Life on the edge

Peninsula Community church

Father’s Day – Running the Race – Finishing Well

June 15, 2014

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I love American History. This week I read a story about the famous Lewis and Clark expedition across America in the early 1800s. At the end of the expedition all but two men returned with Lewis and Clark. One of those did not return because he got sick and died. The second decided that he loved the land of the west so much that he wanted to stay and explore it on his own. He waved good by to Lewis and Clark and began his journey. As he traveled the land, it has been said that he was the first white man to witness the geysers of Yellowstone. As he took this journey he encountered grizzlies, faced death defying white water, and constantly confronted Indians all of which tested his stamina and his courage. This man’s name was John Colter. But, John was not known for the grizzlies or first seeing the geysers, he is best known for one foot race, because he had to literally run for his life.

The story goes something like this. Colter had been trapping with a friend named John Potts. As they were canoeing down a stretch of river that is not far from what is now Bozeman, Montana they heard a rustling in the bushes. In the next instant, they were surrounded by Blackfeet Indians. Once on shore, one of the warriors grabbed Potts weapon, a rifle. Colter knew that any sign of fear would cost them their lives so he grabbed the gun from the warrior and threw it back to Potts. The warrior stood amazed at this act. Out of fear Potts jumped back into the canoe and was immediately shot by the arrows of the Blackfeet. The canoe and his body floated downstream. Now Colter was on the shore alone and without a weapon. The indians not knowing what to do held a powwow. One of them came up with an idea. They asked Colter if he could run as fast as a deer. He said I cannot run as fast a deer but only as slow as a turtle, which was not true for he was actually a very fast runner. The chief of the tribe took the bait and led them to a sandy knoll. He marked a line in the sand where his warriors readied themselves. He then took Colter and gave him a 300 yard head start. 

Colter quickly outpaced his pursuers. His was naked, his feet were bloody, and his body ached from the pain of the cuts he received from running on the rocks and briers. He outpaced most of the warriors but as he looked back there was one lone warrior who was closing within 200 yards. When the warrior reached 50 feet, Colter turned, faced the warrior, and threw his hands up over his head as if in surrender. Startled, the warrior threw his spear at Colter but as he threw it, he fell face first in the sand. Colter quickly took the spear and ran it through the warrior. Colter fled knowing that the others would be right behind him in a matter of moments. In the middle of the river Colter saw a sand bar. He swam to the sand bar because at the head was a log jam. He swam under the log jam where he found a space which was covered by logs overhead. The indians passed by and never saw him. All was not over. In the cover of darkness Colter swam downstream until he found a bank with a covering of trees. there he lay cold, naked, and bleeding. He was 150 miles from the nearest point of civilization. But he knew if he lay there he would die. So off he went and in seven days he made the 150 mile trek to Bighorn compound. He pressed through and survived. He could have given up but he pressed through.

Certainly, we may never have to run for our life in the way that Colter did but whether we recognize it or not we are all in a race as believers. And, in many ways it is a race for our lives but it is one that is both spiritual and physical. Paul understood this and it was for this reason that he penned the words we read this morning. To communicate his message he uses two athletic metaphors. And in so doing he gives us guidance on how to be an effective and productive athletes that run the race to our fullest capacity.

The first thing Paul communicates is that we have to be in the race. If we want to receive the prize, we have to be in the race. We cannot think that we will win if we don’t run the race. In this race, for some, it is like a sprint and for others it is like a marathon. In fact, in a marathon the quest of the runner is not so much to win first place but to finish the race. As a believer, we join this race the day we accepted Christ as our personal savior. 

Secondly, Paul communicates that athletes exercise self-control. They realize that for them to win the race that they have to be in good shape. It is the same as we run the race in Christ. Self-control means that the runner prepares themselves so that they are equipped with the tools they need to run the race. Most runners I know do not wake up the morning of the race and decide they will run a marathon. In fact, they are running every day to prepare themselves and to condition themselves to endure the race. They watch what they eat. They watch their sleep habits. Runners also realize that they must also pace themselves in the race. When they are in a marathon they are not racing against the other athletes as much as they are racing against themselves. They realize that they cannot exert all of their energy early in the race only to find that they have used up all they have in the early goings. So too, we must not judge the end of our lives by the individual blips on the screen. We must run with endurance. 

Marathoners say that at the 23 or 24 mile mark they hit a wall. The wall is the conflux of fear, physical fatigue, and mental exhaustion. But for that one who prepares and trains correctly they will be able to push through the pain, fear, and exhaustion. As believers, we face difficult times that can bring fear, cause physical pain, and mental exhaustion but when we have prepared ourselves we will be able to push through. We hold onto the promises of God. We focus on the strength that is ours in Christ. We remember that God is with us and He is there to cheer us on as we run the race. 

