Tag Archives: faith

July 18, 2016 · 7:04 am

Living Faithful in a Messed Up World

Peninsula Community Church

Living Faithful in a Messed Up World

July 17, 2016

Luke 18:1-8 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Good morning! I would like to begin this message with a question. How many find that in light of the news and problems in our country, our community, and the personal issues you might face that there are times where you struggle to keep the faith and to live victoriously. As we listen to the news it seems that all we hear is negative. We struggle to know who to believe and who we can trust. We are also faced with so much corruption in government and around us that it baffles the mind. And then we get news that a loved has died and or they have received a serious medical diagnosis. Then flashed across the screen is the killing of more than 80 people celebrating the French Independence. The result is that we walk in fear, doubt, and insecurity rather than in faith.

As we look at the passage before us we find that Jesus, as He does so often, uses a story or parable to teach a spiritual truth. This time He speaks about a persistent widow who comes to an ungodly and unloving judge to present her case to him. She had been abused and had been treated unjustly by someone in her life. She was not a “happy camper” as life had cast a cruel blow on her. Her problem was that she had an adversary against her. How many of you feel you have an adversary or adversaries in your life? Bad news, health problems, lost trust have assaulted us until we feel helpless and all we can do is cry out for help. We have a tendency to search for help and do anything for help even it is the wrong thing.

In this case the only one she could call on was this judge who was ungodly and did not respect men. When she approached the judge she was persistent in her request for help. As a result, the judge finally gave in and honored her request to give her justice. The purpose of this story is that Jesus is making a comparison between the ungodly and non compassionate judge and a loving, compassionate God. His point was to show us that if an ungodly man can show that much grace and compassion to one that is persistent how much more will God love us and show us compassion. A second lesson being taught is that Jesus is encouraging us to be persistent. Don’t give up so easily. Don’t lose your faith as it is the basis of all we do.

It is noteworthy that at the end of the parable Jesus proposed a critical question. He questions whether or not He will find anyone faithful when He returns. Sadly, faithful people who really trust God and live for Christ day in and day out are hard to find these days. Jesus is questioning is whether or not His children will be found committed and dedicated to the cause of Christ? This is not just a rhetorical question but is one based on His discussion with the disciples in Luke 17. In Luke 17, Jesus details the mindset of the end times generation. Jesus compares the coming of the Lord to the time of Noah’s day. They were eating, drinking, and enjoying life for all of the wrong reasons with all of the wrong motives. They did not care about God and they did not care about the future. They were living hedonistic lives where it did not matter what they did as long as the flesh was being satisfied. There was no faith in God. Just as in the day of Noah, the greatest question of our time, is not conservatism versus liberalism or Democrat versus republican. It is whether men can live without God and that question, it now appears, will be answered in our own time.

Just this week I received word that a pastor I respected was ask to step down from the ministry he led. He had been the founding pastor and had seen the church grow to several thousand. In his farewell address, he noted that he had come to the place in his journey that he had begun to trust alcohol as a source of strength more than he trusted God. He had in essence become an alcoholic. I am not saying that alcohol itself is wrong but it can begin to control one’s life and make one numb to life and faith, if we do not keep it in the proper perspective. Why would Jesus be so concerned about our faith? You see what we put our faith in is what we begin to focus on. What we begin to focus on begins control us. You see this pastor began to trust the alcohol more than he trusted God. Rather than trusting God we begin to trust others, new philosophies, and things to help us.

It is noteworthy that Jesus deals with the proposed question he asked before He ever asks the question. I have been told that a good lawyer will never ask a question he does not already know the answer. Jesus was a master at teaching us. While he asked the question about faithfulness, at the end of the passage He ultimately gives the answer on how to live faithful in the first verse. Jesus begins the passage with this. “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Two things will help us remain faithful. Prayer and keeping one’s heart focused on God.

First, let us realize that to avoid faithlessness we must always pray. We must have a committed prayer life. Just as the woman who was persistent with the ungodly judge and unloving judge we should be persistent with God. This does not mean that God answers prayer just because we bug Him to death but He answers because He loves us and knows what is best for us. This is the very point that Jesus is making. If an ungodly and unloving person can do the right thing how much more can a good gracious God do.

Throughout scripture we are encouraged to pray without ceasing. In Romans 12:12 Paul tells us to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. In Ephesians 6:16-20 he tells us that in all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Then again in Colossians 4:2 Paul challenges us to Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. How do we overcome in a faithless world? We do so by continuing to pray. You see by praying we turn our focus on God and His ability to answer our prayers to see us through every situation.

Secondly, Jesus encourages us not to lose heart. I loved Ronald Reagan as president. He was a master at the one liners that spoke volumes. One such line was “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” You see the enemy’s desire is to intimidate and cause us to walk in fear. By walking in fear our effectiveness is diminished and our faith is shaken. The idea of losing heart is not a new topic. 2 Corinthians 4:1 says therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 states that we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. To lose heart is to lose faith so to avoid losing faith we should not lose heart. That may sound circular but it is true.

So how do we avoid losing heart. Look at these three things in these passages. My ministry is from God, so I don’t have to be discouraged when I feel fruitless and ineffective. Secondly, even though my physical man is dying, my heart is growing in faith and so I do not have to be discouraged no matter what comes. And finally no matter what I am called to, I am challenged to not grow weary but to stay focused on God’s calling in my life.

As we close, let me suggest a few things we can do to remain faithful. First, find some good news. While it may seem that there is nothing but bad news, that is rarely the case. Look for positive stories to lift your spirits. Sometimes we have to turn off the negative chatter. Let me ask how much time do you spend watching the news or reading negative stories about things going on in our world. Let me be clear here, I am not suggesting that we isolate or stick our head in the sand, I am saying however that we sometimes are discouraged by the overdose of negative news. Instead, I would suggest that we fill ourselves with that which is positive and good.

Second, read the Good News. Our faith is a story of hope even in the midst of dark times. Spend some time reading Bible passages about hope and resurrection. Or read through one of the gospels to be reminded of how Jesus brings hope in our struggles. The Bible is replete with stories of the impossible. These stories are great faith builders.

Third, give thanks for what you have. In the midst of difficult times, there are still things for which we can be thankful. Take a few minutes to consider all the wonderful ways God has blessed you. No matter what is going on in your life there is much to be grateful for and celebrate.

Fourth, serve someone. While we may not be able to do much about world issues like disease or terrorism, there are problems in your community where you can be part of a solution. Find places in your community to serve people in need. Seek and you will find. You will find those who need help and you can be the difference.

Fifth, don’t forget that God is still in control. He is still the king and He is still Lord. Regardless of what is going on around us He is still in control.

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

Moses’ Mom: A Story of Faith and Courage

Peninsula Community Church

May 8, 2016

Moses’ Mom: A Story of Faith and Courage

Exodus 2:1-4 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.

Today is Mothers Day! What a great day to celebrate all that mothers do and who they are as a person. In preparing for this message I looked at a number of mothers in the Bible but I was especially moved by the story of Moses’ mom. We will see that she was a mother who had great faith and trust in God’s plan for her life and the life of her son. We will also see that her faith was tested and her trust in God was certainly stretched.

The story of Moses is a compelling story of a mother’s love, her trust in God, and her faith in God’s story being written for her and for her son. She trusted and loved God in the midst of some very difficult situations. She did this against all odds. She lived in a time where Pharaoh, the leader of Egypt, had made an edict that all boys born to Hebrew families were to be killed. His motivation was out of fear that the children of Israel were growing so fast that if Egypt were to go to war they might side with the enemies of Egypt.

To understand this we must go back about 350 years or so before the story before us today was written. If you remember, Joseph had been sold into slavery which led his family to move to Egypt. This eventually led the children of Israel into captivity to the Egyptians. For thirty plus years Israel and Egypt had a great relationship. But once Joseph had died and a new Pharaoh was raised to power the cordial relationship soon turned to one that was antagonistic. Listen to what Moses wrote about this. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens (Exodus 1:8-11).

The more time that past Pharaoh began to put his thumb on them more and more. But the reality is that while they were under the thumb of Pharaoh they were still in the hand of God and God had a greater plan for them. For 300 plus years Israel suffered the suppressive demonic strangulation by the Egyptians. Their plight was so rough they began to cry out for a deliverer. They wanted, they needed a deliverer that could stand against the power of Pharaoh. While things seem bleak, God was at work and He was orchestrating and He was writing Israel’s story.

This is where we pick up our story for today. We find that Moses is born to two loving parents who knew God and served God graciously and magnificently. Little did they know that this little boy would be a great leader. But the odds were against him. With that said let me make a few observations about this story and let me make a few key points that will help us when the world seems to be against us as well.

First of all Moses’ mom was specifically chosen for the task of raising Moses. God purposely placed Moses into her hands. He saw something in her that qualified her for the task. He saw her faith and her trust in God. It is noteworthy that she did not know the story that God was writing. She did not know that he was to be the leader of Israel. She did not know that he would be the deliverer of her people. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he would be the one that God was going to use in such powerful ways.

This morning I want you to know something very special. You have been chosen as the mother of your children. God saw something in you that qualified you for this great task. You may not always feel it nor will you always believe it but it is true. You have been called to nurture, protect, and disciple those who have been given to you. You are called to be a mother and your children have been chosen by God to be your children.

Secondly, Moses’ mom chose life over her child being killed. Moses’ mom was definitely pro-life. She could have chosen to take the child and have him killed at birth. This would have been the easy thing to do but she chose life. Rather than follow the law of man she followed the law of God. She knew that He would protect them. She knew that He had a plan. Some of you here today against great odds have chosen life and that is honorable. For some, the events leading up to the birth of your child may not have been the best but you chose life and that is commendable and it is to be honored.

Let me make a side note here. I am aware that some have made the decision to abort a child but God wants you to know that there is grace and forgiveness at the cross. There is hope for you and it begins by forgiving yourself as God has forgiven you. Too often we allow the guilt of a past decision to rule our lives in the present.

Thirdly, in this story her name is omitted. It is interesting that God chose not to reveal her name here. Sometimes we feel that we have lost our identity but God never forgets us because He calls us by name. Let me ask you “Do you ever feel that you are not recognized for what you do as a mom?” “Do you ever feel that you are just a shadow in your home?” “Do you feel under appreciated?” “Do you feel that you have lost your identity as a person?”

I do not know if this ever happened to you but as my kids got older I was no longer Bob Odom but I was Kate and Joshua’s dad. I lost my identity. But let me remind you that though you feel that you have lost your identity, God knows you and God knows you by name. The fact is she had a name and it was Jochebed. The name Jochebed means “Jehovah is glorious.” She lived up to her name as she was one who trusted Jehovah no matter what the circumstances of life might bring or what the leaders of Egypt required. She trusted in God because He was God.

Fourthly, Moses’ mom had a courageous faith. Even under difficult odds she walked in faith. She trusted God. After all the edict to have the new born males killed had been pronounced before she became pregnant with Moses. When Moses was born rather than have him killed she hid him until he was over three months old. Can you imagine the fear and the stress she experienced every day? I am sure that she would worry everyday that the door of her home would be opened and in would walk the Egyptian police to arrest her and to kill her son. Even with her fear she still trusted God. Her faith in God was stronger than the fear of the edict that had been made.

Finally, she put her faith into action. This is most vividly seen in the steps that she took. After hiding Moses for three months, she took a basket and place insulation around it so it would be protected from the water and from the effects of the river. She placed Moses into the basket and then she walked to the Nile were she placed the basket in the bulrushes. I am sure that she had tears flowing down her face as she pushed the little ark into the water.

This was an amazing step of faith in that the river itself was a source of death. There were crocodiles and other animals in or near the water that could easily destroy him. Even today National Geographic has reported that 200 plus people are killed every year in the Nile by crocodiles alone. Not only did she worry about the crocodiles but this was also a place where the women of Egypt would come to bathe. This in itself was a threat to Moses because if the wrong person came to the water’s edge she could have had Moses killed.

It is noteworthy that the word used here for the basket is in essence the same word used for Noah’s ark. It was a place of safety and protection. When she pushed the ark into the water I believe that her faith was revealed more in what she did not do than in what she did. Notice something in this story. When she approached the water she placed the basket into the water and pushed it into the river. As I have read this story one thing stands out to me. No where in the story do I see that she tied a rope to the basket. She released the ark with her son inside to God.

This leads me to the final point I would like to make. When we walk in God’s faith and love there is a time where we have to let go and let God control the outcome of our children’s lives. She did not tie a rope to the basket because she trusted God to protect him and keep him safe. Here is the issue for us, too often as our kids grow we want to hold onto the them and try to control the outcome of their life. But as we all know there is a point that we have to push the ark into the water and let go. In letting go, we are saying that we trust God fully and completely. This does not mean that we don’t worry. Even Jochebed worried and was concerned. We see that she had her daughter stand by the river to watch over Moses. But, nonetheless she released Moses into God’s hand.

The problem too often is that we have a snapshot of our children at a certain age and that picture is them as little children. We struggle to let go because we still envision them as kids who need our guidance and our decision making prowess. In this process sometimes we try to control only what God can control. I love what Michelle says, “Control is an allusion.” And yet we live our life being controlled and trying to control others. Our faith in God is measured best when we let go of things that we cannot control anyway.

We need to know that our children will make mistakes. Too often their mistakes come as they test the boundaries that we have set for them all of their life. They test the waters because they want to make the truths they were raised with their truths. Sometimes we will find that our kids will try to do the right thing but they will do it the wrong way. They will fail but that does not mean that we are failures as parents. That is a lie from the enemy.

Finally and this is most important. God loves your children more than you ever will. This is where trust comes in. We must surrender our children to the God who loves them more than we ever could. That is what Jochebed did. She trusted God. She loved God and she loved Moses. But she had resigned in her heart that God loved Moses more than she ever could. That is why she could push the ark into the water and let go. That is faith. That is courage.

How about you this morning? Do you have enough faith to let go? Do you have enough trust in God to give your children to God? It is not easy but it is right. We can still pray for them. We can still intercede on their behalf but we still need to let go.

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

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Peninsula Community Church

Looking Back and Looking Forward

January 3, 2016

It is hard to believe that we have turned the page into a New Year. And yet, it seems that it was just yesterday that we turned a new page on the 2015 chapter of our lives. As we have turned the page into anew year, we must remember that the pages of our life for 2016 are relatively blank. Yes, we may have the same problems and the circumstances but the decisions we now make are all new.

Paul in his writings to the Church at Philippi understood this. He stated 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 (Philippians 3:12-16).

As we read this passage Paul says that he forgets what lies behind and he strains forward what lies ahead. We must realize that Paul is not saying that we should not remember the past but that the past must not dictate our present activity or our future responses to life’s issues. We have all been affected by problems and issues. Some of these are larger than life and others are those dripping faucet issues that are irritants more than anything else.

To use the vernacular of the day “Life Sucks.” Life is not fair. Life is filled with both joy and sadness and at times both occur at the same time. Life is filled with the unknown, unexpected, and the unrealized. The problem with life is that we do not know what the future holds, it is the unknown. We also know that life is filled with the unexpected. There are always great surprises both good and bad. And finally, life is filled with unrealized dreams and hopes. But as we enter a new year we can begin with a clean slate and we have the privilege of writing a brand new chapter in our life.

So with that in mind let us look at couple of things this morning. First of all we look back in order to remember what God has done on our behalf and to remember where we have come from. There are some in the church community that would tell you that we should never look back because that is somehow a lack of faith. Now I understand in part why they would propagate such a teaching, as we can be so focused on the past, that we fail to move into the future thus we fail to accomplish God’s will in the present. By being absorbed with the past, we allow the unknown, the unexpected, and the unrealized dreams of our life to determine our current state and the kind of future we will have.

While Paul states that he does not look back, the Bible is also replete with passages that encourage us to remember. To remember, we must look back at what God has done in us and around us. That is the reason I have asked these folks today to share their testimonies about what God has done in and through them in 2015. It is a way to look back and remember. We remember not so much the pain or the problems as much as we remember the grace of God and the power of God at work in our world.

In 1905 George Santayana wrote the following in his book The Life of Reason. “Those who fail to remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This quote has been contributed to Winston Churchill who used a variation of the quote when he stated that “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” The idea here is that when we forget what God has done and the victories that have been won, we can forget the lessons learned in the process. You see there is no experience in life that does not afford us the opportunity to learn and to be instructed. Every experience in life gives us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves, understand those with whom we interact, and to know more about God. This does not diminish the pain, the hurt, or the anger but it does put things into a better perspective for us.

In this regard, let me share a couple of ideas with you about having a fresh start in 2016. First of all stop making excuses and stop allowing past experiences to affect where you are and what you do. In Proverbs 28:13 Solomon makes an invaluable contribution to this discussion. He states that Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. To not allow God’s forgiveness to flood our hearts is to shut off God’s mercy and grace. Too often we use our past to limit our success in the present. We can use the problems of the past as an excuse to not allow God’s grace and mercy to heal us. We then become stifled and stunted in our growth. How many people do you know seem to live their life looking backward? They count their losses, their regrets, and their failures. No wonder so many live in defeat.

In the film “The Mission,” Robert DeNiro plays a mercenary who has taken asylum in the local church after killing his brother in a fit of jealous rage. He leaves the church and heads to a mission post located above the waterfalls in a South American jungle. Because of what he has done, and how bad he feels, he ties himself to a several-hundred pound net of items that represents his sinful life. He feels compelled to drag this sack of sin around with him as a way to do penance for what he has done. Have you ever felt like that? I suspect that some of you are tethered to some transgressions this morning. Others of you are gasping under the guilt of things you did several years ago. What do you do when you realize that you’ve messed up? How do you stabilize your life when you experience more ups and downs than the stock market? Do you grab some rope and hitch it up to your sin pile and start dragging it around? Or, is there something better? We can accept God’s forgiveness and let go of the past.

The second thing we can do is to take an inventory of our lives. Take some time to list the issues you face but also list the successes. I am sure that if you will take some time to do this you will find that there have been more successes than you might imagine. By taking inventory, we can have a picture of the realities of life but we can also have a picture of God’s grace and His mercy.

Thirdly, act in faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. What are you hoping for? What do you need to happen in 2016? What changes need to be made in your life? It all begins with faith. By faith we see mountains moved. By faith we see lives changed. When we walk in faith we do not always see positive movement but we continue to walk in faith. To lose faith is to be condemned to a lifeless journey. To lose faith sets us up to be beaten up by the obstacles, the circumstances, and the people in our lives.

Fourth, we must refocus on what is the reality of our life. When we are confronted with the problems of life we can become distracted and overwhelmed. But, as we begin this new year we must refocus our attention, our dreams, and our hopes on God’s will for our lives. The problem that occurs sometimes is that we have a picture in our mind of what life should be. That is not a bad thing as we need to have a dream. We need to have to things that we hold onto and that we hope for. The problem occurs when the picture in our mind is faulty or is based on a false reality.

Last week I mentioned how I have a dream that some day I will stand on a platform and play the drums or the guitar like a mad man. I would do rifts and drum sets that would cause people to stand and cheer. While this is a dream, I also know the reality of life. I am not musically inclined in that regard. I have taken piano and guitar and I was not successful in either. Sure I can dream about this but my focus must be on what God has called me to do.

The fifth thing we can do is to renew our trust in God. The fact is when life’s issues confront us we can loose hope and our trust in God can be shaken. Out trust in God is impacted because we can believe that God has failed us or He has let us down. We can become angry with God and dissatisfied with the actions that God has taken on our behalf. When that happens we need to refocus our trust on Him.

A number of years ago I was involved in a car accident. On my way home from church late one Friday night I had a pedestrian run out in front of me and they collided with my car. It was a surreal moment. There in my windshield was the face of this young man. My windshield shattered. He slid down the hood of my car onto the ground with no movement. My initial thought is that he was dead. But as I exited the car I began to see movement and then he jumped up to run. That accident effected me more than I imagined as I lost trust in my ability to drive in the sense that any time I saw a pedestrian on the side of the road I tensed up. I felt panic. And I became fearful that they would jump out in front of me. I had to overcome this fear. To do so, I had to trust that I could drive. I had to realize that the accident was a one time event.

You may have faced some uncertainty and difficult issues in your life. Most are probably outside your control or you ability to change and yet they are still real. They still happened. They have shaken your faith so much that you must learn to trust again. How do you do this, you do so by taking one step at a time, one decision at a time, and one problem at a time. We remember that God is still alive. He is still omnipotent. He is still saving. He grace is still amazing and He is still on the throne. We have a new chapter to write. May we do so in a way that we live in freedom and may we be empowered to live not in the past but in the present and with a hope for a new day.

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

Tag Archives: faith

Living Faithful in a Messed Up World

Moses’ Mom: A Story of Faith and Courage

Looking Back and Looking Forward

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