Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church

February 15, 2015

Ephesians – What Is Love?

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

As we look at these verses we find that Paul presents two specific commands for the passionate follower of Christ to obey. First, we are to “be imitators of God, and secondly we are to “walk in love.” By accomplishing these things we will be positioned for a changed outlook on life and to accomplish great things for God.

The first command Paul gives us is to be imitators of God. How is this accomplished? Paul answers this question by stating that we are to imitate Christ as beloved children. Someone has said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We flatter others when we imitate them. It is a compliment, or at least most of the times it is.

When our kids were small, one of the games they loved to play was copycat. Normally it was Josh who would begin to copy everything his sister would do. He would repeat her words and her actions. It usually started off as being a fun thing, but usually it ended in one of them getting angry at the other person because the doing the mimicking did not know when to stop. Of course, we are not talking about that kind of imitation but about the kind of imitation that brings out the best in us.

The derivative of the word “imitator” is the same word we get the English word “mime.” It is noteworthy to understand that a mime tells a story by their actions and not their words. We too must consider imitating Christ more by our actions than by what we say. Too often, the criticism leveled at Christians is that we say one thing but we do another. It is sad that this is the truth so many times. This is called hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is the idea of wearing a mask so as not to expose one’s true identity. But as imitators of God, we are called to genuine, real, and authentic lives that are focused on God’s will and His character. We are not to be posers or players, but real authentic imitators of truth.

The fact is, we begin to imitate those we hang out with. To imitate God, we must know God. We must hang out with God so to speak. We must know His ways. We must know His acts. We must know His will. We must know His character. Have you ever been with someone so long that you begin to act like them? It is funny but you begin to talk like them and you mimic them without even thinking. You know how it goes. Suddenly, you say or do something that is so much like that other person that you have to laugh in the moment.

Remember the cigarette commercial that was popular a number of years ago. We see the father and son doing things throughout the day. They are washing the car together. They are driving in the car together. In each scene you watch as the son mimics the father. And in the last scene we see the father leaning against a tree, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and then lighting up. As the father places the pack of cigarettes on the ground next to him, his son reaches over and picks up the pack. Watch the video with me.

While we are to be imitators of God, Paul is clear that it is the beloved children of God who are called and empowered to imitate God. I feel I need to make a point here that may not go well with some, but it needs to be made. We are all a creation of God but we are not all His children. There is a false perception that we are all His children regardless of our spiritual condition. We miss the mark if we do not believe that His only children are those who have asked Christ into their hearts by seeking the forgiveness that comes through confession and repentance in Jesus’ name. That is why the Bible uses terms like adoption and being born again to characterize our salvation.

It is important to note that the word used in the Greek for children is the word TEKNA, which deals more with the relationship between the parent and the child rather than the age of the child. It is also noteworthy that this word also relates to an only child whose parents have been able to devote their full attention to the child. So here is the point that could be made. We can be imitators of God because it is God who works out his plan of salvation in us and because He treats each of us as if we are the only child He has. Now before you get too giddy or excited, the fact is, while He treats us as if we were the only one, He treats us all that way. We are all His favorites.

So then, as we are in relationship with God as His beloved children, we begin to imitate God. As we get to know Him, we will begin to act more like Him. Someone has said that the best way to raise kids is give them time, because in giving them time, they learn who you are and what you are about.

So how do we get to know God? We get to know God through prayer. We get to know God through Bible reading and study. We get to know God through fellowship with Him. We get to know God through fellowship with others. We get to know God through the circumstances of life. Here is the fact that cannot be denied. Without a relationship with Him, we cannot be the imitators we need to be. You see we cannot imitate what we do not know. We cannot be like Him unless His nature is in us. One of the problems, today, is that people try to live like Christ without having the nature of Christ in them. The result is they attempt to live without the power that comes from a personal relationship with Him.

The second command presented by Paul is that we are not only to imitate God, but we are to walk in love as Christ loved us. Notice the verbiage used. I think it is critical. Paul does not say run in his love. He does not say skip in his love. He says to walk. To walk means that it is a solid and constant pace. It is a journey for the long haul. It is not hit and miss. There is a constancy in the walk we should have on this journey. When the term walk was used in the Hebrew language it was most often used to define the entirety of one’s life. So we need a consistent walk that encompasses everything we do. As passionate followers of Christ, the defining quality and characteristic of our walk must be love.

As imitators of God, we don’t just talk about His love, we walk it out through our daily life. We live it and we express it in all we do. We don’t just tell people about our love, we show it. We must walk in love and make it real. The words of Paul challenge us to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  That is a powerful command. When we recognize and understand the magnitude of God’s love for us, we can begin to live out this love in a new found way. Let’s look at God’s love for a moment.

First of all, it is a costly love. God gave his only son to die on our behalf to redeem us from our sin and shame. When we walk in the love of God, we will give ourselves on behalf of others. Christ gave all of himself for us. He gave himself willingly upon the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. He died so we could live. He was broken so we could be restored and put back together. He bled out, so we could be healed and forgiven. He did this for me and He did it for you.

Think about this love for a moment. Christ endured the shame, the rejection of His brothers, the beatings, the brutality of the cross for each one of us. Jesus proclaimed in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” The fact is if you were the only person alive, He would have given Himself just for you. He gave so that “whosoever” could have eternal life and could experience His love (John 3:16). He gave Himself as if you were that only child who needed redemption.

Paul also states that God’s love is like a fragrant offering and sacrifice. The idea of fragrance could be viewed as either a bad thing or a good thing but in the context of this passage it is a welcoming and inviting fragrance. It does not repulse but but it attracts. The love of God draws people to God. They may reject the message but they cannot reject the love that is given. For that reason, it is possible to give love even to the unlovable. Why, because it is a sacrifice. We sacrifice ourselves for those who are unlovable by choosing to love those who are not worthy of our love. We show God’s love by extending to others the same grace and forgiveness that God has shown to us. Why? It is because everyone we encounter needs us to express love to them.

The balance of Ephesians chapter 5 is Paul’s teaching on how to live out this real authentic love. In the next few verses he denotes that we can look for love in all the wrong places and therefore can develop a distorted view of God’s love. He deals with the marriage relationship. He deals with the employer/employee relationship. You see love is a choice to do what is right. It is not a only a feeling although there are feelings associated with it. When there are no feeling, we must choose to love regardless. We choose to show love when our feelings are screaming at us to do something totally different. That is God’s unconditional love and that is God’s call of love to us.

So what is love? It is God’s unconditional, life saving grace given to all who will receive it.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

February 8, 2015

Ephesians – The Actions of a Passionate Follower of Christ

Ephesians 4:25-32 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

In our message last week, we talked about putting off the old man and putting on the new man as we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds each day. This week, Paul takes an additional step to detail the actions that a passionate follower of Christ should take. As one puts on the new man, change begins to take place. One’s personal, emotional, mental, and relational life begins to change and what is revealed is a different attitude about life and ministry. So what are the actions of a converted man? Let’s look at these together.

First, Paul states that having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. So the first step, as a passionate follower of Christ, is to “put away falsehood.” This is a biggie for Paul and it ought to be a biggie for us. I do not think that it is an accident that Paul begins with this action. Truthfulness is key to living the life of a passionate follower of Christ. The word used here for “lie” is the word “psuedo.” It means anything that is false or counterfeit. Therefore, it is important to note that this idea of falsehood is more than simply telling a lie. It relates to that which is not real or genuine. You see the old man works in deception, but as a new creation in Christ, we must live in honesty and truthfulness.