Thirdly, athletes in human races run for perishable wreathes but as believers we run the race for crowns that are imperishable. You see in the days of Paul, the reward would be a wreath of olive leaves shaped in the form of a horseshoe. These were perishable rewards. The reward we are running for is not destroyed. Paul spoke to his son in the faith and proclaimed that I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

It is interesting to note that Xerxes was interrogating some Arcadians after the battle of Thermopylae. He asked why there were so few Greeks in the battle. His answer was that they were participating in the Olympic Games. when asked what the winner received he stated that he received an olive-wreath. Then Tigranes one of the generals uttered: “God heavens! what kind of men are these against whom you have brought us to fight? Men who do not compete for possessions but for virtue. May it be that we run not for possessions but for the virtue of Godliness.

Fourth, we do not run aimlessly. A runner runs with a goal in mind. They know there is a goal line and that is their focus. They do not run all over the place. They run the most direct path possible. Paul speaks of this in Ephesians 4:14 when admonishes the Church of Ephesus to grow into maturity, 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. 

Paul emphases this point by adding a second athletic metaphor. He references the boxer. Paul states that when the box is in the ring, he does not box as one beating the air. In other words, what we do counts for something. We are not just swinging and hoping to hit something. We focus on the goal of integrity, righteousness, and God’s will and swing hard.

Fifth, the reason that Paul shares these thoughts is that he does not want to do anything that would disqualify him from the race. Paul does not want to cheat to get to the end. He does not want to cause another harm to be the winner. One of the saddest stories was that of Lance Armstrong. He was a great competitor but was so focused on winning that he was willing to do anything to win and in the end he lost it all. Paul did not want to be disqualified by his attitude or his emotion. He did not want fear to control how he would finish. He wanted to be faithful to the end. He wanted to leave a legacy. He also recognized that the process of preparation and the race it self was just as important as the finish. The process is always more important than the finish. The reason is that in the process we grow and mature. In the process, we develop a sensitivity to God’s will and His word. In the process, we learn much about ourselves and when we allow the change to occur we are better for it.

Paul said it fairly succinctly when he stated But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:11-16).

We run this race with integrity. We run this race to finish. We run this race to influence those around us. We run this race to to leave a legacy so that others challenged to run the race as well. Watch this video clip from the movie “Courageous” with me. 

So will you run the race with faithfulness and integrity?

Copyright 2014, Robert W. Odom, All Rights Reserved

Peninsula Community Church

May 11, 2014

Mother’s Day – True Beauty

Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

Before I begin my message let me make a comment about the founding of Mother’s Day as an American holiday. The celebration for mothers has been around for centuries but the formal acknowledgement of Mother’s Day, as a celebration here in the United States, was started in 1907 by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, two years after her mom died. In 1910, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed Mother’s Day a national Holiday, the second Sunday of May. 

While Anna Jarvis is the founder of the holiday, it is noteworthy that her prized accomplishment soon turned to bitter disappointment. She became enraged by its quick rise to commercialization. So, the woman who founded the day, filed a lawsuit to stop the celebration of Mother’s Day in 1923. She was arrested later for disturbing the peace at a war mother’s convention. Her complaint was that she wanted it to be a day of sentiment and not profit. Her joy was turned to sorrow.

This week in my preparation time, I also came across this story. It is entitled “Just Trust Mom.” A young man was standing at the grocery store checkout line when he noticed an elderly woman in front of him.  As she unloaded her grocery cart, she kept looking up and staring at him.  After a few awkward moments, he asked, “Why do you keep staring at me?”  The woman said, “I’m sorry, but it’s just that you look exactly like my son who recently died.” “I’m so sorry to hear that,” the young man replied. “Is there anything I can do for you?” “Yes,” she said. “As I leave, if you would say, ‘Goodbye, Mother’ it would make me feel so much better because I need closure.” “I’d be glad to do that for you,” he answered.  As the old woman was leaving, he called out, “Goodbye, Mother!” After unloading his cart, the bill came to $147.50. “How can that be?” he asked the clerk. “I only purchased a few items.” “Oh,” the clerk replied, “your mother said that you would pay for her.”

I must admit to you that as I was preparing this message, I experienced  a level of struggle and difficulty as to where to take this message. The fact is, this struggle actual was used by God to solidify where I should go. The problem in part was that Mothers Day can be one of those times where we focus on the specific role of the mother in a way that disenfranchises a group of people who may be attending the service.

In the process of considering this message, I thought about some of the different circumstances moms find themselves. The fact is I have spoken to some moms this week who have experienced different circumstances. For some, motherhood was a planned process. They looked forward to it with great joy and anticipation. These women knew how many children they were going to have and when they were going to have them. And, for the most part they did not deviate from that plan. For others, motherhood was an accident or at least it was unplanned. These moms did not plan on being a mother or at least they did not plan on being a mother when when they did or for the reasons that they became pregnant. Others have experienced the struggle and continue to struggle to have children because of a barren womb and so no children have been born to them. For many others, motherhood has come as a result of adoption or by way of marriage. There are others who have had children only to find that the child died in an untimely manner or they were born with or later diagnosed with an illness that radically changed the child’s life as well as the life of the parents. Finally, we have those moms who have children who have caused problems beyond imagination. These children have rebelled against their moms and what their moms stood for. 

