Fourth Sunday of Advent - The Change

"My experience tells me that those who have suffered and still hope understand far more about God and about life than those who have not.  Maybe that is what hope is about: a way to live, not just to survive, but to live authentically amidst all of the problems of life with a Faith that continues to see possibility when there is no present evidence of it, just because God is God.  That is also the wonder of Advent." By Dennis Bratcher

Christmas is almost here.  This is the final Sunday of Advent.  Tomorrow night, we will light the Christ candle and remember Jesus' entrance into this world.  Since Advent began, we have looked at how Jesus came into this world to execute justice, provide the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and fill those who were hungry and thirst for righteousness.  Today, we will look at how Jesus brought love into this world.

Let's read a familiar scripture about the birth of Jesus.  Luke 2:1-14.

As I was thinking about this familiar scripture, I began to think back to what it must have been like on the day Jesus was born.  We talk about it, we imagine it, some even visit the place believed to be it.  It really happened.  Jesus, the Son of God, Savior, Prince of Peace was born.  We imagine that night as spectacular.  We can almost see fireworks.  Today, we can imagine press releases and TV crews and millions of people who wanted to see.  But, as I read it, this day was much different. 

Jesus was born in a stable to ordinary parents (at least by worldly standards).  He was born and other than a star, some shepherds, and later, a few wise men, there wasn't this huge deal going on.  There were angels singing to the shepherds, but it wasn't like there was a really big fanfare from the world.  The world was unchanged that night…at least on the surface.  Time continued to move on.  People slept, got up the next morning, went to work, got counted in the census, traveled back home, continued on about their lives.  But, we say, "A SAVIOR is born!"  Not a lot changed that day for the world.  While it was absolutely a miracle from God, it wasn't like God made the sky funny colors or had a big blinking sign in the sky announcing the birth of His Son.  It was quiet and peaceful.  It wouldn't stay quiet, but for now it was.  As far as the people knew, nothing had changed. 

We are thinking…But JESUS was born!?!  In that little tiny baby was all the hope, joy, peace and LOVE of God.  But, the world moved on.  We learned that Jesus was Immanuel…God with us…but the world moved on.  How could they have missed it?  I ask you…how is it that we are missing it?

From what I read and study, Jesus didn't come to change the world…at least not on that trip.  He didn't come to overthrow the government.  He didn't do away with the religious system that was in place.  He didn't zap people who weren't doing the right thing.  He came in with love and with peace and with joy and with hope.  He didn't change the world…He changed the hearts of people.

Let's look at one last scripture:  1 John 4:13-16.  This scripture reminds us that God is love and He gave us love through Jesus.  Jesus was sent by God to save us from our sins.  He sent Jesus to be with us.  He sent Jesus to show us real love. 

Jesus came to change the hearts of people.  He changed the hearts of the disciples.  He changed the hearts of some of the religious leaders.  He changed the heart of the Samaritan woman and of the demon possessed man and of the centurion.  He changed their hearts because He brought something the world could not ever offer.  He brought hope and peace and joy and LOVE.  This Christmas, is He changing you?  We look around the world and wonder where the hope and joy and peace and love really is.  We wonder why we have to struggle and why we have to suffer.  We wonder why we have to endure all of the hardships.  I'm telling you that…Jesus is still changing hearts and lives, even right in the middle of the suffering and hardships.  He is still changing people one by one…who change communities…who change states…who change countries…who change the world.  Jesus came into the world quietly, peacefully, and without fanfare.  Jesus is still working in this world quietly, peacefully, and without fanfare.  But, He is working powerfully.  Don't miss it this Christmas…He just might be changing you. 

Third Sunday of Advent...Hungry

Are you HUNGRY?  Have you ever been hungry?  I don't mean just a little hungry…I mean REALLY hungry?  The kind of hungry that makes you driven even though you are weak…the kind of hungry that has you seeking and searching, looking for something that will satisfy…that deep, painful hunger?  Not too long ago, Snickers ran a commercial where people were driven and weren’t satisfied until they got their Snickers…remember Snickers Satisfies?  When we hunger for things of this world, we will always hunger again.  When we hunger for food today at lunch, we will hunger again soon…some sooner than others.

The things of this world will never satisfy the hungers that we have deep within us.  The people of Jesus' day were hungry.  I'm not talking about hungry for food or water.  But, they were hungry.  Remember that God had been silent for around 400 years.  Many of the people had had enough of the religious protocol.  They were hungry for God.  They were hungry to hear from God.  They were hungry to be with God.  Let's look at a few scriptures this morning beginning with Matthew 1:22-25.

In these passages, we read about another purpose that God came to fulfill…He was Immanuel…God with us.  God was going to satisfy that deep hunger that the people had by sending Jesus.  We read in the beatitudes…Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  Jesus was in the hunger fulfillment business…

You might also remember another passage about the woman at the well…Jesus asks her for a drink of water and she questions Him regarding His request because He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan (a cultural 'no-no').  John 4:10-15.  Jesus came to bring fulfillment with living water.

