to reside in our hearts and not just visit with us. We open the door to our hearts and invite Him in to live with us. Perhaps your relationship with Christ has become stale and so it seems that Christ is distanced from you. Perhaps you have never opened your heart to Christ. Regardless of where you are today if you will open the door of your heart, He will come in and He will dine with you. He will spread a table of riches and nourishment that cannot be gotten by any other means.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

June 13, 2016 · 10:24 am

The Door of Faith

Peninsula Community Church

The Door of Faith

June 12, 2016 

Acts 14:27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

Good morning! Last week we began a series on four Biblical doors that are critical to our walk in Christ and our ministry to the world around us. I want to continue looking at these doors this morning. Last week we looked at the door of hope. We were encouraged by the fact that our valley of trouble, discouragement, and sorrow can be turned into an opportunity of hope (Hosea 2:15). We also realized that God does not waste anything in our lives. In fact, our sorrow and our trouble can actually be used by God for our good and the good of others (2 Corinthians 1:3-6).

Today, I would like to look at the second of these doors. It is the door of faith. Just as much as hope is an important part of our life so is faith. We are reminded in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. This is an incredible concept. Faith is the basis for all that we do. Faith is the requirement to accept Christ but it is also a requirement to live our life to its fullest. Faith is the mechanism by which we please and honor God with our lives.

Before we look at this passage, specifically, let us take a moment and understand what Biblical  faith is. We begin with Hebrews where the writer states Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible (Hebrews 12:1-2). Faith at its core is a belief in and an assurance in the creator of the universe. It is a belief that there is more to life than what is visible to us now. It is a belief in One who not only created the heavens and the earth but also created us in His image. That is a powerful truth but one that can be hard to grasp. Though it might be hard it is necessary as it is the very essence of our faith. In this passage we find that faith is the substance or assurance of the things hoped for. It is what our hope is made of as it is the conviction about things not seen. It is a conviction that God will do what He said He would.

While faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen we must also see that Biblical faith does not reject or deny reality. You see true faith is never based on a false premise or idea. In fact, I would suggest that real faith is a recognition of truth and one’s reality. Once we know truth and what is real, then faith calls us to trust God in spite of the reality we are experiencing. By basing our faith on truth we are less likely to be discouraged by the event or the reality of the situation we face. Let me illustrate this. If I have a headache, I cannot deny the fact I have a headache. Denying the headache does nothing to heal it.

To exercise my faith, I must first admit the truth that I do indeed have a headache. When I recognize I have a headache I can take something for it and I can pray and trust God for the headache to go away. I lived this out a couple of weeks ago. I woke up with an incredible headache across my forehead that ran down to my lower neck. I could hardly think straight as a result. I took Advil. I tried to sleep but nothing helped. Because of the reality of the headache I continued to ask God to remove the pain. You see my faith did not deny the pain but rather it moved me to pray and trust God to take care of it. And He did.

There are also times when we must take a step of faith without knowing what the future holds. In some cases there is no evidence of what God is going to do or even what the outcome will be but we trust God, trust His will, and His purpose for our life anyway. We step out in faith with the knowledge we have and let God take care of the rest.

Finally, we must understand that faith is not an opportunity to do or get whatever we want. I love what Max Lucado had to say about this. He stated that “faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.” That is so true. Our wants and desires must be submitted to God who is faithful and is ready to fill us with His power and grace. Sometimes we falsely believe that faith allows me to desire anything and that He somehow has to submit to my demands. That is not faith. A number of years ago we were looking to buy a house. We were told by someone that we should find the house we wanted, then stand in front of the house and demand that God would give us the house. To them anything else would be a lack of faith. But that is not faith, faith is an understanding of truth and a reaction to God’s grace and to His will.

Let us now turn to the passage before us today. One of the greatest steps of faith to be made is to receive Christ as our Savior. In terms of faith, it is a two-fold process. It takes faith to receive Christ and it tales faith to share Christ with others. To be honest it is in the sharing of our faith that our faith is often tested the most. Paul is communicating that a door of faith has been opened to the Gentiles. This was no easy task but faith had been given to them which resulted in a door of receptivity being opened.

To understand this we need to understand the history of the Jews and Gentiles at this time. First of all the Gentiles and Jews were not friends. In fact, they were antagonistic to each other. It was a bit of an interesting phenomena. The Jews did not want to share the gospel with the Gentiles and the Gentiles certainly did not want to hear the Jew’s gospel. This was in part because the Jews were making it so hard for the Gentiles to come to Christ as they were adding all of these extra steps to the process. For example, the Jews wanted them to be circumcised but the Gentiles rejected that and in the process they rejected Christ as well. But God had a different plan for the Gentiles. He was about to open the door of faith to them that would allow them to accept Christ. God used two men in particular to change the course of history for the Gentiles. This is one of those monumental times in the history of the church. The actions of these two men now echo thorough the hallways of history. And as a result we are sitting here today as believers in Christ because of these men’s response to God.

Cornelius and Peter were ordained of God and started a revolution. They revolted against the norms of the day and were obedient to God’s calling upon them. In Acts 10 we have their story. As we read the story, we find that Cornelius, a converted Gentile, was in prayer and God gave Him a vision of one who could come and bridge the gap between the Gentile system of belief and the Jewish believer’s system of belief. By virtue of a vision received by Cornelius he went to find Peter and invited Peter to share the message of Christ. The amazing thing is that at the same time Peter had a vision as well. He had a vision of a blanket being let down from the sky containing all of the foods that were forbidden to be eaten by the Jews. What Jesus was saying is that Peter was to move outside his comfort zone. He was to go to those who were not like him.

One of the great hindrances to finding an open door of faith is that we do not share Christ because it does not fit into our comfortableness. Peter was called to move outside his comfort zone to share Christ with those to whom he was called. He had to give up his religious traditions in order to bridge the gap between the Jews and the Gentiles. Notice he did not compromise the message he simply modified the approach. In so doing, the Gentiles came to know Christ and the Jews and the Gentiles were united together by faith.

A second point here is that they also had to move outside of the way it had always been done. You see the Jews wanted the Gentiles to come to Christ through Judaism and not through the work of Christ. Jesus recognized this when He stated that “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:7-13). Note here that Jesus said that He is the door. He is the avenue by which we come to Christ and it is the same avenue that those around us will come to Christ as well. He is the door. He is the way to heaven. Any other method of salvation is an open door for the thief to come to rob, steal, kill, and destroy. Coming to faith by any other door will cause there to be a false sense of hope and a false sense of one’s future.

So in the final analysis we find that a door of faith was opened for the Gentiles so that they could be born into the family of God. With that said let me make a couple of final observations in this regard. First of all the door of faith was opened by Christ alone. It was not Christ and something else as in the case of circumcision. It was Christ. So it is for us today. Salvation comes from Christ alone. We don’t work for it we simply receive it.

Secondly, the Gentiles were reached right where they were. They did not have to change to receive Christ. They did not have to become Jews as Christ accepted them just as they were. And because Christ received them where they were, He imparted to them the fulness of God by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Christ saved them and filled them with all that He was.

Thirdly and finally, Cornelius and Peter were found faithful and as a result there was an echo of faith extended through the centuries to where it has touched us here in this little town of Selbyville. In the moment they were faithful they acted on the calling of God and they became bridge builders between not just the Jew and Gentile but between the lost and Christ. That is our call today. We can pray for an open door of faith for us as well. We can pray that we too can share our faith those around us. We will see them go through the door of faith and enter into a relationship with Christ. Then will receive all that God has to offer.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

June 6, 2016 · 9:38 am

Comforted to Comfort

Peninsula Community Church

June 5, 2016

Comforted to Comfort 

As I was preparing this message I was drawn to the doors that are represented through the Bible. In fact studying this I came across four doors that I believe are critical to our growth and our understanding of the love of God for us. These four doors also represent the ministry we have to those around us. I trust that you find them as interesting and powerful as I do.

The four doors that I am speaking of are represented by the door of hope, the door of faith, the door of opportunity, and the door of invitation. Over the next couple of weeks we will take a look at these doors and how they apply to our life. Before we do that, let me make a couple of brief observations about doors as a whole. First of all, doors are designed for privacy. For the most part doors keep some things in and other things out. In so doing doors provide an opportunity for protection and safety. Doors often define who we are and our status. In our home we all have those doors that no one outside the family will go through. And finally, doors represent a future for us because we never venture into our future unless we go through the doors presented to us.