A secondary issue is that society has established a view of mom that creates dissonance within the individual. The success of moms has been measured by her ability to work full time and then provide for a home at the same time. It is noteworthy that in the 1950’s only 19 percent of mothers with children worked outside the home. As of 2008, more than 80 percent of women with children between 6 and 17 worked outside the home. What used to be a respected role, it seems now that moms who do stay home tend to be viewed negatively by society. Its the do it all mentality. It is the superwoman culture. Please note, I do not think that there is anything wrong with moms working outside the home. The problem is when we try to live up to society’s expectations of what motherhood is all about.

Another societal issue is that too often the success of motherhood is measured by one’s outward appearance or one’s profession and not by the inward quality of a life dedicated to God. In the passage we read that charm and beauty are not the secrets to success but a heart that fears the Lord. This is the person that is to be praised. The writer of Proverbs notes that beauty is vain and charm is deceitful. As always, we must understand that fear is not to be interpreted as trembling with anxiety. Biblical fear is an attitude by which we desire to find our pleasure and our joy in serving the Lord. This fear is an awe inspiring view of God.

With this in mind I also thought of a couple of principles that can lead us to greater success and gain a greater hope for the future. 

First, when you fear the Lord you will see that while you may or may not have chosen motherhood when you did or how you did, God will still use you. Here’s the point, you may not have chosen to be a mother, but God chose you. You may not have chosen the circumstances by which your children were born, but He will still use you and work in you.  He purposed you to raise the children you have been given. We often say that children are never a mistake, but the fact is being a parent is no mistake. For those who do not have children, God will use you to reach other children for God. 

Second, when we fear the Lord, we understand that there are no perfect mothers only perfectible people. The goal is to open ourselves to all that God is doing in us. God does not call perfect people to motherhood but He desires to perfect the non perfect people. The idea here is that God wants to place parents in flesh so that our imperfections point our children to the perfections of God. Through our imperfections we can help our children understand the forgiveness of God and the mercy of God.

Third, your past experiences do not have to dictate your future, therefore we do not walk in condemnation but in faith for a new day. The problem too often is that we view life in snapshots rather than a video. When we view life as a snapshot, we focus on one aspect of our lives rather than the totality of all that God has done through us and in us. We cannot worry about the future based on past experiences and past failures. God is in the business of changing our future and our destiny.

Fourth, we are never too old to begin again and to have a fresh start with Christ. It is never too late to start over. God is the God of new beginnings. We see this in Job’s life. We see this in Sarah’s life because she thought she was too old. We see this Ruth’s life when her world was turned upside down because of the loss of her husband. We see this in the life of Tamar who was rejected and used deception to gain what she wanted. No matter your circumstances, God is a God of new beginnings and He wants to start today. You may be disappointed in your role as a mom, but today you can start over. The fact is, we never stop being a mother or a dad. Even if you have blown it big time, you can start over. It is never too late.

How do we accomplish this? We do so by praying for our children, no matter how old they are. More can be done by prayer than by anything else we could ever do. In our prayer, we can ask that God would change our attitude and how we respond to our children. We can pray that our example before our children would be one that honors God and positively represents the kind of life we would want our children to have. We can pray and then position ourselves so that when we have the opportunity to speak the truth in love we do so with grace and love. 

In my preparation I came across the words of Dorothy Law Nolte. She wrote the poem “Children Learn What They Live.”

If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice.
If a child lives with security,  He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world.

Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved – Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

May 4, 2014

Be Rich: Do More, Give More

Today, we begin a new series.While this is a new series it is in reality a continuation of our previous series on the body, soul, and spirit. The title for this series is “Be Rich: Do more and Give more.” Now in an effort to give full disclosure, I must be honest with you and let you know that I borrowed the series title from Andy Stanley (with his permission of course). While this is his title, the substance of the message will be laid out in a different context. 

I also want to caution you to not let the title throw you at all. This will not be a get rich quick kind of sermon. This will not be a name and claim it type message either. It will be one, however, that will lay out some specific tenants that will help us understand the spiritual richness and completeness that comes from having an appropriate understanding of what true Biblical stewardship is all about.

Our verse this morning is a long one but it is a perfect verse for this part of our series. Because it is the perfect verse, we will park here for a couple of weeks as we review the truth expressed through these verses. In this passage, we find Jesus responding to an inquiry on what the return of the Lord will look like. 

Because of the length of this text, I will only read a couple of verses and then summarize the rest of the story. So here in Matthew 25:14-30, we find Jesus’ response to the question posed to Him. Here he relates the story of a master, a land owner, who leaves for a trip. Jesus said “For it (the return of Christ) will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away…. 

Now let me summarize the rest of the story for you. It should be noted here that the master never tells his servants what to do with the talents. He simple doles out the talents and then leaves. There is an implied sense here that they knew what to do without being coerced or told what to do in that moment. In our story, we find that one of the servants received five talents. He took those five talents and produced an additional five talents. The second servant was given two talents. He too took his talents and multiplied them so that he now had four talents. The third servant was given one talent but he chose to not multiply the talent he had been given. He chose instead to hide what he had been given. When the master returned, he called the servants into accountability. The first two servants reported their gain and the success of their investments. These servants were praised by the master. He stated “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Meanwhile, the third servant confided in the master that he hid his talent because he assumed that somehow he was preserving what had been given to him. He states that he was afraid of the master. Rather than being praised, we find that the master portrays him as being wicked and slothful. Rather than stewarding what had been given him, he kept it hidden and lost the opportunity for growth for himself and for his master.