One last passage to remember…one that stirred up much controversy…not just when He said it, but even when it was written down.  John 6:26-35.  Here, we see that Jesus is a fulfillment of hunger and thirst for those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty. 

So, I want to look back to the beginning of the message…are you HUNGRY?  Do you really hunger and thirst for righteousness?  Do you have a desire deep within you that isn't filled with anything in this world?  Is there a hole in you that you have tried to fill with so many other things only to find out that you come up empty and unfulfilled?  That is because only Jesus is the real bread of life.  He who comes to Him will be filled. 

With the tragedy in Connecticut that cuts to the heart of all of us, I am reminded of just how hungry I am for Him.  With the unrest politically in our world, I am hungry for Him.  With the uncertainties that this world holds, I am hungry for Him.  With the constant push to get more, better, faster…I am hungry for Him.  With every waking moment, may we become more hungry for Him.  Only when we are hungry for the true bread will we ever be truly filled.  Are you HUNGRY?

2nd Sunday of Advent

Advent began last week.  This year's theme for advent is remembering what Jesus came to do when He came into this world, and what He will come to finish at His second coming.  The first week, we looked at how Jesus came to execute justice.

This week, the scripture will show us what Jesus came to do.  Luke 5:27-32.

First, we notice that Jesus is not doing what the religious people of that day would do.  Jesus is sitting down as a guest with the common people.  He is going where the Pharisees and scribes would not have gone.  They would have been way too uncomfortable and that would have been below their standards.  Because of their obvious discomfort, they are very upset with Jesus. 

Second, notice that Jesus isn't going to be a tax collector.  Jesus isn't going to learn the ropes of how to collect money and steal from the poor.  He wasn't going to learn a "get rich quick scheme".  He had all the riches He ever needed or wanted in His Father.  If that's what He wanted, He was with the right group.  They could certainly show Him the ropes.

Instead, He was going because He had made a difference in Levi and wanted to make a different in the lives of those who were there.  He wasn't going to become one of them, but wanted them to follow Him as Levi had agreed to do.  Levi invited Jesus to His house where there would be other tax collectors. Levi had experienced what Jesus could do and wanted to celebrate that. 

Third, Jesus states a purpose of why He came to earth.  He came to call sinners to repentance. 

Joseph was told about this purpose before Jesus was born.  Matthew 1:20,21.   Jesus and Jesus ONLY will save His people from their sins.

This is most important for today.  Jesus was there to help bring repentance to those who were in sin.  There were people Jesus constantly met who saw their sin and their need for Him.  The Pharisees and scribes were also in sin.  They just didn't see their sin.  They felt justified.  Unfortunately, they were missing why Jesus had come.  When Jesus forgave sins, they were in an uproar.  Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.  The lost are those in sin.

We are lost without Him.  Lost from what?  We are lost in our sin without true hope, true joy, true peace, and true love.  Without Him, we are left to believe that humankind offers us hope and joy and peace and love.  If we look around the world, we see that this isn't going to happen.  People will let us down.  People will hurt us. 

Living in this sinful world is tough…really tough.  There are things that just aren't fair about this world.  There are things we will never understand.  This world can certainly cause us to lose hope.  It can certainly attempt to steal our joy.  Only through the saving power of Jesus can we look beyond the circumstances of this world and see Him.  We don't have to understand why things happen...we just have to understand the One who came to overcome this world…and the sins of this world. 

First Sunday of Advent

This advent season, I would like to introduce a new theme.  Advent is a time of preparation.  We look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It is also a time to look forward to His second coming.  With that in mind, over the next four weeks, we will look at some of the purposes which Jesus came the first time and some that He will be coming to complete in His second coming.

Isaiah 25:6-9; 26:1-6

The first Sunday of Advent, we will look at how:  Jesus came to EXECUTE JUSTICE

What does that mean?  For me, it means that He came to bring back what is right.  People had lost focus.  God had not spoken for 400 years.  The religious officials were doing the right things for the wrong reasons.  The people had become lost and complacent.  In the times of the prophet Malachi, God warns the people because they have broken covenants through their pitiful sacrifices, their injustice, and willful disobedience.  God lays it all out to them about how they have disobeyed Him.  As time goes on, they continue to disobey Him.  Sure, there are those who know the law.  There are those who follow the law to the letter.  But those same people who are following the law are twisting it so that they feel justified and they can do what they desire.  God doesn't stand for disobedience.  He wanted justice. 

Jesus came to bring justice to His people.  He didn't come in the way that one might think.  He didn't execute justice in the way that people would have guessed.  He didn't come and follow the law and make those of the law feel better about themselves.  He did the unexpected.  He came as a baby not born to human royalty.  He came as a baby who grew up without a lot of fanfare.  He grew up and didn't follow the rules set by the religious as people thought He should.  The justice He brought was for the poor and oppressed…it was for the sinners…the outcasts…the cast down.  Jesus didn't come for those who already thought a great deal about themselves…they felt justified by their good works.  They were following the law, to their benefit.  The religious leaders excluded many people…Jesus touched them.