With that said lets us look at the first door which is the door of hope. In Hosea 2:15 we find these words. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. On a first read of this passage this may not seem like much but we must understand that the term or word for Achor means trouble or sorrow. So what is Hosea communicating? He is saying that the Valley of Achor or the valley of trouble and sorrow will become a door of hope. In other words, our sorrows and the trouble we experience can be the very thing that God uses to bring hope and life to us and subsequently to others.

Perhaps the best way to understand this is to go back to the original story that Hosea is basing his comments on. After the Children of Israel had crossed over into the Promise Land they had to confront the city of Jericho. Before they battled Jericho they had been given specific instructions on how to do battle with the first city they encountered. This came by way of prayer and by seeking God’s will as to what they were to do. As we know, they obeyed God’s commands and the walls of Jericho came down just as God had promised. They were obedient and God was faithful to protect and to do battle on their behalf.

Now lets fast forward to a few weeks later where we find Israel facing yet another city (Joshua 7). They now had to encounter the city of Ai which was another stronghold they needed to defeat. But as we read the story we find there are a couple of issues. First, during the battle with Jericho we find them seeking God and seeking His will about the battle. But at Ai there is no record of them praying or seeking God before they went into battle. It appears they were relying on their past exploits to get them to where they wanted to be. Instead of seeking God they just moved a head into battle. They were in fact prideful and lived like they did not need God. And as a result they lost big time. They were routed out of the city and many of their soldiers were killed.

Secondly, we find that not only did they not pray and listen for God’s will but one of their members were defiant and disobedient to God’s plan. God had commanded that during the battle of Jericho they were not to take any spoils of war. They were to depend on God for His provision and His protection. But they disobeyed. One member of their community disobeyed God big time. The man was Achan and he took from Jericho a fine garment and some of the gold and silver. This may not seem like much today but it was a matter of specific disobedience to God’s command. And God could not allow disobedience to reign in them.

Rather than trust God they began to trust their own ingenuity and their own abilities. The result of Achan’s disobedience and him taking of the spoils of war was that he and his family were stoned to death. This was a difficult time for Israel. Because of the sorrow and difficulty faced by Israel they named the place where Achan was stoned the Valley of Achor. As we noted before the name Achor means sorrow, disappointment, and trouble. Achor was an appropriate name because of the sorrow, the disappointment, and the trouble they were experiencing. They lost the battle at Ai, they lost loved ones, and now one of their own had to be killed because of disobedience. They were in sorrow! They were in trouble! The Bible defines this emotional moments as their hearts being melted and becoming as water (Joshua 7:5). What a illustration? They were destroyed emotionally. It was from this place of pain and hurt that Hosea proclaimed though they are experiencing deep pain and hurt God would transform the valley of Achor into a door of hope. The very trial they experienced would be used to deliver them.

But how does this apply to us? First of all my guess is we have all had a Valley of Achor experience. We have all faced disappointment and discouragement. We have been filled with sorrow because of the events of our life. We have experienced lost hope. We have all experienced our hearts feeling like they have melted and we have beed weakened by the pressures of life. But there is a promise of hope and life. God has promised that He will make our Valley of Achor a door of hope.

Perhaps you are going through a deep valley at this moment in your life. As a Christian, you might question God’s concern for you while you are walking through your personal valley of sorrow. Adoniram Judson, a great missionary to Burma, was in prison because of his faith. In prison he was taunted by his Burmese captors. They continued to ask him again and again, “How does your future look to you now?” Their desire was to further his discouragement and to use his sorrow against him. That is exactly what the enemy does to us. The enemy attempts to take our sorrow and use it against us. But in Judson’s case he had a strong faith in God and the Word of God. His response was this.“My future is as bright as the promise of God.” Judson depended on God and He trusted God to keep His promises. That is what he focused his future on.

While we might take a journey through the valley of sorrow we do not have to fear nor do we have to take up residence in the Valley of Achor. Why is that? It is because God is with us. He, Jesus came to give us life and to heal our brokenness. He came to give us a door of hope. Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah 61:1-4. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—  to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. To fully understand this passage we must know that in Isaiah’s day everyone knew when you were in sorrow and in trouble. How? you would put on sack cloth or burlap. You would smear ashes around your face and you would mope around town as if you were on your death bed.

I do not know about you but I am blessed by these words. My brokenness, my sorrow can be healed by God. No matter what I go through God can heal the brokenness and the sorrow I experience. Instead of ashes, we are given a beautiful headdress. We have been given the oil of gladness instead of mourning. Instead of a faint spirit we have given a garment of praise. The result is that we are called oaks of righteousness. This means we are strong and we can endure the trials of life. Here’s the deal through Christ we overcome.

But there is another aspect that bears our discussion in terms of the door of hope. It is that our sorrow and the difficulties we face are never wasted. What we think is our worse moment, God turns it around for our good. Listen to the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

What is the plan of God? It is to encourage us and to deliver us so we can be a blessing to others. Carter Conlon the pastor of Times Square Church in Manhattan stated that “One of the reasons we will have tribulation in this world is because it is often the only way people around us will ever know that God is real. You and I will have to walk through the same fire, the same flood, the same difficult days as everybody else. However, the difference is that we have an inner source of strength that will carry us through and give us a song of praise.” What he is saying here is that in our tribulation we become real before those we encounter. By being real and allowing God to be real through us we have an opportunity to speak into others lives.

Let me let you in on a secret. One of the greatest tools for evangelism you will ever have is your testimony. We have all experienced God’s grace and His work in our life. You may not be a theologian but you have a testimony. You may not know the Roman Road but you know what God has done in you. You may not know the Scripture, but you know the promises that God has fulfilled in you. People want to know that we are real and that we serve a real God. We help them see that by sharing the sorrow we have experienced. We do so by letting God shine through us so that others see God and know His grace to us. You see you suffer so that others will see that you are real and that God is real as well.

This is not some mixed up plan from a diabolical God but it is a tool that He uses to bring life and to open doors of faith, opportunity and invitation to others. It glorifies God. Notice in the passage in Isaiah that read earlier. The Bible says that He gives us the oil of gladness, the beautiful headdress, and the garment of praise so that He will be praised and honored. That is our goal. That is our purpose to honor God and to let Him be honored through us.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

May 31, 2016 · 10:05 am

Freedom Received and Freedom Given

Peninsula Community Church

Freedom Received and Freedom Given

May 27, 2016

Galatians 5:1,13 – For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. For many, it is a day to barbecue and head to the beach. It is a time for families and friends to enjoy time together. It is also a time to relax and enjoy some down time. But the reality is that while it is a weekend to enjoy it is also a to pause to remember those who have given their lives so we could have the freedom we experience today. Unfortunately, too many have forgotten the purpose and value of Memorial Day.

On Memorial Day we are reminded that so many of our men and women in the armed forces have died fighting for our freedom. As we look down the halls of history we are reminded that our freedom as a nation was not cheap. In fact, it was priceless. Our freedom has come at the expense of the blood of young men and women who chose to give themselves to gain our freedom. Listen to these numbers. During the revolution war, 4500 people gave there life to acquire our initial freedom as a nation. The Civil War was the bloodiest campaign on American soil. 498,000 Northern soldiers were killed and 133,000 soldiers from the South died. That is a total of 631,000 men killed. In World War One, 116,000 American soldiers died and in World War Two that number increased to 407,000 American soldiers who died on our behalf. In the Korean conflict there were nearly 40,000 who gave their life for our freedom. The Korean conflict was followed by the Vietnam conflict where 58,000 died. Then most recently we have seen the Middle Eastern conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq which together have claimed more than 7000 lives. In total more than 1.2 million Americans have died to gain and keep the freedom we enjoy in this country. Let me put this into perspective. In our day, this would include every man, woman and child who live in Delaware, Somerset county, Dorchester county, Wicomico County, and Worcester County.

So today as Americans, Memorial Day is more than a picnic or family gathering, it is an opportunity to remember those brave soldiers who have sacrificed their lives defending our country and our freedom. Jesus understood this great feat when He stated that “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for friends” (John 15:13). These men and women who loved this country and loved the freedom we possess laid down their life for us. Our freedom through the years has run crimson red with the blood of those who gave themselves sacrificially. This does not even include those who were maimed and who suffered the mental diminishment that comes from battle. The fact is these men sacrificed so we could live free.

I am so glad to be an American and live in the freedom that is ours but there is another freedom that I would like to talk about today. We find this freedom referenced in our passage. It is here that we discover that as believers we have a great freedom provided for us. This freedom was paid by the blood of one man, Jesus Christ. Many gave themselves so we could have national freedom, but He gave Himself so we could have personal spiritual freedom.

Paul states that it was for freedom that Christ has set us free. If you want to know the will of God, it is here. God wants us to be free. It is His will. It is His desire that we live free from the power of sin and from the past which tends to bind us and control our future. He wants us to live free from the emotional bondage that dictates our present circumstances and future experiences. Pauls is saying you are free so live as freemen.

In preparing for this study, I was reminded about a conversation I had with a pastor who had faithfully served God behind the iron curtain. Right after the wall, in the Soviet Union, had fallen I had the privilege of getting to know this pastor. As I was talking to him about this new found freedom he made an interesting observation. He stated that the people of the Soviet Union had lived under the thumb of communism for so long they did not know how to live in freedom. He went on to say that they had to be taught in many cases what that meant. He even gave me an illustration to explain what he was trying to communicate. He stated that a baker in his town use to have the government tell him what time he was to open and close, because he was subsidized by the government. The problem is after the wall fell, he continued to close at odd times. He would have a line of people with plenty of bread left over and he would just close because he decided it was time to close. He was so used to being controlled by the government that he did not know how to live without their control. That is why the Scripture tells us that we have been given freedom so we must live as free men.

This brings me to a second idea presented in our text. In our freedom we cannot be yoked with slavery again. Paul gives us a clear and unqualified command here. Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. He desires uncompromising, unrelenting and indomitable freedom. It is for this that He died. It is for this that He rose. You see the problem is that too often we so easily want to go back to what is comfortable and easy rather than what is right. The problem is that too often we fall back on the things that cause us to be yoked again to slavery. Freedom is not easy and it is not cheap. We must fight for it whatever the cost.

There is a second idea to be considered here. The problem is that too often we are set free but we become constrained by legalism. We are saved to freedom but we begin to live in bondage to the rules and regulations more than to the person of Christ. It is noteworthy that there are some who purport to be free but they still live under the thumb of legalism similar to the Russians who had been freed from Communism but still lived as if communism still reigend. Legalism is understood as the act and art of adding to what Christ has done for us. The fact is there is a tendency for all of us to have a bit of legalism in us. To understand this we must look at what controls us? Is it legalism or is it our freedom in Christ? Do we live as free men or do we live like Russian citizens?

One of the things Paul is communicating is that our freedom is always being tested and it is always under attack. The enemy does not want us to live in freedom, in fact it is the opposite, he wants us to be yoked and hindered in our walk. He does not have to stop us he just has to get us to compromise. We see this from a national prospective today. The enemy has lulled us into allowing our freedoms as a nation to be eroded one step at a time. We are on a slippery slope of sin and compromise. Step by step we have seen our freedom eroded and sin being elevated to a position of acceptability and as being natural.

We are also reminded that Jesus did not come to replace our chains with more chains. He came to set us free. We must remember that we do not lose our free will when we choose to follow Christ. We are urged to lay aside our wills in exchange for His. We do this not because He is a mean God that simply wants to control us, but because He knows what is best for us. When we choose to follow Jesus we are presented with a life full of freedom, but we must choose to live it. It’s up to us to refuse to become re-enslaved by the Law, by rules, and by sin. Jesus came to bring love and freedom. Let us not trade these precious gifts in for duty and slavery. As a nation, we have been given freedom as a precious gift. We must be so careful that we protect that freedom and do all we can to keep our freedom safe.

The third idea presented here is that we are not to use our freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. What is Paul saying? Paul is saying that while we are free in Christ we must never use our freedom in a way that allows the flesh to have authority over us. Notice what is happening in our nation today. We are using our freedom that was paid for by the blood of men and women who freely served to allow sin to reign. That is Paul’s warning here!

Who would have ever thought that we would be discussing or debating the issues that we are discussing today. Many of those who gave themselves for us are rolling over in their graves to know that the freedom they fought for is being abused. Who would have ever thought that we would be discussing the right of men to use the women’s restroom and vice versus just because one identifies as a man or a woman and not as God has created them. In our walk before the Lord, we must never use our freedom to allow the flesh to reign in us. Here is the problem that must be addressed. Our freedom never gives us permission to allow sin to reign in us or for us to do anything we want without boundaries. Your freedom is not license to sin. Freedom means taking responsibility and doing what is right. That is so lacking in our nation today.

Finally, in these passages Paul instructs us to love and serve others. We are to walk in freedom. Through love we are to serve others. There is a distinct link between the work of Christ in our life and the work of love that we are to give those around us. Too often we forget all that God has done for us. Too often we forget the freedom we have. In so doing we hold others to a higher accountability than we ourselves want to hold. Here is amazing fact, freedom allows me to love. Freedom makes love possible for me. Too often we attempt to walk in freedom but we put others in bondage because of our own condemnation and judgmental attitudes. Without spiritual freedom we are constrained by what makes us look good and not by the power of God. This applies to our church family, our personal family, and the community in which we live. Our service to others must be motivated by love.

So what do we do? First, we must realize that freedom not used is freedom abused. We are seeing our freedoms being eroded and I question whether or not it is because we have taken our freedom for granted. This applies to us as a citizen of the United States but it also applies to those who are passionate followers of Christ. We must never take our freedom for granted.

Secondly, we must realize that freedom abused is not freedom at all. We live as free men or we are not free at all. True freedom is not a right to allow us too see how much we can get away with but rather it is the opposite. True freedom gives us the strength and wisdom to follow after God’s heart and His will.

Thirdly, we must act with purpose. The question we must ask is do we settle or do we act with a purpose. Do we value our freedom? Do we do “the right things” for Jesus because you have to or because you want to. Ask yourself, why you are doing the “Christian things” that you do? Is it out of love or is it out of obligation? Love must always rule over obligation.

Fourth and finally, we need to celebrate our freedom by being a people that lives in appreciation of what we have been given. We must live with thankful hearts and gracious hearts. By having thankful and gracious hearts we will never take the freedom we have for granted. Nor will take those around is for granted either. Remember it is for freedom that we are free.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

May 23, 2016 · 11:28 am

What is Righteousness?

Peninsula Community Church

What is Righteousness?

May 22, 2016

Today we will look at the question of what is righteousness? To do so we will look at the one of the great fathers of our faith, Abraham. The Bible tells us that Abraham receive righteousness not by working for it but as an act of faith when he believed and acted on God’s word. Look at this pasta with me.

Romans 4:22-25 – That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

As we begin, let me ask you a question this morning? How good are you? How righteous is your righteousness? Are you holy? If so, how holy are you? If righteous, then what makes you righteous? Is it your works or your actions? When it comes to sin, how many sins do you have to commit to be no longer righteous? Is it one, or two, or three? Does the level of the sin or the kind of sin we commit make a difference in whether or not we are righteous?

These might be questions you have asked or at least have considered at some point in time. In fact, I would suggest that one of the big issues we face as Christians is the question of how good is good enough. In attempting to deal with this question, there is a tendency to strive and work hard at being good as if our works make us righteous. I know the struggle as I have attempted to be good enough to please God and gain His favor. There is a problem however when I attempt to be good by my own works and by my own efforts. You see, I can believe that if I act right, do right, and keep all of the rules, I will be accepted by God but the problem is that too often I strive to become something I already am. I am not righteous by my works, I am righteous because of the work of Christ in me.

The question of righteousness and good works is not just an issue in the church but it also an issue in the communities we live. Many around us believe that if they are only good enough they will be accepted by God. They believe that if somehow, at the end of their life, that if they have more checkmarks in their good deeds column and less in their bad deeds column they will end up in heaven. They do not realize what is needed is a relationship with Christ to enter Heaven. Sometimes, we are at fault here in that we do not intend to but we put church attendance above a relationship with Christ. We present a gospel that says if you only go to church or if you do the right things then you will be good enough. But the question has to be asked, how many times do you have to go to church to be righteous? Once a month, twice a month, or every Sunday. What if I miss a Sunday? Does that mean that I am no longer good enough?

