April 28, 2014 · 8:34 am

We Are His Workmanship

 

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

 

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April 21, 2014 · 8:19 am

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

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April 14, 2014 · 9:25 am

Body, Soul, Spirit – The Spirit

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

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April 7, 2014 · 4:16 pm

Dealing with the Feeling, Part 2

Peninsula Community Church

Body, Soul, Spirit – Dealing with the Feeling, Part 2

April 6, 2014

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

I must admit that some of what I will share, today, is a direct result of listening to a message presented by Rick Warren entitled, “Transformed: How to Deal with How you Feel.” For our purposes today, I will be using a brief part of the message. While I will be using his skeleton, I have added my skin and tissue to the skeleton. 

In Rick’s study, he suggested three ways for us to deal with our emotions and our feelings.

The first way he suggested that we deal with our emotions is to name it. To manage our emotions, we must come to an understanding of the specific emotions we are expressing or experiencing. To manage our emotions, we must identify what they are, because we cannot deal with vague emotions. You see, if we do not know what emotions we are dealing with, we cannot change them. Remember the warning light illustration from last week. If we do not do the diagnostics, we will never know what needs to be repaired. We can spend a lot of time, energy, and money to attempt to repair things that are not broken. We can also deal with the surface issues and never get down to the real issues affecting us. Let me also make this observation, we must be careful and not make up emotions or misdiagnose our emotions, because we can only have healing when we deal in truth and reality.

When identifying our emotions, we all tend to fall into one of three scenarios. For some of us, identifying our emotions is not an issue. There are some of us that have the ability to immediately we with your feelings. It is noteworthy here that most women fall into this category, as they have the ability to immediately name and identify the emotions they are feeling.

A second group are those of us who know they have feelings and emotions but find it difficult to identify what they are feeling. We try to, but it requires great effort to understand what emotions are being exhibited. It is noteworthy that men tend to fall into this category most often. Men as a whole are less likely to immediately identify their feelings. The problem is that too often men are told to be emotionless. You know the saying, “Real men don’t cry!”

A third group would be the deniers. This group denies that their emotions exist, and therefore they tend to never deal with the emotions effecting them. There is a difference between not knowing your emotions and denying they exist. For those that deny their emotions, they live under the false illusion that if they don’t admit or discuss their emotions, then they do not exist. If they are ignored long enough, they will go away and or they will change on their own. While this may be true for a season, this rarely works for the long haul, as these emotions often resurface in other ways.

When naming our emotions we should ask a couple of questions. The first question to be asked is “What am I feeling?” Be honest in your evaluation. This may require you to make a list of the emotions you are walking through. The second question is “What are my triggers?” What causes the emotion(s) that you experience to happen in you? Once again be honest. Remember the emotion experienced is not always the problem.

A second way to deal with our emotions is to challenge our emotions. In other words, do not just simply accept your emotions for what they are. Understand that there is more to the emotion than what is expressed. The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 26:2.  Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. We are called to examine our emotions by way of God’s inspection of who we are. We are His and we are in Him. He can and will assist us as noted in our text, today.

When expressing an emotion, we can ask the following. Why do I feel the way I do? Am I wounded or hurt? Am I walking in sin or unforgiveness? We can also ask “Is what I am feeling true?” Are the feelings I am expressing based in truth and is it an honest appraisal of who I am? Notice, I did not say to ask if they are real because if you are experiencing the emotion then it is real for you. That is the reason why we cannot say to someone “Don’t feel that way.” That is like saying don’t feel hungry. Finally, we can ask “Is this helping me or hurting me?” What benefit am I receiving from allowing this emotion to run my life in this moment?

A third way to deal with our emotions is to tame it or change it. To change our emotions we must master our moods. As believers, we can turn to the admonishment Paul made to the church at Philippi. Paul’s challenged the church to have the mind of Christ.

Paul stated, Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:4B-8). Then again Paul admonishes us to Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 2:3-4).

“What kind of mind do you have?” “Do you have the mind of Christ?”

We have noted before that our body, soul, and spirit are not independent parts, but they are interconnected as a whole. What we do with our bodies affects our minds. What we do with our thought life affects our heart. What we allow to brood in our hearts affects our thoughts and our actions. We are a complete whole. This is the reason that we are called to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Matthew 5:22). The sum total of who we are is greater than the individual parts that make us who we are. 

When we are experiencing painful emotions, we can and must channel that emotion to help others and to have a positive outcome. You see anger is not a sin. In fact, the Bible reminds us to Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27). So what do we do with our anger? Do we allow it to give opportunity to the devil to control us, or do we channel the anger to be a blessing to others? It is a choice we must make. 

This can be done only as we surrender our lives to Christ and as we seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:30-32).

In preparation for this message I came across a video that I believe illustrates this idea. Watch this video clip with me…. Afterwards I will tell you the rest of the story.

We see in this clip a young boy who is filled with uncontrolled anger. We see him however, bringing this anger issue to God, who transforms his life. Who is this young boy, It is Dr. Ben Carson. You see, from that day forward Dr. Carson took control of his anger and the pain he was exhibiting to become one of the world’s finest surgeons ever to live. The difference is that he controlled his anger and he channeled it to his advantage. The outcome could have been much different. If he allowed his anger to continue to control him, he anger could have destroyed him, instead he used it to heal.

We have talked a lot about anger, but the issue could be any emotion that rises up within us. So what emotions are you experiencing? Are there emotions that are controlling your life? Are there emotions that you need to recognize and then deal with so that they no longer control your life? It is your choice. The Spirit is ready to meet you right where you are. Change is possible. Reach out to God as Dr. Ben Carson did. It will change your life.

Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved

 

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March 31, 2014 · 11:50 am

Dealing With The Feeling

Peninsula Community Church
Body, Soul, and Spirit; Dealing with the Feelings
March 30, 2014

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel:The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Today, we are transitioning from how our minds and our thoughts effect us to how our emotions effect us. There is so much to be discovered on this subject. So, while we will take a couple weeks to look at this subject, there is a recognition that we could spend the next year dealing with our emotions alone. In so doing, we will only scratch the surface of our understanding. My desire, however, is that this will provoke you to a deeper study of this critical issue.

As we read our text for today, we are brought face to face with the fact that our relationship with God and with others is an emotional adventure. Jesus points to one of the greatest emotions of all times when he says that we shall “love the Lord your God.” That alone is a powerful statement but, Jesus continues by stating that we are called to love God, and we are called to love others. Of note here, is the fact, that Jesus also describes the level of love we are to exhibit. Notice this. We are to love the Lord our God with ALL of our heart, ALL of our soul, ALL of our mind, and with ALL of our strength. In other words, the totality of who we are is to be engaged in our relationship with God. We cannot be divided, compartmentalized, or lackadaisical in our approach, we must be fully engaged.

Secondly, in relationship to others, we are to love them just as we love ourselves. Can you imagine the power of love when we would seek to love others the way we want to be loved? This speaks to us that we need to have a correct view of ourselves in order to have a positive understanding of how to love others. Too often, we are trying to love others without loving ourselves properly. When this happens, we often wonder why we fall short and have such failures in our relationships.

As we begin, let me make a couple of observations about our emotions. Next week, we will look at specific steps we can take to deal with our emotions.

First, every emotion we have or will ever experience has been created by God. For some, that may seem unrealistic or unbelievable, but it is true. The problem is that as a result of the fall of mankind into sin, our understanding and use of our emotions have become distorted. We do not have to look too far in our society to see the repercussions of this.

One of the best examples of this in a contemporary fashion is the recent death of Pastor Fred Phelps. For those who do not know Pastor Fred Phelps, he was the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church that picketed at the funerals of soldiers because he felt the death of our soldiers was caused by our acceptance of homosexuality in America. His misguided emotions and actions caused many painful experiences. He not only picketed the funerals but his group held up signs that were both cruel and rude. The signs focused on gays and lesbians. Some signs read “God hates fags.” He stated, “You can’t believe the Bible without believing that God hates people.” It’s pure nonsense to say that God loves the sinner but hates the sin. He hates the sin, and he hates the sinner. He sends them to hell. Do you think he loves the people in hell?” This is a misguided view of God’s love. The fact is God loves everyone. He, God. may not agree with their lifestyle or accept their sin, but what one does in no way diminishes His love.

Because of actions, his death has elicited a plethora of emotions and responses from both Christian and nonChristian. Let me be clear about my feelings in regard to what he did and what he lead others to do. The acts perpetrated by this individual did not represent Christ very well nor did they promote the truth of the gospel in most cases. With that said, I can hate the actions he took but not hate the individual carrying out those acts. He was a vicious man who was filled with hate himself, but I cannot and must not put myself in the position of judging his heart or his salvation. That is not my role, my position, or calling. His life illustrates the distortion of emotions on a couple of levels. To do so would be to fall into the same trap of he found himself… Judging the heart without knowledge. One, his emotions were distorted and caused him to be blinded to the pain he caused. Rather than deal with the issues in a healthy way, he chose to attack those who had little to do with the problem.

A second event that occurred just this week was the decision by World Vision to hire gays and lesbians who are married. Their initial reasoning for this was that they wanted to promote monogamist relationships juxtaposed to acts of adultery and sex before marriage. It appeared that their decision was somewhat motivated by the emotion to please rather than resting on the foundation of the word and their own statement of faith.The problem in their decision was that in fact they promoted one sin over another. It was as if they decided to say that it is ok to lie but not to steal.

But, I am pleased to report that they reversed that decision two days later. Why? There were Christian leaders who gathered around World Vision, and most of these leaders worked behind the scene to bring counsel, encouragement, and correction to World Vision’s decision. These leaders kept their emotions in check and provided a balanced view on the issue with hate or judgement. World vision has since written a strong letter of apology for their actions, and asked forgiveness for the pain it may have caused those closely allied with their ministry. While their initial decision was based on an emotional response, the truth of the Gospel and good counseling righted their actions.

Second, our emotions serve as a gauge or as a warning light. This is like the warning lights on our our car’s dashboard which serves to warn us of any problems with our car. In Michelle’s, car we have had an engine light on for sometime. I decided to take her car to the auto parts store where they ran a diagnosis on the problem and found that we had an emissions issue. The problem was not the light, the problem was a faulty sensor. In this regard, the problem(s) are not major but none-the-less the warning light registered a problem.

You see when you lash out in anger, the cause of the anger must be determined by understanding what caused you to lash out in anger. Nine times out of ten, the anger is not the problem. The problem is what is driving you to get angry. Have you been abused in this area before? When we are anxious or fearful, we must determine the cause of these emotions. Why are we fearful? Is it a matter of trust? Are we disappointed? Are we experiencing unmet expectations? Distrust, disappointment, and unmet expectations can have radical results on our emotions.

Third, feelings or emotions taken on their own are often unreliable as a measure of what is real or even true. Let me ask you? Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you made a decision solely on an emotional response, only later to regret the decision. One of the statements that is so misleading is the statement, “Just follow your heart.” I know a lot of people that followed their heart only to find out later that they had misread their heart. They had great emotion but they lacked the knowledge or the understanding they needed to make a decision. I have alway been interested in some of the scams that are perpetrated upon people, especially the elderly. So often, the salesman will move the heart strings of the person. They know that if they can get the person emotionally attached to the item to be purchased, they have a sale. Have you ever purchased anything, emotionally, only to find out later it was not all it was cracked up to be.

The fact is our emotions must never be disconnected from truth or factual information. When this occurs, we can follow after things that God never intended. After all sin is pleasurable for a season (Hebrews 1:24-25). Have you ever notice that sin often begins as an emotional draw or pull. It might be lust. It might be anger. It might feelings of low self-esteem. We must deal with our emotions so that they do not control us or our actions.

Fourth, an emotionless life is boring and dull. Our emotions have a role to play and they are important in forming and shaping who we are as a person and as a believer. Too often, we have reached point where we shut our emotions down so we do not have any emotion at all or at least we think so any way. Let me say this, a relationship with Christ brings about a plethora of emotion. There is joy in Christ. There is peace everlasting. In fact, Paul noted that we should be filled with the Spirit that is guides us to express our emotions in positive ways.

Paul stated But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22).

So how are your emotions? How are you effected by your emotions? Do you allow your emotions to control you or do you control your emotions? Does the Spirit motivate your emotions or are you motivated by the Spirit?

Copyright 2014, Robert W. Odom Ministries

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March 23, 2014 · 7:09 pm

Watcha Thinking Part 2

Peninsula Community Church

March 23, 2014

Body, Soul and Spirit – Whatcha Thinking? Part 2

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Let’s continue to look at this passage together this morning. Last week, we focused on Paul’s admonition to think on those things which are true. We think on truth by focusing on a constant, unmovable point of reference. The problem with not having a fixed point of reference in our lives is that we can begin to believe that truth is relative and can be whatever we want it to be. Modern thinking says that you have your truth and I have my truth. By extension then, my truth is correct and your truth is correct as well.

For this reason, we are in the midst of a great debate about the relevancy and the truth of God’s word and His teachings to give us guidance. Unfortunately, rather than taking God’s word as a fixed point of reference that is constant and unchangeable, we have a society that believes that God’s words and teachings are archaic and no longer necessary. This is foolishness. When we do not have a fixed point of reference, we will walk blindly and aimlessly through life. When we lose the moorings of a fixed point of reference, we lose the ability to judge truth accurately.

But, God’s word and God himself has been and will continue to be that fixed point of reference. not just for believers but unbelievers as well; even though the nonbeliever may not realize it. The amazing thing is that these truths are so constant that when nonbelievers live by the principles of God’s word in regard to their business dealings and how they treat others; they will be blessed. Now, unfortunately, they may not make it to heaven or enjoy the blessing of God’s gift of eternal life, because they have now received Christ as their savior, but they are still blessed because they follow godly principles.

As we move forward in this study, rather than spend time on each of the remaining items in the list Paul gives us, I think we must learn and understand the principles of Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:8. As we review this list and the admonishment to think on these things, we find a new mindset and discipline about the way we should be thinking. We have said it before that whatever you focus your attention on, you will begin to follow and begin to trust those things. The same applies to our thinking. What we focus on begins to stamp a neurological response on our hearts that results in familiar paths being taken. We in essence begin to live out a conditioned response of action and thought.

It is for this reason that Jesus made the proclamation that “out of the heart the mouth speaks.” When we feed our intellect, we feeds our hearts, and what we feed our minds and our hearts effects our will and our emotions. If we allow evil and corrupt thoughts to invade our thinking, there will be negative outcomes. Our heart will be malformed and will speak from the position of distortion, lies, and false doctrine.

As we move forward, we must consider where do we go from here? In other words, when confronted with unhealthy and nonBiblical thoughts, what do we do? How do we respond? Please note that the following is in no set order but are things to be considered so that we understand the focus of our attention.

The first step for us to take is to ask if the thoughts we are entertaining pass the Philippians 4:8 test. Is this thought based on truth? What does the word of God say about this situation or problem? How does the word confirm or contradict the truth of what is being said? Once acknowledged, we must align ourselves to God’s truth. So what are you thinking? Does what you think pass the Philippians test? Is it true? Is it honorable? Is it just? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it commendable? Does what I am thinking exhibit excellence? Is it worthy of praise?

To understand the truth, we must be in the word every day. John Piper made the following observation. “We’re completely wrong-headed whenever we lapse into thinking that private devotions somehow wins merit points with God. Devotions aren’t for impressing God or anybody else. They are for daily pointing us in the right direction and fueling the engine of our trust in God.” The goal through the Word is to have that point of reference that directs our steps. We cannot know truth unless we know The Truth.

The second step is to determine if the thoughts we are having are based on imaginations, false truths, and/or lies. One of the difficulties we face is in the area of imaginations and perceived truth. Imaginations are hard to deal with because they tend to be emotionally charged. One of the ways to do deal with imaginations and perceived truth is to refuse to continue to rehearse what someone has said or done to you. For example, if you believe that you have been ignored by someone and you continue to dwell on that, you can begin to build up an imagination and construct a story that is not based in truth. Some times these lies are so powerful that we would rather believe the lie that binds us than believing the truth that frees us. 

We must also remember that the mode of operation for the enemy of our souls is to speak lies, distortions, and false hood. How do you know the enemy is lying. Listen to see if he is speaking. Listen to what John 8:44-47 has to say about this matter. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

A third step is to stop and think about where the unhealthy or nonBiblical thought is coming from. When this happens, pause for a moment and consider where the particular thought or idea is coming from. Is it true? Am I acting this way because I am tired, or wounded. Am I misunderstanding what is being said or done? Do I have all of the information required to process and understand the truth. Remember the enemy of souls loves to use well timed suggestions to entrap us into a false way of thinking. He loves to take advantage of well timed opportunities to whisper into our ear or to have others whisper into ears. He is so effective at distraction and distortion. He loves to join with our unhealthy thoughts and build on the negative. He is able to speak false truths and negatives in such a way that we begin to believe them and accept them at face value. You see the enemy of our souls will never be concerned about the kind of damage you will do for the kingdom of God, if he can get you to buy into the lies of incompetence, weakness, and inadequacy. 

Uncontrolled thoughts form and shape our hearts and out of the heart actions are generated. Too often we are being tormented by events and issues that we continue to rehearse in our minds. Many times these thoughts are things that cannot be changed or resolved because the other person has become disengaged or disinterested in effecting change. But this is where we must remember that I am not responsible for the other person’s responses or actions. I am, however, fully responsible for my actions and responses to the stimuli in my life. 

A number of years ago I spoke to someone that had received a letter from their husband. In the letter, he wrote some devastating, cruel, and mean things. He wounded his wife deeply, and then at the end of the letter he stated that he was already seeing someone else and that he was filing for divorce. The letter was not only caused her pain, but it attacked her character. It went to the core of who she was. In the letter, he threatened to malign her character by spreading false rumors and gossip about her. In our discussion, she stated that she continually read the letter and each time she read the letter she became more angry, and she became more fearful. As we discussed this, it was obvious that a continual reading of the letter was causing her great pain. To resolve this, I recommended to her that she could do one of two things. One, she could continue to read the letter and allow the wound of her heart to be opened again or she could destroy the letter, never to read it again. If needed to keep the letter because of the pending divorce, I suggested that she take the letter, place it in an envelop, scotch tape it closed, and never open it again. 

Why would I say this to her? She was allowing that letter to continue to feed her insecurities, fears, and was breeding a false understanding about who she was and what she had done. You see the letter was filled with lies, and inaccuracies about her life. Each time she read the letter she was opening herself up to believe the lies and the inaccuracies. She was being affected by these thoughts so that her emotions and her heart were negatively impacted. 

So what are you thinking about? Is what you thinking about based in truth? Is it honorable? Is it lovely? If not, it is time to change. No more excuses. No more false reasoning? Just stop it.

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

 

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March 16, 2014 · 2:47 pm

Body, Soul and Spirit – Whatcha Thinking?

Peninsula Community Church

March 16, 2014

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

A number of years ago I took a course on counseling where the teacher focused a portion of her teaching on what she described as stinking thinking. What she was communicated was that we can so easily allow our thinking to be manipulated and distorted by faulty thinking, lies and distortions. Our thinking can become distorted through the outside voices of our lives. These are the words spoken to us by a spouse, a friend, a parent, a boss, and others. This also includes the words we speak to ourselves. These are the inward voices of condemnation and distortion about who we are, what we are becoming, and about the circumstance of our lives.

Faulty thinking are those lies and distortions that we have allowed to enter our mind and eventually into our heart. Once a thought has entered the heart, the heart directed to action by that thought. 

The truth is, when we do not bring faulty thinking into captivity, we risk that thinking becoming a part of who we are. We risk having faulty thinking dictate our response to life. We risk having faulty thinking create a stronghold in us that refuses to allow the truth of God to settle within us. It fights against or it neutralizes the truth of God because of the power we give it.

What exactly is stinking thinking? Stinking thinking is a result of a truth being rooted in a false reality and/or deception. It is truth that has been distorted so that we are walking in deception and in blindness to the reality of God’s word and the way things could be and should be. Stinking thinking places more value on perception and distortion than on truth. Now let me say this to you. I understand that this thinking, at times, is all we know. It is all we understand. This is true because of the experiences we have had. This is true because of what we have been taught. This is true because of how our families trained us or what they modeled as truth. Sometimes, as a result of this we have been deceived to believe that there is no hope and that there is little or no way out of the bondage we find ourselves. While this is the way things are, it does not mean we have to stay in this place.

Let’s do an evaluation. And be honest. Are you a pessimist or an optimist. Is your glass half full or is it half empty. The problem too often is that even an optimist can be a pessimist at heart. They present a good front but when they are alone they beat themselves up and distort the truth about who they are. When you encounter a difficult issue what kind of thoughts do you have? When someone mistreats you, what kind of thoughts do you have? Do you live positively or negatively? Have you ever known someone who always considered the negative side of things or the worse case scenario on anything and everything. When confronted with a negative, do you throw your hands up in despair and believe there is no hope and all is lost. It is my belief, and I believe that scripture bears this out, that one of the tools that the enemy of our souls will use in the last days is despair and hopelessness. When we walk in despair and hopelessness, we will be distracted and miss the good that God is doing in us and through us which leads us into deeper confusion.

Before we move forward with this let me say that there is more to this than just adjusting our thinking. Changing our thinking must lead to a change of action. This requires us to get the truth established in our minds so that we act out the truth of God’s word. We must surround ourselves with the disciplines of right thinking, prayer, and study of the word. Our actions must be motivated to change and align themselves with God’s will or else we will miss the mark. 

The apostle Paul is clear about where the focus of our thinking should be. Paul sets forth the parameters and the template through which we can begin to take every thought captive to the glory of God. Paul’s admonition is to think on the right things. Paul instructs us on how to change our thinking. We are to think or meditate on:  what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. 

The first item on Paul’s list is to think on what is true. The root word for true means “constant.” It means to be found unwavering. It also means to be upright. Having this word first is not a mistake because the truth effects everything else. At least two realities are revealed. First, there must be a solid, nonnegotiable point of truth in our life. Our current society has made a tragic mistake in that they believe that truth has become relative to one’s own processes and what one thinks truth is. But, we must have a mooring for truth, or else we can believe anything and everything. We have people, yes even Christians who believe anything because they have had someone share it or say it and they take it face value. There is no filter for truth in their life.

Jack Graham in his book “Unseen” had this to say about this. He stated “The reason we need to focus on truth is that “for every action you take, your brain creates a neurological pathway that paves the way for familiarity, so that the next time you take that action, your mind already knows what to do.”

We also must resist the pragmatism of our culture, which determines truth by whatever works. If something works, which means, it brings you happiness (at least at the moment) or it accomplishes what you want, then it must be true. But God’s Word doesn’t always line up with what works. In fact, it’s clear that sin often brings pleasure for a season; if it didn’t we wouldn’t be so enticed by it.

It also means that we are not to be naive about life. He does not say to be positive thinkers, but we are to be truthful thinkers. We do not reject reality but rather we focus honestly and factually on the issues we face. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves a question. The thing that I am entertaining, is it true? Is that the way my spouse, my friend, my boss would act? Did they really mean that? Sometimes we continue to feed ourselves falsehoods and lies. We begin to entertain imaginations about others but we must meditate on what is truthful. 

If we want to be a better person and have a better sense of life then begin with truth as a gateway to right thinking. This means we must eradicate the lies that are presented to us. Lies about ourselves. Lies about God. Lies about those with whom we are relationship with. Lies about our goals and reason for living. You see as fallen creatures we are subjected to Satan’s lies and deception. We are prone to self deception. Remember that the devil, sleuth foot, satan, whatever you call him is the master at distortion. He can take even precious spiritual traits and ideals and distort them so that we believe a half truth.

Listen to what John 8:44-47 has to say about this matter. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

How do we know the truth? We read the word of God because contained within these words are the ways of life. How to live. How to act. How to freely live. For that reason, we must pour  ourselves into God’s Word and allow God’s Word to be poured into us. We should know the Word so well that we automatically run everything we encounter through the grid of God’s Word. However, if you go with the flow, you will be carried far from God’s absolute standard of moral truth as revealed in His Word.

Recently, someone shared a story about a letter they had received that devastated them. It had wounded them deeply because of the words written within the context of the letter. After we talked, I made a suggestion to them. If you do not need to keep the letter throw it away because every time you read it, it will cause a negative reaction. If you feel you do need to keep the letter, put it in an envelop, seal the envelop, scotch tape it closed and never read the letter again unless you have to. In this way, the truth of God’s love and purpose cannot be distorted in your life. 

As I close, let me ask you what things do you need to throw away? What things do you need to seal away so they do not impact your heart or mind again? What kind of unhealthy thinking do you have. Let us pray.

 

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March 9, 2014 · 8:05 pm

The Body, Soul, and Spirit, The Soul Part 3

Peninsula  Community Church

The Body, Soul, and Spirit – The Soul Part 3

March 9, 2014

 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

As we look at the first passage, we see a couple of truths that stand out. First of all while we walk in this flesh as human beings, as believers we do not wage war in the flesh. If we battle with weapons that are motivated by and nurtured in the flesh, the outcomes are not spiritual and are most often not productive. When we battle in the flesh, we are driven by what satisfies the emotions, the will, and the five senses. When we are motivated by the flesh, it is easier to accommodate false beliefs and to compromise biblical beliefs by surrendering to a false world view than it is to stand on Biblical truth.

To overcome the flesh we must be walking in the spirit, but what does that mean and what are the rewards. Some of this can be cleared up by understanding Paul’s writings in Galatians 5:16-26 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident:sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

When we walk in the spirit and therefore refuse to use fleshy weapons, Paul gives us a promise that we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Notice this is more of a promise than it is a command. To use fleshly weapons is to submit to the desires of the flesh but to walk in the spirit is to surrender our lives to Christ to His ways of living, thinking, and doing life. In the passage, we have a comparison of what the flesh looks like and what the spirit looks like. What a difference. Look at the comparison of the flesh as it defines the actions taken and the fruit of the spirit which deals with the character of the believer.

Let me ask you a question? Have you ever witnessed someone who has seemed to be a solid believer in Christ, only to find that at some point in time they do things that reveal that their inward life does not match the outward life they present in a big way. When this occurs, it is very possible that they were using the weapons of the flesh and not the weapons of the spirit to fight their battles. They were in essence facing a level of dissonance which brings their life into confusion. Too often, they live at a level of a hypocrisy. The reason most often for this is that they have been living and battling from the flesh and not a spiritual perspective. The fear of being exposed established parameters in their life where they only allowed you to have entrance into certain parts of their lives. The problem reaches a climax when we touch on a subject or issue they have not presented to God or for that matter they do not have a desire to surrender it God. The result is rejection, isolation, and ejection of the friendship. They would rather hide or run than deal with the truth.

The second idea presented here is, as believers, we have been give divine power to destroy strongholds. To understand this, we must understand what a stronghold is. In biblical times, Paul’s readers would have understood this terminology more than perhaps we do today. A city would establish a fortress around the city for two reasons. One it would protect the people within the fortress but negatively, it often closed the city off from the rest of the world.

Spiritually, a stronghold can be defined as a wall that has been built in the mind that protects the mind. A stronghold is a mindset or a point of operation within a person that holds the believer captive or he is incapacitated because of it. These things are initiated for several reasons. For one we have been hurt before and we decide that we will not allow people to hurt us again, so we wall up our minds to any future relationships. Because we have been hurt, it is extremely hard to let others in. This mindset may have been established because of a doctrinal position that minimizes the truth of God’s word or diminishes the value of God in our lives. This happens too often because the false doctrine appeals to our flesh and not the spirit of God within us. I could offer many other examples but I think you get the picture.

The ideas and thoughts that make up the stronghold in our minds are based on the lies that challenge the truth of what God has revealed about Himself and about ourselves. For our discussion today,  a stronghold is a mindset, an epicenter, of unbelief that exalts itself over God and keeps you from maximizing your potential in God in every area of your life. It’s possible to be active in the church and say the hallelujahs but be locked off from God’s glory which makes you a functional unbeliever in different areas of your life. 

I love what Mark Twain said about the thoughts we had. He wrote, “What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those other things, are his history.” (Reader’s Digest [1/93], p. 155).

Strongholds are also describe as an “argument or high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Strongholds are erected through our thought life and what we allow to be planted in our minds. Paul continues to express at least two of these strongholds that effect us. We destroy arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God. Notice here that the scripture does not say against God alone but against the knowledge of God. You see the problem that exists is that once our understanding of who God becomes distorted, we find that we become mentally disabled emotionally and spiritually. 

These arguments most often are couched in terms of the lies that are spoken into our lives. I often  go back to the events involved in the creation but they are helpful reminders to us that lies and distortions have been a part of our existence before the fall of mankind. The serpent did not outright lie, he simply distorted the truth of what God had spoken. What lies keep the Gospel from dominating your thought life? What strongholds have been setup in your mind, that hinder the sanctifying work of God in your life? What sinful thought fortresses reside in your head? If you remember the story of creation, you will see that from the beginning of time man has dealt with the issue of the lies that are spoken. As we continue to focus on the truth, rather than lies dominating us we will find that we are more successful in following truth. 

To understand strongholds, we must understand what causes them to occur. As we have discussed before, we find that there are several sources for the strongholds that exist in us. These strongholds can be initiated because of the experiences we have had. If we are continual rejected, we tend to believe that we are rejected as a person and we will believe any negative act initiated toward us is an act of rejection. This view can lead to a mindset and therefore a stronghold that we are rejected. A second source is the lies and falsehoods that are communicated to us and in us. If we do not take these lies into captivity, we can begin to be controlled by the lies. A third source of strongholds are the beliefs and doctrine we hold to. And finally, the influence of our family can be a source of strongholds in that we experience a lack of love, acceptance and encouragement, so we begin to believe that we are unloved, not accepted which results in us walking in discouragement, doubt, and depression. 

Let us look at just one of these sources, lies. I would propose that are many lies that effect us.

For example, there are the lies you tell yourself: I have to be perfect. I can’t make any mistakes. I am a failure. I am a mistake. I must be happy. I need people to agree with me all the time. I can’t shake my past. 

There is a second level of lies that are communicated to us. These are the lies the world tells you:  I’m only human; everybody does this. Do whatever it takes to reach the top no matter who you hurt in the process. Your value is determined by what you possess, and who you know.

Thirdly, we are impacted by the lies communicated through our relationships: It’s your fault. If I had not married you… You make me so mad. Why can’t you be like so and so? I wish I was like so and so.

Fourth,  we must deal with the lies that distort the Gospel: I must earn God’s love. God won’t protect me. God does not love me. I can do what I want and God will forgive me. If I were more spiritual I would not struggle like this. God will bless me if I obeyed. 

And finally, we have the internal lies that come in the form of the questions we ask: Does God really hear me? Does God really love me? Has God abandoned me? Why does God not stop the pain?

So how do we deal with these things. We do so by taking every thought captive. We in essence lay these lies being spoken into our lives against the template of God’s word. It is the truth of God’s word that sets us free. We will look at this next week. 

 

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March 2, 2014 · 5:01 pm

The Body, Soul, and Spirit – The Soul Part 2

Peninsula Community Church

Body Soul and Spirit – The Soul Part 2

March 2, 2014

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

As we look at this verse, we find an implied connection between the body and the soul. Notice that Paul states that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices. This is something we do. It is a spiritual act of worship. Notice that Paul says that action is motivated by the mercies of God. How do we present ourselves as living sacrifices? We do so by realizing how much mercy is ours through Christ. This mercy allows for mistakes. This mercy allows for false starts. This mercy allows for us to say and do things that are less than God’s perfect intent for us. This mercy does not stifle us, but rather it encourages us to act on God’s will as a result of recognizing the work already done for us. And when we fall, we pick ourselves up and start a new day because the mercy of God says that we can start again It is a new day! (Lamentations 3:22-24) It is a new moment! Each time we start anew, we are made stronger and become closer to the goal of freedom in our life. We do as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Notice that Paul also states that we are to present ourselves as living, holy, and acceptable beings before Christ. We are to give ourselves to Christ. We come to him with honest hearts and open minds to receive from Him. Paul states that this is our spiritual worship. What is spiritual worship? It is living open and free lives because of the mercy of God that has been bestowed upon us as Children of God. Too often, we fall short in this because we deceive ourselves and we deceive others. We live lives of deception because we are afraid of what others will find, and we fear they we will not like us. The greatest issue is self deception because it is often the hardest to deal with but we are called to honesty and realness before God.

Paul then moves from the body to the mind. Listen to what he says. Do not be conformed to the this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let’s break this down. First, Paul states that we are not to be conformed to this world. The problem with conformity is that it just changes the order of things. We reshape our issues and mold them in a way that they look different but the inner heart and motivation is not changed. There is no real change only a shuffling of the issues.

The problem from a spiritual state is that when we try to conform to the world’s ways we are still faced with the inner issues that brought us to where we are to begin with. Too often, conformity deals with the symptoms and not the disease. In this discussion, we must recognize that there is a difference between sin management and spiritual transformation. For example, in sin management, if one is a shopaholic, removing one’s credit cards may be a step in the right direction, but removing the cards will not change the inner motivation to shop or spend money uncontrollably. To effect change, there must be a change of heart and a change of desire so that the inner man is renewed and revived. 

The problem that exists, as well, is that too often when we are living in conformity, we are simply exchanging one thing for another. We stop smoking and then we binge on food. We stop drinking soda, so we binge on coffee. The inner issues that drive us to make decisions and take steps that are less than what we need are never changed.

One of the problems, in America at least, is that people are spending a lot of money to change their outward appearance. Now, I know that studies show that changing some features of our body makes us feel better about ourselves. I do not deny this. The problem is that too often the outward appearance is changed but the heart is still messed up and is dealing with falsehoods, problems, and addictions. The outward has changed, but the inward man is still at odds with itself and with God. True transformation brings change to the inward man, which results in change to the outward man, which results in a change of behavior and of action.

Now, Paul moves beyond the need to conform to presenting the need to be transformed. He states that we are to be transformed. In one sense this is not an option, it is a command. Please note that the word “transform” is an interesting word. It is the same word we get the word metamorphosis from. It means that a complete change occurs. We see this in nature. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly. A tadpole becomes a frog. This is metamorphosis. Something is found in one state and then it is totally and completely changed into a different state. 

Paul is calling for us to do this as believers. What is the formula he is proposing? He states that it occurs by the renewing of our minds. It is a process of feeding our minds with the truth of who God is, who we are and what we can be when we have completely committed our way, our hearts, our way of thinking, and the way we live life to Christ. 

As I look at this, let me say that feeding our minds must be more than an act of receiving information. To be honest with you the problem for most believers today is not information but application. We are a nation in information overload. We have books, magazines, and TV are our disposal 24 hours a day. We can go to amazon.com and find a book on just about anything we want. In seconds, I can have a book downloaded to my Kindle app or to my IPAd. We can do a google search and in seconds have more information than we will ever need. 

I love what Rick Warren had to say about this. God gave us the Bible to transform us, not simply inform us. It should give us a bigger heart, not a bigger head. In the Book of James, we’re told, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22, NIV) In other words, God wants our beliefs turned into behavior. 

A second problem with information alone is that we must have a filtering system to determine what is truth and what it is not. To be effective our filtering system must be in alignment with God’s word. Too often, we try to prove the Word of God by our experiences but the fact is the Word of God must prove our experience. Here is what I mean. I read a passage of Scripture that calls me to action. I act. I receive the blessing or reward for that action. I see that the Word of God is right and is what I need. Let me say this. Just because you experience something does not mean that it is aligned with God’s word. God’s word must always be the filter through which we ascertain the validity of truth. The fact is the enemy of our soul is an incredible lier and is a fabricator of truth and experiences that seem right.

I love the commercial on TV that shows two people standing outside a brownstone. The guy asks the girl where did you get that information. She says on the internet. Then she says you know if it is on the internet, it must be true. Then she says she met a guy online who is French. Just as she communicates this we see him enter from off screen and he is anything but French. How many have been caught in the hoaxes on Facebook or by email that proved to be error. The point is, just because something is printed does not make it true. we must have a filter to assure that what we are receiving is truth. 

There are those who are experiencing many ungodly acts in our world today. For example, there is a battle brewing in many churches over the union of gay and lesbian couples. While some have experienced this, we must turn to the Word of God to define our truth about this matter. This does not mean that we are hateful or vindictive toward couples who wish to do this, but we must stand on the principle of God’s truth and his definition of marriage. We find this in the abortion issue, as well. Experience has trumped God’s truth. This is never good. Just because we experience something, does not mean that truth has been validated. However, God’s word can and will be validated through our experiences when truth and experience are aligned. 

In this regard, let me also make this observation. We must be careful and not pick and choose what passages we will cling to. Too often, we have done a disservice to the body of Christ and the world to which we are ministering when we pick a single scripture or a phrase within a scripture to base our doctrine on. We must interpret the scripture with other scripture. The doctrine or truth we present must hold up throughout Scripture and not just one verse or phrase. And, it must be held up around the world and just in America.

As I noted last week, we have been shaped and formed by our environment. We have been shaped by what we are exposed to in life. We are shaped by our experiences. We are shaped by the theological input in our lives and our view of God. We are shaped by the voices that speak into our lives. The problem therefore is not a problem of formation but the need to be transformed into the image of God and the image of God’s purpose for us.

The key to transformation is the renewal of our minds. And, this renewal must be a daily practice because we are so easily formed and shaped by the the things around us. The formation of our thoughts are not always in alignment with God’s will or His purposes, so we must renew our minds on a daily basis. When that happens is we must find out what God’s will and plan is and then conform ourselves to that plan. 

This is not always easy, but it is necessary. It is not always popular, but it is right. It may not always win friends, but it touches souls.

The audio version of this message can be found at http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14 

 

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February 24, 2014 · 12:10 pm

Body, Soul, and Spirit – The Soul

Peninsula Community Church

Body Soul and Spirit – The Soul

February 23, 2014

Romans 8:1-8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 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.

Today, we will continue our study on the body, soul, and spirit. However, we will transition from looking at the body to looking at the soul. As we make this transition, know that we will end the series by looking at how the body and soul interact with each other and then how both of these interact with the spirit.  

One of the problems that exists for us today is that mankind has lost the understanding of the soul. This comes as a result of the writings of Darwin and others and their belief that man is simply a higher form of animal life. Darwin’s view says that man is just a more highly advanced animal therefore he does not have any specialness about him. It is for this reason that our current society is able to so willingly abort babies at any age and to engage in euthanasia. Whether the consequences were intentional or not; the result of diminishing man to not much more than an animal, devalued the worth of God in man and the purpose of creation itself. Such a view of man runs counter to God’s design because man is a created being. He is one that has had the very breath of God breathed into him. Mankind was created and set in place to rule and reign over God’s creation. To believe anything less diminishes the value of man. To believe anything less changes the creational purposes of God. The outcome is not just a diminishment of man but of God in the eyes of man.

As we turn to our study, we find that the soul represents the mind, the will and the emotions. Note that the mind is that part of us that represents our intellect. It is the place of reasoning. The will is that part of us that motivates us to action or inaction. It is noteworthy that we have been created with what has been defined as “free will.” Free will empowers man to make choices. We have choices in our life, and how we carry out these choices will determine the kind of person we will be and the kind of actions we will take. As believers, we also recognize that while we have free choice, we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit and that we are given boundaries and guidelines for our choices. The Word of God plays a major role in this process. The Word defines the boundaries within which we should live. Finally, we are emotional beings. We have been created with emotions. These emotions run the gamut. We laugh, we cry, we worry, we become afraid, we trust, we have anger, and so on. We are emotional beings. Once again we must understand that the mind, will, and emotions interact without one another and must be in balance to be most effective.

Today, we will focus on the mind. We will review the subject of the mind over the next couple of weeks. While the five senses are the gateway into the soul, the mind is the vehicle that processes information, relationships, and experiences. We must understand that the mind includes the intellect and and it includes reasoning. Both of these serve a purpose in our lives and must not be ignored. The intellect is the knowledge that has been received. Let me note here that for the believer intelligence is not the goal as much as wisdom. Intelligence is not beneficial if we have not learned to appropriately apply the truth we have. In the book of Proverbs, this is known and described as wisdom. You see wisdom is the proper application of truth.

The second idea presented by the mind is reasoning. God has created us with the ability to process information and to determine that which is truth and that which is not based in truth. The problem exists when reasoning and faith are running counter to one another. It is my belief that these two items do not have to be counter to each other, but can work jointly together when we commit our ways to God and to His will.

Because we have been created with both intellect and reasoning we must be careful and not check our mind at the door when we become believers. One of the issues that I run into is that somehow some believers in Christ believe we are to disregard data, intellect, and information. To do so can be dangerous. When we make decisions solely on the emotions or the will of man we can make less that effective decisions. Jesus reminded us that we are to count the cost. That is reasoning and faith linked together. The reason for this is that we do waver in our faith but our faith grows and matures in Christ as we get to “know” Him.

It is interesting to note that many religions and in particular new age type religions call us to empty our minds. Emptying our minds is not the secret to our success but filling our minds with the right stuff is critical. The problem with emptying our minds is that where there is a vacuum, the vacuum will be filled with something either by choice or not. It is not by chance that Paul commanded Timothy to study to show himself approved (2Timothy 2:15). While we have the spirit of God in us to teach us, and direct us we do not forget that we are to do our part and that is to study and fill our minds with the Word of God.  Notice, that Christ reminds us that we are to serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. 

As noted above, the mind and the emotions often battle each other but they don’t need to. The mind, emotions, and will do not have to battle one another but rather they can and should interact with one one another. They support one one another. This can be illustrated by Paul’s words. In Romans he stated that “Faith comes by hearing.” The emotion of faith is solidified by the words of truth. John also notes this congruence when he stated that the truth sets us free. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31- 32). Emotions do not set us free. The will of man does not set us free. It is the truth that sets us free. This should not confuse or distract us. If this occurs, we must attempt to understand why we feel confused and why we are distracted by the truth. Perhaps the reason for this is that the basis of our truth is skewed and needs to be reconsidered. 

As we close today, let me make one more comment. The mind is to be renewed daily. We must acknowledge that we are in need of transformation. Dallas Willard has noted that the problem is not that we have been formed but that we need to be transformed or reformed. Let me explain what is meant by this. Throughout our lives we have been formed and shaped by a number of things.

We have been shaped and formed by our environment. We have been shaped by what we are exposed to in life. We are shaped by our experiences. We are shaped by the theological input in our lives and our view of God. We are shaped by the voices that speak into our lives. The problem therefore is not a problem of formation but the need to be transformed into the image of God and the image of God’s purpose for us.

The key to transformation is the renewal of our minds. And, this renewal must be a daily practice because we are so easily formed and shaped by the the things around us. The formation of our thoughts are not always in alignment with God’s will or His purposes so we must renew our mind on a daily basis. When that happens we must find out what God’s will and plan is and then conform ourselves to that plan. 

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