Jesus came to show the people what following God really meant.  He brought hope where hope had been lost (Isaiah 9:2).  He turned over tables of money changers, He blew the minds of those who thought they were doing everything perfect, He showed them that God is a God of hope...Hope for those who were lost, hurting, abandoned. 

Jesus continues to do that.  He continues to challenge us.  We think we have it together as a church.  We think we have it together as Christians.  But, if we read His Word, we realize over and over again where we miss it.  We miss what it means to really worship…to obey…to follow…to love. 

Jesus will come again…He will finish what He started.  When He does, justice will be fulfilled completely…Revelation 21:6, "He said to me: 'It is done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.  Those who are victorious will inherit all of this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.'"

 For those who have gone their own way and forsaken the Lord, there is a justice for them as well.  It is described as the lake of fire.  Justice has come, justice will come again.

What does that mean for me and you?  It means that we have to look at who we are and what we are doing.  Our actions should reflect what is on the inside.  If we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then that should not be hidden, but like the candle lit this morning, should light the way of hope.  Maybe it's time we start getting serious about our faith and following the One whose coming we celebrate this month.  Maybe it's time we look at ourselves to inspect if we are following the justice of God or the justice of man.  Maybe it's time we take a look at who it is we follow.

Something Greater

This past week was Thanksgiving.  This is truly one of my favorite holidays because it lacks the commercialism that the others have.  It is a time for fellowship and community.  It brings me great joy to sit around the table with my family.  Next week is the first Sunday in Advent.  Advent is made up of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas.  It is a time of preparation for the coming Savior.  This year, we will have a new advent theme.  As in years past, we will remember advent with the advent wreath…remembering the hope, love, joy and peace that comes through Christmas and our Savior.  This year, we will also consider what Jesus was coming to do on Christmas and what He is coming to complete at His second coming. 

This Christmas Season, we have a choice to make.  It is approaching quickly.  We have a choice of whether we will follow the world's path this Christmas or follow the path of Jesus.  Christmas has become so commercialized that it is difficult to figure out which we are following.  Before you tune me out, I am not saying there is anything wrong with gift giving.  I am saying there is a potential problem with how we, as Christians, celebrate this time of the year.

Ø  We could find ourselves sacrificing our time with the Lord in order to 'celebrate' His birthday. (John 15:1-12) That may sound odd, but we get in such a rush at Christmas that we end up not spending time with the Lord.  We end up not doing our devotionals and not spending time in prayer.  We end up not reading His word because we have run out of time and energy.  There are lots of great things we can do this time of the year…and none of them necessarily bad…but if they take away from the One we serve, there is a problem. 

Ø  We could find ourselves sacrificing our tithes in order to buy things for His birthday.  (Matthew 6:19-21)  We buy things we cannot afford to please people.  We may struggle giving our tithes as it is.  During Christmas, we find that we don't have enough money to tithe so we can give gifts to others.  Giving gifts is not a problem.  But, if it puts us in such a financial bind that we go in debt, we are being disobedient and not being good stewards of what we have been given.

Ø  We could find ourselves sacrificing our love and joy in order to celebrate Jesus' birthday.  (Scripture:  Matthew 5:14-16)  With all that is going on, it is easy to lose our patience and certainly to lose our joy.  We could easily forget that we are called to love others as Jesus loves us.  It is not easy to find love when you are fighting for deals and going in debt to buy stuff and rushing around like a mad person to try and cram everything in. 

So, I ask…whose applause are you seeking? 

A young violinist was giving a concert one day in front of a large crowd.  He ended his concert with a flourish, and all the people stood up and applauded, shouting, "Bravo! Bravo! What a performance!"  But the young man put his head down.  As the people continued to clap, his eyes began to fill with tears.  There was no smile on his face. 

All of a sudden as the applause began to die, an old man sitting up in the balcony stood up and began to clap.  As soon as the violinist saw that, a smile came across his face.  He wiped the tears from his eyes.  He smiled and held up his violin and walked off the stage. 

A man in the wings said, "How come you were sad when the people stood up, but when that old man stood up, you became glad again?" 

"Because the old man was my violin teacher," the young musician explained, "and unless he stood up, my concert would have been a failure, because he is the only one who knows all the nuances of the music I played.  He knows exactly how each piece is supposed to be played.  It does not matter whether the people stand and applaud.  I want to know if my teacher is going to stand and applaud. (Story taken from the devotional by Tony Evans, "Time to get serious")

Again, whose applause do you seek?  Do you seek applause of the Master or of the people?  (Scripture:  John 12:42-44)

How you celebrate this Christmas may be an indication of whose applause you are seeking…Jesus IS your something greater this Christmas!

Thanksgiving Basics

This week is Thanksgiving.  You may be asked several times about what you are thankful for.  I have enjoyed reading posts on Facebook where people post one thing each day which they are thankful.  I try to also practice this daily with my children.  We talk about one thing they are thankful for each day.  It is important that we have a thankful heart because that is a heart that spends less time complaining or focused on ourselves and more time focused on the One who has blessed us. 