With this story in mind, lets look at a couple of things this morning about stewardship. First, when the master gave the servants the talents, he was calling on them to become stewards. To understand this we must define what a steward is. The term steward in Biblical times was a person who manages another’s property or financial affairs or they administer anything as the agent of another or others. Please note that this includes more than money as it could be everything owned by the master. In essence, a steward is a manager. He manages another’s household or finances. 

In Biblical times it is also noteworthy that the steward was often a freedman. This means that a steward was once a slave who had been released from forced or legal servitude. The individual who was once a slave now serves the master because they want to and not because they are forced to. Before they received their freedom, the freedman was one who had been bound by slavery to serve his or her master. They had to obey the master without question. But as freedmen, everything changed. Rather than serving the master out of fear or forced labor, they now serve their master as a personal choice and with a desire to honor and please their master.

Think about this for a moment. Look at what that means for us as believers. I believe if we could grasp this principle, the focus of our stewardship would change. How we handle everything we own would change. The fact is that before Christ came into our hearts we were slaves to sin. We were mastered by sin and were forced to obey its proclivities. We were focused on ourselves and what we could gain in life rather than how we could bless others. Before Christ, we believed that we owned everything and that our destiny was totally in our hands. Therefore, we set out to get more through any means possible and at any cost. In this state of mind, we lived without any consideration of God’s will or His plan for us. We were in bondage to sin and sin controlled our ways, our thoughts, and our responses to God. But, now we serve God as freedmen. We serve Him because we want to and not because we are forced. If we could establish this principle in our hearts, the way we view stewardship would be changed forever. 

Secondly, to grasp this principle we must begin with the premise and have the understanding that God owns everything but we have the joy and the privilege to manage what we possess on behalf of God. Let me repeat this, everything we have belongs to God. Look at how David describes this reality. He stated “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” (Psalms 24:1-2). God owns it, but he has given it to us to steward for our enjoyment and to bring Him glory.

There is a third principle present in this story.  The principle is true stewardship has less to do about the possession of things and more about the character of the heart. Tony Dungy in his devotional book, “Uncommon Life” stated that in life we need substance over style. He stated that the inward character of a person is more important than his outward appearance. As we know from our study of the body, soul and spirit, the inward character of the heart will dictate our outward responses. This applies quite appropriately to our discussion on stewardship. The heart of the person will determine their stewardship more than the outward show of religious piety. In other words, we can exhibit all of the right expressions of worship. We can quote scripture. We can present ourselves as more holy than others, but the heart will almost always betray us and expose us for who we really are.

We have stated before that the condition of our heart will determine the actions we take. If our heart is right, then our actions will be right. If your belief system is in alignment with God’s word and His will, then our actions will also be in alignment with God’s word and His will. When our heart is right, we will be freer to steward everything in a more positive way and with a heart that honors God.

This reminds me of a story I heard some time ago. A local United Way office realized that it had never received a donation from the town’s most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called the lawyer to persuade him to contribute: “Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn’t you like to give back to the community in some way?” The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied: “First, did your research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual income?” Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, “Um…no.” The lawyer continued: “Or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?” The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology. The lawyer interrupted her apology, saying: “Or that my sister’s husband died in a traffic accident,” the lawyer’s voice rising in indignation, “leaving her penniless with three children?!” The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, “I had no idea…” On a roll, the lawyer cut her off once again: “…So, if I didn’t give any money to them, why should I give any money to you?” So what was the attitude of his heart? What was his motivation in life?

The final though I want to share this morning is that biblical stewardship requires that we have a correct view of the master. Look what happens in our story. We find that two of three servants found joy in multiplying what had been given to them. But, for the third servant, we see a disturbing attitude in his heart. When we read the story, we find that the third servant did not properly steward what he had been given because he was afraid of the master. In other words, his view of the master caused him not to handle what he had been given properly. His reasoning for not stewarding what he had been given was motivated by fear. He viewed the master as a hard tough man. This attitude prevented him from managing the talent he had been given. 

The fact is our view of God will effect our stewardship. When we have a a false view of God, we tend to hoard and not give away. We tend to hide and not be transparent. We will tend to walk in fear and not in hope. Notice, that we do not see this response from those who doubled the investment. If we view God as a mean and evil God who demands obedience, we will also most likely hide what we have because we are afraid of losing what we have. But, if we view Him as a loving God who allows us to manage his possessions for His glory and for our enjoyment, we will be freed up to give more, and thus do more for the kingdom. The kingdom of God will be expanded and we will reap the benefits in the long run.

So how is your heart this morning? Do you see that all you possess belongs to God? Is your stewardship motivated by fear or by love and joy? How does your view of God change how you steward your possessions? The answers to these questions will change your view of stewardship.

