Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church

Book of Ephesians: Finding Our Identity

July 13, 2014

Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This morning we begin a new and exciting study. Over the next several weeks, and perhaps for a couple of months, we will take a journey through the book of Ephesians. This is a great study for the church and it is a great study for individuals as well. The theme for this study is “Finding our identity” as individuals and as a church. The Book is divided into two primary parts. The first part, Ephesians 1-3, focuses it readers on the doctrinal aspect of our relationship with God and Christ. The second part, Ephesians 4-6, focuses on the duties and ethics of living this Christian life out in way that honors God, encourages the church, and expands the kingdom. To put this another way. The first section tells us what we are do, while the second section tells us how we are to live it out. Paul intimately understands that we do not just need to hear about the benefits which are ours in Christ but we also need to understand how we live this out in both practical and spiritual ways. Through the letter to the Ephesians, he accomplishes this. 

For today, let’s focus our attention on the first two verses of this letter. The letter to the church of Ephesus begins with an introduction of the author, an acknowledgment of who was to receive the letter, and a salutation. In this verse we find that Paul is the author. To most this may not seem to be very important but when we remember the story of Paul life, we are reminded of the miraculous conversion experience Paul had (Acts 9). To refresh our memory, Paul who was once known as Saul, was a tormentor of the church (Acts 8:1-3). He hated the church and he hated what the church stood for. It was Paul, if you remember, that stood at the feet of Stephen when he was stoned to death (Acts 7:53). But through his conversion experience, Paul was changed and empowered with the Gospel. This gives us hope today because it speaks to us that no matter what we have done in the past we can be covered by the blood and the power of forgiveness exerted upon the cross. If Paul can become a pillar of the church and an effective force for Godly good, then we all have that opportunity. No one is beyond the touch of God’s amazing grace. 

Paul also identifies himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God. There are a couple of things that stand out here. First, we find that Paul is an apostle. In our modern culture, the idea of an apostle has been distorted or diverted from its original intent. In the days of Paul, the idea of an apostle was that of an envoy or emissary sent on a mission. In classical Greek, the term most often referred to a ship that was sent out for cargo or on a military expedition. In classical Greek, the word rarely referred to an individual person. But as Christians adapted this term, they began to use it for those called of God for a specific purpose or calling. Therefore, it carries the idea of one being sent on a special mission. We find here that it is not only the idea of the sending of a messenger but also the authorization of the messenger’s task. Paul wants to let the church that he is an official delegate possessed by Christ for the purpose of propagating His message. Paul purports that he is not only owned by Christ but he is a fully authorized ambassador sent out by Christ. In essence, Paul is giving the church his credentials. It is his resume of sorts. 

It is amazing when people understand that you have been given the credentials to accomplish a task. As you may know, I was asked to be the chaplain for Sussex County Emergency Medical Services. Once I accepted that role I noticed something different occurring. Prior to accepting that volunteer position, I would wear my street clothes when I would do a ride-a-long. I had little or no interaction with the people I encountered. But, immediately after becoming the chaplain, I was given a uniform that I wear when I am riding. I have watched an immediate difference in how people accept me and interact with me. I am received much better when I am identified as having authority and that I am a representative of SCEMS. This was the point and reasoning that Paul was giving. By his credentials, he was asking to be received and accepted.

How did Paul receive this commission? It was by way of the will of God. God called and placed Paul in this position. Notice that there is no self-elevation or self-promotion in this. There is no presumptuous human ambition displayed here. It is simply an acknowledgment that his calling comes from God. It was God’s will that he be in the place that he was in. He did not necessarily choose this but it had been thrust on him. Though thrusted upon him, he willingly accepted the call to be an ambassador for Christ.

Secondly, Paul identifies those to whom he is addressing this letter. He states that he is writing to the church at Ephesus. The city of Ephesus was a major city of commerce, religion, and political power. In terms of commerce it provided access to the harbors of the Mediterranean Sea as well as roadways that allowed the easy transport of goods and people. In terms of political power, Ephesus was established as one of the provincial capitals of Asia Minor. Religiously, Ephesus was effected by emperor worship and the worship of Artemis. Paul by direction of the Holy Spirit chose this city as a point of ministry as it was both influential and had the capacity to spread the Gospel by way of the multiple visitors and guests that entered the city.

After announcing his credentials, Paul now describes the church for us. He uses two adjectives to describe the church. First, they are described as saints and secondly they are described as faithful. These defining words are important. The first is the word “saints.” This is a common word in the writings of Paul. It is noteworthy that Paul uses the term saints to identify the recipient of the letter even when the church he is writing to has issues and problems. For example, we see this introduction used with the church of Corinth in both of Paul’s letters to them. The actions seen in the Corinthian church were not worthy of the title saint. They were not inherently holy in themselves, but they had been given the position of saint as a result of the work of Christ in them. As a believer in Christ, we are empowered to approach God only because we have obtained a righteous standing or position on the basis of Christ’s work by faith. In other words, we stand as saints not because we are perfect but because we are called of God as saints. As a believer, you are a saint today. Your position as a saint is not based on who you are as much as who He is and how He sees you.