For me, this Thanksgiving is extra special.  Last year, we spent the day after Thanksgiving waiting at Duke for my Dad to have Pancreatic surgery.  It reminded me that life is short and we can't let the valuable time we have here go to waste.  Personally, wasted time is the time we spend complaining and whining, ungrateful, angry, and resentful.  In contrast, I want to read a scripture today which identifies to me 4 ways to live this life.  Maybe this will give us something to refocus our thanksgiving this year.

Romans 12:9-21

Paul packs a lot into these short verses.  There is much wisdom to be gained.  I want to just focus on four areas that might change our perspective and give us a new outlook for this Thanksgiving…and maybe in living life.  I know I could certainly use the reminder.  Note that these four things all work together.

1 – Loving

We are reminded to be loving to one another.  This includes putting others first.  It even means showing kindness to our enemies.  Jesus first taught this to us.  There is nothing easy about any of this.  People are unlovable much of the time.  I know I certainly can be.  To love others and to love our neighbors goes back to what we have learned from the Old Testament and also from the teachings of Jesus.  We must first love God.  If we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, then we find it is possible to love others.  I'm not saying this will ever be easy.  I am saying that it is only possible by the love of God which lives in us.  But, if we are loving, it certainly can turn the world upside down.

2 – Rejoicing

We are told to rejoice in hope and rejoice with those who rejoice.  There should be rejoicing going on.  We have a hope like no other and in that hope comes rejoicing.  That means that even though we are crushed, downtrodden, persecuted, and beaten up, we can rejoice in the Lord who is our strength and our shield.  We will not find long term rejoicing in our own accomplishments.  We find true rejoicing in the Lord.  We find true rejoicing in what He has done for us.  We can rejoice even when we don't feel like rejoicing if we find the source of our joy.

3 – Praying

Prayer is so important…it is a privilege…it is a gift.  The problem is that we don't often view it as such.  We are blessed to be able to come before the maker of the heavens and earth.  We are privileged to be able to lay our cares and concerns at the feet of Jesus.  We should be overjoyed that we can be in constant communication with the One who truly does care for us.  If we are going to rejoice, if we are going to love others, if we are going to live this life as He would have us to, we must spend time in prayer.  There are no exceptions to that.  And when we can't seem to find the words to pray, sit in the presence of the Lord.  He already knows.  Just sit and listen.  He has much to say.

4 - Serving

Finally, serving is important.  We are told to serve the Lord, serve one another, take care of the needs of each other, serve our enemies.  In other words, we are to serve the Lord first and let Him guide us as we live a life of service.  What does service do?  It keeps our mind off of what is wrong with us.  If I am doing something for someone else, I am not worried about me.  As long as I am giving of myself, then I am humbled and am placing others first.  Serving cannot be done effectively without love.  Do you see how these are all coming together?  If I am praying and putting God first, He is directing me to love others and to serve others.  If I do that, I am rejoicing at what He is doing.  I spread that rejoicing to others, who in turn, serve and love God and serve and love others. 

How about at thanksgiving, we change our attitudes, our minds, and our hearts?  Why don't we instead pray continuously about where God is leading and find ourselves loving, serving…and rejoicing through it all.  That could not only change this holiday, but change our lives and the lives of those around us.  That could be a great start to the Christmas season as well. 

Reconstruction Part 2

Last week, we looked at the first step to reconstruction…That included hearing, understanding and implementing God's Word.  We hear what God has for us, we begin to understand what He is trying to tell us, and we put what He says into practice.  That is an important first step if we are going to reconstruct our lives, our churches and our world for Him.

Today, we will look at step 2.  Step two includes confession and commitment.

Now, remember that the people of Jerusalem have just finished celebrating the Festival of the Booths.  Now, the festival has ended. 

Nehemiah 9:1-3 – First, we see that this is a time of preparation for prayer.  They are getting ready to come before the Lord as a community…as His people.  They begin with fasting and in humbleness.  They are coming before the Lord as people who have done wrong…they have sinned…they have been disobedient and they are showing the signs of it.  The Israelites have a special history and confession because they are the chosen people.  They confess their sins and the sins of those before them that led them to this point.  They are getting ready to pray.

Nehemiah 9:6- end of chapter 9

Notice that Ezra begins this prayer with an acknowledgement of who God is and what He has done.  Praising and remembering is important.  After it is acknowledged who God is and His great power, then they recounted what God had done, where their people had sinned, and where they were today.  They end this prayer with a commitment to God.  What was the commitment?

Nehemiah 10:28-29

They commit to do as God's Word has instructed.  It goes on to explain what God's Word is telling them and how they will obey.

Here is what I hear from this scripture for us today:

1 - We need to prepare ourselves when we come before Him.  We do not have the rituals and ways of preparation to show our humility.  In that, I think we can lose some of our respect and awe of the One who is listening and the One we serve.  We should prepare our hearts to come before the King.  When we realize who He is, we realize who we are not.  We also realize our sins and shortcomings.