Putting away falsehood begins by speaking the truth with our neighbor. This begs the question then as in it did in the gospels, “Who is my neighbor?” The answer comes from Jesus’ own words when he presented the parable of the Good Samaritan. Our neighbor is the one that needs mercy. That includes everyone we encounter. The greatest level of mercy we can show is to be truthful in all we do; especially in our actions and in the words we speak.

Secondly, Paul calls for us to be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. In other words, we must deal with our anger in a timely manner. Notice here that the issue is not if we can be angry but on how we deal with our anger that matters most. This is critical because the principle dealt with is that if our anger is not dealt with in a timely manner, it opens the door for the devil to have access to our hearts and to our way of thinking.

The Greek word used for “sin” means to “miss the mark.” You see when we allow anger to control us, our thinking becomes distorted to the point that we can miss the target of God’s way of living. We respond with hatred and bitterness which has deadly outcomes. When we refuse to deal with our anger and we dwell on what others have done to us, our hearts can be filled with malice and bitterness. An angry heart will dictate how we will respond to things in our lives. The reason is that becomes the filter through which everything must go. The fact is when anger is not dealt with, it grows and becomes a monster that controls us. When this occurs, we have in essence opened a door for the devil to control our lives and create more problems.

Third, Paul calls passionate followers of Christ to do honest work. Here is what he said. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Notice that he calls for the thief not to steal any more. He makes this statement in the context of having a great work ethic that is based in honesty. Notice too that he states that the work should be done by our hands.

Paul makes the case here that there is a blessing in working. What is the blessing of working? It is so that we can help others. In being blessed, we become a blessing to others. We can give to the church. We can give to those in need. We can help provide what another cannot provide for themselves. The goal is to assist those in need so they can begin to work. So in doing honest work we are blessed beyond measure.

Fourth, watch your language. Paul says Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. When I was a teenager in church this text was always used as a ban on cursing or swearing but that is not the exact context of this passage. In fact I believe this interpretation misses Paul intent. Paul’s intent was to communicate to the passionate follower of Christ that we should not allow destructive conversations to be a part of our dialogue. Course or destructive talking limits God’s grace in our communication by tearing others down and at times tears them apart. The focus of all of our conversation must be on building others up and not tearing them down. We have been called to be ministers of grace to those who deserve and to those who do not. It should also be noted that there are those who are watching how we handle ourselves. We may not even converse with them and yet they are witnessing grace or a lack of grace being poured out.

Fifth, do not grieve the Holy Spirit. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. This verse suggests that we should avoid grieving the Holy Spirit by actions that tear down rather than build up. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not live according to Biblical principles and guidelines established in God’s word. The Holy Spirit is a person and can be grieved when we live outside the parameters that God has established for us. When we live according to the commands of God, we please the Holy Spirit and He is free to work on our behalf. The Holy Spirit is grieved because He sees the potential that is ours to succeed and accomplish great things for God. This is similar to what a mother or father experiences with their children. Paul also states that this is the same Holy Spirit that sealed us for redemption. There is nothing that can rip that from us when walk in a heart filled with repentance.

Sixth, control your inward thoughts. The list of issues here relate to the inner issues of the soul. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. This passage relates back to the original idea of anger but magnifies the outcome of a one who does not seek to control their anger. Look at the words Paul used here. Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander. These are all outcomes of a life where anger has taken control of the heart and spirit of the individual. That is not the life that God wants for us.

Seventh, guard your outward example. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Rather than respond to people and issues with bitterness, wrath, anger or malice we should respond in an opposite spirit and attitude. The measure or level of kindness and forgiveness to be extended to others is measured by how much we have been forgiven through Christ. The measure of the effectiveness of these actions is measured by the forgiveness given to us by God. When we understand the magnitude of forgiveness and how much we have received from God, we should be so ready to enact these things in our life.

As we share these things, I am keenly aware that we falter and fail in accomplishing all of these things at different times in our journey. But that is the beauty of Christ’s forgiveness and His love to us. When we fail, He is gracious to receive us back to Himself. His hand is always extended. It is much like the story of the prodigal son who realizes that life back home was not so bad. Upon this revelation he picked himself up and returned home to a miraculous welcome. He never expected what he received. He would have been content to serve as a slave but instead the father rolled out the red carpet for him because he was his son and he belonged with the family. So when we fail or fall short in the items listed here, we can press on because God is waiting for us at the end of the driveway. He is looking for us to return. He has the robe for us to wear. He has the ring to place on our finger. He lives for forgiveness and so should we.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – “What You Think will Determine What you Become.” 

February 1, 2015

Ephesians 4:17-24 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

In the passage before us, today, Paul contrasts the old way of living with the new way of living. Paul uses the art of contrast to compare our thought process prior to accepting Christ and our thought process after accepting Christ. It is for that reason that I have entitled this message “What You Think Will Determine What You Become.”

Paul begins with the proclamation that the church of Ephesus was not to walk as the Gentiles were walking. Please note that the term “Gentiles” was mostly used in the New Testament to denote those who had not accepted Christ as their personal Savior and those who had rejected Christ. Paul was not antiGentile, he was simple using their lifestyle, which was well known to the Jews and those new to Christianity, as an example of how not to live. To clarify this, Paul lists the key issues that defined the Gentiles way of life in order to contrast their way of life with the life of one who is a passionate follower of Christ.

The Gentile way of life or the old way of life is characterized by certain qualities which need to be reviewed to understand what is revealed in a life not focused on Christ. The first quality to be considered is that the Gentiles were futile in their minds. This futility of mind led to a darkening of their heart and of their understanding. The result was an alienation from God. In other words, rather than being a friend of God and being in right relationship with God, the Gentile thinking caused division which set individuals in a position of being enemies of God and in being disenfranchised in their relationship with God. Alienation is probably the most difficult outcome of a life not focused on Christ. Alienation has been defined as the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved. Spiritually, this affects our fellowship with God and with one another. It affects our peace. It affects our hope. It is affects our vision for life. It affects everything we do and say.

As we read this passage, we cannot help but hear the echoes of Romans chapter one. Paul in writing to the Romans confirmed that a failure to honor God in one’s thinking and in one’s way of living leads one to futility, darkened hearts, and loose lifestyles. What is exposed here, in these two portions of Scripture (Romans 1 & Ephesians 4), is the pattern of a downward spiral that is initiated when one fails to acknowledge God and the truth of God in their lives. How does this process begin? It begins with a rejection of God or at least it begins with an obstinance against the will of God and the purposes of God. The hardness of one’s heart leads to the darkness of one’s mind, which leads to the deadness of one’s soul, which finally leads to a total loss of control in other aspects of one’s life.

To better understand this process, let’s look at two of the words used by Paul. These words are  “futility” and “hardened.” The word futility means empty. It means to be void of understanding and of godly wisdom. A second word here is darkness which results in a hardened heart. The problem is that a hardened heart prevents the penetration of God’s word into our lives. The result is defective reasoning capabilities. In other words, the one who has been hardened cannot process that which is right or that which is reasonable. In essence, the result is that one does not care about life and so they begin to live a kind of moral purposelessness.

The idea portrayed here is that of one who has hardened arteries and the blood flow becomes restricted to and from the heart and/or brain. The result is that life giving oxygen is not allowed to travel to the vital organs which are negatively affected in ways that are not always readily revealed or noticeable. If not corrected, the passageway can become totally blocked causing a heartache or stroke depending on the point of blockage.

The callousness and hardness of one’s heart results in the removal of any boundaries to guide them and to protect them. Additionally, they become greedy to the point that nothing satisfies them. Money, sex, drugs, and fame never satisfy the individual in such a state. They need more and more to try and satisfy their desires and the longing of their physical and emotional desires. They gain more, but they are not satisfied which requires gaining more which satisfies less and then they want to gain more, only to find that they continue to be dissatisfied. It is a vicious cycle of wanting, getting, and not being satisfied. This continues until one is cut off from God’s supply and from His presence.