The second word Paul uses here is the word “faithful.” Paul in fact was stating that even in the difficulties faced, they were still faithful. The idea communicated here is not so much that they had been completely faithful but they were trusting in God and in Christ’s work to guide them. Paul once again was looking at them as God saw them and not how they were living things out in their present setting.

Thirdly, Paul greets the church of Ephesus. Here he defines what God has done on behalf of the church at Ephesus. He uses two words that are often used in the Pauline epistles. The first word used is the word “grace.” Throughout the Bible the word grace is interpreted as the unmerited or undeserved favor of God given to mankind by way of providing salvation to sinners through Christ’s sacrificial death and empowerment of the believer. Not only do we receive salvation by grace but all of our gifts and abilities are a work of grace as well. In this one simple word, grace, the whole message of salvation is contained. By grace we are saved. We did not deserve it and we were powerless to achieve it without an influence greater than us. The focus of this grace is you. Imagine that you are the benefactor of grace. We have grace today. We live in grace. The wording here implies that Paul desires that the Ephesians would appreciate, accept, and appropriate God’s undeserved favor in their life. That is the call for us today. We must be in the position to appreciate God’s grace and all that means to us. We must accept His grace. And, we must appropriate all that grace has to offer us. We must make God’s grace our own.

The second word used here is the word “peace.” While grace expresses the cause of God’s work, peace shows us the effects of God’s work. “The grace of God that brings salvation to sinners effects peace between man and God, and that same grace enables believers to live peaceably with one another.” You see the work of grace effects our relationship with God and it effects our relationship with one another. How do we live out this life? We do so by grace that brings peace.

Finally, there is one last item to look at in this verse. Paul notes that this grace and peace comes from God the father. But notice that He is not just a father, He is our father. This denotes personal relationship with God and with His son. And if we are God’s children then, in the church we are brothers and sisters. We are living live together because we are born into a fresh and new kingdom of sons and daughters. We are a part of the family of God. 

So what do we learn from this today?

1. We are called of God to be ambassadors or apostles.
2. We all have a testimony of God’s grace in us.
3. God looks at us as faithful saints, even with all of our faults, blemishes, and failures.
4. Through the appreciation, acceptance, and appropriation of God’s grace we find true peace.
5. We are children of God which means God is our father and Christ is our brother.

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church
Stewardship of Our Freedom
July 6, 2014

Galatians 5:1-15 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery… (verse 6) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

This weekend as Americans we have been celebrating our nation’s independence. When we center our thoughts on our nation’s independence, we are reminded that a group of rag tag militia, on a mission, won this nation’s independence. They did so by battling a well organized, well funded, and well trained military. As we review the facts of history, we will find that the events that molded and shaped our nation in its inception were not accidental or mere acts of fate. It is my belief, these events were in fact evidence of the hand of God moving and directing those outcomes not so much to build a Christian nation but to build a people whose focus was God and His ways.

Regardless of what what modern society will tell you, this nation was built on a Judeo-Christian foundation. This does not mean that all were Christians, but rather that they lived their lives modeled on Biblical truth. Most worshipped God and celebrated His grace over their life and their efforts. They gave Him thanks and honored Him for what He had done. Listen to the words of just one of the signers of the constitution, Gouvernuer Morris. There must be religion. When that ligament is torn, society is disjointed and its members perish… [T]he most important of all lessons is the denunciation of ruin to every state that rejects the precepts of religion. Your good morals in the army give me sincere pleasure as it hath long been my fixed opinion that virtue and religion are the great sources of human happiness. More especially is it necessary in your profession firmly to rely upon the God of Battles for His guardianship and protection in the dreadful hour of trial. But of all these things you will and I hope in the merciful Lord.

But the freedom achieved for our nation did not come easy, it was bought by the blood of our forefathers who had a passion for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness apart from the constraints of a dictator/king or a government that imposed its will on its people at will. They fought hard to bring us freedom, and so, on July 4th, each year, we celebrate the freedom achieved by those who were passionate about the success of their new venture. It is of note that 50,000 people were either killed or severely wounded to provide our freedom as a nation. It is also of note that many suffered from a loss of their homes, their wealth, their family, and more. And yet they fought hard. They fought with vision and they fought for a purpose that was greater than themselves.

We are also reminded today that another freedom has been achieved for us. The God of Mercy sent His Son to fight for us. He came to fight an organized enemy bent on destroying mankind and the Kingdom of God. In this fight, He took on all sin. He took my sin and He took your sin upon himself. His goal was to give us spiritual freedom which came to us by mercy through grace by faith.

So how do we steward our freedom? To understand the stewardship of our freedom, we must first understand what freedom is and what it is not. Let me be clear and to the point here. True freedom is not experienced in one’s ability to do anything they want but true freedom comes as one submits to God and to His ways of living life. Let me illustrate this in a couple of ways. The first illustration is this. A train is free only so long as it stays on its tracks; a train that jumps the tracks is “free” of the rails but no longer free in the most important sense of the word. It’s a freed wreck that can’t go anywhere. “Free,” but no longer truly free.

A second illustration comes from the theologian, John Howard Yoder who wrote “True freedom is found not in insisting on one’s own rights, but in freely giving them up by being a servant to Jesus Christ first and the people of God second.”

Societal leaders will tell you that true freedom comes as we cast off all restraints, morals and absolutes. That is why there is a pervasive sexual overtone in our nation today. We find it in our commercials. We see in on our TV shows. We find it in the billboards around town. We find that drugs are now pervasive in our culture. We are witnessing a move toward the total legalization of all drugs. I am not sure if it is true, but I just read that Colorado is now investigating the idea of making Heroine legal. Society today says you are free to marry whomever you will and then divorce them at will. Leaders of society tell us do whatever you want. They purport that as freedom. True freedom in the mind of a secular society, and I should say a godless society is the casting off of all restraints.

The writer of Proverbs deals with this when he penned these words. Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18). For years, I interpreted this that the church needed to have a prophetic vision of where it is going and what it is about, but as I was preparing this study for this morning, I realized that this passage offers us much more than this. When people do not have a vision for God’s ways or for His righteousness, they cast off restraint. They cast off “rules.” They cast off “boundaries.” Their focus is on designing a hedonistic culture without restraint, boundaries, or rules. But, when we throw off restraint, there are consequences.

Secondly, to steward our freedom, we must understand that we are free. Too often, even in freedom, we live as if we are still in bondage. In our passage today, Paul makes this declaration. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” This text gives us a clear and refreshing statement of Christ’s will for our lives. He wants us to live as free men. Where you go to school, where you work, and where you live is not as critical as understanding that we can and must stand fast in our freedom. When we walk in real freedom; while our job, our school, and our housing is critical; a positive understanding of freedom will change us and help us to achieve greater things.

As believers, we are liberated from sin and the power of sin. This happens to us in three ways. First, the work on the cross has been accomplished. We are free. But there is a “yet to come” aspect to our freedom. One day we will reach ultimate freedom when either Christ comes to redeem the world or we pass from this life to the next. But there is also this “in between” place. It is where we live life out every day. We look back and realize that we have been set free, but complete freedom will not be fully and totally witnessed until we are released from this world captivated by sin and immorality. This does not mean that we sin but that we need to walk circumspectly as those who are wise to recognize that we have a devourer that would love nothing more than to rob us of our freedom. And his task is easy at times because we live in this mortal body and in a culture that is motivated by the carnal nature.

Third, we must not confuse liberty with keeping the law. Freedom is a work of grace for us. Please do not misunderstand me, the law is important, but when we relegate our Christian experience to simply keeping the law, we misunderstand the purpose of the law. The fact is this can be a confusing part of Scripture. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the law and yet we find that there are several times that Paul suggests that the law is inherently evil. But to understand this we must understand what the law is. The law instituted by Moses was two-fold. There was the ceremonial law and there was the moral law. The ceremonial law was in essence an illustrative view to how we worship and in essence how we reach God. The ceremonial law was in place to point to Christ while the moral law never changed. In fact, as we have mentioned before, Christ summed up the moral in two phrases. “Love God,” “Love people.”

The Galatians believed in error that they were morally and spiritually superior to everyone else because they continued to practice circumcision. The problem was that they often emphasized the act of circumcision over the act of salvation. Rather than Christ being the focus, the act of circumcision was the focus. You see the act of circumcision had no power for salvation or change, it was simply an outward sign of the promise of God.

Fourth, we must never take our freedom for granted or cheapen our freedom by falling back into destructive patterns and behaviors. We must never take our freedom for granted. In America many of our freedoms have been lost because we thought this would never happen in America. After all we are a free country. But, we must maintain our freedom as Americans and we must maintain our freedom as believers. We continue to push for continued freedom. In the last couple of weeks we have seen some glimmer of hope that all is not lost in our nation. We have seen the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court Ruling that was in favor of religious liberty. Here, locally, the Delaware Senate chose to table a bill that would have changed the face of end of life decisions here in Delaware. Because of the action taken by people like you the message is getting out there. But we must not take these decisions and think we have won the war. There are still forces at play.

We must also never take our spiritual freedom for granted, either. In our passage, Paul asks this question that brings it all into focus. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? Paul also reminds the Galatians that they must refuse to use their freedom as a license to sin or do wrong. He refers to this action as giving an opportunity to the flesh. We do this by feeding the flesh rather than the spirit. We allow unchecked thoughts into our minds that can form strongholds and put blinders on our life. Peter added this commentary. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover- up for evil, but living as servants of God (1 Peter 2:16).

The writer of Hebrews brings this home for us when he stated Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We must guard our actions, our thoughts and those things that come against us so that we do not fall into the falls of sin and thus into slavery and bondage.

Go to http://www.pccministry.org for an audio version of this message.

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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.