2 – When come before Him, we should acknowledge His great power and His great love for us.  We tend to instantly go right into asking what we want without thanking Him and acknowledging this great power.  We are praying to the creator God…we are praying in the name of the One who gave His life for you and me.

3 – We should take time to think back and remember how good God has been to us.  That is often difficult to do if we are in a trial.  We can easily find ourselves in difficult situations and we don't know where God is.  When we are in the midst of the storm, we are calling out for Him and may not see Him.  But when we look back, we are comforted because we see His hands taking care of us every step of the way even though we didn't even notice it then.  We can become so consumed with what is going on that we don't realize that God has it taken care of.  God's got this.

We also have to admit where we have gone wrong.  We do so many things in haste and disobedience.  We go our own way, do our own thing, ignore the warning signs and then wonder where God is.  When we look back we see the hand of God, but we also see where we have strayed.  The praise in that is that although we strayed, God helped us.  The reminder is that we stray and we need to focus on Him.

4 – Lastly, they made a commitment that they would be obedient to God and His Word.  There is a reason we still have the scriptures.  It isn't because it was a really good book.  There have been lots of really good books written over the years.  It is because this book isn't a book, but the Word of God for us, the people of God.  What if God's people made a commitment to follow the Word?  While it will not look like it did in Nehemiah's time, it will look like what God wants it to be if we are obedient.

Do we want to reconstruction?  Maybe it is time for confession and commitment so that we become more like what He has called us to be and less like what the world would have us to be.

Reconstruction

Today, let's look at reconstruction.  Reconstruction happens after a time of destruction, defeat, imprisonment, capture, and such.  Reconstruction happens when things have been torn down and it is time to start over again.  The reconstruction I want us to look at this morning is the reconstruction for those of Jerusalem during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. 

Let me briefly set the stage for what is happening.  God's people had been in bondage.  Jerusalem had been defeated and destroyed.  They are looking for redemption and reconstruction.  Nehemiah has been called out of a place of prominence and called to help his people rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  It was a tremendous feat which most did not think possible.  However, Nehemiah was a mighty man of God and what God had called him to do, he was going to do.  He understood the power of God.  He was not without opposition.  At some point, I want to go back and look at what Nehemiah encountered as he sought to do God's will. 

Today, I want to look at what happened once the walls were rebuilt. We will look at this in steps…we will call the steps of reconstruction.  I think this has so much to teach us as His people in our lives, our churches and our world when it comes to reconstruction.  The first step is reading and implementing the Word (in this case, the Torah). 

Nehemiah 7:73-8:3

As we begin to look, the people are gathered together for worship.  This was no ordinary worship, this was worship unto God as he has provided restoration to His people.  They are gathered and notice that the scriptures are read that morning.  What reverence do you think they might have had this day?

Nehemiah 8:5-6

Notice, they are not only reverent but thankful and excited to hear the Word of the Lord.  The crowd was large so there were people disbursed throughout the crowd to help people to hear and understand what was being read…it was that important.  They wanted people to get it.

Nehemiah 8:9-12

The people are weeping over the reading of the scripture.  They could be weeping because of what the Word is telling them and where they have so far strayed or they could be because this is such a pivotal moment for them and to just hear the Word is that important. 

Nehemiah 8:13-18

This is where the Word is implemented for the people.  They are reading the Torah.  They are beginning to understand it.  It was not enough to just read and understand…they now needed to put it into practice.  They did so with the festival of the booths.  They learned from what we know as Leviticus.

This accounts for what we will refer to as step 1 of the reconstruction.

Why is this important?  There are couple of lessons from this that I want us to make note of…

First, they were eager to hear the Word of God.  It was something they were looking forward to.  It was not an obligation.  They were getting to hear from God.  That was important to them and should be important to us.

Imagine what might happen if we looked at the Word of God the same way.  We open our Bibles and read for many reasons…many of them not the best of reasons.  But the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two edged sword.  God has much to say and one of the ways He has chosen to communicate with us is through the Bible.  Do you look at it as God's way of communication with you?

Second, they heard the Word and understood it.  This meant that they took the time to understand it.  They put in the effort to really find out what the Word was telling them.

Third, when they realized what the Word of God was saying, they put it into action.  How many times do we hear the Word, learn the Word, understand the Word, but walk away and act the same?  It is obvious by how we act that we don't always put God's Word into action.

If we want to reconstruct our lives, our homes, our churches, our nation, our world, we begin with the Word of God…listening, understanding, and obeying.  Do you want real reconstruction today?

A New Commandment

I don't think that anyone would question the fact that as followers of Christ, we are to love others.  It begins all the way back in the OT.  One of the first things that God's people learn is to love God and to love others.

Jesus gives us an illustration of loving others in the story of the Good Samaritan.

He also shows us what it is to love others in His own life example.  Think of how He ate with people who were outcast, He went to homes of those who knew no love, He went to serve and rescue the 'least of these'. 

There is no doubt that we are called to show love to others.  But, I think that we can easily encounter a problem if we don't also take the words of Jesus in the lesson today seriously.

John 13:31-35

When we first read this, we can easily miss what Jesus is trying to tell us because we have heard so much of this scripture in songs and lessons.  Let's look at what is going on.

First, Jesus has been spending time with the disciples teaching them lessons regarding being a servant and has shared the Passover meal with them.  He has identified who the betrayer is and Judas has departed.

This is significant because the series of events that are leading up to Jesus' crucifixion are underway.  This begins the betrayal which leads to the arrest.  Jesus is trying to tell the remaining disciples what is happening.

Jesus will glorify The Father by giving of His life.  God will be glorified in Jesus who He sent as a sacrifice. Jesus will be glorified in the resurrection thus showing His power over death and the grave.  All of this is powerful news for the followers of Jesus. 

Jesus is also saying that He is the only One who can do this.  He is giving up His life for His followers…you and me.  No one can do this for Him.  His love is for you and me beginning now.

Then, Jesus gives them a new commandment.  When we first read this, we wonder what is so new about it.  As I said in the beginning, they had been taught since the beginning to love God and to love others.  So, what is so new?

We must understand something…Jesus is asking the disciples, what will be a new community of believers different from what has been before (because of Jesus)…to love one another.  Now, they aren't just to love one another.  They are to love one another as Christ has loved them.

Jesus gave Himself for you and me.  He showed the ultimate love.  He asks us as a community of believers to love one another…love each other.  And if we show love to each other, then we are able to show love to the world.  People will see that we are a community of believers who love Jesus Christ if we show love to each other as Christ has loved us.

Why is this significant?  Let's consider that the church, us, the community of believers, is made up of people.  We are people from various backgrounds.  We have different opinions.  We see the world from different lenses.  We had different upbringings.  We have different personalities.  Yet, Jesus calls us, His people, to come together and to love one another.

That isn't always going to be easy.  On the surface, that doesn't seem possible.  How can you put a whole bunch of different people together and ask them to love one another?  To top it off….let's put a whole bunch of people who love the Lord and put them in different churches and ask them all to love one another.  Just getting along with the people in your own circle can be challenging enough.

The KEY:  We have the love of Jesus Christ in us if we are His followers.

We can show love to others because the love has been poured out in us.  When we aren't able to work together or love one another, it is because we aren't allowing the love of Jesus to work in and through us. 

This is new for the disciples because they haven't experienced the kind of love that is about to take place soon.  They haven't experienced the power of Jesus Christ to it's fullest just yet.  But, when they do…they are to love one another. 

People should know us by our love…not just for them, but for each other.

That is the starting point for a powerful community of believers. If we allow Jesus to change us with His powerful love, Jesus changes the church, Jesus changes the world.  Will you allow Jesus to change you?

You Are

Prayer is essential in our Christian lives.  It is our communication with the Father.  It is a way to bring our requests before Him. 

We try to establish rules for everything…even prayer.  We try to say what it should look like.  In reality, it is communication with the creator God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is a way we show respect to Him.  It is also a way of showing our trust in Him.

Today, we are looking at the story of Hannah and what she offers to our understanding of prayer.

1 Samuel 1

There are several things going on in this scripture.  Let's look at some of the characteristics and circumstances for Hannah.

First, Hannah is unable to have children.  In this time, a man often had more than one wife.  Hannah's husband, Elkanah, had another wife named Peninnah.  It appears she was jealous of Hannah and in turn, made Hannah feel inferior and beat down because she couldn't have children.  It was definitely Hannah's desire to have children. 

Second, we see that Hannah is a faithful follower of God.  She went to the house of the Lord and offered her sacrifice.  This was a time of great pain because it was a reminder year after year that her prayer had not been answered.  It was also a time when she was provoked most by Peninnah.

Elkanah wanted to make her feel better.  He really did love her.  But, this wasn't something he was suppose to fix.  It was something that God was going to handle.  He couldn't change the situation…only God could. 

Third, we see that Hannah brings her requests before God.  She does it sincerely.  She does it whole-heartedly.  She does it with a heavy heart and sorrowful spirit.  She is so intense that Eli, the priest thinks that she is intoxicated.  She was definitely deep in prayer.  She makes a vow to God.  That is important to note.  This wasn't just a minor promise she would forget…this was a vow to God.

What happens?  Eli lets Hannah know that God has heard her prayers and speaks a blessing over her.  She gets up, washes up and moves on.  She does become pregnant and not only does she have a son, but she does just as she promised God she would do…she offered him back to God to use.

What does this all mean?  God heard Hannah's prayers for years.  He knew her heart's desire.  It wasn't that He didn't love her.  It wasn't that He didn't care about what she wanted.  It wasn't that He was trying to punish her.  She didn't do anything wrong.  But, God had a plan.  He had an important plan for Hannah.  He had an important plan for Samuel.  In this plan, Elkanah had an important part, as did Peninnah. 