In its purest form, the word righteousness means being presentable or good enough to please. It means to be in right standing and and to do the right thing. As believers in Christ, righteousness is not just about doing right or wrong, it is about our position in Christ and what Christ has done for us. You see, we are presentable and good through the work of Christ. Am I perfect? No! But I am growing in grace and in the knowledge of God. The problem too often is that apart from the work of Christ we struggle to do right and be right, but God considers us to be righteous and holy because of His work on the cross and our corresponding faith in Him. It is not what we do that makes us righteous. We are righteous because He has made us that way through salvation.

To understand righteousness let me make a couple of observations about what the Bible has to say about self-righteousness. First of all, we have to know that our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6.) The problem with filthy rags is that there is not much to be done with them other than to throw them out or burn them. Here is the point that is being made; no matter how good our acts or actions might be they cannot be compared to the work of grace in our hearts. The problem is that when we compare our righteousness to the righteousness of Christ we all fall short. But that is the very reason why we have to see ourselves righteous in His eyes. We are all sinners, the only difference is that we have been given the gift of righteousness so that we can live in freedom from sin and the power of sin over us.

Secondly, the Bible tells us that none are righteous. Listen to Romans 3:10-12. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” When we are left to our own devices the tendency is to live life by our own measure of righteousness. When left to our vices we have a huge inclination toward sin because we are motivated by the carnal nature that is alive and well in us. Apart from God it is impossible to live godly and righteous lives. Without the drawing of the Holy Spirit we cannot possibly be righteous.

Thirdly, we must understand that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We all sin and we have all sinned, past tense. There is no-one that is perfect but that does not mean that we do not live righteously. We have all come short of manifesting God’s presence in our life. We may not commit one of the big sins of life but we do sin when we respond to people with a bad attitude or heart that is motivated by anything but God’s word. When it comes to those in our community we cannot approach them with pride but with a humility that bows before our God who has graciously saved us and redeemed us. Except for the grace of God, we would be right where they are spiritually.

Even though we fall short, and fail so often, the Bible reminds us that If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. We are also reminded that we can say we have no sin but that makes us a liar. Here is the beauty of this passage. While we might sin, he does not cast us off but rather He accepts us through the work of the cross. The community around us needs this message. No sin, no wrong keeps us from Christ’s grace and His love and the best way to share this is is by way of our personal testimony.

With that said let us now look at the Biblical description of Godly Righteousness. First, Godly righteousness is an act of faith. We find that Abraham’s faith was the channel by which righteousness came to him. He acted on what God commanded by faith and then righteousness was imparted or given to him by faith. His righteousness was not based on his works but on his faith. While circumcision was important to Abraham, his righteousness was imparted to him before he was circumcised. This is important because it was not the act of circumcision that made Abraham righteous, it was his faith in God. In Romans 4, listen to what Paul said. For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.

Secondly, Godly righteousness is a gift of God. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). While death came as a result of one man’s transgression grace and righteousness came through the gift of God. Just as His grace is a gift so is His righteousness. We don’t deserve it but He makes us righteous because He loves us and because of who He is. Our acts do not make us righteous we are righteous because of the gift of God. Listen again to Paul’s words.

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: – Romans 4:1-6. Righteousness is a free gift from God.

Thirdly, Godly righteousness is a guide to keep the law. He gives righteousness so we can live free and holy. The teaching of righteousness in the book of Romans served to give a blow to the Jewish the way of thinking. They were living under the false pretense that by living right they were made right. The key here is the order of things. We do not do acts of righteousness to be righteousness but rather we do acts of righteousness because we are righteous. There is a difference. When we do things to become righteous we begin to live a lifestyle oriented toward works and pleasing others. The result is that we find ourselves striving for results and doing things solely so that we will look good. With that said we must understand that while the law does not make us righteous, we do need to follow the law and its commands. Otherwise, we end up doing whatever we choose rather than basing our life in the truth of the gospel.

So what is the application of this? First, we need to accept God’s gift of righteousness. Just as we received God’s gift of grace we must also accept the gift of righteousness. Don’t strive to be righteous. Rest in the work that has already been done on our behalf. Secondly, we must grasp the fact that we are already righteous as believers. We do not work for righteousness, it is a free gift. Because it is a gift we stand righteous because of Christ. Therefore, we don’t work for righteousness we are already righteous through the work of Christ in us.

Thirdly, we must obey and follow God’s commands. To show our love and respect for God’s work in our life we obey and follow God’s commands. We do so because we are righteous and not the other away around. You see we live righteously because we are righteous. This means that we go to the Lord with those areas in our life where we are falling short and failing to keep His commands. He forgives and we are renewed in holiness and righteousness.

Finally, we need to share the power of righteousness with those around us. Remember people can never be good enough they simply need to receive the righteousness of God and His gift of grace. We do that by accepting Christ as our Savior.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as

May 16, 2016 · 3:34 pm

What Is Grace?

Peninsula Community Church

What Is Grace? 

May 15, 2016

This morning I would like to look at the subject of what is grace. We talk about grace. We sing about grace. We read about grace but what is grace really. Let’s read this passage together.

Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What a powerful scripture. As we begin I ask that you notice a couple of things about this passage. First, God who is rich in mercy did not give us what we deserve. You see we deserved death. Because of our sin we deserved the penalty that was laid upon the back of Christ. Instead of the penalty of death, through mercy we received life. Secondly, notice that Paul says that we are saved by grace. Through mercy we did not receive what we deserved and through grace we received what we did not deserve. But notice a third thing in this passage, it takes faith to believe that Christ has given us eternal life. This acceptance is not because we deserve it but it is just the opposite. We did not deserve it but because of Christ’s love for us He has saved us. That is Paul’s message to us.

To fully understand grace let us look at three distinctive qualities found in grace. First of all grace is unmerited. Paul stated that “It is by grace that we are saved and not by our works.” I heard Robert Morris, senior pastor of Gateway church, tell the story of a pastor who was questioned about what grace is. After the pastor thought for some time he described grace like being in a row boat. He described the boat itself as grace and the river as being life. He described the Christian life as placing the oars into one’s hands and then rowing like crazy against the current of life. If successful and if he maintained his strength he believed he would make it to the end and he would receive his reward. But here is the problem. Being fully dependent on the one doing the rowing is tiring, exasperating, and not very joyous. The pastor’s idea was that if he was good enough and strong enough he would make it to the end but that is so far from the truth. And that is certainly not grace. We cannot work for grace and we cannot work to maintain grace.

The second observation about grace is that it is undeserved. Look at what Paul had to say in Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… We must understand that our sin disqualified us for redemption because our sin had separated us from a holy God. But because of God’s grace the very thing we did not deserve God gave us. We deserved death but God gave us life. He gave us life regardless of what we have done. The grace of God is not measured by our sin but by His gift of love.

The third aspect of grace is that it is unearned. Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. Please note this, there is a big difference between free and earned. If it is free then it is not earned and if it is earned then it cannot be free. It is either or but it cannot be both. Can you imagine getting a birthday gift and the person giving you the gift saying here is my gift but I need $89.52? That is not grace.

To understand grace we need to understand the meaning of the Greek word for “grace.” The word is CHARIS. Before CHARIS was used by the Christian community the word originally was used by the Greek culture. The word represented a superior who gave a gift to one that is inferior. We would assume that there were two people involved but in the Greek culture there were often three people involved. The first person was the one providing the gift. The second person is the one receiving the gift. The third person was the broker. The role of the broker was to survey the needs of the community and then approach those with the ability to give to satisfy the need. The gift giver would be asked to donate or provide for the need. But here is the amazing thing. While the broker would connect the patron and the client together, it was the broker who paid for the gift. Imagine with me for a moment as we apply this spiritually. God was the one with a great gift of grace to give. But grace was beyond our ability to pay. So Christ brought us together with God and as the third party Christ paid the price with His life. He connected us to God through grace and He paid the price. That is unearned grace.

So what is grace? Grace is the dimension of divine activity that enables God to confront human indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless. Grace is the divine activity of God enabling humankind with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and bless. How powerful is that? His love and forgiveness is tireless and beyond measure. This means that there is no sin or wrong that is too big to be covered by God’s grace. That is grace.

While we see what grace is let me give you a couple of things that grace is not. First of all grace does not negate the law. The law was given to show us sin and to bring Godly conviction when we disobey God’s purpose or plan. The problem with the law is that we can be deceived into believing that we are followers of Christ by keeping the rules. We are deceived into believing that a good relationship with Christ is based on what we do or what we do not do. The result is that we feel that by keeping the rules we are accepted and loved by God. Grace however speaks to who I am and not what I do. Through grace the law is actually fulfilled and here is why. It is much easier to follow the rules when we are in a relationship where we are given love unconditionally. Through grace we know that we are accepted by Christ and I am more about being than doing. I keep the law because I am righteous and I am whole, not because I have to, that I want to be accepted by God, or that I want to be loved more by Him.

This brings me to the second the concept. Grace is not a license to do whatever we want to do. The argument against a grace teaching often centers on the idea that there is an emphasis on giving people a license to sin or do whatever they want. Paul addressed this in Romans 5:19-21-6:4. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Many of the Romans believed that because of grace they were free to do whatever they wanted to do. The word here for “increased” speaks of sin growing larger and being more expansive with the passing of time. This describes the growing nature of unrestrained sin. So Paul is not saying that we should sin more so that grace is expanded but rather true grace frees us from sin. Because of the Roman view on grace Paul continues in Romans 6 by asking if we should continue in sin so that grace would abound. While grace covers sin and produces righteousness in us we do not sin more so that grace is revealed more. That is circular thinking and is an error. Here is the fact. Grace covers sin but more sin does not increase the value of grace. No! Grace is a free gift of God so what we do or don’t do never impacts grace. Grace is grace because it is a free gift.

John Piper made this observation about sin and grace. No matter how deep in the power of sin we have sunk, God’s grace is deeper still. No matter how deep into the power of sin we have sunk in the rebelliousness of our lives, Christ’s grace abounded all the more in order that righteousness, rather than sin and life, rather than death, might have the final word.

Grace does not remove our responsibility. We must receive the gift of grace. The action we are to take is to receive God’s gift. God is offering a free gift that has been paid in full by Christ’s death and resurrection. While it is free we must receive the gift that He is giving. And then we must apply the work of grace into our life. We can try to obey all of the law and keep all of the rules so we feel accepted or we can receive His grace which covers all of sin and removes the guilt of striving to be loved and accepted. How freeing grace is? How freeing it is to know His love?

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 9, 2016 · 7:41 am

Moses’ Mom: A Story of Faith and Courage

Peninsula Community Church

May 8, 2016

Moses’ Mom: A Story of Faith and Courage

Exodus 2:1-4 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.

Today is Mothers Day! What a great day to celebrate all that mothers do and who they are as a person. In preparing for this message I looked at a number of mothers in the Bible but I was especially moved by the story of Moses’ mom. We will see that she was a mother who had great faith and trust in God’s plan for her life and the life of her son. We will also see that her faith was tested and her trust in God was certainly stretched.

The story of Moses is a compelling story of a mother’s love, her trust in God, and her faith in God’s story being written for her and for her son. She trusted and loved God in the midst of some very difficult situations. She did this against all odds. She lived in a time where Pharaoh, the leader of Egypt, had made an edict that all boys born to Hebrew families were to be killed. His motivation was out of fear that the children of Israel were growing so fast that if Egypt were to go to war they might side with the enemies of Egypt.

To understand this we must go back about 350 years or so before the story before us today was written. If you remember, Joseph had been sold into slavery which led his family to move to Egypt. This eventually led the children of Israel into captivity to the Egyptians. For thirty plus years Israel and Egypt had a great relationship. But once Joseph had died and a new Pharaoh was raised to power the cordial relationship soon turned to one that was antagonistic. Listen to what Moses wrote about this. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens (Exodus 1:8-11).

The more time that past Pharaoh began to put his thumb on them more and more. But the reality is that while they were under the thumb of Pharaoh they were still in the hand of God and God had a greater plan for them. For 300 plus years Israel suffered the suppressive demonic strangulation by the Egyptians. Their plight was so rough they began to cry out for a deliverer. They wanted, they needed a deliverer that could stand against the power of Pharaoh. While things seem bleak, God was at work and He was orchestrating and He was writing Israel’s story.

This is where we pick up our story for today. We find that Moses is born to two loving parents who knew God and served God graciously and magnificently. Little did they know that this little boy would be a great leader. But the odds were against him. With that said let me make a few observations about this story and let me make a few key points that will help us when the world seems to be against us as well.

First of all Moses’ mom was specifically chosen for the task of raising Moses. God purposely placed Moses into her hands. He saw something in her that qualified her for the task. He saw her faith and her trust in God. It is noteworthy that she did not know the story that God was writing. She did not know that he was to be the leader of Israel. She did not know that he would be the deliverer of her people. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he would be the one that God was going to use in such powerful ways.

This morning I want you to know something very special. You have been chosen as the mother of your children. God saw something in you that qualified you for this great task. You may not always feel it nor will you always believe it but it is true. You have been called to nurture, protect, and disciple those who have been given to you. You are called to be a mother and your children have been chosen by God to be your children.

Secondly, Moses’ mom chose life over her child being killed. Moses’ mom was definitely pro-life. She could have chosen to take the child and have him killed at birth. This would have been the easy thing to do but she chose life. Rather than follow the law of man she followed the law of God. She knew that He would protect them. She knew that He had a plan. Some of you here today against great odds have chosen life and that is honorable. For some, the events leading up to the birth of your child may not have been the best but you chose life and that is commendable and it is to be honored.

Let me make a side note here. I am aware that some have made the decision to abort a child but God wants you to know that there is grace and forgiveness at the cross. There is hope for you and it begins by forgiving yourself as God has forgiven you. Too often we allow the guilt of a past decision to rule our lives in the present.

Thirdly, in this story her name is omitted. It is interesting that God chose not to reveal her name here. Sometimes we feel that we have lost our identity but God never forgets us because He calls us by name. Let me ask you “Do you ever feel that you are not recognized for what you do as a mom?” “Do you ever feel that you are just a shadow in your home?” “Do you feel under appreciated?” “Do you feel that you have lost your identity as a person?”

I do not know if this ever happened to you but as my kids got older I was no longer Bob Odom but I was Kate and Joshua’s dad. I lost my identity. But let me remind you that though you feel that you have lost your identity, God knows you and God knows you by name. The fact is she had a name and it was Jochebed. The name Jochebed means “Jehovah is glorious.” She lived up to her name as she was one who trusted Jehovah no matter what the circumstances of life might bring or what the leaders of Egypt required. She trusted in God because He was God.

Fourthly, Moses’ mom had a courageous faith. Even under difficult odds she walked in faith. She trusted God. After all the edict to have the new born males killed had been pronounced before she became pregnant with Moses. When Moses was born rather than have him killed she hid him until he was over three months old. Can you imagine the fear and the stress she experienced every day? I am sure that she would worry everyday that the door of her home would be opened and in would walk the Egyptian police to arrest her and to kill her son. Even with her fear she still trusted God. Her faith in God was stronger than the fear of the edict that had been made.

Finally, she put her faith into action. This is most vividly seen in the steps that she took. After hiding Moses for three months, she took a basket and place insulation around it so it would be protected from the water and from the effects of the river. She placed Moses into the basket and then she walked to the Nile were she placed the basket in the bulrushes. I am sure that she had tears flowing down her face as she pushed the little ark into the water.

This was an amazing step of faith in that the river itself was a source of death. There were crocodiles and other animals in or near the water that could easily destroy him. Even today National Geographic has reported that 200 plus people are killed every year in the Nile by crocodiles alone. Not only did she worry about the crocodiles but this was also a place where the women of Egypt would come to bathe. This in itself was a threat to Moses because if the wrong person came to the water’s edge she could have had Moses killed.

It is noteworthy that the word used here for the basket is in essence the same word used for Noah’s ark. It was a place of safety and protection. When she pushed the ark into the water I believe that her faith was revealed more in what she did not do than in what she did. Notice something in this story. When she approached the water she placed the basket into the water and pushed it into the river. As I have read this story one thing stands out to me. No where in the story do I see that she tied a rope to the basket. She released the ark with her son inside to God.

This leads me to the final point I would like to make. When we walk in God’s faith and love there is a time where we have to let go and let God control the outcome of our children’s lives. She did not tie a rope to the basket because she trusted God to protect him and keep him safe. Here is the issue for us, too often as our kids grow we want to hold onto the them and try to control the outcome of their life. But as we all know there is a point that we have to push the ark into the water and let go. In letting go, we are saying that we trust God fully and completely. This does not mean that we don’t worry. Even Jochebed worried and was concerned. We see that she had her daughter stand by the river to watch over Moses. But, nonetheless she released Moses into God’s hand.

The problem too often is that we have a snapshot of our children at a certain age and that picture is them as little children. We struggle to let go because we still envision them as kids who need our guidance and our decision making prowess. In this process sometimes we try to control only what God can control. I love what Michelle says, “Control is an allusion.” And yet we live our life being controlled and trying to control others. Our faith in God is measured best when we let go of things that we cannot control anyway.

We need to know that our children will make mistakes. Too often their mistakes come as they test the boundaries that we have set for them all of their life. They test the waters because they want to make the truths they were raised with their truths. Sometimes we will find that our kids will try to do the right thing but they will do it the wrong way. They will fail but that does not mean that we are failures as parents. That is a lie from the enemy.

Finally and this is most important. God loves your children more than you ever will. This is where trust comes in. We must surrender our children to the God who loves them more than we ever could. That is what Jochebed did. She trusted God. She loved God and she loved Moses. But she had resigned in her heart that God loved Moses more than she ever could. That is why she could push the ark into the water and let go. That is faith. That is courage.

How about you this morning? Do you have enough faith to let go? Do you have enough trust in God to give your children to God? It is not easy but it is right. We can still pray for them. We can still intercede on their behalf but we still need to let go.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

May 2, 2016 · 10:37 am

Strongholds – The Finish

Peninsula Community Church

May 1, 2016

Strongholds – The Finish 

Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

As we come to the end of this series, I trust you have been encouraged and challenged to allow God to bring change into your life. No matter where you have come from or the events that you have faced, God can bring victory to you today and for the future. The goal of this series has been to help us in our journey and in our growth in Christ. The desire from the beginning has been to assist you in knowing what strongholds might be in your life and to give you the tools you need to live as free people in Christ. While we might be wrapping up the series we will continue to discuss the freedom that is ours in Christ. This discussion will continue to be a element of every message we share.

Paul understood the need for freedom and release from the strongholds of life. He understood the work that needed to be done in a person’s life. For that reason he encouraged and challenged the church at Ephesus to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. The idea presented by the word strong is to be empowered with strength. It is a power that is resident within us. Just as in a stick of dynamite there is power but it is not revealed until the fuse is lit. We are empowered by the work of Christ in us and that power is revealed when we need it.

This morning I would like to look at nine things we can do to assure that we are dealing with the strongholds we face. I will call these the 9 R’s*. Let me say from the onset that this is not some secret formula but rather it is an ongoing process of walking and living in freedom. I would also suggest that we need to apply all of these in our life so that we are fully and completely free. Acting on a part of these would be like leaving out key parts of a building process. For example, the building process will not be what it should be if you leave off the doors and windows. Without doors and windows the thief has easy access to our home. I would also suggest that applying these nine principles separates those who want to go through the motions of life as a believer and those who mean business about their freedom. I am not sure about you but I mean business today.

The first “R” is relationship. To truly be set free we must begin with a relationship. You see the one true relationship we need more than any other is a relationship with Christ (John 1:12-13). To know Christ is to know real freedom. This is critical because we know that religious acts alone will not set us free. We know that just keeping the rules will not bring freedom. The one thing that sets us free is our personal ongoing relationship with Christ. By having a relationship with Christ we live without condemnation (Romans 8:1). I shared with you a couple of weeks ago my personal journey with the strongholds I faced and continue to face at times. I can tell you today that my life radically changed the more I found myself in relationship with Christ and I accepted the fact that I do not have to be condemned by my past.

The second “R” is recognize. We must recognize and thus admit that we have a problem. The fact is we cannot change what we do not admit to or accept as a problem. We cannot trust completely in Christ to save us until we come to some awareness that we are helplessly, hopelessly lost, and unable to save ourselves by our own good works. In this case, we must admit that we have been living with a spirit of anger, self-pity, bitterness, being wounded, guilt, regrets, abandonment, lust, and so on. We must admit that we have allowed these negative emotions to control our life and that they have reduced our effectiveness to live life to the fullest.

The third “R” is responsibility. We must then take responsibility for our actions and for allowing the strongholds to control us. By allowing these things to control us, we in essence become a servant to the stronghold. But to be free we cannot blame others. We cannot blame our circumstances. We must however take responsibility for our actions and for allowing such things to dominate our lives. Refusing to lay blame means we come to the place where we accept the need to change and begin to take a course of action to change. That brings us to the next ‘R’.

The fourth “R” is repent. It is here that we must ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9-10). True repentance means there is a change of heart which leads to a change of action. Through repentance the heart is changed which leads us to change the way we act and the way we respond to the issues we face. By repenting we take a stand where we no longer allow these things to control us or to define us. When we take responsibility for our actions and for being controlled by false standards we will repent. Let me add one caveat here. Our repentance must be in the name of Jesus who brings life, hope, and the promise of a new day. So, what does repenting in Jesus’ Name mean for us? It means that we accept Christ’s authority and all that His name represents. In essence we are inviting the authority of Christ into our lives to assist us in overcoming the obstacles we face.

The fifth “R” is renounce. Not only do we repent but we must renounce these things so that they can no longer control our life. The term renounce is defined as to “formally declare one’s abandonment of a claim, right, or possession.” By renouncing these things in our life we are saying that we will no longer claim a right to these strongholds. We renounce their power to control us or to define us. By allowing them to continue to exist we are in essence allowing sin to dominate us. And in so doing, we will never experience full freedom.

The sixth “R” is remove. We must cast the work of the enemy from our life. How do we do this? Jesus who is our example. He spoke to the demons that existed and He commanded them to go in His name (Matthew 10:8, 12:28). We must remove the work of the enemy from our heart but we must fill it with Christ and a new way of thinking. Without doing so it will be too easy to fall back on what is natural or common for us. Without a new way of thinking or living we will be tempted to fall back to the way we use to respond or think about things. In so doing we will find ourselves trapped again.

The seventh “R” is resist. While it is important to repent, renounce, and remove these elements from our life; the fact is we can be tempted by the thing that we have dealt with. Once free we must continue to resist the enemy’s work in us because it is an ongoing battle. Continue to resist the devil and he will flee from you. Don’t give in and don’t surrender your new way of thinking to an old way of thinking. Refuse to go back to the way things were. The problem is illustrated by the Children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt and the ways of Egypt and yet they continued to want to go back to their old way of living. They desired the leeks and the garlic of Egypt more than the water of life that God was offering (Numbers 11:4-6, Exodus 14). It was a comfortable place of them as that is the place they knew and even though it was a horrible place they found comfort in that place. Don’t go back. Resist the devil’s temptation to recapture your thinking.

The eighth “R” is rejoice. We must give God praise and thanks for what He is doing and what He has done in us and through us. We praise God for our freedom and we praise God for giving us the wisdom to see that we need Him. We must give thanks for all that God has done in us and that we have the ability and the opportunity to live in freedom. The joy of the Lord is our strength and as we learn to rejoice in Him we are more likely to be free from the power of the strongholds that we face (Habakkuk 3:18-19, .

The ninth “R” is restore. We pray for restoration for ourselves but we also begin a ministry of restoration to others. We emulate the work done in our hearts and we promote the good work of Christ in others. We share what Christ has given us. Here is the beauty of this. Healed people will heal people. That is our goal and purpose. We are to experience the healing of God so that we can bring God’s healing to others.

As we close let me say this. While most of the statements that have been made today seem to imply that the success of breaking the strongholds in our lives is dependent on our actions but that could not be further from the truth. We must take advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit that is ready and willing to help us overcome. We must partner with and invite the Holy Spirit to break us free from those things that hold us bound. After all, where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and freedom. To be free, we must invite the Holy Spirt to reside in us.

Finally, we must take action. I would like to close today by having us take a particular step toward being free and delivered. I would ask that you take one of the small sheets of paper that we are now distributing. On the page I ask that you write down one or more of the strongholds you face. After you have done that I invite you to come here to the altar and present it to God. We do this through repentance where we turn this over to God and we take steps to resist the work of the enemy in us. As you do this I ask that you go through the steps that we have shared here today. Start with your relationship with God. Recognize that you have a problem. Take responsibility for the problem and then repent, renounce, and remove that stinking thinking from your thought processes. Then once you have surrendered this to Christ continue to resist the enemy’s attempt to recapture your heart. Finally, begin a life of rejoicing and one of restoration where we celebrate what God has done and we begin to share this work with others. Are you ready? Let’s do it.

  • Adapted from Kim Karlson’s 9 “r’s” of freedom.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 24, 2016 · 7:51 pm

Strongholds – The Heart

Peninsula Community Church

Strongholds – The Heart

April 24, 2016

Jeremiah 17:9-10 – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

As we continue our conversation on strongholds we will focus our attention on the heart today. Spiritually the heart has been defined as the seat of our emotions. Because of this, our emotions can be an area of our life that is ripe for strongholds to be established within us. The heart is that place where the enemy of our souls negatively influences until we are controlled by unhealthy emotional responses. Today, I would like to look at the susceptibility of the heart to errant emotions. We then will look at what we can do to have a new heart.

Let’s begin with the passage before us today. Jeremiah makes a definitive statement about the heart. He states the heart is deceitful and is desperately sick. The fact is without the Holy Spirit’s intervention our hearts will remain deceitful and sick. This happens because our hearts, as the seat of our emotions, can be wounded by past actions and by the words that have been spoken to us. Most of have used the cliche “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” How many would agree that is a lie? Sticks and stones do hurt us but words also hurt us. Most of the time it is easier to heal from the wounds of the sticks and stones but it is much harder to heal from the wounds of spoken words. Why is this? It is because words go to the depths our psyche. Words wound us. Words negatively effect us.

When it comes to the heart, I would propose this morning that there are several kinds of heart we can experience and all of them can be deceitful and sick at the core. I would suggest that we can have a wounded heart. We can have a hardened heart. We can have a broken heart. And we can have a weary heart. Let’s look at these for a moment. First, the wounded heart. This is the heart that is effected by the hurtful and negative words that have been spoken into our lives or by the failures we have experienced. You know what I mean. We hear words like we are not good enough. We are a failure. We don’t deserve God’s love. We will never change. These words have the potential to wound our spirit and injure us for life. As a result, unless we change we are destined to failure and to fall short of God’s desire for us.

Secondly, is the broken heart. This comes when those we trust have let us down. The spouse we loved, left us. We lost our job. We have had bad medical news. Our children have abandoned the path we have set for them. We have been hurt by infidelity and mistrust. For others it is the loss of a loved one. Each of these create in us a broken heart and broken hearts are not so easily healed. And if they are not healed they can be the reservoir of deceit and pain as everything we do will be filtered through the broken heart. Now don’t misunderstand me please. Brokenness of heart is a real issue. I have lived it myself. I certainly do not mean to minimize any one’s pain but I am also cognizant of the fact that if we do not allow God to bring healing to us the enemy of our souls can use our brokenness as an opportunity for negative influences and for the possibility of strongholds to be developed.

Thirdly, is the hardened heart. The heart is hardened when we refuse to allow the truth to impact our heart or we have been deceived. We see this in the Book of Romans when Paul says that those in the Roman church and in Roman society had rejected not only truth and but they rejected the God of truth as well. Through a rejection of truth, their heart had been hardened. The result was that the truth of God could not penetrate the heart. This occurs in us as well when we either reject the truth or we are deceived. Hardened hearts can also be realized when we continue to suffer from brokenness and wounds. We harden our hearts so we will not suffer any more pain. But the opposite is actually true. Instead healing we receive more heart.

Fourthly, we can also have a weary heart. You know how it is. We can become tired and weary of the things that impact us. We are over worked, and emotionally overwhelmed. A weary heart causes us to want to give up. A weary heart occurs when we confront the same issues over and over again which never seem to be resolved. Our children are rebellious. Our work is topsy turvy. Our family seems to have unresolvable financial issues. On and on it goes. The result is that we feel we want to give up because we are too tired and we no longer have the energy or the will to keep going on.

As we look at the heart we find it is here that the enemy of our souls loves to influence us neagtively. You see even as believers, while satan cannot possess us, he can certainly influence us to make bad decisions and do things that make our life more miserable. He can influence us to hold onto the past and not let go of the emotional bonds that are not easily broken.

But what is the answer and how do we overcome this? How do we experienced a healed heart? First, we must recognize that we need help. We must understand that our heart is broken, wounded, hardened, or weary. We must understand that we need something to change and begin to identify what that is. The problem too often is that we have been convinced this is just the way things are going to be. We are confronted with the messages that there is no hope and there is no means to bring change. We settle for bondage rather than freedom. We are convinced that we will live this way the rest of our lives. But that is a lie from the very pit of hell.

The fact is there is hope. We have the promise for a new heart and new way of life. We have a promise that God will take our stony, broken, wounded, and weary hearts and He will heal them. It is noteworthy that throughout Scripture that God gives us a new heart. He takes our wounded, broken, weary, and stony hearts and gives us a new fleshy heart. Ezekiel understood this when he penned these words. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

And then in Ezekiel 36:25-28 we find these words. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Yes! it is true that within our hearts there is a battle that is raging but that does not mean that we have to continue to live that way. We can choose to allow God to break our stony hearts and renew us with a fleshy, sensitive heart. Why is this critical? It is critical because to have a stony or wounded heart means that God is blocked from doing His work in us. And we need Him to work. By having a fleshy sensitive heart we are empowered to follow God’s commands and to follow His will which leads to receiving all that He has to offer us.

Secondly, we have to hide the world of God in our hearts. There are three passages in Scripture that bear this out for us. First, David stated How can a young man keep his way pure? Notice that David answers his own question. He states we keep our way pure By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word (Psalms 119:9-16).

We also find that the temptation of Jesus comes to mind as he was confronted by satan directly (Luke 4:1-13). Notice that in His temptation that Jesus did not use positive thinking. He did not try to hide the problem. He did not justify his actions. What did He do? He used Scripture to counter satan’s ways. You see much of the temptation Jesus was faced was emotional. Notice that Jesus was hungry and satan offered him bread. He was playing with Jesus’ emotions but Jesus passed the test. Finally, the Scripture tells us that when we know the truth, the truth will set us free. For this to happen we must know the truth and that truth must be applied in our life (John 10:10).

Thirdly, we must recognize that this is an ongoing process of healing and restoration. We can never rest on the laurels of the past or on what God has done in the past for us. We must always be aware of the tactics of the enemy. He seeks to capitalize on our weaknesses and our failures. He knows the hot buttons in our life and he knows exactly what will set them off. Have you ever noticed that we are attacked at the most inopportune times. We are attacked when we are tired! We are attacked when we are overworked. We are attacked when we feel under appreciated. We are attacked when we feel that we have been deceived. While I have overcome the enemy over certain things I must be aware that I must consistently resist the devil and his schemes and he has many.

Fourth, we need to shut the door of our heart to the works of the enemy. When we recognize that the enemy is at our door, we must slam the door shut. Remember Cain and Abel. God spoke to Cain and said that sin is crouching at his door. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. (Genesis 4:4-7). This is the sad part of this story. Cain was warned that the enemy was at the door of his heart and that he had a chance to block his work. The enemy who is a thief was at the door of Cain’s heart to steal his heart, and to rob his brother of his life. Let me ask you, if a thief were standing at your door at home would you open the door and allow him to come in. To do so would not be very wise nor would it be helpful. They would raid your home and take what does not belong to them.

That is why Jesus reminded us that The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). We must recognize the thief for who he is. He is a thief. He is a liar. He is an accuser. The problem for us as Christians is that too often we give the enemy territory in our life that should never have been given to him. We open the door for him to come in and set up a residence which results in us being controlled by lies, distortions, and bondage that is unnecessary. The result is that we begin to die. We begin to become ineffective and we become weakened.

So let us resist the devil and he will flea from us. Stand your ground and be attired in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). Through Christ we have a new heart and a new way of living. We do not have to live in bondage or in the distortion that comes. Are you ready to live a new life? Are you ready to be free? After all we are promised an abundant life in Christ. It is a full life filled with promise, hope, and a new vision for what He can do within us.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 18, 2016 · 7:16 am

Strongholds – The Baggage We Carry

Peninsula Community Church

Strongholds – Baggage

April 17, 2016

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I ask your forgiveness in the beginning of this message. I know that it will appear that the message will be focused on my life and my testimony. But I ask that you bear with me because as I was preparing I thought there was no better way to express the power of the baggage we hold onto than through my personal testimony. As I share this I do not in any way want to take away from the Gospel but it is the Gospel and the power of Christ that I am where I am today.

With that said in 1979, when I moved to New York City after Bible College, one of the jobs I had was to help refugees resettle to the United States. In particular, we were helping Christians who came from Communist countries and had lost everything as a result of their stand for Christ. In that job one of my roles was to travel to churches to present the program and seek to have churches sponsor refugees. I enjoyed this because I was able to fly around the country and visit some exciting churches and meet some awesome people. On one such trip, upon my arrival back to New York I found out that the person who was suppose to pick me up was not able to do so and I would have to find an alternative way home.

So I began to consider how I was going to get home from LaGuardia Airport which was not as easy as it might seem. The problem was that I had a huge trunk, a large suit case, and a brief case because I had to carry all of the church presentation material with me. Upon investigating how I was to get home I found out that I needed to take a bus from the airport to the Grand Central Station. From there I had to take a subway to Penn Station where I would catch the Long Island Rail Road to West Islip. On the Long Island Railroad I was required to make one transfer. Can you imagine me pulling a 75 pound plus trunk (with no wheels), a large suit case, and my brief case onto the bus, down the stairs of the subway, up the stairs of the train station, and then down the other side to catch the Long Island Rail Road and then to do it all over at the transfer point.

Once in West Islip I called only to find that no one could pick me up. So I had to get a taxi to take me home. So now I had to wrestle with this stuff again. When I arrived home, I drug the trunk, the suit case, and the brief case into the house only to find the person who was to pick me up was watching boxing matches with his sons. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. By the way it took me almost four hours or more to get home from the airport. I laugh at that story now but the fact is the excess baggage I had with me weighed me down and kept me from being very mobile. I had to drag this baggage around with me in order to make any progress at getting home.

While this is a humorous story the fact is that many of us have baggage that tends to weigh us down as we take this journey called life. The writer of Hebrews expresses this as weights and sin. Both the weights of life and the sin (ongoing sin) that possesses us holds us back and causes us to be immobile and ineffective in this journey called life. It is of note that a weight in itself is not necessarily a sin but it is something that is cumbersome, annoying, and it holds us back from being all that we could be, otherwise.

I am sure that you know what I mean. Our collection of baggage begins early in life as we experience the ups and downs of life. For me, it began as a child because when I was just a year old or so I was rushed off to my grandmother’s house to live so that my mom could find herself in Texas. During this time my grandfather who was my best bud died. It was in that moment that I began to pick up the bag of rejection and abandonment. The problem of course was that as I grew older I began to stuff that bag with more and more rejection and abandonment. When I was six years old I moved back with my mom. While living with my mom we moved every year to two years until I was eleven because of my step dad’s drinking problem. At eleven years old I was moved to my aunt’s house because of the issues at home. And after one year with my aunt I suddenly found myself at the doorsteps of my dad’s home in Alabama. Each of these actions added to the baggage I carried. The bag of rejection and abandonment became much heavier. To make matters worse I began to filter everything through the prism of rejection and assumed that rejection and abandonment was going to be a way of life for me.

In addition to the baggage of rejection and abandonment, I also picked up a bag of abuse and wounds as my step dad was abusive physically, emotionally, and mentally. He would punish me with military type punishments. One such punishment was to have me stand six inches from the living room wall with one foot in the air for 45 minutes. If my foot dropped, he would slap me and the time would start over. This was just one case of the physical abuse. In many ways the physical abuse was nothing compared to the emotional abuse I encountered with my dad. By the time I turned eleven or twelve my self esteem was blown and I had experienced the power of insecurity in big ways.

This lead me to take on other baggage such as fear and guilt. I feared for my life as I did not know how my step dad was going to be when he arrived home. I also felt guilty because I felt I was the problem. After all my step dad would regularly remind me that the issues at home were my fault. He would say such things as I was never wanted and that I should have stayed with my grandmother. He would blame me for all of the problems he was facing and would blame me when he and my mom would fight which was often. At 7 years old I began to accept the idea that my parents issues were my fault.

Throughout my life I picked up more and more baggage until I was weighed down and had became immobilized by the baggage I carried. The fact is I knew no better. The fact is that people who were around me did not even know that I was dealing with this burden as I did a great job of hiding my real self. I assumed that this was just the way of life so I had to a accept it and move on. On March 4, 1974, as a teenager, I received Christ and through that action I thought that life would be grand. While I had been forgiven of my sin, I still carried the baggage I had collected throughout my life. In fact, instead of getting rid of my baggage I actual picked up another piece of baggage called religion. Even though I had accepted Christ and I was going to church regularly, I still carried the baggage of my past. Instead of living in freedom, I tried to obey the rules that had been given me. But as I continued my journey with Christ, particularly after my Bible college years, I began to realize that I did not have to walk with the baggage that was weighing me down. I learned that there was a better way of living.

Let me share with you a few of the Biblical truths I learned that helped me let go of the baggage in my life. First of all I learned that true forgiveness meant that none of my past issues had to dictate my present circumstances or my future life. You see I had accepted Christ but I had not accepted His forgiveness. I confessed Christ but I not taken what He had accomplished for me to heart. I failed to grasp what Peter had stated in 2 Peter 1:3-5. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. You see one of my problems was that I was relying on my own strength and I was good at keeping all of the rules to be a “good Christian.” I did not fully realize that God had already given me everything I needed to overcome the baggage in my life and that I could be a partaker of the divine nature of Christ which brings freedom.

Secondly, I learned that I did not have to walk in the fear of rejection or abandonment again. The words of Timothy reminded me that God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. You see I had so much fear that I could never be free or so I thought. I was afraid of everything. I was afraid of rejection. I was afraid of being abandoned. I was afraid of the future. But once I grasped the power of the words of Timothy, I now know that I do not have to walk in fear but I now have a power to overcome the baggage in my life.  

Thirdly, as I grew in Christ, for the first time in my life, I began to realize that I was accepted and received by Christ. Even though I had accepted Christ I still struggled with the fact that Christ really accepted me. What I did in life was in fact done to get Christ to love me and accept me. I did not want Him to reject me. After all I felt everyone else did so. As I began to grow in Christ I began to realize and grasp that I was accepted by Christ not because of who I was but because of who He is. Listen to the words of John 1:12-13. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Look at this, Christ gave us the right. He gave us permission. He opened the door for us to be children of God. You see Paul is saying you are not just forgiven, you are accepted by God as His child.

Fourthly, I learned that I was not responsible for the actions or decisions of others. I also learned that I needed to take responsibility for my life, for who I was, and what I had done. While I had many things done against me I defaulted into the blame game mode. I had become  good at pointing out other’s sin and their shortcomings. I was good at blaming my parents, my step dad, my mom, my real dad, my step mom, my brothers and sisters for my sin and the wrongs I had done. But I had to take ownership of what I had done. I had to own up to my sin. I had to come to terms with the fact that I had allowed baggage to begin to dictate how I was to live.

Fourthly, as the baggage began to fall off, I realized that I had to fill my life with something. According to physics, a vacuum is never empty, it always filled with something. It is for this reason that Jesus Himself explains the need to be filled with all that God is and not to remain empty. “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came. ’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation (Matthew 12:43-45). 

You see I can get rid of my baggage but I need to be filled with something good or else I will begin to fill my life with more baggage and I will find that seven more evil spirits will come. You see I need to be filled with Christ’s love and the power of all He has given me. I need to be filled with His word, His spirit, and His power. In so doing, I can let go of all of the baggage in my life and not worry about being entrapped by those things again.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,