Peninsula Community Church

April 27, 2014

Body, Soul & Spirit

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

Over the last several weeks, we have focused on the subject of the body, soul, and spirit. While we have come to the conclusion of this series, we have not come to the conclusion of God’s work in our life. During this time, we have covered much territory and yet there is so much more territory left unexplored. As in any series or study, it is impossible to cover all of the material or to exhaust the subject in the few minutes we have on a Sunday. It is for that reason, I encourage you and challenge you to continue to study this subject to fully understand God’s will for you. 

In our text this morning, we see that Paul makes an amazing claim. Paul states that we are His workmanship. The term “workmanship” is a term that denotes “a thing of His making.” As we have noted on a number of occasions during this study, we have been created in the image and likeness of God. We have a physical body. We have a soul. We have a Spirit. And as such, we must never forget that we are His creation.

One of the things Michelle and I love to do on vacation or in our free time is to tour homes and museums that represent an earlier period of time in our nations history. On these tours, I am amazed with the quality of the craftsmanship used in building the homes and the quality of furniture placed in each home. As I observe the furniture, I realize that the carpenter chose the right wood, developed the right design, and used the proper finish. As we have toured so many different places, we have found both exotic furniture and we have found simple furniture. The point is the creator of the furniture started with a purpose and a plan in their mind for that particular piece of furniture. They knew in the beginning how the piece was to be used and where it would be used. 

Paul tells us in our text today that we are His workmanship. When we were created by God, He did so with a specific purpose and a specific plan in mind. You see when it comes to the craftsmanship of God, there is no junk. What He has created has been deemed as being good. How often during the six days of creation do we see God take a step back and proclaim that what He just accomplished was indeed good? In Genesis 1:31 we find that at the end of creation that …God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. This included the creation of man. What does this mean for us? It means that God did not cut any corners. It means we are created to be used by God for His glory. It means that we were purposed to be good and useful.

But lets be honest, we do not always feel like we are His masterpiece. But, how we feel does not determine the value we have or the purpose for our being created. While we have been created in God’s image, one of the outcomes experienced by way of man’s sin is that man’s purpose in life was distorted. Rather than viewing himself as God’s creation and as His masterpiece, he began to view himself as being lost and thrown onto the trash pile of rejection. Since man’s fall into sin, he has struggled with his identity, purpose, and role in life. While this is true, that was never God’s intent for us and it was not God’s intent for us to live that way. Through sin man became broken.

One of the things I love is to be around people who can take broken items and then have a vision to repair or repurpose them. That is one of the things I love about Michelle. She has the ability to take an old piece of furniture; and with a little sand paper, paint, and a few minor repairs and she is able to transform that old piece of broken down furniture into something useable again. Many times I have watched her repurpose things that have lost their luster and usefulness because they were broken or the outward beauty of the piece had been diminished. What is amazing is that the craftsman that build the piece never intended for the piece to end up on the trash heap. They intended it to be used according to its purpose. It is also amazing that at some point, someone had purchased the piece of furniture because they saw the beauty and/or the usefulness of the piece. As the years went by, the furniture lost its luster and purpose. Eventually, the furniture was discarded or stowed in a basement or closet because it was no longer needed or deemed to be useful.

Just like the furniture that was once a creation of its master craftsman, we too are God’s workmanship. We are His creation, but as we take this journey through life, we become damaged and transformed by the world’s thinking and the world’s ideals for life. We face difficulties and problems that tarnish us and that weaken our ability to achieve the purpose to which we were created. Our usefulness is doubted and we begin to believe that we are not a creation of God. We have lost some of the luster of being God’s creation. To top things off and to make things worse, we have an enemy that loves to take advantage of well timed opportunities to create an atmosphere where we begin to believe that we are not worthy of God’s grace, that we are no longer useful, and that our purposefulness in gone. While we might believe this and accept this as a reality, God is in the restoring business. He does not see us as discarded but He sees us in the purpose we have been called. By the way, this has nothing to do with age but a perception of who we are in Christ. You can be 25 and feel this way, or you can be 105 and have the same emotional and mental view. Regardless of how we feel, we have been created by God for a purpose.

There is a second element in this verse that must be considered. Paul stated that we were created for good works. We were not created just to look good. We were created for a purpose. We were not created by God for evil or wrong doing. We were created to accomplish great things for God. We were not created to float around and just enjoy life. We were created to produce fruit by our good works. We must understand that the works that are produced through us are in direct proportion to the status of our heart and our relationship with Christ. We have seen this through our study on this subject over the last couple of weeks. 

We are therefore motivated to good works out of obedience to His word and His will. During the ministry of Jesus, He focused His disciples on the role of bearing fruit in their life. Listen to Jesus’ own words. He stated I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. To fully understand this principle, we must recognize that the good works and the bearing of good fruit come not to have God’s favor or for Him to love us any more than He already does. Our works are a result of understanding what He commands us to do. In other words, we act out our good works in a mode of obedience to God’s work and to God’s will in our lives. This is one side to the the two sided coin.