I love the language here in this passage because it provides a turning point and opens the door to hope. Paul says the Gentiles use to live this way but this is not the way you have been taught. What Paul is saying is that you have been taught differently so you now have the opportunity to live differently and to live life to the fullest. As believers, we have a different set of paradigms that now guide and direct our steps. In Paul’s writings to the church at Corinth, he emphatically proclaims that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Here is a fact that is indisputable whether we truly grasp the truth of it or not. We are new creations. We look different. We act different. We live different. We think different.

Paul expands this idea by stating that while we are a new creation in Christ, we must also recognize that we are called to put off the old man which belongs to the old life and the old man is corrupted through its deceitful desires. The visual is of one who is wearing old tattered garments which have been stained by soil and dirt that life has dished out. These garments are filthy.

The old man or self is defined by two descriptive phrases. The first phrase is that of the former way of life. This is the life that has been described here thus far. It is a life that is lived in futility and darkness. The second phrase defines the old way of living as being motivated and corrupted by way of one’s deceitful desires. In other words, the whole basis of their previous way of life was founded in a weak or misguided paradigm. The motivation of their actions was from a basis of their deceitful desires which comes from their hardened hearts and darkened understanding.

Two actions which require a response are presented here. First, we must be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Once again this scripture echoes Romans 12:1-2 where Paul challenges the church to be transformed by the renewing of one’s mind. This is a daily ongoing process of renewal. It involves daily Bible reading. It involves daily meditation on what God is saying to the church. It is taking action on those Biblical truths we learn and begin to understand.

The second challenge is to put on the new man which is created after the likeness of God. The concept presented here is that we get to enjoy ongoing renewal. What does this renewal look like, it looks a lot like God. You see we are commanded to put on the new self which is created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. How is the new self created like God? We are like God in terms of being created in righteousness and holiness.

Here is the point being made. By taking off the old man and putting on the new man, we begin to be conformed to the image of Christ. What image is that? It is in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness. From the beginning of time, man was created in the likeness of God. We see this in Genesis 1:26. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Paul in Romans 12:1 also reminds us that we are being transformed into His image and not being conformed to the world’s image. There is a huge difference between the two. We choose to focus on one or the other. Do you choose conformity or transformation?

So how are you doing? What are you wearing? What are you thinking? It makes a difference. The putting on and taking off process is an ongoing process. When we are motivated to live or act as we did before Christ, we can take off that soiled garment and put a new garment that is fashioned and formed after the image of Christ. We remove the filthy garments and put on the garments that speak to our new identity and way of living. That is Paul’s goal in these verses.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Measuring Maturity 

January 25, 2015

Ephesians 4:11-16 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

In spiritual circles there has been an ongoing debate on how to determine if a person has reach spiritual maturity. Personal, I have often asked this question but the answers have been varied and they span the gamut of ideas. I have also been confronted with the question of what does a mature believer in Christ look like? How does a mature believer act? How does a mature believer respond to the issues of life? It is my belief that in this passage, Paul does a good job of detailing what spiritual maturity looks like.

As we read these verses, we discover something very powerful about God’s purpose for our lives. Know this, God is very interested in seeing us grow and mature as believers. He is so focused on our growth that He has positioned people in our lives and He has given us the tools we need to assist us in our growth. You see growth and maturity have always been His goal and purpose for those who are passionate followers of Christ.

As in physical growth, one’s age does not necessarily mean that one is mature and is grown-up. The fact is one can be in their forties or fifties and yet be immature in their thinking and in the way they act. Spiritually, the number of years one attends church or confesses to be a believer does not make one mature in itself. The ability to quote scripture or a particular doctrinal position does not make one mature either. It is the application of God’s Words and the truth of the Gospel that causes one to mature.

So, while we may understand that He wants us to grow and mature, the question or the debate is what does that look like for us? How do we know when one has matured and has grown into a mature believer? When we measure maturity solely by the outward manifestation of one’s actions or how and what they communicate, we can misjudge a person’s spiritual maturity. The reason is that we do not have a true measure of a person’s heart. This is difficult because we can misread or misjudge a person’s heart and believe one to be either more mature or less mature than they really are. So, the real measure of growth, as defined here, is a method of self examination rather than the examination of another’s heart. With that in mind let me give you five self examination tools to determine your level of maturity.

First, are you actively engaged in ministry? The gifts have been given to equip the church for the work of ministry. Please note here that the work of the ministry is not the pastor’s role, singularly, but it should be in the wheelhouse of every believer to do the work of ministry. When Jesus was on earth, and shortly after the Holy Spirit was released on earth, the idea was that each person would be equipped and released for ministry under the leadership of Christ and the leadership of the local church.

A problem arose however within just a few short centuries, after the establishment of the church; the church moved from the church body as a whole being activated for ministry to where the pastor become the one who accomplished every bit of the ministry. This set the stage for people to think that they did not need to respond to ministry but that it was the pastor’s job. That was never God’s intent. We must do the work of ministry together by using our gifts and talents to the glory of God. I am so grateful for all of those in our church who have joined to make life here at PCC happen. Because of you we are where we are today. But we have some work to do. We need to continue to develop our children’s ministry. We need to continue to develop a youth ministry. We need each of you to do your part in giving financially, inviting folks to come to the church, and engaging in the ministries we have available.

Second, are you a uniter or a divider? A measure of maturity is how you seek to build up and bring unity to the body of Christ. How is your walk of unity? Do you attempt to bring healing or are you an agent of disunity and disruption? Do you talk about others behind their back? Do you gossip about others with others? Do you segregate yourself from others and isolate yourself as a matter of lifestyle? Do you seek to fervently push your own agenda but reluctantly get behind the ideas of others?

Let me suggest here that what Paul is referring to is not a unity around our specific nuisances of believe but rather the basic tenants of faith and knowledge that we must all agree on. For example, we can all agree that we serve one Lord and that there is only one way to access Heaven and that is through a personal commitment to Christ who gave Himself as our Savior. Secondly, we can agree that God loves us and has a plan for our life. We can also agree that it is critical for us to get to know God through His word, which He gave as a love letter to read and share.

When we seek after unity this does not mean that anything goes. This does not mean that we compromise Scripture or truth to keep peace. The fact is, unity has little to do with peace and has a lot to do with vision and purpose. The fact is most of what divides us has little to do with Scriptural truth and more about personal bias, desires, and pride. It is for this reason that James succinctly denotes what causes quarrels and fights that lead to division and disunity. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel (James 4:1-2).

If this defines what disunity looks like, then one who is mature will focus on keeping the unity. When we focus on Jesus, everything else is minor in comparison. 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 (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Thirdly, are you spiritually, emotionally, and mentally stable? Paul here says that one who is mature is one who no longer acts like a child, and is tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Too often our lack of maturity causes us to be pulled and pushed and tossed around by every idea and thought that comes along. We sometimes act more like children on the playground than adults who are called by God, but when we are mature in Christ we will make good decisions and will be stable in our way of living.

Listen to what Paul had this to say in 1 Corinthians 13:11. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. What is Pauling saying? Look at the verbs Paul uses here. I spoke, I thought, and I reasoned like a child but now I have grown up.

Fourthly, are you willing to balance truth with love and love with truth? The fourth element of maturity is that we learn to speak the truth in love. We must be reminded of the two-sided coin of spiritual maturity. We speak the truth but we do so in a way that based in love and concern. But we also love others truthfully and righteously so that God’s word and His way is made evident in our lives. Real truth and love is not self seeking but rather is God-focused, Christ-centered, and others oriented. We do not avoid truth. We embrace it. We encourage it.

And finally, are you continuing to mature in Christ? Maturation is a ongoing process. Please note here that maturity is not based on one’s age, it is measured by the process of growth in the individual. You see there are a couple of measures of growth and maturity. Often we think that one is mature by virtue of the fact that they have been a believer in Christ for a long time. The age of an individual does not automatically equate to maturity. A person’s position of authority does not equate to maturity. The fact is we never stop growing and maturing.

We must continue in the apostles teaching and the breaking of bread in order to continue the maturation process. We must be connected in Bible Study and in fellowship with one another. Look at what we have here at PCC. We have Sunday School. We have Sunday worship. We have the home groups. We have the weekly lunch at McDonalds for the men. We have the weekly ladies’s bible study on Thursdays. We have ongoing special events like men’s breakfasts and ladies’ luncheon. Why is this? It is so we can grow personally and corporately as a body. It is also so that we can invest in the lives of others as we invite them to come and be a part of these events.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

January 11, 2015

Diversity in Unity

Ephesians 4:7-14 – But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” ( In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

I love a great action movie. I especially love those movies where the hero has very little hope of winning and yet somehow they beat the odds and win. This is one of the reasons that the “Die Hard” movies have been such a success. If you have seen the movies, you know that John McClane battles against the odds and comes out victorious, every time. He is bloodied and beaten but he is always a winner.

In the verse before us today, Paul relates just such a battle where Christ is the victorious one. It is possible that this verse might cause some confusion because of where it is placed in the chapter and the fact that Paul interjects this subject at this stage in the discussion. It appears that Paul gets distracted for a moment, but when we understand the context and the purpose of Paul’s inclusion of this verse, we will understand its meaning for its use at this specific time.

Paul references Psalm 68:18. David, the author of this Psalm, presents a picture of a victory celebration. When the army of David’s day would return from battle, the commander and his chariot would be at the front of the processional. This was a proud moment for the commander, the army, and the town’s people. Those on the parade route would shout, “Hallelujah, the victory has been won.” Following the commander would be all of those taken in battle. Not too far behind them would be all of the spoils of war. If the commander was a decent and honorable man, he would head to the town square where the celebration would continue. The leaders of the town would present the commander with the spoils of war, but being a decent man he would distribute these gifts to those who served with him as well as the members of the town. The idea here is that what the commander had received, he would give back to those around Him. In essence, he would receive in order to give.

In our text today, Paul is in essence saying that this is exactly what Christ did for us. He descended to earth and won the greatest battle of all time, the battle for man’s soul. Just as the general of old would distribute the spoils of war to His soldiers and to the town’s people, Jesus did that for us. You see Jesus conquered death, hell, the grave, and the power of sin. He led away captives, who represented the spoils of the spiritual battle, as he ascended back to His home in heaven. Just as the warrior leader did in David’s day, Paul makes it clear that Jesus distributed gifts to His body. Listen to Paul’s own words. When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. What was the purpose of Him giving these gifts. It was so that the unity of the body of Christ could be preserved. It was so that each believer could be effective in their work as a passionate follower of Christ in their own way. It was so that in working together the Body of Christ would mature and grow into what God intended.

As we review these gifts, we understand that each gift is so different and yet God gave these gifts to effectively minister to those around us. The opening verse of our text clarifies these gifts were distributed by grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. That is, it is a free gift distributed according to His will. Who determines who receives what gift? It is Christ. Where does the gift come from? It is from Christ. How is the gift given? It is freely given by grace.

The fact is that Christ is the one who has distributed the gifts to His people but here is the amazing thing, He did not just distribute these gifts arbitrarily. He purposed to give each person what they needed individually to accomplish the tasks they had been called to. We should be aware that these specific gifts are in addition to the gifts already established through the work of the cross. We all have been given eternal salvation. We all have been given great grace. We all have redemption from sin. We must be clear that these specific gifts have been given to all of us, regardless of who we are. But when it comes to specific gifts, He assigns those according to how they will be best used by the individual receiving them, and to the measure that Christ believes they should be given out. He distributes to us exactly what we need, when we need them, to accomplish the tasks we have been called to. That is diversity in unity.

It is this diversity that often creates an atmosphere of division and disunity. As the gifts are distributed, we must be careful to protect the unity of the body by refusing to compare ourselves with others or judge another’s gifts. Remember the gifts are God’s and they are distributed by Him to those who may need them and will use them most wisely.

Another idea presented here is that these gifts were distributed for the health and vitality of the body of Christ. Paul states And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

It is clear that one the great gifts Jesus gave the church was spiritual leadership: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers. Each of these gifts have been distributed by God to lead the body of Christ toward a specific purpose and goal. Let me give a brief definition of each of these. First, there is the apostle. The term apostle means one sent and this role is defined in many ways as a missionary or church planter. The one with this gift often has a specific calling to multiply the church of Christ. The apostle is the one who has been given spiritual authority to reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and to bring order to the church, especially in founding and overseeing local churches. An apostle has a burden to build something that did not exist before. We have done a disservice to the Body of Christ by elevating people to the role of apostle when that is not the case.

Secondly, we have the prophet. Prophets reveal God’s heart to His people and give guidance to individuals. The problem is that too often those who might be given this gift tend to exalt themselves and develop a prideful, self seeking heart which results in division and pain. The third role is the evangelist. This is the one who seems to be especially gifted to share the message of hope with the lost and watch them come to the saving grace of God. The fourth role is the pastor or shepherd who has been given to protect and to guard the church. The shepherd deeply cares for the sheep and is ready to lay his life down for them. He longs to feed, grow, equip, and develop the church. The fifth role is that of the teacher who is called to instruct and impart divine life to their listeners.

The key note here is that there is diversity in the gifts but all serve to bring healing and growth to the Body of Christ. The gifts were given because there was a need to have diversity in accomplishing the work of the ministry. We must understand that it is possible that any one individual may exhibit any or all of these gifts at any one time and at different times. This idea of diversity is confirmed in Romans and Corinthians. Listen to what Paul says. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them (Romans 12:4-6).

As we close today, let’s look at what Paul is saying. Christ was sent to earth as the God-man. In coming to earth, He gave Himself to fight the greatest battle ever fought. This fight was not for land, money, or fame. It was for the soul of man. We know the story. Christ willingly went to the cross which in many people’s minds was a great defeat. Even His disciples believed this was a defeat. This is in spite of the fact that He died on the cross, and was placed in a tomb, but when most thought it was all over, three days later He arose. This reminds me of the Easter Hymn that says Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o’er his foes; he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose! 

Can you see the picture? Christ returns triumphantly back to heaven, His home. And as the warrior of old would do, He distributed His spoils of war to those He loved. That would be us. Praise the Lord! May we shout and proclaim “Hallelujah, the victory has been won.” How do I know? I know this because I have received precious gifts from the greatest battle ever won.

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Unity in Diversity

January 4, 2015

Ephesians 4:4-7 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

As we move to our next set of verses, we are once again confronted with the subject of unity. Paul does this by emphasizing the oneness that is at the core of Biblical Christianity. In these few verses, we find an amazing duality of thought. Paul focuses on the unity of the body but he also gives room for diversity in carrying out these core values. It is for this reason that I have entitled this message “Unity in Diversity.”

As we begin to look at this passage it might be beneficial for us to define the terms “unity” and “diversity.” The word unity is defined as “the state of being united or joined as a whole.” The word diverse means “showing a great deal of variety; to be very different.” So when we say this phrase “unity in diversity” here is what we mean. We can be united as a whole and yet maintain the qualities and personal giftings that are uniquely ours.

As most of you know I love football. If you know much about football you know each football team has one goal and one purpose in mind and that is to win games. Football is a good illustration of unity with diversity. First of all there is one head coach with multiple staff coaches who are assigned specific responsibilities for the team. You then have players who have been trained at specific positions in order to accomplish specific tasks. Teams win games when each person, both coaches and players on the team, understands their role and the goal of the team. When each player does their part by playing their individual position with excellence they win games. Nick Saban, the coach of Alabama, was asked about winning games. His reply was that we do not set out to win games, we set out to play as a team and to excel in everything we do. If we do that we will win games. That is unity with diversity. Of course they failed to do that on New Years Day and the result was that they lost big time.

As believers, one of the biggest challenges for us is to focus on what unites us rather than what divides. Unfortunately, it is too easy to focus on the elements that divide rather than looking for ways to bring unity and oneness in the body. Let me also say I am not purporting an ecumenical concept where anything goes or anything is fair game. So, with that in mind let us look at what unites us according to the passage before us. To accomplish this, Paul outlines seven pillars around which every believer in Christ must unite.

Paul states that the first of these uniting principles is that there is one body. While there is one singular body of Christ, the amazing thing is that there are many different expressions of that body. To understand this principle we must understand that Paul is referring to what has been defined as the universal church and not one local body. Think about it for a moment. I am so glad that there is a local expression of the body of Christ called Peninsula Community Church. However, it is not the complete body. Look around this area at all of the different expressions of the body of Christ. There is Bayshore, Salem United Methodist, High Tide, Eagle’s Nest, Crossroads, and The River to name a few. There are conservative churches and there are liberal churches. There are white churches, black churches, Spanish churches, and Asian churches. The one thing that unites us is that we are a part of the larger context of God’s body. The point here is that regardless of where we attend we are a part of the body of Christ. There are a multitude of churches but there is only one body in Christ. This also applies to the local body as well. We must unite around the unifying factor that we are a part of the larger part of the body.

Secondly, there is one Spirit. The motivating factor of unity that makes us the body of Christ is the Spirit that is in each of us. Apart from the Spirit there is no means for us to be united. But the Spirit comes to unite believers as one body in fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-21 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

It is to be noted here that there are not multiple spirits; there is only One Spirit. Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 when he acknowledges that we have various gifts and abilities but they all come from the same spirit. If we are not careful, we will present ourselves as if we have some advantage over others or that we are better than someone else because of our particular understanding of the Spirit. The result is division and disunity.

Thirdly, Paul states that we are called to one hope that belongs to our calling. This is the reward that is ours in Christ. What is our calling? It is to be effective believers. The hope we have through Christ is that we will be effective followers of Christ. In our calling we look beyond the present day to a time where we will live with Christ and one another for eternity. Therefore, when we are united in hope, we will understand that everything we do is eternal in nature. It also reminds us that the people we have trouble getting along with here will most likely be our neighbors for eternity.

Fourthly, there is one Lord. It is amazing how this has become such a controversial topic in our current society. More and more people believe that there are multiple entrances into heaven but as believers we are confident in our faith that there is only one Lord and one way to enter heaven. It is in the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord that we have access into the kingdom of God and not by any other means.

Because there is one Lord, the fifth pillar is there is only one faith. When you look on the landscape of the modern church one would assume that there are multiple faiths but that is not the basis of unity in the church. The fact is we do not have multiple faith systems but we have nuances of belief. I love what I recently heard Bill Sammons, Jr. say about his dad, Pastor Bill Sammons, Sr. He stated I remember someone trying to get my Dad into a theological debate about a specific scripture and he replied along the lines of: “I don’t know. I just know there is a lot in this Book that I DO understand that I can’t seem to live out, so I will focus on that.” Here is the point that is being made. We tend to argue over the minor issues which create division and disruption in the body of Christ. When we argue over the minors we create issues and division that was never intended within the church.

Sixth, we have one baptism. The critical thing here is not so much the mode of baptism for there are several modes. For example, there is immersion or sprinkling. There is infant baptism and there is adult baptism. The issue here once again is not the mode as much as it is the purpose. You see baptism is an outward expression of the inward work of Christ in our hearts. You see baptism does not save us but it serves as a testimony to the work accomplished in us. Baptism looks backward at the work Christ has done and is therefore the evidence of the work of Christ in us.

Seventh there is one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. This one is similar to the one Lord. What Paul is doing is acknowledging that the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are actively involved in the unity of the church. When we have a proper understanding and view of who the Trinity is we will be less likely want to argue and bring division.

One of the things we have witnessed in our modern era is that people are trying to convince us that there are more than one God and more than one way to to make it to heaven. We have lost the power of serving one God. It is no longer an acceptable proclamation that there is one God and one Lord. People are quick to debate you on the validity of this statement. The problem is that when we begin to water any of the above down we will fall short of God’s intent. Several years ago I was asked to participate in organizing an event called “Jesus Alive 2000.” Things were going well until the chairman of the committee began to take a turn that at least two of us on the committee felt was unhealthy. They wanted to remove the name of Jesus from the prayers and statements that would be made during the course of the event. Each prayer and sermon was to be presented prior to being given so that it could be edited for possible statements that would offend someone of another faith. Imagine this, Jesus was not invited to His own event.

Here is the bottom line. Our believe system is an opportunity to serve God and be united in Christ. This is done without competition because we don’t compete when we serve together. We look for the good in others. We celebrate each others specific gifting and abilities. We must unite around the five pillars of unity and not allow the other issues of life to divide us.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – The Qualities of a Spiritual Walk

December 28, 2014

Ephesians 4:1-3 – I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

This morning we will begin our study of Ephesians once again. In the first three chapters, we find that Paul details much of the doctrine used by the church today. In the last three chapters, we find that Paul begins to look at the practicality of applying the truths that have been presented in the first three chapters. In many ways, what Paul details in the first three chapters he shows us how to live out in the last three chapters.

It is for this reason that Paul begins chapter four with an explanation of how we should walk out our faith to which we have been called and the grace that has been given to us. Paul begins by identifying himself with the fact that he is a prisoner of the Lord. Paul was a prisoner of the Lord not only in his spiritual position but much of his writings took place while he was a prisoner for the cause of Christ. Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest in Rome. It is of note that what the world considered a shame and a worse case scenario, Paul considered a high honor. To be a prisoner was not what someone desired. It was not the desired existence that one would seek. But Paul wanted everyone to know that his state of existence was not a hindrance but a blessing. This is a critical point to the rest of the Book of Ephesians in that Paul was writing these last three chapters from his philosophical understanding of being a prisoner. Paul is indirectly speaking to us that whatever your state of existence is in life it does not have to be a hindrance but rather it can be the very thing that God uses.

From this perspective Paul urges the church at Ephesus to walk in a manner worthy of the vocation to which they have been called. Who is he talking to here? He is talking to the believer, the one who knows Christ. Walk like you are somebody. Walk like you understand the calling that is yours. Walk like you have been given a great gift and a great opportunity. In other words let the pace, style, and character of your walk match the calling to be a believer.

Please note here that Paul is not referring to one’s calling in terms of ministry but one’s calling as a believer in Christ. You see we must be careful and not segregate our lives in terms of the sacred and the secular. While walking worthy in our professional calling is important and critical we must also understand that our daily walk before the Lord is also critical.

The basis of this walking in our calling does not mean that we work to deserve our place in God’s favor but rather it means that we must recognize how much our place in God’s favor determines who and whose we are. You see the focus is not on our worth but on the worth of our calling. And the worth of the one calling us. You see we have been chosen and called by God for great things. We need to walk in a way that honors the calling of God in us. In so doing, we are not subjected to legalism but rather we are walking in the freedom that is ours in Christ and thus we find it a joy to serve God.

So how do we do this? Paul lists five key qualities we should exhibit as we walk in the calling of God. The first is we are to walk with humility and gentleness. While these are two separate qualities, Paul joins them together. The idea of humility is the same word that many texts translate as “lowliness.” This quality of lowliness is juxtaposed to pride and snootiness which is the way the world most often implores us to get ahead or to accomplish the tasks that are before us. As we look at the church, we are reminded that Christ is the Lord and the head of the church. To walk in humility is to understand who we are and what we are about otherwise we will try to circumvent Christ’s leadership/headship over the church and in us. True humility is an accurate appraisal of who we are. We can have a higher assessment of our lives than reality shows or we can have a lower assessment of who we are. Pride exists on both extremes.

The second quality here is gentleness. The idea here is that we are not harsh or demeaning in our approach to people especially those outside the church. The idea of gentle here is the same word as meek which is often used as a definition of the term gentle. This was a term that described Jesus. He was described as being meek and lowly (Matthew 11:29). This was also a term that described Moses as well in Numbers 12:3. Here it is said “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” In the world’s eyes gentleness or meekness is a weakness rather than a strength. But in the context of spiritual blessing it is a benefit that is to be desired. I recently heard a quote that was awesome. I must admit to you that I heard it on the TV show Criminal Minds. It said “nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is as gentle as real strength.” The idea of gentleness is the idea that we do not provoke others to anger nor are we easily provoked or offended ourselves. Meekness is in reality strength under control.

The third quality is patience. Patience is an amazing word. Patience carries with it the idea of endurance. It is the idea of pressing through without losing our cool. How many would say that there is certainly enough in the world today to lose our cool about? Of course most of us have heard the saying, “don’t pray for patience as the only way to gain patience is to go through problems.” Of course I beg to differ with this statement a bit. I believe that we go through things so that we know that God has worked patience in us not to develop patience. You see by going through the issues of life we quickly can measure our spiritual depth of patience. When confronted by adverse conditions in our life do we lose our cool. If so, why? What triggered that response in us. One of the key areas we must exhibit patience is in the imperfections of others. In the end we must remember that patience is a gift of the Spirit that is ours for the asking (Galatians 5:22). While it must be developed, it is already ours in Christ.

The fourth quality is that we are to bear with one another in love. Notice once again that we are not just to bear with one another but we are to do so in love. How many know that people will disappoint us and will do things that we will not understand? But no matter what one does we are to bear with them in love. The word bear is the same word as to have long-suffering. In other words, we don’t give up on people easily. We are to bear with them for the long haul. Love is what allows us to bear with another. Note however that this does not mean that we accept their sin or abuse in our lives. We recognize however that they are in need of a touch of God in their lives.

The fifth quality is that we are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The amazing thing here is that the unity of the spirit exists as a core element of what God does in us. The truth is that while unity is evident in the residence of the Holy Spirit in us who works through us, we must maintain the unity of the spirit. We must strive to to keep the unity of the Spirit. Why is this important? It is critical because when we live in disunity or disharmony, the doorway for the enemy is opened and and we give room for the enemy to invade our church, our lives, and our relationships. The word strive means to work out it. We are to be aware of the things that cause disunity in the body and those things which cause division. Peace is not the lack of contention but rather peace comes in the midst of difficulty and trial. The end result is that God desires that we have unity in the church. He wants to accomplish this by us walking in the gifts that God has given us.

So let’s get down to business here. How are you doing at exhibiting these qualities? Paul’s exhortation is for us to walk in these things. We are to walk worthy of our calling. We are to walk in a gentle and humble spirit. We are to walk in patience. We are to bear one another with love. We are to maintain  the unity of the spirit.

This is how God wants His church to grow and to be seen by the world. For much of these things we cringe because we struggle in them. But we must remember that the Holy Spirit is in us as believers and that is where we get our strength and ability to do these things. Sometimes these things seem impossible but we are capable of accomplishing them all through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Fear Not – Fear of Where You Stand With God 

December 21, 2014

This is the last installment of our three part series called “Fear Not.” As noted earlier, I have borrowed some of Craig Groeschel’s outline but have added my points to that. In the first installment, we looked at Mary and the fear of responding to God’s call in our life. Last week, we looked at the fear of people and this week, we will look at fearing where we stand with God.

To do that let us begin by looking at the proclamation given to the shepherds. Luke 2:8-11 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

At first glance this does not appear to be a big deal because when we interpret this passage through our 21st century lens we cannot comprehend the magnitude of this appearance to the shepherds. You see the religious leaders of the day held a negative and at times a hostile view of shepherds. What was once an acceptable profession, during the time of the patriarchs, had evolved to an unacceptable profession. Everything changed for the shepherd during the 400 years of Jewish captivity in Egypt. The Egyptians despised shepherds. They considered them to be the lowest class of citizen to ever live. This concept of the shepherd carried over to the Children of Israel when they were delivered from Egypt.

During Jesus time, the religious leaders of the day had a similar view of the shepherds. The religious leaders believed the shepherd was on the bottom rung of the social ladder. The shepherd’s status was a product of religious judgment and of society’s rejection of them. Thus they were an isolated group of people. The shepherds were mistrusted and were quite often considered to be thieves. Some of them earned this title while others were stereotyped this way. The shepherd was mistrusted to the point they would not be considered as a witness in a trial because of their perceived lack of trustworthiness. And yet, this is the very people God chose to send the angels to. How amazing is that?

There is another interesting note here worthy of our consideration. In those days, the wealthy would hire a herald who would go throughout the land to announce the birth of their child. It is interesting here that God chose to send a herald, by way of the angels, to the very ones who could afford it in the least. I believe this is in keeping with the first message Jesus preached. In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus proclaimed these words. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

How awesome is it that the angels were sent to the least likely people on earth. The angel came to those who battled with whether or not they were good enough to find God. The shepherd struggled with their sense of being good enough to earn God’s favor and His love. Since they had been rejected by the representatives of God they assumed they had been rejected by God.

This applies to us as well as the one great fear that many believers have is whether or not they will be accepted by God. Let me ask you “have you ever felt that you were not good enough for God.” In preparing for this message, one of the things I remember about Vince is that in his latter days he dealt with this idea of being accepted by God. He felt that he had burned too many bridges, that he had done too much wrong for God to accept him. I was able to share with him that there is nothing that we can do that would prevent God from receiving us and bringing us into right relationship with him. Paul in Romans 8 reminded us of this truth in that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. We have said this before, God does not just love us, He is love. We can certainly walk away from God and remove ourselves from His blessing but He never stops loving us.

The reason we question God’s acceptance of us is threefold. First, we feel unworthy. The  shepherds’ experiences had taught them that they were not good enough for God. The religious leaders reinforced this emotional bondage. The problem, however, is that they were confusing religion with relationship. For example, in their day, the keeping of the Sabbath was a religious duty shepherds could not keep because they worked twenty-four hours a day. They could not offer sacrifices at the temple which was the requirement of the day. The result was that they could not be right with God because of their failure to perform their religious duties.

It is noteworthy that it was possible that they were watching the very sheep that would be offered in sacrifice. You see, while they were considered to be physically dirty, they were also considered to be spiritually dirty, so much so that a religious person would not even touch a shepherd because they would be considered unclean. You can only imagine how unworthy that made them feel. The reality is that many of us feel the same way. We try to come to church but we are faced with the things we have done or for that matter not done. Then we look at everyone else and think that they are so holy and righteous. The result is we feel unworthy of God’s love and grace.

Secondly, we feel inadequate. The shepherds were uneducated. They were dirty and smelly. They felt like they never measured up to society’s standard.. They were forced there emotionally by society and by the religious leaders of the day. They were comparing themselves to the religious leaders of the day and knew they could not measure up which was the worse thing they could do. The best way to feel inadequate is to compare ourselves to others. Perception is a powerful tool of destruction. We look around and we think that everyone else around us has it all together. But the fact is, we don’t know what the other person near us is facing. We do not know the emotional turmoil they might be in.

How about you? When you look around, do you see people who seem close to God. They have a Bible verse for every situation. They prayer prayers that are powerful and you are thinking that the last time you prayed was “God help me not to kill this person who took my parking place.”  Too often we feel so unspiritual. This happens too often when we compare ourselves with others rather than to God.

In our society today, we believe that if we are only good enough God will accept us but the more we do the more we feel inadequate. Michelle and I love to watch Christmas movies, especially Hallmark movies. As I have watched this year, I have found that most of the movies fall into one of two categories. An angel appears and makes everything right or the theme is be good enough or do all the right things and you will be accepted. In real life however, we keep doing good things and nothing changes in our heart, we only find that we must do more things. This all leads to a greater feeling of inadequacy.

Thirdly, we feel unloved. The shepherds were not accepted so they felt unloved. Can you imagine what they may have thought? Here they are the hill side listening to the laughter and music coming from the city. They hear that the people are having a good time, but they have to be out on the hillside watching these stinking sheep. As they listened to the sounds coming from the town, their hearts would be effected and the sense of a lack of love would grow. I thought of the story of the Grinch. I remember the one with Jim Carey as the Grinch is at the top of the mountain where he lived and he was listening to the celebration going on in Whoville. You could witness in that moment his need for love but he was rejected.

I know many of us have so many different stories about life. Too often these events cause us to feel unloved and unaccepted. A spouse has left us or had deceived us. A child has rebelled. An employer has laid us off. For some of us it is not a matter of others loving us but when we look in the mirror and we do not love the person we see. You think if people don’t love me, and I don’t love myself how is God going to love me?

The religion of the day did not work for the shepherds and it will not work for us today either. You see Jesus did not come to offer religion he came to have a relationship with us.  He came to set us free from religion and to give us something so much better. You see religion reduces Christianity down to a set of rules and a list of dos and don’ts. The more we try the worse things get.

But, here is the “Good News.” Righteousness comes from God alone as we commit our ways to His ways. He forgives and He leads us. You cannot earn God’s acceptance by observing the law. The purpose of the law is to show your need for a savior. Righteousness with God comes by faith in Christ alone and acceptance through a relationship with Him. That is the good news.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

December 14, 2014

Fear Not what People Think

This week we will continue our Christmas series entitled “Fear Not.” While we looked at the angel’s proclamation to Mary last week, this week we will look at the proclamation given to Joseph. You see Mary was not the only one that was being challenged by the interruption of God. This week we will focus on Joseph and the fear of what people think of us.

Let’s read together. Matthew 1:18-23 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”

Just as Mary was living her life as usual, Joseph was also going about his life as he always did. I am sure that he was also planning for his and Mary’s wedding and their future together. I can imagine that he was building their home as well as the furniture that would go inside. After all he was a carpenter. But his world was shattered by the news of Mary’s pregnancy. The text does not spell out his reactions to this news but being a man I can only imagine that he was experiencing a plethora of emotions. I am sure he was confused and nervous. I am sure that he was filled with the fear that he would be judged and criticized for what Mary had done. He could have thought that Mary was a bit crazy or she was at least a liar. I am sure that he was worried about what people would think as this was a big deal in his day.

As we look at this, we must understand that our fear of what people think of us can lead us to make bad decisions. The reason for this is that we will either do things so people like us or because we do not want them to think badly of us. Not only was Joseph struggling in the present but he was also concerned about his future. This was very serious for him. It was humiliating. As a man, this action would cause there to be a social stigma upon him. I am sure his mind was filled with questions and concerns. Would he have to divorce Mary? If so, would he ever marry again? Would there ever be a father who would trust him with his daughter, again? Would he be mocked by his friends and family because of Mary’s actions? What would people think when they hear that Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit? Would anyone believe it? Would his family, friends, and acquaintances think she had lost it and would he, as a man, ever live this down. Joseph was in fact engaging in the very thing that Mary had to confront, the fear of the “what if’s.” But in this case it was the “what ifs” of what people might think.

You see while breaking the engagement was serious for Mary, it also had serious implications for Joseph, as well. Joseph had to battle doing what was easy versus doing what was right and between what people wanted him to do versus what God wanted him to do. The fact of the matter is he wants to bail from the relationship. He wants to call it quits. His desire was to just move on and let it play out. We see in this passage that he decides to divorce her quietly and honorably. As he is pondering these things however, the angel of the Lord appears and proclaims the following. “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” Through the proclamation, the angel confirmed that what Mary was saying was indeed true. The angel was clear in the calling of Mary but also in Joseph’s destiny as this son would claim Joseph as His father.

Once Joseph hears these words he is faced with a decision. Would he listen to the skeptics who are calling for him to follow the law and divorce her? Would he listen to those who were pushing him to have her stoned because of her actions and the fact that she appeared to be crazy? Would they believe him that he had received the same proclamation? There is no doubt that Joseph battled obedience to God versus following the voices of those around him. But as we know Joseph did what was right and honorable. He obeyed God and followed His will. How do we know this? We see it Matthew 1:24 “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

As we look at this story, we learn that in pleasing God we often disappoint people. People sometimes want us to do things that come in nice little packages but things do not always happen that way. As a believer, we can be confronted with the the opportunity to obey God or do something easier to win the approval of people. The fact is when we walk in the fear of disappointing people or getting the approval of people, we can fail to please God which is our highest goal and aim in life.

The problem that arises is that we allow people to control our lives rather than God having control. The fear of what people think can bind us to the point that we fail to a accomplish the task God has called us to. Now let me hasten to say that this does not mean that we are like a bunch of bulls in a china shop where we force our way onto people or we do not have concern for others, as that is also contrary to Scripture. But there is an issue when all we do is to seek man’s approval or his blessing.

Secondly, becoming obsessed with what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you but being obsessed with what God thinks about you is the quickest way to forget what people think about you. The writer of Proverbs said it best. The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe (Proverbs 29:25). When we fear people and we become obsessed about what people think of us, we start down a slippery slope of trusting people’s opinions more than we trust God’s promises and His will. How do we know that we are drifting towards wanting to please people? First, we are afraid to make the changes in our life that are necessary because we are afraid of what  people may think. Second, our first response to any issue is to worry about what someone will say or do rather than doing what is right in the sight of God. Third, we seek people’s approval and measure our success by that approval. Fourth, we go with the flow rather than standing on what is right. We develop a mob or group think mentality. We also begin to say things like: What will they think of me? Do they like me? Do they like what I am doing? Many of these things are never verbalized but they are a part of our inner psyche. The result is that we surrender our lives to the opinions of people, at the expense of pleasing and honoring God.

Let me let you in on a secret that will relieve you of much of the pressure and fear of trying to please everyone. Here is a truth you can take to the bank. You cannot please everyone all of the time so stop trying to make that happen. In pleasing one, person, you make another person unhappy. I have seen this played out in my life in so many ways. I can remember people telling me that my messages are too long while another tells me they are too short. I have some say that I use too many personal illustrations while others feel connected to the message because of my personal examples. Some have complained about not singing hymns enough only to complain that we did not sing the particular hymn they like. We cannot please all of the people all of the time, so seek to please God instead.

Living for God instead of people is a challenge for us. The reason is that if your are not ready to be criticized for your obedience to God, you are not ready to be used by God. Fear binds us and we settle for the status quo. When God calls us, He needs people who are ready to answer His call without reservation. In this regard, I was drawn to the story of the twelve spies. The twelve spies see the giants in the land and feared. But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, are willing to take the risk of going against the majority because they had faith in God. Because of fear and a bad report from the other ten, a whole generation was not allowed to go into the promised land. Matthew expressed it this way. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).

The second thing that occurs is that extraordinary acts of God often start with ordinary acts of obedience. What a testimony of faith and love. Joseph chose to do the right thing even though it hurt and could potentially cause great problems for him. He chose to obey God rather than fear man. He took an ordinary act of obedience and trusted God. Remember our statement last week. Our responsibility is obedience. God’s responsible is for the outcome. Too often we believe that God will ask us to take giant steps, which can be true, but most often he is calling us to take tiny ordinary steps that lead to extraordinary results. God takes our little and multiplies it.

So how about you? Do you fear people’s opinions or do you trust God to lead your life regardless of what happens?

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

December 7, 2014

Fear Not!

Today, we begin a short three week series entitled “Fear not.” As we begin this, I must confess that some of my thoughts come from a message presented by Craig Groeschel of Life Church. While I may use some of his outline, the meat is mine as directed by the Holy Spirit. The focus of the series will on the the proclamations given by the angels who announced the birth of the Savior. As we read each story we find that each message given was one of hope and promise. And yet, each one receiving the news experienced a level of fear. For that reason, in each proclamation we hear these words of hope “fear not.”

This morning, we will look at the first of these proclamations. It comes to a young teenage girl named Mary. Let’s read together. Luke 1-26-35 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God.

Notice what transpires here in this conversation with the angel. The angel proclaims that Mary is highly favored. You would think that she would be excited about this but she is troubled by what she hears. The angel however encourages Mary, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.” Twice the angel proclaims that Mary has God’s favor. You would think that this message would bring joy to Mary’s heart but she has an opposite response. The truth is, when God calls us to engage in His will, we can be troubled and have a level of fear. Fear is a natural reaction. It can overwhelm us and cause us to panic. It can be so powerful that it will prevent us from accomplishing the tasks given to us by God.

Why is fear such an obstacle to us? Fear is an obstacle because it is the act of placing our faith in the wrong thing. Let me explain. We have heard it said that fear is the absence of faith but I would argue this morning that fear is placing our faith in the “what if’s” of life rather than the promises of God. I am sure that you are familiar with how this goes. What if I give my life to Him and then things don’t go the way I want? What if I lose my job? What if the economy disintegrates and I lose everything? What if I share my faith and no one gets saved? What if I teach that Sunday School class and no one is interested? We could go on and on but I think you understand. You see fear is placing our faith in the worse case scenarios. Rather than having faith in the best that God has planned for you, we would rather trust in the what ifs and the potential negative outcomes that may never happen. The result is we are bound by fear and not faith. Therefore, we become powerless to achieve God’s will. But let me let you in on a secret. God has not given us a spirit of fear. He has given us a spirit of power, love, and sound mind  or self-control (2 Timothy 1:6).

To diminish the power of fear let’s look at a couple of truths. First, God’s interruptions are always inconvenient. Have you ever thought about the story of Mary. She was a young girl who was probably somewhere around 15 or 16 years old. She had been promised in marriage to Joseph. In her day this was a big deal. You see the engagement period would last a whole year. It was the couple’s time to plan for the wedding and begin to set up their home once they are married. With that in mind, I am sure that she was excited about planning her wedding. She was thinking of all the things that would make her wedding day so special. The fact, is she did not need this interruption from planning her wedding and her future with Joseph, but it came.

While we view such things as interruptions, God sees them as an invitation to a God size adventure. You see when we feel God is interrupting our lives, He in fact is inviting us to something bigger, higher, and better in the scope of eternity. Think about all of the people through the Bible whose lives were interrupted by God. Moses was watching sheep on the backside of the dessert when he was called to be the deliverer of the Children of Israel. Abraham was enjoying the good life when he was called to a new home. David was tending his dad’s flock when he was called to be the king. Saul was on his way to punish more Christians when God called him as one of the greatest missionaries of all time. The problem is that too often we shake off God’s invitations by calling them interruptions when God really wants to do something new and different in our lives. In recognizing God’s interruptions, God will take us to new places, to do new things. Gloria Gaither once stated that God has always been in the interruptions of her of life. It is there that God has used her most.

Secondly, God does not just interrupt us but His purposes are often different than our plans. Can you imagine how Mary must have moved from ecstatic joy of knowing that she would be the mother of Messiah to suddenly being shaken by what people would think. What would her family think? What would Joseph think? Will he believe my story? You see in that day to be pregnant out if wedlock was a sin punishable by death. The consequences were huge.

Can you imagine her telling Joseph? I wonder if the conversation went something like this. “Hey Joe I have something to tell you and you might want to sit down? Joe, I’m pregnant.” Joseph most likely would have responded with “How did this happen? I know I am not the father, so who is the dad?” Mary’s immediate response was “Well it is the Holy Spirit.” Perhaps Joseph laughed at first. Regardless of his response we know that in time Joseph accepted his role as the father.

Here is the lesson for us. What we think is a curse can become a blessing in the economy of God’s will. This reminds me of Joseph’s experience in the Old Testament. He was rejected by his brothers. He was sold into slavery. He was falsely accused. He was sent to prison. He was forgotten. Promises were broken. But in it all God had not forgotten him. When he was reunited with his family, he could proclaim that what was intended for evil God had turned to good (Genesis 50:20-21). God’s intent was to bring life to his family and he needed Joseph in this place to make this happen. The only way he could do this was to allow Joseph to go through all of the set backs he experienced so that he could be promoted and placed in a position to save His family. Jeremiah said it best. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

His invitation is to do something different because His purposes are always different than your plans. Your response to God may be the same as Mary’s. How can this be? I don’t see how this can be possible. I don’t see how God can work in my life. It is impossible for me to forgive that person that has wounded me so deeply. God I don’t believe that you can heal my marriage. I don’t believe that you can heal the brokenness of my life. I have this physical ailment and I don’t know what I am going to do. My finances are a mess and there is no hope. Here is the fact that we can hold onto. Nothing is impossible with God. He can do the impossible but it will change your plans. And whatever comes, God can use it for His glory.

You might ask, what is our role in all of this? You see we must be obedient to God’s word, His will, and His ways. If God is asking you to take a step of faith then here are two points you need to hear and apply to your situation. God is responsible for the outcome. We are responsible to be obedient. The fact is we cannot predict the outcome of the things we trust God for, but we can trust the outcome to God. It is His responsibility. If you do what the Word calls you to do first then you will be directed more than you think.

I can guarantee you that there will be a time that God is going to call you to trust Him with your life or a decision. He may put a ministry on your mind. He may be calling you to teach the youth or children of our church. You may not understand how you can do it, but trust Him with your decision. Take the step of faith and watch God do the impossible. To accomplish His will, we need to surrender to Him just like this teenage girl did 2000 years ago. He interrupted her life for a higher purpose and a higher calling. He interrupted her life with a purpose much greater than she ever imagined. In her mind, she could not imagine how this would work out but she had to remember that she needed to trust God as all things are possible with her God. As we now know, she trusted God and the world was changed forever.

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

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom