January 19, 2014 · 6:20 pm

Are You Living as a Free Man or as a Slave

Peninsula Community Church

Are you living as a free man or as a slave?

January 19, 2014

Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Today, we are going to look at a important subject that will assist us in understanding how to live life to the fullest as a church and as believers. We touched on this principle just a couple weeks ago, but I believe it is necessary that we spend some time on it this morning. The principle that I want to talk about today is whether or not you are living as a free man in Christ or do you still live as a slave to sin and your past.

As we look at the children of Israel who traveled from Egypt to the promised land, we see that they were a restless and discontented people. One day they were excited about what God was doing, and they were in support of Moses as their leader; but quickly they would turn from expressing thanksgiving and gratitude to wallowing in a spirit of complaining and murmuring. 

When we analyze a complaining spirit one thing is clear. The spirit of murmuring and complaining never brings about positive results. When we exhibit a murmuring or complaining spirit we are never satisfied or content. We are forever lacking a sense of joy and peace. When we complain and murmur it is difficult to live as a free man because we expend too much time looking back at what was and not what is or is to come. 

When we walk in a spirit of criticism and we are filled with murmuring, we exude a negative heart and a negative desire to see things for the good. When we walk in a spirit of criticism, there are times that it does not matter what positive things an individual might do or what a group might do, because when we walk in criticism and complaining, there will always be something to criticize. As we look at this, we must recognize that there is a difference between a critical, complaining, and murmuring spirit; and one that offers constructive criticism. Constructive criticism focuses on the resolution of a problem and it speaks directly to the one that can exact change rather than everyone one else.  

The problem with a critical, complaining, murmuring spirit is that it exudes a mindset that we would rather live as a slave rather than as a free man. A murmuring and complaining spirit can present itself as a slave rather than walking in freedom. To understand this, we only need to look at the life of the Children of Israel. Too often, they lived as if they were still under the control the Pharaoh and not under the control of God. What we see in their heart is that while they were out of Egypt, the Egypt mindset was still in control of their heart. It is like the old saying “you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl.” For the children of Israel, you could take them out of Egypt but it was much more difficult to take Egypt out of their hearts. The desire was that they would begin to live as freemen who were free from the bondage of Egypt, free from the slavery of Pharaoh, and free from the labor that was to be given to another. 

For the purpose of our discussion today, let me share with you a couple of thoughts about living as slaves rather than as free men. The first thought is that we can believe the lie that says we cannot change rather than speaking the truth that I am already changed by the power of the Gospel. The lie and the truth are opposed to one another. In other words, we will live in torment when we try to live both the lie and the truth in our lives. It behooves us, therefore, to come to the place where we determine that we will live from the truth that I have been changed by the power of the gospel and that I do not have to live as a slave any longer. To overcome the lie, we must accept the fact that the work of Christ is complete in us. We must begin to take the steps to accept the truth that change is possible. Listen to what Paul says to us:

Galatians 4:4-7 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Romans 6:15-18 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

We do not have to live as slaves because we are sons of God.

The second issue we face is that we can fear change more than we fear slavery itself. The problem is that we can become so familiar and comfortable with the lifestyle of slavery that we  we don’t know recognize freedom when we have it. Too often we have lived in slavery for so long; we have become comfortable as slaves. The problem is that slavery has become a familiar place for us to reside. We know where we have come from, but we can be afraid of where we are headed. We walk in fear because we don’t know what the future will look like. Too often, we would rather live in the past than trust the Lord who knows the future. We must be shaken from our complacency and move toward change. Sometimes, when we fail to do this God sends a catalysis that will encourage our change. It may be an earthquake. It may be sickness. It may be a revelation of who we really are to others. 

The third issue is this that too often we can be bound by loyalty to our personal and family history. The problem here is that we all have an identity. You see our friends see us one way. Our families see us another way. Our coworkers may see us in a total different way. We can be afraid that if we begin to follow God, remove ourselves from a spirit of slavery, and begin to see change in our lives, we will get criticized and belittled for the changes we make. Perhaps we are afraid of what we may have to give up in order to see change come. Perhaps there is a feeling that we need to be true to our family, we need to be true to a history, we need to be true to who we are you, and we need to be true to our culture. The answer to this is that we need to be true to who we are as a new creation in Christ. Only as we see ourselves as a new creation will we begin to see the right change come to our hearts.

The fourth issue that is that too often we can continue to return to enslaving habits. We do this because these habits are comfortable for us. These habits are a safeguard for us. They are the place we go to when we don’t know what else to do. When we get stressed out, we overindulge in alcohol. When things do not go our way, we get angry and lash out at others. When we face difficulty, we clam up rather than dealing with the issues before us. For others, when things are uncomfortable or issues arise, they turn to food or to things that are not beneficial to their health.

Is interesting to note that the children of Israel who had everything they needed had a desire to go back to Egypt and eat the food of the Pharaoh rather than live under freedom they had. You can look at the children of Israel with scorn and displeasure at this decision, but we too are guilty of doing the same thing in our lives. Too often, we desire the things of the past rather than the new life that is ahead of us.

The last issue is that too often we can practice self deception about our past slavery. How quickly we can forget how painful slavery is for us? If we do not continue to feed upon the word of God, if we do not continue to look at the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, it is so easy for us to live out of the past rather than in the present hope that is ours. The cry of the Israelites was for God to get them out of this horrible place now! God answers and sets them free from Egypt. They pass through the Red Sea and now they are in the wilderness. It is interesting to note that rather than giving praise to God for what God is doing, they are reminiscing about the good old days when they were slaves. Yes that’s right, they were having a conversation and looking back at their slavery, as if somehow it were freedom and better than their current circumstance.

Have you every lived that way before? God gets you out of a serious situation and then look back and proclaim that those were good times. But, they were not good times, and they won’t be good times if you revisit them now. We are good at exchanging reality for fantasy. How many of you, you have old friends like this? You get together and you’re like, “Remember when we were in high school?” No, I don’t, because we were alcoholics. I blacked out from my sophomore year to graduation. No, I don’t remember high school. “It was awesome. Remember that time you threw up?” Yeah, it wasn’t that awesome, right? Some of you have friends like that, and they only want to talk about the old days and romanticize and fantasize about the old days.

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January 14, 2014 · 2:51 pm

The Parable of the Soils A.K.A. The Heart

Peninsula Community Church

The Parable of the Sower

January 12, 2014

Today’s text is a lengthy one but well worth the read. So, let’s read together.

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23 – That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

As you read the New Testament, you will find that one of the literary tools used by Jesus to teach those around him was the parable. A parable is basically a story that is used to make a point but it is also a story that is based on some real life story or event. Often as Jesus was speaking, he would look at the surroundings around him and would use examples from everyday life to teach biblical principles. As you read the Gospels you find he used sheep, a farmer, a shepherd, a vineyard, a rich man, and so on to bring to light an understanding of some spiritual truth. You see parables were not just good stories, they were tools used by Christ to point the way to spiritual principles that would guide the believer toward a better understanding of kingdom living and kingdom life.

In the text before us today, we have one of the more popular parables used by Jesus. As noted, He uses this parable to present powerful spiritual principles. In the case of this parable, Christ provides the opportunity to enlighten understanding of the need to grow, to mature and to bear fruit as a passionate follower of Christ. The idea communicated here is that we are not to just look pretty and fill a spot on a chair on Sunday. We are to bear fruit worthy of repentance and worthy of ministering to others. The second lesson, which is just as important as the first, is that the condition of our heart will determine the level of growth and the level and volume of fruit to be produced in our lives. 

Related to this particular parable, let me make a couple of observations. First, this parable is not so much for the nonbeliever as it is for the believer, that is the one who is already a believer. This does not mean that the nonbeliever should not heed the words of this parable, but that this particular parable is fully directed to the believer. 

A second observation to be noted is that the farmer and the seed are the same. There is only one farmer and only one seed. The sower or the farmer is representative of Christ himself. The seed is representative of the word of God.

A third observation is this. while the seed is the same and the sower is the same, the soil is quite different. We find here four types of soils described. Each soil type describes a different type of heart. Each heart is exhibited in different ways and for different reasons. I would describe these hearts as the hardened/callous heart, the shallow heart, the strangled heart, and the satisfied heart. Jesus understands and he wants us to understand that the condition of our hearts will determine the level of growth that we will experience. The condition of our hearts wild determine the fruit we will have. The condition of our hearts wild determine the effect we will have on others and on life itself.

In this parable, Jesus begins with the hard soil which is that soil that has been trampled under the foot as it is on a pathway. This soil is on the path that is used for travel. The ground is so hard that the seed cannot penetrate. Because of the hardness of the soil, the seed never germinates and the roots never have the opportunity to grow. How do we interpret this? The hardened soil represents the heart that has become hardened and calloused. As a result they become hardened to the things that God wants to do in them. This heart has become closed and rejects the very truth that can bring healing. This is the heart that rejects understanding and wisdom. 

Everyone of us, I am sure, has encountered a person in our life that refuses to heed advice no matter how good or how important that advice might be. We might call this stubbornness and hardness. There is no place to allow the seed to germinate because truth is being rejected. Rather than living a fruitful life that manifests God’s love and God’s will, these hearts are lifeless and fruitless.

There are so many reasons for this phenomena. It could be the result of what Paul describes in Romans 1 where people would rather believe the lie than the truth. The problem is that they believe the lie so long that they become hardened to the truth. Because of the lie that is lived the truth has no room to grow and bear fruit. 

The second kind of soil is the soil that represents the shallow heart. This is the heart that never fully grows. They have received the word but they are every superficial in the way they live and the way they act. The word does not impact them or their life. Because they live a superficial life, they are easily effected by the trials and the persecutions of life. The problem is that the who lives superficially is one who is more easily led by one’s circumstances rather than by faith. They are led more than by the events of their life that negatively effect them rather than they are by the truth of God’s word that brings stability and direction. Because they have shallow hearts, they are neutralized by difficulty and by persecution which negates any possible opportunity for growth.

The third kind of soil represents the strangled heart. This heart has the word implanted but those who have this heart are caught off guard by the issues of life. They are distracted by the process of gathering wealth rather than enjoying the wealth they already have. They are more concerned about what people think of them than they are about growing in Christ. When things are good they believe they do not need Christ. They move from trusting God to trusting themselves solely as their provider. This is the kind of person that worries about everything which distracts them from God’s word and understanding.

The fourth soil is the soil that is good soil. The good soil is ground that is ready to receive the seed. As the sower sows the seed, the seed finds ready soil which aids in the germination process and is therefore ready to bring forth fruit. Look at what Jesus says As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

Notice that the one who has good soil, not only hears the word but understands. It is critical that we see that Jesus begins and end the parable with the idea that we must understand the word. Our heart and our understanding of the word impacts our ability to bear fruit. It is not enough to know the word but we must also understand the principles that are provided and we must make application of those principles into our life. Understanding must result in the proper application of the word into our lives.

The result of understanding is that the believer will bear fruit in multiple quantities. As we look at this we must understand that God’s goal for us is that we would bear fruit in our life. In fact, he desires that we bear much fruit. We are to be fruitful. This is not one dimensional fruit bearing but is multidimensional in that every area of our life should be bearing fruit. Let me just use one example. Let’s use one example our finances. When we understand the truth of God’s word that we are stewards of what we possess, then we will begin to handle things a lot different. How we handle we our finances will change and our commitment to giving our first fruits to God through tithing will be a priority for us. When we obey God’s word about giving and finances we will realize fruit beyond measure. God will provide for us health and wisdom, both financially and relationally when we are obedient to be good stewards.

The writer of Proverbs understood this. Read Proverbs 2 as one example. Job 28:28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'” 

So where do you fall in the first three categories. What do we do? The Bible offers us a solution. Two passages come to mind here. The first is found in Jeremiah 4:3. For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. The second is found in Hosea 10:12. Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. 

We must break up the fallow ground through prayer, through reading the word and by removing the distractions from our life that prevent us from experiencing the growth we need to have. For some we need to remove the thorns from our life. How are the thorns evidenced? Maybe it’s bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, pride or anger. Even if you’re a Christian, these thorns, and the demonic forces they represent, can show up in your life. But God has given us the only tool, His Word, to get rid of the thorns for good and walk in freedom.

It is our choice today. What do you choose? Do you want fruit and life or do you want to be strangled out which results in death? 

 

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January 6, 2014 · 2:26 pm

5 Commitments for 2014

Peninsula Community Church

5 Commitments for 2014

January 5, 2013

Philippians 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

In preparing for this message I began to consider the idea of making New Years resolutions. As you might guess, the idea of making New Years resolutions is nothing new but I wondered where the concept of making resolutions come from. In researching this, I found that the ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. If you were the one who loaned an item that would be a great resolution for someone else to make. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the Medieval era, the knights took the “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry. (From Wikipedia).

I am sure that each of us has in some way considered the idea of making resolutions going into this new year. Perhaps you have considered losing weight which by the way is the most popular resolution made each year. For others, it could be the idea of being nicer. For others it could be the idea of doing more for others. It could be watching less TV and spending more time in the Word and in prayer. While all of these are good ideas it is interesting to note that 88% of all resolutions made end in failure. It has also been noted however that 22% more resolutions are kept when they are shared with someone else. 

For us as believers, who are passionate followers of Christ, the idea of resolutions can also be a part of our lives. To come to the end of one year and begin another year is very much a time of evaluation and renewal. For me personally, I try to use the week between Christmas and New Years as a time to reevaluate where I am. What are my goals? How did I do with my goals from the previous year? When I was growing up it was a common event to have watch night services where we would close the year with thanksgiving and a commitment to follow Christ with a renewed spirit of trust and faith. 

As I thought about this idea of resolutions, I would like to suggest a couple of commitments for you consideration. Now I will quickly say that this is not an inclusive list. In fact, if you were to be in my place and were sharing this message, you might share a different list and that would be fine. In fact, if I were to preach this same message at some point in the future, I might use a different list. The idea is that this is not an inclusive list but are simple some key commitments for us to consider.

The first consideration is to commit to seeing the miracles and blessings of God around you. This is important for us as we can get sidetracked by the circumstances and cares of life. A heart that looks for the miracles and blessings of God around us is one that is filled with gratitude and thankfulness. There is so much in our world that can pull us down and create in us a ungrateful heart. When we don’t look for the miracles of God around us, our hearts can be filled with grumbling, complaining, and ungratefulness. We see this in the life of the Children of Israel. It is amazing to me that there appears to be a huge cycle of gratefulness and then murmuring and complaining. You see God would meet their need and would provide for them. Miracles were happening all around them, and yet they would fall into a grumbling and complaining attitude. One day they are angry with God. On another day they are trying to get rid of Moses as their leader. But when we commit to see the miracles of God around us we will be less likely to complain and grumble. When we focus on God’s blessings and on what He has done for us, we are more likely to be filled with a heart of gratitude and blessings.

The second consideration is to be less judgmental and more understanding of others. I have been reading a couple of books here lately. One of the books is by Pastor Jack Graham, the senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas Texas. In his book, Unseen, Jack makes an observation about his life as he is getting older. He stated that as he is aging, there is a tendency for him to be more judgmental. He commented that he can begin to judge the way others act, what they say, how they dress, and so on. I too have recognized this tendency in my own life. As we get older, we have the potential to believe that we have arrived and can develop “a know it all attitude.” I am sure that I am not the only one with such a mentality as they get older. When we experience a judgmental attitude we can miss out on seeing others for who they are or from understanding where they are coming from and why they do what they do. For me, I never want to become John and Max from “Grumpy Old Men.” These two men are played by Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. John and Max have habitual complained and argued so much in their life that they do not know how to live without arguing and fighting and trying to one up each other. While they fought you also realize that inwardly they are miserable and unsatisfied with life. They are grumpy old men. May we never become grumpy old men.

The third consideration is to have a greater commitment to sharing your faith with others. Studies have shown that those believers who share their faith are happier and more grateful for their own relationship with Christ. To clarify, this applies to those who have developed a commitment to share their faith as a lifestyle rather than a legalistic need to accomplish some task so they can check that action off of their spiritual list of things to do. Sharing our faith can come in many styles, ways, and ideas. For example, sharing an encouraging word to one who is discouraged is one way we share our faith. Sharing our faith has as much to do with our attitude as it does our words. When we share our faith with others we are more appreciative of our own relationship with others. There is a principle that applies here that says as we give away to others we understand the value of what we have. We also appreciate what we have in Christ even more.

The fourth consideration is to determine to live as one forgiven and as a forgiver of others. A second book I have been reading highlights this idea of forgiveness. Forgiveness initiates healing and right focus. The story is of Abraham Lincoln who attempted to walk in forgiveness to the best of his ability. Secondly the author rehearsed a story from the civil war that has always been a powerful story in my mind. When the war was over and the surrender documents had been signed, there were a couple of actions taken by the northern army that changed the course of American history. Because of the pain and death exhibited by the civil war, Grant and those under him could have been antagonistic and demoralizing to the southern army. 

After the signing of the surrender documents by Lee and Grant, we see Grant do something that expressed honor and forgiveness to General Lee. As Grant stood on the porch of the McClain home, Grant tipped his hat to Lee as Lee mounted his horse. In those days this was a sign of respect and honor. Even though Lee had been the enemy, Grant recognized that a greater result would come from moving forward with honor more than dishonor. Grant realized that the nation could only heal as forgiveness was given freely whether Lee and the army of the South would ever receive the act of forgiveness or whether they deserved it for that matter. By accomplishing this act, Grant not only released Lee from the past but Grant himself was releasing himself from the burden of the past experiences and the past hurts of the war. Grant was also an example to his troops, as well. For example, John Chamberlain, commander of the 20th Maine, who stood against the charge of the Alabama troops at Gettysburg also showed great honor to Lee and his men. As Lee was retreating from the McClain house, Chamberlain without a thought and in a spontaneous manner called his troops to attention and a salute. It was these acts that began to bring to healing to a divided nation. For us too, the act of forgiveness can begin that process of healing broken lives and broken hearts. Remember, forgiveness is always about the one doing the forgiveness (Matthew 6:12-14). Jesus Himself says that when we forgive we too are forgiven. When we forgive there is a reciprocal spiritual act of forgiveness in us. You see when we forgive others, we are released from our own issues of failure, regret, and guilt. With that said, it is often harder to forgive ourselves than it is to forgive others. We are driven by our guilt, fear and failures than by the wholeness we have through forgiveness. But, forgiving others is the start to forgiving ourselves.

The fifth consideration is to commit to renew or deepen your love for God. As we read the Book of Revelation, we see in the letters to the Seven Churches that one of the complaints against the Church of Ephesus was that they had lost their first love (Revelations 2:2-4). They were no longer motivated by love and by the gifts that God had given them. They were motivated more by legalism and a regimented fulfillment of the law than by God’s love as a motivator. Their actions were not aligned with the love that had been given them and that should be the motivator of their heart. The result was that they were good about keeping the law but the growth of their heart was stunted. They were much like the Israelites in the Old Testament who were condemned for offering sacrifices without the heart to back it up (Isaiah 29:13-14 and Matthew 15:8-9).

Are you ready? Do any of these resonate with you today? Are any of the above doable for you? Are there other prospects for change to make your life more effective for Christ? You can do it. You can change. You can be an effective warrior for Christ.

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December 23, 2013 · 12:20 pm

He Came to Live With Us

Peninsula Community Church

He Came to Live With Us

December 22, 2013

Matthew 1:23 – “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 

When we read this portion of Scripture there is a need to understand the context in which it was written. You see Mary had received the news that she would be the vessel through which Christ would be born. In her and through her the seed of God would become man. In those days, the Jewish custom and the Rabbinical law allowed a man to select a bride. Once selected there would be a period of time of up to one year between the betrothal and the actual wedding. This is what we would consider to be the engagement period of our day. Today, we would give the bride a ring and there would be an exchange of commitments. The act of betrothal was a big deal in that day as both families would have promised wedding day gifts that usually involved property, money, and/or cattle.

During the betrothal period, the couple would promise to remain pure. This was a season of preparation for both the groom and the bride. It was a time to plan their wedding as well as to begin to prepare for their future home together. If the betrothal law was broken, divorce papers were to be filed and the wedding was to be cancelled. To file papers for divorce was a serious matter as it would be an embarrassment to the groom and to the families involved. This was an esteem and pride issue for the family, so this was a big deal. If the divorce papers were initiated as a result of unfaithfulness, the bride to be was to be stoned to death. While this seems unfair, it was the law of the land in that day.

It was this context that Mary approached Joseph to tell him that she was pregnant with God’s son. It is easy for us to look back at this story now and think that this would not have been a big problem. But it was. Once Mary shared the news, Joseph was conflicted because he loved Mary. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand he knew the law and what was required of him but he also loved Mary. He wanted to honor his family, but he also wanted to protect his bride to be. Joseph was conflicted and filled with fear. 

The angel proclaimed the birth of the Messiah to Joseph. You see it was in this context that the angel came to Joseph and encouraged him with the words before us today. The angel came to Joseph in a dream. As he is sleeping or at least trying to sleep, God speaks to his heart. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us.) Matthew 1:19-22. 

The angel in essence is saying you can trust Mary and you can trust God. The angel is saying to Joseph, look she has not broken any law, she has remained pure and holy. That is why God had chosen her to be the mother of His son. 

Jesus – He will save us from our sin. In the angel’s communication he identifies two names for the Messiah. The angel stated that his name shall be Jesus for He will same His people from their sins. This is an awesome promise. Jesus came not just to forgive sin but to redeem men from their sin. There is a big difference in forgiveness of sin and redemption from sin. Forgiveness can be given to anyone but just because one is forgiven does not mean that they have been delivered from their sin. In fact it is possible for one to stay in their sin and to continue to live bound by the forces that come from the effect of the sin they have committed. But Christ came to redeem and to set man free from their sin and not just forgive them. Through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus still lives with you and has the power to deliver you from the grip of any bondage. No sinful habit, painful past, or present struggle is too difficult for the God-Man to overcome. 

The second name the angel used is just as powerful. While the angel proclaims that his name shall be Immanuel, we don’t see this name used widely in the New Testament. It appears that rather than a name that would be used, it serves as a descriptive term of who Christ would be. The term is “Immanuel” which means that God is with us. It is noteworthy that one of the most common promises in the Bible is that God will be with us. We see this promise given to Moses before he led the children of Israel out of captivity. We see this promise given to Joshua before he led the children of Israel into the promise land. We see this as a promise to his disciples and to the church when he said “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God is with us; that is a promise.

Listen to this, what the angel is saying to Joseph through this passage and by way of identification with the Messiah was to not be afraid of the future or what people may say because I am with you. 

While this passage is written to Joseph it is a critical for us to receive this passage into our life and understand that it is for us today just as it was for Joseph in his day. God was with Joseph and He is with us today. Joseph changed because he knew now that God’s will was being fulfilled in Him. He knew that Immanuel was with Him.

Immanuel, God is with us in the moments when we are confused and conflicted about the circumstances we face. God is there to give guidance. When things go awry and while we can be confused and conflicted, God is there through His spirit and through the Word to give us guidance and direction. What do you do when you are confused or conflicted? Do you go to God’s word? Do you pray? Do you seek godly counsel from those you know that love God? Through these resources, he reveals that He is with us.

Immanuel, God with us is when fear has overcome us. Have you ever experienced that gripping fear that binds you and keeps you reduced to faithlessness? When I was a kid, I always hated to take the garbage to the road. I would slowly drag the can to the curb and then I would run back as fast as I could. I told my mom about how scared I was. The next time I took the garbage to the road, I was not scared. Do you know why? My mom stood in the doorway and watched me take out the garbage, just knowing she was there I felt secure and safe. Know this, no matter what you walk through, God is there, you call feel safe and secure because He is watching over you. 

Immanuel, God with us when we are discouraged. When we are discouraged we turn our minds and our thoughts to the fact that is with us and that He will see us through. Discouragement is a mind game that is so destructive. Discouragement can lead us to a false image of who we are. Discouragement can lead us to want to give up. Discouragement can lead us to run and hide. But God is with us to bring hope and life.

Immanuel, God with us when we do not know what the future holds.  There is nothing more frightening than an unknown future, but with God we can be at peace. The angel spoke to Joseph in essence and told him don’t worry. You do your part. Marry Mary! I will take care of the rest. 

While God is with us when we face emotional difficulty, there is one other benefit to understanding that God is with us. When God is with us the way we view life is changed. I know that I am an overcomer by His word and by the fact that God is with us. When I realize that God is with me it changes the way I act. It changes the way I live. It changes the way I think. This is a positive because as a passionate follower of Christ, we have a desire to please him and to honor his name. 

Do you know that He is with you this morning? Do you know that He loves you? Do you know that he holds your future? Do you know He is with you wherever you go? Whether you believe it or not, He is there. Whether you feel Him or not, He is there. Whether or not you know Him, He is there and he desires to draw you to Him. That is a powerful promise and what a hope.

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December 16, 2013 · 11:37 am

He Came to Give Us Eternal Life

Peninsula Community Church

He Came to Give Us Eternal Life

December 15, 2013

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him

I love Christmas decorations. While in New York, one of the things we used to do after our Christmas Eve service was to load the family in the van and head off to look at homes that had decorated their homes to the point that the International Space Station could see the light emitted from the home. I would often think about the time it took to place each of those lights in the exact location so that they would achieve the intended purpose.  

After seeing those light displays, I would turn to the task of placing the lights on our Christmas tree. How could they do what they do when it always seems so complicated to simply get the lights onto our tree. I am not sure if you have had this problem before but you take out all of the ornaments and the lights out of the storage container and as you are placing the lights on the tree you find they are tangled to the degree that it becomes a frustrating nightmare. And then finally, you get them untangled and placed on the tree only to find out that one of the bulbs is blown so that now the whole strand of lights is out. Of course finding the one light that is causing the problem is like finding a needle in a haystack. Things like this can complicate the season. It can put a dampener on the way we feel and the way we look at Christmas. 

The fact is Christmas can be complicated in so many ways. There are so many events to attend. There are presents to buy. There are family members that will visit that we do not like but we have to play nice with them because it is Christmas. We buy gifts for people we don’t like with money we don’t have. Then we have to try to buy a gift that you know someone really wants but you have to buy it and and then wrap in such a way that it will be a surprise for the one opening it. And then, there are the gifts we get that we are not sure what they are about or what use they serve. For a while the singing fish was popular. What do you with a singing fish? Even if it sings “Sweet Home Alabama” what do you do with it?

While Christmas can be complicated, the message of the Gospel does not have to be. While the Christmas story is really a simple story about the good news, somehow, we have complicated the story and the message that Christ came to give. Too often, we blame those outside the church or we criticize those who have not accepted Christ for not accepting the message when the problem comes down to the fact that we have complicated the message to the point that it fails to bring the joy and the answers to life that it was intended to bring. We, therefore, cannot blame them for our own failures and our ability to complicate the message. 

So how do we simplify the message? How do we stop complicating the gospel?

The first thing we need to do is realize that Christ came to bring good news. In reading the Christmas story in Luke’s account of the Gospel, we find that the Angel proclaimed that Good News was coming to earth. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you:you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-12).

The second thing we need to do is to realize that the Good News is that Christ came to bring us eternal life. If we return to our text, we see the Good News is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to give us eternal life. Look at this with me. He, God, loved. He, God, gave. We believe. We receive. It is that simple.

We have complicated the message because although we say eternal life is freely received, we can intentionally or unintentionally set so many parameters and rules that must be met before we can receive the gift He has given, that it complicates the decision of the unsaved. One of the first parameters we set is that you must straighten up and fly right before you can accept this gift. Rather than coming to Christ with all of our failures and short comings we can lead people to believe that they must change or be at a certain place in their life to be accepted by Christ. The fact is, we come to him just as we are but we also come to Him with an understanding that He will not allow us to stay where we are. He will bring the change in us and through us that God must do. Look at who Jesus ministered to in the bible: the hungry, the prostitute who was used and abused, the leper who was rejected by the religious leaders and society, the tax man who was one that people wanted to have a relationship with, the lame, the cripple, the religious leaders, the fisherman who were simple minded men, and many more. He never asked them to change before He touched them or called them into service. He came to them in their fallen state and ministered to them right where they were in the moment. That should bless our heart and encourage us. It should spur us on to service in and to him.

Second, the good news is not about joining the church. In fact, it is not about what we would consider the church at all. Too often, we have complicated the message by inferring that salvation and church membership or at least church attendance are on equal terms with salvation. This is an inaccurate statement and belief. Salvation and church attendance are not the same. Salvation is not contingent on our attendance at church. You can attend church and never be saved. But, I will say that when you are genuinely saved, you will have a desire to be with God’s people.

Third, we can present salvation as the rite of being born into the right Christian family. The fact is we are not Christians by physical birth but only by way of spiritual birth. Once again we can receive eternal life and be a part of a pagan family or we can be a part of a Christian family and never come to fully understand eternal life. We come to Christ by accepting his gift and then we begin to follow his plan as noted in the word.  

The third thing that we need to understand is that eternal life is less about a destination as it is about a relationship. We have looked at what the good news is not, now let us look at what it is. In our passage today, John states that the gift of God is eternal life but what does that mean to us? I have to be honest with you. This has been one of those theological areas that has baffled me in many ways. What is eternal life? We say the believer will have eternal life but doesn’t every one really experience some form of eternal life? There is a heaven and there is a hell. That is a fact. 

So if everyone experiences some form of eternal life, then what does it mean when we say that we will have eternal life? To answer this question let us look at another passage. In John 17:1-3, John includes the following words of Christ in his writings. When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

If we understand this correctly, we see that eternal life is less about where we will live when we die but how how we live before we die. It is all about having a relationship with God the Father and God the son. Look at what Christ Himself says. This is eternal life…. that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you sent. Eternal life therefore is not a destination, it is a relationship. It is a relationship with the one and only God. 

Finally, we need to understand that to receive eternal life we must not just believe in but we must also believe on Christ. How is this relationship established? To understand this let us return to John 3:16 for a moment. Here, Jesus says that whosoever believes in Him should have eternal life. It is interesting to note however that the Greek used here does not say “believe in” Him. The Greek uses a prepositional phrase that means to “believe on” or “believe toward.” It carries the idea of trust. 

The fact is we can believe in many things. We can believe in Santa Claus. We can believe in the Easter Bunny. You see we can believe in something but never have a relationship with that something or that someone. We can believe those things exist but they may never have an impact on our lives. The idea that is given in the verbiage of the Greek is that to have eternal life we must believe on or believe toward Christ. The idea expressed here is the idea of trusting. Do we trust Him with our lives? Do we trust Him with our bank account? Do we trust Him with our relationships? Do we trust Him with our future? Do we trust Him with the unknown?

You see I can believe this stool will hold me but I must exercise a measure of faith and place my self on the chair to understand whether or not this stool will sustain my weight. I can believe in the stool but I must exercise my faith by believing on the stool and acting out my faith by sitting on the stool. I give this stool all of my weight, with a believe that it will hold me and will not fall a part under my weight.

That is what it means to believe in Christ. We begin a relationship with him through accepting him. We grow in the relationship by reading His word which is His letter to us. We also grow by finding people who love God with all of their heart and then hang out with them. 

So today, if you do not know Christ begin this morning by realizing that finding Christ does not have to be complicated. Secondly, understand that receiving the Good News is about eternal life and eternal life is about having a relationship with Christ. It is believing on Christ and trusting Him to do what He said He would do. Will you pray with me?

 

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December 9, 2013 · 1:56 pm

He Came with a Purpose

Peninsula Community Church

He Came with a Purpose

December 8, 2013

John 1:14-18 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

In this passage, John makes a doctrinal statement based on the fact of Christ’s birth. This statement has changed the way we view life and what we think about ourselves. If we could fully grasp the meaning of this statement, we would be humbled and we would be filled with overwhelming gratitude and awe. What is this statement? It is this. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Think about that for a moment?

Jesus Came. The Word became flesh. Imagine the implications of this passage, if you will. The very Son of God left Heaven to become the son of man. He came to dwell with us. The Word, which was Christ, became flesh. The God of the universe took on the flesh of man. He clothed himself with the earthly body of His own creation. In doing so, He took on the nature of man so we could take on the nature of Christ.

But why did Jesus come? What was the plan in this? What was the purpose of His coming as the Son of Man. The fact is God did have a plan in mind. He did come with a purpose in mind. This was not an exercise of futility. This was not an act of self promotion. Jesus came as the son of God to be the son of man.

In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul makes the following statement that brings this into perspective. 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. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

He came in flesh so that we could connect with Him. One of the fallacies propagated about Christ’s coming is that somehow God needed to do this. Some would say that Christ came so that God would somehow have a better understanding of who man is. The truth is, when Christ came as a man He did not need to understand man because He created mankind in His image. He already understood everything there was to know about mankind. He knew what made man tick. He knew man’s thoughts. He knew the propensity of his man’s heart toward sin. He knew all about his struggle to belong and to have purpose in life. 

The Psalmist clarifies the knowledge God had about us when he stated For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm 139:13-16). 

the LORD-knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath (Psalm 94:11).

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether (Psalm 138:1-4).

Why then did He come? He came as a man so that we could understand God and not the other way around. He came as a man so we would catch a glimpse of who God is. You see according to the Old Testament no man had seen God face to face because if he was to do he would die because of the glory and holiness of God. He came as a man so that He could achieve what no one else or anything else could achieve, and that is to connect man with God and provide a way for the forgiveness of sin once and for all. 

He became that bridge we needed to fill the gap between God’s holiness and man’s sin. He became the bridge between what was evidenced by sin and what mankind and the world was meant to be by way of redemption. Jesus came to be the mediator between God and mankind. The only way for Him to accomplish this was to become man and at that He had be a sinless man.

He came to give us grace and truth. You see the law was truth but there was not much grace in it how it was carried out. We must understand that grace is the unmerited favor of God bestowed upon an undeserving people. Grace is not contingent so much on the one receiving the grace as it is on the one giving the grace. This grace has no strings attached. He freely gives grace to all. 

The term grace is an interesting one. Grace in the New Testament is derived from the Greek word “charis.” In secular Greek, charis was related to chairo, “to rejoice.” As far back as Homer it denoted “sweetness” or “attractiveness.” It came to signify “favor,” “goodwill,” and “lovingkindness” — especially as granted by a superior to an inferior. In the New Testament the word takes on a redemptive quality in that salvation is given by God with grace. He  

But he also brings truth. The problem existing too often is that we preach grace without truth. Truth is a critical and an undeniable part of what Christ has done for us. He came as truth. He said himself that “I am the way, the truth and the life.” When we only present one side of the equation we miss the mark of Christ’s intent. We need grace and truth in our lives. 

He came so that we might experience Him. The problem for man is that he could not see God. If this occurred he would die. The only man ever to come close to seeing God was Moses. God prepared a way for us. we can now sit at His table not as a slave but as a child.

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December 2, 2013 · 11:54 am

He Came at The Right Time

Peninsula Community Church

He Came – At the Right Time

December 1, 2013

Galatians 4:4-7 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

We have arrived at a great season of celebration and one that is filled with joy, peace, and promise. The Christmas season is a time of decorations, great food, family, and most of all the celebration of the birth of our Savior. I love this time of year. The music. The decorations. Visiting family and friends. Great celebrations of life. Christmas dramas and special meals. I trust you are as excited about Christmas as I am.

As I was I was praying about this season the idea that kept coming to me was that “He Came.” He came to bring life but Christ did not just come to bring life, He came to show us how to live life to the fullest. Christ came to die so we could live. He came to take on our nature so we could take on His nature. How awesome is that? Christ came!

Not only did Christ come but He came at the right time. He came to a land where the society, the religion, and the government was aligned together; and yet they were about to suffer great upheaval. The amazing thing is that when Christ came, his coming was noticed by so few. Other than the shepherds and the magi who saw the star in the east, we have no record of anyone else acknowledging his arrival. There were no headlines in the local paper. There was no media announcing His coming. He simply came. He was born in borrowed manger and was buried in a borrowed tomb.

As we look at Him coming at the right time, we must understand why this is important and how time is defined. In the New Testament, we find there are a couple of words for time. There is the Chronos time which is the time we are most familiar with. Chronos time is what we see on our watches, or on our calendars. Chronos time is what keeps us in line and our efforts in order. Chronos is what we use to mark our lives. Chronos has a certain beat. There is a specific timing that conforms to a chronos way of thinking. Too often, however, all we observe is Chronos time and we can miss out on the second time spoken of in the Bible. 

The second word in the New Testament is the word Kairos. In the classical use of the word it is an opportune time and/or place. It is a defining moment. Kairos is that element of time that upsets Chronos. Kairos is often a moment of surprise. Kairos moments are where God steps onto the scene of our life. Kairos moments are usually not convenient but are critical to our growth. Kairos moments of God are not always easy but they are worth it. Karios moments often change our destiny. They change the way we think. They change the way we act. They change who we are.

Kairos moments are moments that are pregnant with possibility. Kairos moments bring us to a crossroads of decision. These moments can make us better or they make us bitter. Kairos moments are teachable moments. Kairos moments are ripe with the possibilities of real hope and change. Someone has said that wasted Kairos moments are wasted opportunities to grow. They are missed opportunities to see God’s hand at work. 

Our lives are made up of both Chronos and Kairos moments. We see as we read the story of Jesus that His life was made up of Kairos moments. His life was filled with those divine moments of opportunity where he was able to impact and challenge others for good.

As we read the verse before us this morning, we see that Christ came in the fullness of time. When the Chronos time was right, it was time for a Kairos moment. Christ came and touched a young girl’s life who was forever change, as she was impregnated with the seed of God. She was the chosen as one who would be the mother of the Messiah. The Angel Gabriel interrupted the lives of Joseph and of Mary. They were living an ordinary life when they were called to an extraordinary purpose. They were called to be the mother and father of Jesus. 

This first Kairos moment was the coming of Christ as a little baby. Think about this for a moment. This one born as a child would replace his swaddling clothes, for the robe of a teacher which would be replaced by the clothes of a dead man, and then finally the white robes of kingship. He came to put on our nature so that we have the capacity to put on His. It is interesting to note that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes at his birth but was wrapped in the garments of death upon his burial. “The babe in swaddling clothes came with a mission to fulfill.”

The question is what does this mean for us. It means that He Came for us. He came to bring us life. He came at the right moment to forever change the destiny of the world and those individuals who would accept his gift of salvation. You see this Kairos moment is twofold. For one, he came at the appropriate time and he continues to come to people at the moment they need it most. 

Throughout the New Testament we see that Jesus came to people at special times. At the right time, Jesus comes onto the scene of their lives. Jesus showed up on the scene of the prostitute who was about to be stoned because of the accusation by the religious leaders. Jesus showed up when the disciples faith was being tested in the storm even though they had been told by Jesus himself that they should go to the other side. Jesus showed up at the pool and an invalid was immediately healed physically and spiritually. Jesus showed up and healed the lepers although only one stopped to say thanks. Jesus went to calvary and gave himself for us. He rose on the third day so that we would be able to overcome sin and the power of sin. At the right time, Jesus came to Peter to announce that he was still loved and that He had a plan for Peter’s life. He was to be a critical part of the plan of God in the new church that was to be established by God.

God still comes today, at the right time, so that our lives will be forever changed. When he comes we must accept his work in us.

 

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November 25, 2013 · 11:49 am

Worship with a Heart of Thankfulness

Peninsula Community Church

Worship from a Heart of Thankfulness

November 24, 2013

Colossians 3:12-17 – Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father.

As we navigate through life so often we can become distracted by the cares of life and we can become so self focused on our problems and our issues that we can literally forget that we have so much to be thankful for. 

I am always amazed at the settlers who traversed great difficulty to settle in the west. The story is told of one of these wagon train parties. They were on the Oregon Trail and water and food had been scarce for several days. Some of the wagons were broken down, with consequent delays amid the stifling heat. A general feeling of fretfulness had succeeded the early optimism and cheer. So it was decided that, at the next night’s stop, a meeting would be held to air their troubles. When the settlers had gathered around the campfire, one of them arose and said, “Before we do anything else, I think we should first thank God that we have come this far with no loss of life, with no serious trouble with the Indians, and that we have enough strength left to finish our journey.” This was done, and then there was silence. No one had any complaints to make.

I want to take a moment to look at the reasons we can and for that matter should have a thankful heart. I want to do so in the context of living a transformed life where our heart has been impacted by the work of the cross. 

The first reason we should be thankful is that we have been chosen by God. Notice in Paul’s opening statement who he is talking to. He is talking to those who have been chosen by God to be his people. This is not to solidify a doctrine of preselection or determination but that the fact that we have all been chosen by God to be His children. The sad fact is that while all mankind has the right and open door to come to Christ, not all do. Many are called but but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). 

Now if we to stop at this point, we would have more than enough to be thankful for. We are chosen by God. You see one of the greatest needs of man today, according to psychologists, is the need to belong. By being chosen, He is saying to us that we belong. We have a place at His table and in His family. I don’t know how many of you have been in a family or a situation where you have felt rejected or have been denied access to the family. I have and I know that pain that comes from that but I also know the joy of being accepted by God the father when no one else would accept me.

The second reason we can be thankful is that in Christ we are considered to be holy. This is not something we have to strive for and that we have to make happen. It is a work of the Holy Spirit. When we accept Christ, we are already holy. Our holiness has been deposited in us at the point of salvation, but we must develop it and build on it. We are holy. This is an act of the heart. Holiness is an outflow of the work of righteousness in our hearts. It is the transformational work that God has done in and through us. We must understand that we are made holy by the work of the cross. This means all past sins and actions have been removed and cannot be held against us any longer. 

Ephesians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

We are holy because He is holy, just as we are righteous as he is righteous. When we do not realize that we are already holy, the tendency is that we begin to strive for what we already possess and that can cause us to to be ungrateful. So much of our lives is based in trying to be good enough. We are trying to act right. We are trying to say the right thing. Now let me say that this is an important aspect of our lives and we need to guard our hearts but too often we are striving to accomplish what has already been done for us and through us.

The third reason we can be thankful is that we are loved. God loved us before we considered loving Him.  Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How often do we fail to understand how the volume of love that God has for us? Too often we fail to love ourselves and to love others because we have a misunderstanding of God’s love of us.

We are loved by God. Wow! is that something to be grateful for. Can you imagine someone loving you unconditionally? A few weeks ago a couple of us went to the Chris Tomlin concert in Salisbury. During the concert we were privileged to hear Lou Giglio speak about the prodigal son  (Luke 15). He reminded us that the father was ready to lavish great gifts and blessings on the son even though he had squandered his inheritance. This speaks to us that no matter what we do and no matter what act we commit, when we turn our hearts back to the father, he is there because His love extends beyond our sin and our failures. But when we compare the prodigal son with the oldest son who stayed home we are confronted with one who acted more out of jealousy than a recognition of what he already possessed. He already had everything he needed but he missed it. Who had the greatest heart of thanksgiving.

As we continue to read this portion of scripture, we find the evidence of a thankful heart. First, a thankful heart is one where Biblical peace is at work. We must understand that peace is not the absence of problems or difficulty. Peace is having the confidence that God will work every situation out for our good. Peace is knowing that you have made the right choices based on a correct understanding of God and His Word. When we have a right understanding of peace we are positioned to have a heart of thanksgiving. 

Secondly, a thankful heart is one where Christ’s word is overflowing in our hearts. David stated that he hid the Word in his heart so that he would not sin against God. I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalms 119:11). The Word of God keeps us from sin. The Word of God keeps us at peace because we know the end of the story. We also have the promises of God which we can hold onto. Having the Word of God in us positions us to be thankful. 

And finally, a thankful heart is evidenced in Christ’s name being lifted up. When we lift up the name of Christ, it is hard to be ungrateful because we are overwhelmed with the great gifts that have been bestowed on us. This is not a casual confession. It is one based on the understanding of who God is and what he had done.

 

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November 11, 2013 · 12:35 pm

Worship in Action

Peninsula Community Church

Worship in Action

November 10, 2013

Matthew 22:37-40 – You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

If we were to read the scriptures that precede this quote by Jesus, we see a tactic used by the religious leaders of Jesus time. It was a common tactic then and it is still a tactic that is used today. Rather than deal with truth, the religious leaders of Jesus day would use questions that were designed to trip Jesus up or cause confusion in His followers and those around them. They also wanted to get Him to say something they could use to discredit Him. What they were attempting to do was to exert their spiritual intelligence into spiritual issues when in fact the opposite was true, as evidenced by their lack of wisdom and Jesus’s answer to their questions. Why was this so? It was because Jesus was wise and was not about “gotcha moments” which the Pharisees relished.

Here in our story, “a lawyer,” asked Jesus the million dollar question of their day. What is the greatest command in the law? This was an ongoing debate among the religious scholars of the day. In fact, they would spend countless hours debating this question. For this reason, the lawyer considered it necessary to ask Jesus the question. As he asked the question, can you imagine the crowd pushing in to hear Jesus’s response? It was an EF Hutton moment. As the lawyer posed his question, it became apparent that the reason for this question was not a desire for truth but a hope that Christ would choose one law over another and one law as being more significant than the others. The goal was to use the answer Jesus gave against Him and to say that He did not hold to all of the law. 

I do not believe the Pharisees nor the crowd anticipated or expected the simpleness of His response. Jesus replied You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. 

His answer was filled with wisdom and an exactness that only Jesus could give. By answering the way He did, Jesus ended the debate. He deflated the motivation behind the question. Notice that Jesus does not destroy the person asking the question, he simply and wisely answers the question being asked. Once again this was not a “gotcha moment” for Christ. The easiest answer of the day could be summed up in the idea that the greatest commandment is to love God and right behind it is the command to love others.

As we look at the issue of worship, we are reminded that all we are is worship. The passage before us once again speaks to a worship where we offer all we are to God. As we understand worship, we understand that worship is as much about who we are as it is what we do. For that reason, I would like for us to look at a couple of things this morning about doing worship. You see who we are should result in action. It is out of who we are that we react and act. Who we are will determine the validity of our worship.

First, worship is to be whole-hearted. As we are being transformed, we begin to give over to God everything that we have and all that we are. In our scripture text today, we find that Jesus makes the statement that sums up our life’s mission as passionate followers of Christ. He states “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first commandment.” Jesus understood that living our lives as passionate followers is not an act that is to be taken lightly. It involves our total being. This applies to our worship as well. 

It is for this reason that Joshua in one of his last messages to the Children of Israel, commanded the people to choose whom they would serve. If they were to serve God, then serve God. If they were to serve other gods, then serve serve those gods. He is not condemning them, He was simply challenging them to make a decision. Listen to what Joshua instructed Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:14-15).

What Joshua was saying in essence was get in all the way. Don’t sit on the fence. In our culture, today, we have people who tend to be fence sitters. They are afraid to make a commitment as they are afraid of what the outcome might be. God however is calling us to make a choice and to get off the fence. He is calling us to stop wavering or waffling between two gods. 

Jesus also emphasized this in the New Testament when he said that we cannot serve two masters. Notice what He said here. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24). 

Whole hearted worship means we give God everything. We also surrender all we have to God in worship. We don’t do it halfway. I remember as a child that my dad would ask me to do a project around the yard. If I were not too excited about it, I would quickly find a way to speed up the job or cut corners so I could get done early. The problem however is that I would not finish the job correctly and would most likely have to go back and do the job over again which took even more time and energy.

Second, worship is the yielding our hearts and minds. Notice in the passage before us that Jesus includes every aspect of who we are. While we worship from the heart, we do so with an intellectual understanding of who we worship. As we know the one who we worship better, which is an act of the intellect, we will worship Him more from the heart. The reason is that He will be trusted, and He will be understood. We will not fear Him in the sense that we avoid Him or run from Him.

If we do not know what or who we worship, we will worship anything or anyone. We will become wishy washy or as James said, we will be double-minded in all that we do. We will be tempted to worship the next best thing that comes along rather than trusting in God for His will to be accomplished. 

While our hearts must be engaged, we must engage our intellect so that we understand the purpose and reason why we do what we do. In so doing, we must yield our hearts and minds to worship.

Worship is a physical act. While worship is an act of the heart, worship is expressed through the physical being. We raise our voices, we lift our hands, we engage those around us. Worship is something we do. It is an outward expression of who we are and what we have become. I challenge you to read the scripture to see all the outward expressions of worship that are listed.

Worship flows out of our transformed life. True worship flows out of the work that has been accomplished in us. How can we not worship him when we recognize all that he has accomplished on our behalf? When we are transformed our worship is changed. We begin to focus our whole being in worship. We can then worship freely without fear and without reservation.

So are you giving Him everything today or you holding back? It is your choice.  

 

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October 28, 2013 · 11:29 am

Walking in the Will of God

Peninsula Community Church

October 27, 2013

Worship – Walking in the Will of God

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 passage this morning, we see that as we live as living sacrifices and as we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds, our ability to understand God’s will is increased. While this may be one of the greatest challenges, understanding God’s will is possible. It is my belief that this portion of the text is often overlooked or is given a precursory review because of the grandeur of the preceding verses but this later portion is just as a critical as the previous verses.

Would you note a couple of things about this passage this morning? Notice, if you will, what Paul says here. Notice that God’s will is defined as what is good, what is acceptable, and what is perfect. In other words God’s will is good. It does not mean that it will be easy but it will be good. We will see more of this later in this study. 

Notice that he infers that we can discern the will of God. Notice the word “prove” or “test” that he uses here. It is a word that means to test or prove to determine reliability or truth. The fact is one way to begin to discern God’s will is to test what God’s will is. Through testing we confirm and understand God’s will and we can understand what it is not. While Paul does not give us a direct command, we do understand that we can learn to live in God’s will.

We must develop our ability to discern God’s will. Why is this so? We are not called to be living sacrifices just to put a check in that box of our life accomplishments. We are not called to be transformed by the renewing of the mind just so we feel good about ourselves. All this occurs so that we will be able to recognize that we have a purpose and that there is a plan for our lives. That is God’s will.

To test the will of God we lay what we are sensing against the word of God to be assured that what we are being called to do would counter what the word says. Second, we receive counsel from those who are knowledgeable in the area where we are being called. Third, we look to see what God is doing and join him in that effort. This is critical because too often we try to manipulate God’s will for our benefit but God’s will always has our best interest in mind.

The will of God for us can be simply defined as the purpose God has intended for us. This is a simplistic thought but it is one that we so often miss. A great part of God’s will is simply understanding the purpose God has for you. The problem with too many people today is that they lack purpose. They lack a vision for their lives. They fail to possess a forward thinking mentality as they are trapped by the past or held captive by their present circumstances. Their anthem is “there is no hope!” “This is just the way it is!” “Nothing will change!” These are the words of a defeated believer and a believer who does not understand their purpose. These are the words of one that has given up and has lost hope. But that is not God’s plan.

Let me make some observations on this subject. First, God’s will is good. We may not always understand it or even like it in the moment, but it is always good, perfect, and acceptable. The problem too often is that we complicate God’s will. We are afraid that we will be called to some forsaken place where no other human would dare to go. This is not to deny that this will absolutely not happen but that is usually not the case. 

The fact is too often we are so busy concentrating on what is yet to come in terms of God’s will that we miss what he is doing in the moment. It is like the old saying that “we can’t see the forest because of the trees.” We tend to believe that God’s will is out there. We believe that it is a destination rather than a lifestyle. I am convinced that if we were to enjoy the blessing of God in the moment and if we were to allow the reformation process to continue on a daily basis that we will be positioned to understand His will even more. In fact, the travail over His will is diminished when we live in the moment and are being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Too often, we have the understanding of the will of God too hard and too cumbersome. We must understand that God’s will is to be enjoyed and not endured. It is a good, acceptable, and perfect will. When we are being transformed and when we present our bodies as living sacrifices, we will be better equipped to know and understand his will. To a large part this is a result of what we saw last week in Colossians 3:10 and Ephesians 4:24. When we are being transformed we will have a greater knowledge of God. This knowledge will be more based on a relational model rather than a intellectual model. While both is important, the relationship is most important. When we understand God’s will we will know and understand that what I do in this moment is God’s will. If I am faithful now and I am in God’s will then I will be in God’s will tomorrow.

Second, we must discern what we are passionate about. One of the things that I have found about the will of God is that God’s will and my passion are often connected. God has deposited in each of us a passion. Quite often these passions are manifested through the gifts and abilities we were given at birth. 

We must note here that there are time where we will be moved by someone or something but that does not mean we are to join the ministry. The problem here is that we will continue to be tossed and move at every new thing that comes along. Let me illustrate this way. I have a compassion for the work that Renee Bach is doing in Uganda. I am so excited to see the results of her faith and her obedience. But that compassion does not lead me to join her in ministry because while I have compassion I do not have a passion to serve in her ministry. There have been times where I have seen people who are reactive emotionally and join ministries when they are moved by compassion but I need more that compassion I need passion to serve God. Too often we are moved by emotion rather than a correct understanding of what God’s will is for them. When the emotion is gone, so is the passion and they now feel trapped in positions they never were to be in to begin with.

Third, there are elements to God’s will that are not negotiable. Salvation is not a negotiable. He wants us all to be saved. He wants us all to live a holy life. He wants us all to be sanctified. He wants us all to understanding His will for us. He wants us all to fulfill His purpose and His plan for our life. These are not debatable. Where we run into problems however is when the decision involves; where do I work? Where do I go to school? Who do I marry? Where do I go to dinner? These are the negotiable elements of God’s will. These are the items that do not need to be discussed or debated. 

When it comes to the negotiable elements of God’s will, we must understand that most often it is a matter of common sense. It is a matter of having good information, good counsel, and a sense of what God wants. Sometimes we forget that God has created us with the ability to make choices and those choices should be made with a common sense approach. 

Fourth, discerning God’s will is a process where there seems to be failure or things do not go the way we think they should. But when we are in God’s will we can trust Him, His word, and His plan. Look at the disciples who Were commanded to go into their boat to the other side of the lake.

Mark 6:45-52 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Mark 4:35-41 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Notice that they were commanded to go to the other side. God would not have commanded them to go there if he were not going to keep them. This was an opportunity for Christ to teach the disciples to obey God regardless of the circumstances they face. Too often we are afraid to to step out and do anything because we do not know what the future holds. Too often we are afraid of failure. Too often we are afraid that we have problems. The truth is we do not know what the future holds but that does not stop us from proceeding with what god calls us to do. The truth is we may fail but that does not mean that we are a failure nor does it mean that we are outside God’s will. The truth is even in the middle of being obedient to God’s will we will have trouble and problems. 

 

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