Hannah was chosen to be Samuel's mother.  God chose a woman who would be faithful and would give her son back to Him to use.  He chose a woman who was faithful and believed in Him.  He chose Hannah.  He chose Hannah to have Samuel at that particular time.  God saw the whole picture. Hannah only saw her immediate need.  In Hannah's life and call, God used those around to help her as well.  Elkanah was a supportive, loving husband.  She had someone who cared for her and really wanted to give her everything.  The realization that he couldn't do it encouraged even more dependence on God.  As well, Peninnah was a part of that plan as well.  We can look at her and think how hateful and spiteful she was.  Or, we can see that the taunts from Peninnah gave Hannah even more fuel in her prayers.  It drove her to her knees like never before. 

Samuel was important to God and definitely had a purpose.  You have to know that Eli's two sons were crooks, liars, and horrible priests.  They did things that were evil in the sight of the Lord.  God couldn't use them because they weren't willing.  Eli would grow old.  God wanted a faithful servant in the absence of Eli.  Since neither of Eli's sons would make it, God looked to Samuel.  Samuel was exactly what God chose…for such a time as that. 

God uses me and you as well.  He uses us in our willingness.  He uses us in our faithfulness.  He uses us in our pain and sorrow and in our joys.  He created us for something for Him.  We aren't able to fulfill that when we are disobedient, unfaithful, and not willing.  Our circumstances don't determine God's faithfulness.  What we see isn't what God has done.  God sees from a different perspective and thus, God has a plan despite our circumstances.  God can even use our circumstances to do mighty things for Him.    

Eli's sons weren't what God needed.  Samuel was.  Hannah was.  You are. 

Are you a NEW CREATION?

God does have a plan for you.  Some of us are in the middle of God's plan and in the middle of His will.  That is a great place to be, but not always a comfortable and easy place to be.  To be in the middle of God's plan can be out of our comfort zone, but in His perfect peace. 

But, we have to understand something about those in God's will.  The people in God's will don't all look the same.  They don't all talk the same.  They don't all dress the same.  They don't all live in the same neighborhood or drive the same cars.  Those in God's will aren't all of a certain economic status.  Those in God's will have varied pasts, different life situations, and multiple experiences.  They are of different ages and races. 

What unites them are not the same as the things that unite people in this world.  Some people come together because they have a common cause in mind.  Some come together because they have associations with others.  That isn't what brings people together who are doing God's will.

Many don't quite get this…and the Jews didn't quite get it either.  Galatians 6:11-15.  This is an interesting text because we are of a different time, culture and generation.  Paul is addressing the Galatians because there are those who are telling them that in order to be 'real Christians', they must be circumcised.  This was the law for the Jews.  It was part of a covenant with God.  There are many bringing Jewish law with them as Christians and demanding others follow the law.

Paul explains that circumcision isn't what defines the person…following the law doesn't give you new life.  He says that a new life comes through Jesus Christ and with him, we are a NEW CREATION.

This is debated in many of Paul's letters because so many people were holding on to Jewish law as a way to be saved.  Paul explains that faith is what makes the difference and faith makes us a new creation.

As a new creation, we don't completely forget who we are and how we got here.  We are a new creation because Jesus Christ, through believing in Him, offers us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins.  But, God uses who we are (He created us) and what we have been through as part of this transformation into a new creation.

When we come to Him, ready to trust, completely open to what He has for us, He puts us right in the middle of His will and His plan.  Amazingly, this plan uses who we are to fulfill His will.  That's why we can come from different backgrounds and different life experiences and join together as new creations to serve Him.  When God's people do that, He works in a mighty and powerful way. 

So, here are a couple of questions for you…

-Are you a new creation?  Do you have faith in Jesus Christ and believe in Him as your Lord and Savior?  Do you really trust Him and have a desire to follow?

-If you are a new creation, what is God doing through, in and around you?  What is it that He can use from who you are, where you have been, and what you have been through to help others? 

-If you are a new creation and following God's will, have you looked around to see if there are others who need encouragement to do the same?  Are there people who need your experiences so that they might become a new creation and find God's will?  If not, you may want to take off your blinders and realize that being a new creation doesn't change who you are on the outside, but who you are on the inside. 

What Fuels Your Fire?

Why do you do what you do?  What is your motivation?  Why do you get up in the mornings?  What is it that is fueling you? 

This morning, I want us to consider what really is your fuel.

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Looking at this scripture, we see that there are opposing sides – two parts that are going in different directions.  There are differing ideas that lead us in different directions.  I propose that these differing sides also reflect two different ways that we 'fuel the fire' within us.

First, we have the understanding of the earthly way to go.  These are some of the characteristics that stick out to us:

                Bitter envy, selfish ambition, boastful, falsehood – these lead to disorder and wickedness.

These don’t sound appealing to us at all as Christians.  But just because it doesn’t sound appealing or like something we would do, doesn't mean that we don't do these things.  We will look at this more in a moment.

One the opposing side is:

                Pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, no partiality or hypocrisy – leads to harvest of righteousness, sown in peace.

These sound great!  This is the obvious choice.  I can hear us now thinking that we know the answer to this question on the test. 

The problem is that this world is part of the first side.  It is all about getting what we can for ourselves.  It is about conflicts and disputes.  It is about our inward cravings.  It is about going after your desires no matter what is in the way.  We are taught to achieve our goals no matter what it takes. 

So, if the world is part of the first side and that is what we know…what happens?  We end up doing what verse 2 in chapter 4 says…we commit horrible sins (murder specifically mentioned here), we covet (see what someone else has and really want it bad).  Since we can't have what we want, then we cause conflict – do what it takes so we feel better about ourselves and/or get what we want.

We also end up asking for things we don't need or things that are not in our best interest.  We do this because we are led by the world.  We do this because we covet and we ask God to give us what someone else has.  This verse shows us that we don't get because we ask in our own desires.

If we are led by the world in too many cases, what can we do?  Verse 7 and the beginning of 8 help us bring it back into focus.  We are to submit ourselves to God.  We are to give ourselves over to Him and along with all of our selfish ambitions.  We draw closer to Him and in doing so, we cleanse ourselves of where we have gone wrong and repent…getting back on the right track with God.  Only submitting to Him will get us there.

For a moment, let's look at what fuel's your fire.  What gets you up in the morning?  It isn't just your alarm clock.  You get up because you have things to do.  You know you have to get up in order to go to work or you have to get the kids to school or you have to go to an appointment or you have to get ready for something.  You get up because you have a reason.  Many of those reasons are earthly.  We have to make money to support our families.  The kids have to get to school for an education.  We have to go to the appointments for our health or whatever.  We have good reasons for doing that.

But, if that is what fuels our fire, our fire will be put out really, really quickly.  We will grow weary and tired.  We will not want to continue to do those things because they are driving us crazy.  We will dread Monday mornings because they are the start to the madness.

What would happen if instead of that fueling our fire, our fire was fueled by a desire to follow God?  What if we got up, not to go to work, but to grow in our relationship with Him?  What would happen if we got up with a desire to know Him more and serve Him and give Him our best?  That doesn't mean we don't go to work…no because we look at work differently.  It is then our avenue of service.  We don't dread taking the kids to school because that helps them with their avenue of service.  We don't get up because of the load of work we have that day but because we have a desire to follow God and see just what He has for us.  We look at people differently…we look at the world differently…we look at life differently.

It doesn't mean that everything goes great…but even in adversity, God is there!  It is an opportunity to learn and grow and become a little more like Him each day.

So, to wrap it up…what fuels your fire?  What will get you up in the morning?  May we submit to Him and draw closer to Him beginning now.  He might just fuel your fire within!

Fulfill your calling

Last week, we looked at having faith in the Lord, rather than in ourselves.  Faith in ourselves or earthly things will not get us far.  We should put all our faith in Him.

This week, I want to look at a scripture which gives us some things to consider at people of faith and followers of Jesus Christ.  Initially, you may think that this is only for preachers.  However, this is for all ministers and if you have been called, then you are given a responsibility to minister.

2 Timothy 4:1-5

This scripture begins with a charge…something to do that is important.  This is important to the Lord.  The charge is to PREACH THE WORD! 

You may be thinking that you don't preach and you don't want to be preached to.  But, I challenge you to read on.  There are many important lessons behind this charge.

There is a problem that is coming and Paul is aware of it.  In fact, this is a problem for many in our world today.  The problem is that people only want to hear what is pleasing to them.

In other words, we want our cake and eat it too.  We want to have Jesus but without any strings attached.  We want to follow Him when it is convenient and makes us wealthy.  We want to know Him but don't want to get personally involved…we just want great times.

That isn't how the gospel is presented at all.  We aren't suppose to change the gospel so that people like it better.  The gospel is really about "getting your hands dirty".  It is about doing what God calls us to do and that often means spreading the message and showing love to those we don't associate with.

Often, the gospel is about doing unto the least of these.  It isn't really about us at all.  That in itself is a shift for our culture.  The gospel is about us being obedient to the call and spreading the love of Jesus to everyone.  It is not about what we can get out of it. 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we end up doing many, many thankless jobs.  That means that we end up getting our hands dirty and then no one may not even notice.  That's okay!  It isn't about us at all.  If we make it about us, we have taken Jesus out of the equation. 

We are to be watchful.  That means that we need to keep our eyes open.  We need to keep our eyes open to the opportunities right before us.  But, it also means that we need to keep our eyes open to deception.  Don't fall into traps because it sounds good to us.  The gospel is not about easy living and rewards here on earth.

We are to endure.  We will often find that what we do doesn't seem to help anyone or make a difference.  There will be times when we question our call.  We will wonder if we have it right.  But, when adversity comes, hang in there.  Listen to the Lord who is leading and guiding, even in the midst of problems.  Many times, problems in this world do not equate to problems for the Lord.

Finally, do what you are called to do.  Do whatever it is that is your ministry.  I know that many are still looking for their ministry.  Some have felt a leading to do something but are running scared.  Do what you are called to do.  God is with you all the way.

So, MINISTERS (aka people of God), let us run the race that is before us…moving forward for Him…doing what He calls us to do…nothing more…nothing less.