The other side of the coin is that we are motivated to good works out of love for God and a desire to please Him. That is we do our good works because we are motivated by the love and the grace that God has bestowed upon us. Notice, again in our text this morning, that we have been raised in Christ because of His mercy and His love for us. We do our good deeds because of what God has already done. We do so because we want to honor Him and please Him with our lives. 

We are also motivated to do good works by the Holy Spirit. Paul in Romans 7:3 had this to say on this subject. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. 

Here is a fact that you can take to the bank. If you walk in the spirit and seek to please God, the rewards we will be out of this world. He will form and shape you with His grace and power. Where we have been tarnished, we can be renewed by His grace. He will chisel away those areas of our heart and our life that must be removed in order for us to live wholly and holy. We must release ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit for this to happen.

A link to the video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCkBL2DfVg

Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved, Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church
Easter Sunday Message – He is Risen!
April 20, 2014

Mark 16:1-9 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back— it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Today, you may be here to satisfy the person that invited you. You may be here because you are curious. You may be here because you have heard the stories of Easter and wanted to see if they are true. You may be here because this is the one or two times you attend church each year. Of course, there is the possibility that you may be here but you really don’t know why. I trust, however, that most of you are here because you have a desire to be here. Regardless of the reason that you came, we are so glad you are here. We are so pleased that you have joined us on this special day of celebration and joy.

As I begin this morning, let me ask you a question? What is the most amazing event you ever attended? As I was preparing for this message I was reminded of some of the events in my own life that have rocked my world. You see during the 57 years of my life, I have been blessed to enjoy some awesome events. I remember a fall day in October. The year was 1981. It was the day Michelle and I said our vows and made a commitment to love each other for life. What an awesome day that was. Three years later, I remember standing in the delivery room where our son, Josh, was born. I remember that he was crying and as I called his name, he turned to look at me and immediately stopped crying. Wow! What a day that was. Then, three years later our daughter, Katelynne, was born. I remember looking at that little girl with such great joy, hope, and love. I have been blessed to be apart of so many other significant events in my life as well. There have been special vacations, weddings, a tiger cruise with my son on the USS Boxer, sporting events, and more. In fact, there are so many events it would be impossible to review them all during our time this morning. The one common element in these events is that they were all so awesome that they left an inedible imprint on my mind. And yet, as awesome as these events were, the events of the week of passover so far surpass any personal event you or I could ever experience in this life.

As I think of Easter, I can’t help but think of Christmas. I am always so excited to celebrate the birth of Christ and enjoy the festivities that come with Christmas. But, as awesome as Christmas might be Easter is just as awesome if not more awesome in many ways. The Easter season is a bookend to the life that came into being on Christmas. While Christmas is critical in our understanding of God, without Easter the value of Christmas would be diminished. And, While the Virgin birth is critical to our understanding of who Christ is and what He came to do on the cross, it was the resurrection that sealed His mission and provided an avenue through which we could obtain all that has been done for us through Christ. G. Campbell Morgan wrote that “the resurrection was the most stupendous, supernatural miracle that the world has ever known. It supersedes everything else. Why, because if He is not risen from the dead then everything else collapses!”

As we look at Easter, we must acknowledge that we can send confusing messages about the value of the events of Easter. If we are not careful we can send mixed signals that can cloud the truth about the events. It is funny to me that we celebrate Easter by telling our children that the Easter Bunny, a large male rabbit is carrying around a basket full of colored eggs as if he hatched these eggs himself. I hope I don’t burst your bubble but rabbits don’t make nests nor do they lay eggs especially colored eggs! It’s enough to confuse adults much less children. It is interesting that in society that the Easter Bunny has taken the headlines away from Christ’s resurrection. For some, if not most people, even Christians, it is hard to put our arms the fact that Jesus rose from the grave.

But regardless of what we might think or believe the fact is, He did rise. He is risen! The tomb is empty. There is no one there. Why? It is because He rose on the third day. One of the problems we experience is that a part of our confusion lies in the fact that we focus on the wrong elements of the event. We can view the resurrection as a theology or a particular religious viewpoint, but to fully understand the resurrection, we must understand that the resurrection is not about a particular theological premise, or a religious construct, it is a person. Now don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that the resurrection is not a part of our theology; but if we only view the resurrection as theology, we have missed the focus of the event.

During the life of Jesus, we see that He stated that He was the resurrection and the life. He was not just going to be resurrected, He was the resurrection. In Him was life. Listen to the words of Jesus at the time of the death of Lazarus. Martha said to him, “I know that he (Lazarus) will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world. (John 11:20-27).

Jesus made this radical statement that He would not just rise again but that He represented the totality of what the resurrection was about. He fulfilled His promise that He would not be bound by death but that He would rise again. Thus, we find on that beautiful Easter morning that indeed He rose. You see by way of the resurrection, Christ did what no other individual had ever done. In the person of Christ, He overcame death, sin and the bondages of this world. Because of the resurrection, we have the right to these same outcomes for our lives. Through the resurrection, our faith in Christ, our hope for the future, our ability to live today, the possibility of overcoming all sin, and our trust in Christ’s sacrificial gift are all made real and attainable by way of the resurrection. We are indeed given the power to live because He lives today.

Listen to the words of Paul who confirms this in I Corinthians 15:13-20. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

A second confusion is found in the fact that Easter can be an empty moment of time, if we only seek what is in the tomb. For some, the three days after Christ’s death on the cross and the moments immediately preceding the resurrection were a time of disappointment. You see there was no expectation of the resurrection. There was no hope for a risen Lord. Do you know why I say this? If the disciples believed that He was going to be raised, don’t you think they would have been lining up outside of the tomb waiting for Him, but not one of them turned up. No one showed.

A few years ago I had the privilege of attending the opening game of the 2009 College football season at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. That year Alabama and Virginia Tech were playing in the Chic-fil-A opening game. My brother had purchased tickets for me, so I made arrangements to travel to Georgia to see this game. Here is why I share this. There was an expectation in my heart for the game. I had purchased the tickets. The schedule said they would be playing that day. I had been given this promise by virtue of purchasing the ticket. Because of the anticipation and expectation, we arrived at the stadium at 10:00AM that day, even though the game did not start until 7:00PM that evening. Why? We wanted to get in all of the excitement and festivities of the day. We wanted to enjoy every moment of the day. We wanted to be there when the players left the hotel and boarded the bus for the game. We wanted to be there for the pre-game warm ups. The point is we will filled with expectation.

Can you imagine what the atmosphere around the tomb would have been like if the disciples and the people of Jesus’ day truly expected Him to rise? The area around the tomb would have been crowded with people pushing and shoving to get a view of this event. I am sure there would have been those gathered around the tomb to take bets on the exact moment he would rise. There would be reporters waiting for the event so they could scoop the other reporters on the scene. The Romans would have been there, ready to arrest Jesus again, so that they could control the crowd and control the acclaim that would come by this one event. But no one showed.

No one showed. No one was there. You see no one expected Him to rise from the dead. When someone did show, they came not to celebrate the risen Lord. They did not come with expectant hearts and the anticipation of an empty tomb but they came in fact to finish the burial process. They came with an expectation of death and not life. Notice from our text this morning that the women showed up to anoint Jesus’s body but they were startled by the fact the tomb was empty. They did not expect Him to live again.

The point here is that we must come to Christ with expectation that what He says He will do. If we come expecting death, we might get what we are looking for; but if we come looking for life, we will not find it in the empty tomb. We find in the person of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Whether we expect an empty tomb or not, does not change the fact that the tomb is empty and there is life to be had. The lesson here is do not let the circumstances of the moment dictate your actions.

But what does all of this mean for us today. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ we can be free and forgiven. Romans 4:25 – It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. You see too many times our expectation is that our sin or the things we have done are too big or too great for God to forgive us. But that is why He rose again in such a spectacular way. God does not just forgive us which would be powerful enough, but he wipes the slate clean. He justifies us, which means, he treats us as if we never committed the sin that we needed forgiveness for in the first place. This means that we do not have to walk in shame or condemnation but as one who is free and as one who has a clean slate.

For audio version go http://www.pccminsitry.org

Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved – Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Body, Soul and Spirit

April 13, 2014

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

As we look back at the history of America there are several dates that stand out to me. Now you may or may not agree with these but that is ok. A couple of the dates that come to my mind are the following. The first date is the battle of Gettysburg. During the battle of Gettysburg on July 1-3, 1863; the causalities of war totaled nearly 60,000 men. These men were devoted to a fight and a cause they thought was right. Many historians suggest that the events of Gettysburg and the massive loss by the South was the turning point of the war. After the Civil War was over America would never be the same. A second date was the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Imperial Japanese Navy. On December 7, 1941, 2,402 Americas lost their life and 1282 were injured. America would never be the same after that. A final date that is still visible in my memory is the day that the world trade centers and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists. How devastating it was to see the towers fall with the knowledge that this was no accident? On September 11, 2001, nearly 3000 people lost their life in this senseless attack. Once again America would never be the same after this tragic event. With each of these events life changed as we know it. 

While these three events changed America, I want to also speak of two other events which are even more critical than the dates we have mentioned above. To view the first event we must go all the way back to the beginning of time. While mankind had everything they needed, or could ever want, they succumbed to the one temptation that would forever change their life. To fully grasp what happened that day, we must understand the total effect of Adam’s sin on the rest of mankind. 

Man’s life changed that day. In that moment, sin became a part of mankind’s existence. In that moment all mankind died. It was not a physical death but they died a spiritual death, and from that time until now mankind has suffered the ongoing effects of that sinful day. The fact is, this death was greater than any physical death that could be experienced. In that moment of time man’s spirit was darkened and the only hope was for one to come that could restore what was lost on that day. In that moment, we became enemy’s of God destined to devise our own religion, define our self-worth, and devote ourselves to fulfilling the desires of our flesh. Of all of the effects including the emotional damage, the spiritual death, and the illusion that occurred, the worst impact of all is that because of Adam’s failure to obey God, the spirit of man was darkened. It is for this reason, that Adam and Eve cowered in fear when God came to walk with them.

But if that was the end of the story, we would be men most miserable. There is another significant moment in history that impacted the world. The dates we are referring to is that period of time between Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, his crucifixion, and His resurrection. By way of these events, we see that life changed for us. We now have hope and life where we once were dead. 

Today, is Palm Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the triumphal entry of Christ into the city of Jerusalem. The reality is that to understand his triumphal entry is to understand the entrance of Christ into our spirit. You see he did not enter Jerusalem to be Israel’s King but to be their Savior. He came not to set up a physical government but a spiritual Kingdom. He came to make us alive in Him. He came to quicken our spirit which had been deadened by sin.

As we view this, you may ask how does this apply to our study of the Body, Soul and Spirit? I am glad you asked, because you see what was darkened is now made alive by Christ’s work on the Cross. Through the work of Christ, we can now experience restoration and healing and we can turn the tables on what occurred in the Garden Eden. You see, the failure and defeat of the Garden was replaced by the success and victory of the cross.

According to Ephesians 2:4-5 God, who is rich in mercy and filled with great love for us did what no religion, no self-help program, no diet, or no amount of money could do. He made us alive in Him. But to experience this change, we must come to terms with the truth that we are lost without God.. The way we have been living our life is not working. We try to live life and things continue to go wrong, we continue to be unhappy, and we continue to be discouraged, rather than believing the truth that we can change. The problem too often is that we try to formulate our own scenarios and ways to bring change. These can be defined by a change of jobs, a change in our relationships, or we turn to outside influences to bring change. We try drugs or alcohol to numb us or to give us a false sense of peace and joy. At times, we try to search out religion and religious ventures but these too leave us cold and unchanged for the good.

What is the answer? Where do we begin? We begin by understanding that we must receive the spirit through new birth – Why is this true? You see when we were created, remember that God breathed into us. We were created by the very breathe of God. As a result, we are unlike any other creature or created thing. In essence, we have the very life of God in us. But, that changed when man sinned. While the breath of God was still in us, our spirits were darkened and our relationship with God was damaged. Since that time, man has been trying to reignite the light of their spirit in so many ways.

The fact is that most of those who have tried many different things to bring light to the heart have never understood the reality of what is truly needed. You see, since man was created by God, since he had the breath of God breathed into him, there is only one thing that will make man alive again and that is the breath of God that comes by way of salvation in Christ. We can call it new birth, receiving faith, a changed life, or whatever you would like to, but the fact is, we need the Spirit of God to touch our spirit again. Whatever you call it, the only way to have real life is through Christ who ignites our dead and darkened spirit. 

We see this in our text this morning. God who was rich in mercy has made us alive together with Christ. It is in His mercy and because of His love that He created the opportunity for us to be changed. He could have given up on us. He could have let us die, and He could have left us to our own demise but He came to breathe life into us by way of His death on the cross. 

As a result of God’s action to reignite the light in our hearts on our behalf, we can now live a life of freedom. We can live the life that God originally designed for us. Will it be easy? No, because we still contend with people, ideologies, experiences, mindsets, and the sinful flesh that continues to battle against us. But God through Christ makes it possible. 

In the plan of God, He did something that was totally amazing. He sent the Spirit to us so that we could be directed and guided into truth. When we accept Christ and the darkness of our heart has been distinguished, we find real peace. It is in that moment that the way we live begins to change. Rather than being guided by the flesh we are now being guided by the Holy Spirit. In fact to live in freedom we must be guided by the Spirit. 

But, if we have the spirit in us, we must walk in the Spirit. We must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do. Francis Chan has stated that walking in the spirit is like following our GPS. GPS gives us direction but it does so in a way that is interesting. I have never heard the voice of the GPS get angry. All she says is “recalculating.” When I consistently make mistakes on the journey I am taking, I do not hear her say, “You are stupid! You will never get this right! You will never reach your destination! She just keeps saying “recalculating.” What she means is that you messed up but if you follow me I will get you to where you need to be. It may take you longer, and it may cost you more, but I will get you there. But you have to follow my directions and my plan. The Holy Spirit is our GPS as He guides us toward understanding God’s plan, God’s purpose, and the destiny God has for us. 

The Holy Spirit will also make it easier for us to live as we should. When our spirit is in alignment with God’s purpose and plan for our lives, we will find that what we do emotionally will be different. Our actions will be motivated by what is good and right and not by fleshly desires. When we are guided by the Spirit, our responses to life’s crisis will be different. We will name our emotions, we will challenge them and then we will change them. We will be better equipped to take every thought     captive to the glory of God. In following the Spirit’s lead, we will be better equipped to fight against the temptations that come by way of our flesh. It is for this reason, that Paul reminds us to walk after the spirit so that we do not gratify the deeds of the flesh.

Look at what Paul says about this. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:5-8). 

And finally, look at what Ezekiel had to say about this way back in the Old Testament. So, this is nothing new. It is has always been a reality for us. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

So are you alive this morning? Do you have the Spirit of God living in you? Today, is the day to seek after Him and to allow Him to bring change to your heart and life. 

Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved