Let Jesus Shine Through the Church

Revelation 1:9-11 (NIV)
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

The Lord used John, a disciple of Jesus, to send some important messages to the churches that existed in various cities. These messages were important for they told the churches what they were doing right and most importantly what they were doing wrong. Jesus wanted to keep these churches on solid ground for they would be the light shining to the world illuminate the purpose of why Jesus died.

 

This morning The Pope sent this message to the world through Twitter, “At the end of the year, we pray that the Church, despite her shortcomings, may be increasingly recognizable as Christ’s dwelling place.” The Pope in his message acknowledged The Church is not perfect -- for it is filled with imperfect people. But the church does represent one who was and is perfect -- that is Jesus Christ. No other man lived a perfect life as Jesus did. It was because of His love for The Church that He freely gave His life so that all who believe in Him and repents from their sin will live an eternal life with Him in heaven. This is the church Jesus created and it is this church that shows others how they can also know Jesus and also experience the wonderful gift Jesus has for them.

Christmas is one of the times we remember Jesus because of His birth. Let us all ensure we give credit to our savior by giving Him the honor he is due. Some may say Happy Holidays, but I say to them Merry Christmas. I want them to know I am celebrating the birth of my savior who I love dearly because He gave his life for me.

There are many who will stand before God one day and God may ask this simple question, “Why should I let you into my Kingdom of Heaven?” Are you prepared for that question? I pray you know this – Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. Jesus Christ freely died on a Roman Cross as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus rose back to life defeating death and took His rightful place as King of all kings in heaven and here on earth. For those who truly believe in Jesus and are willing to repent of their sin and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior -- Jesus will be your advocate. For Jesus is the propitiation of sin who speaks up on our behalf and says, “This child is one of mine. They are an adopted brother or sister into the kingdom of heaven; therefore they belong here with us.” Knowing Jesus is taking up for you the answer should be obvious, “It is because of Jesus I am here and because of Jesus I can ask to enter heaven.”

Heavenly Father there are so many who do not understand or know your love, grace and mercy. Father you want to free people from sin and give them new and exciting lives. I pray Father these people would turn their lives over to you. I know it scary giving up control to another, but you Lord are perfect in every way and watch out after us as one of your children. Father let everyone experience your mercy, grace and love. Let them know the true Jesus and let them experience His grace mercy and love. Amen

 

Note this time of year I take off from writing to reflect on the Lord and enjoy time with my family. God bless each of you. Have a safe and Merry Christmas and I will resume writing after the first of the year.

A Just Cause

1 John 5:5 (NLT)
5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

The world represents sin and it is the world that lies in our way to heaven and is a great impediment to many. But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and believes that Jesus came from God to be the Savior of the world and commits their life by repentance of their sin cannot be held back by this world. Christ has already won the battle over sin and we must stand firm with Christ in order to stand firm against the world.

 

 

It is hard for younger people to imagine (and getting harder for many of us older ones to remember) the conditions under which many African Americans lived throughout the South just over 40 years ago. Segregation, lynchings, African American churches and homes firebombed. Jim Crow laws even prevented "colored people" from attending the circus and playing pool with whites.

Yet civil rights leaders painfully, persistently, and peacefully protested the injustice of segregation. In doing so, they often broke segregation laws. All too often, protesters reaped a reward of fire hoses, police dogs and incarceration. [Civility Under Fire: Chuck Colson & Timothy George Revive MLK's Legacy]

I admire Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his work to seek civil rights on the behalf of all people. Dr. King had reason, facts, understanding, justice and most importantly The Gospel on his side. Dr. King battled the world reminding others what Augustine said, "An unjust law is no law at all." People may have thought they enacted laws for the good of the people when they actually enacted laws for their own selfish reasons.

Keep this in mind, we first must trust God and place our faith in His Son Jesus. Then we must allow Jesus to direct our hearts to take up for just causes; and not take up for causes just because we want them. We need to ensure what we do is right for all people without taking away rights unjustly.

Heavenly Father we pray for the world, our nation, our cities, and our homes. Father we ask that you would protect us from the sins of the world. We pray Your safety would abide with us. We pray that we would stand up for just causes that You Father would approve of. Keep us from the temptations of the world and deliver us from the evil that would try to consume our lives. Father let us all live together in peace and harmony. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Heal us Father

Mark 7:20-23(The Message)
20-23 He went on: “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution.”

The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market not to mention the scouring they would give jugs and pots and pans that contained the food. When they observed Jesus and the disciples not being careful in following the ritualistic washings -- the Pharisees and religion scholars asked, “Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?” The response of Jesus was the disciples focused on what was right and not what was for show. Then he told the people, “It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”

 

If a farmer doesn’t plant seeds, he will never harvest a crop. It doesn’t matter how weed-free his ground is; he must also plant and cultivate good seed. In the same way, we can only reap a harvest of purity and integrity by planting the good seed of God’s Word into our lives. I’m not talking about merely reading the Bible. I’m talking about allowing the Holy Spirit to plant the truths of Scripture deep into our hearts and minds through consistent Bible reading and memorization, meditation and prayer. To be effective, and to remain pure, truth must be planted in our hearts daily. [Gary Oliver, clinical director of Southwest Counseling Associates in Denver.]

Jesus told us where evil comes from -- it comes out of our own sinful nature. If the seeds of righteous are not planted within us then we are prone to all the things Jesus mentioned in verses 20-23 of Mark 7. I believed America and many other places in the world are not tending their fields. We have allowed our country to be overrun by the weeds of evil instead of keeping a clean field filled with the harvest of righteousness. These evils are now vomiting out of people in mean, cruel and hateful acts.

There is a way to clean up our fields and that is to let The Lord into our lives and allow Him to show us what is right and wrong. We need to have a close relationship with Him. We need to keep His word, the scriptures of The Bible, inside of us so we know what to do when the time comes. We also need His word within us to calm, comfort, and provide peace.

I was thankful to President Obama for praying for our country last week. I appreciate the words he spoke saying, “you're not alone in your grief, that our world too has been torn apart — that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you." I am also thankful for when The President prayed in Aurora saying, “Such evil is senseless. It's beyond reason.” He also said, “"What matters at the end of the day is not the small things, it's not the trivial things, which so often consume us in our daily lives. Ultimately it’s how we choose to treat one another and how we love one another,"

Dear heavenly Father, I pray as a nation we would examine ourselves and weed out the sinful problems in ourselves. I pray we would put away violence, hatred, greed, depravity, deception, slander, bullying, murder and all other acts of evil. Father bring healing to this nation and fill it with abounding love for one another. May the acts of violence end and the fruits of love prosper.

Resolve disputes

Acts 15:36-41 (NLT)
36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”  37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.  38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.  39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;  40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.  41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

These verses are about s second expedition designed by Paul and Barnabas to preach to the Gentiles, in which they quarrelled about their assistant, John Mark, and separated upon it, one steering one course and the other another.

 

"Barnabas" was actually his nickname, given him by the apostles. It meant "Son of Encouragement," and it was most appropriate. He was actually born Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus. He was probably one of many Jews became one of the earliest converts to Christianity. Unlike most Christians, Barnabas believed Paul's conversion story, and he smoothed the way for the former persecutor to be accepted by the Jerusalem church. In 48, Barnabas set off with his cousin Mark and Paul to evangelize cities in Asia Minor. Though Mark deserted the party early on, Barnabas and Paul preached, performed miracles, and endured persecution together. One early tradition, recorded by Clement of Alexandria, says Barnabas worked briefly with Jesus, being one of the 70 sent out to evangelize Palestine. Another tradition says he preached in Alexandria and Rome after leaving Paul, founded the church on Cyprus, and was finally stoned and then burned to death in about 61 in Syria.

Even among the best of friends sometimes disagreements arise. Barnabas had supported Paul’s claim of being converted to Christianity. Yet there came a time when Barnabas wanted to give his cousin John Mark an opportunity to travel with him and share the Good News of Christ. Yet for whatever reason Paul did not want John Mark to go and so to settle the dispute Paul set out on his own way.

Sometimes in life we have disputes and they need to be settles reasonably for we never know what the future holds. For in 2 Timothy 4:11 we find Paul saying the following, “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.” Paul along the way saw John Mark’s commitment to the Lord and even his commitment to Pau himself. Had Paul burned his bridges with John Mark he would have lost a committed worker and friend to him.

Lord please help put aside disputes with family and friends. Lord help us to understand how to love the way you love us. Lord protect us from saying things against one another and to be like Barnabas who was ready to speak up on behalf of others. Father I pray we turn our attention to loving one another as you commanded us to. I pray father we learn to work alongside each other instead of going our own way due to conflict. Let us see the hope of the future and how our friendships can benefit one another for the purpose of spreading your message.

I pray these things in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.

God did not give us the spirit of fear

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

God has armed us against the spirit of fear by often speaking to us not to fear. "Fear not the face of man; fear not the dangers you may meet with in the way of your duty.’’ God has delivered us from the spirit of fear, and has given us the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The spirit of power, or of courage and resolution to encounter difficulties and dangers;—the spirit of love to God, which will carry us through the opposition we may meet with, as Jacob made nothing of the hard service he was to endure for Rachel: the spirit of love to God will set us above the fear of man and all the hurt that a man can do us;—and the spirit of a sound mind or quietness of mind, a peaceable enjoyment of ourselves, for we are oftentimes discouraged in our way and work by the creatures of our own fancy and imagination, which a sober, solid, thinking mind would remove and would easily answer. 2. The spirit God gives to his ministers is not a fearful, but a courageous spirit; it is a spirit of power, for they speak in his name who has all power, both in heaven and earth; and it is a spirit of love, for love to God and the souls of men must inflame ministers in all their service; and it is a spirit of a sound mind, for they speak the words of truth and soberness.

 

God encourages us to keep a sound mind and not give into fear. I know there are many shaken by the events of last week. The Sandy Hook Elementary School will without question be remembered for a long time, but we must not allow the fear that was generated by the incident control our lives.

An NPR report this year stated, “School violence in the U.S. reached a peak in 1993, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That year, there were 34 homicides by students and 13 ‘serious violent crimes’ — rape, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault — per 1,000 students at primary and secondary schools. By 2010, the latest figures available, those numbers had decreased to two homicides and four violent crimes per 1,000 students.” [Violence In Schools: How Big A Problem Is It? by Scott Neuman, March 16, 2012]

Obviously the Sandy Hook Elementary School incident is an event out of the norm. I know many of us have shed a tear and felt compassion for those affected by this horrific incident. Some may want to make drastic and immediate changes and while changes may be needed let’s make sure we do them with a sound mind and not out of raging emotions.

Journalists cover people in trauma; they experience trauma and fear and even generate fear in others.  We have to remember many of the reports we heard were inaccurate because of the heightened stress. At times we didn’t know who had been shot or even who the shooter was. This story will take weeks to unfold. You will hear many sad stories. Pay attention to your own emotions. Be honest with yourself and others. When it is time to take a break, talk to somebody about your experiences. Remember what an airplane stewardess tells you -- If you do not have your mask on, you cannot help anybody else. If you are fearful it will be hard to reassure and put others at ease. So please take care of yourself and know God had given you power, love and self-discipline to see yourself and others through troubled times.

God be with those who have suffered. God comfort the afflicted. God give hope and reassurance. God protect. God we pray for those who seek to do us harm that you would intervene. Let your power fill our hearts and souls that we can face fear and not let it defeat us. Amen

Prayer of Jesus

John 17:20 (NLT)
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 25 O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Chapter 17 of John tells of one of the final prayers of Jesus. In this prayer Jesus prays for those who belong to Him both present and in future tense. The verses above begin where Jesus mentions those would ever believe in Him (future). Jesus prays that those who belong to Him might be kept close to Him, that they might be sanctified, that they might be united and that they might be glorified.

 

 

In 1974, Philippe Petit, a tight rope walker, with the assistance of his crew extended a steel cable between the twin towers of the World Trade Center while it was still under construction. He walked the quarter mile distance 8 times amazing a crowd below. He told a Newsweek magazine reporter it never occurred to him to use a safety net and then he added, “I never fall. But yes, I have landed on the earth many, many times.”

Psalm 91:9-12, “If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”

This is what Jesus considered for you and me. He wanted us to be with Him and The Father. He desired we would always be kept close to Him so nothing would overcome us.  He would even go as far as ordering the angels to protect and watch over us. Even though we might fall -- the angels would keep us from falling into the world where we might be lost.

Christ often prayed for the welfare of others – might we also do the same?

The Truth

Matthew 2:7-12 (NKJV)
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The wise men appeared to inquire of Christ.  These men were Gentiles and not from the commonwealth of Israel. It was these Gentiles who came to ask about Christ. These men were scholars. They came from the east, possibly from the land of Arabia. The presents they brought were the products of that country; the Arabians had done homage to David and Solomon as types of Christ. Jethro and Job were of that country. These men had followed a star to reach their destination. Stars were commonly worshiped in this area and even their gods were named for the stars. The stars that had been misused came to be put to the right use, to lead men to Christ. Now approximately 2 years later they were in the land where they expected The Christ to be. Their inquiry was made to the king of the land in expectations the king would know where “The King of the Jews” would live. Herod though feared their inquiry for it meant his throne might be in jeopardy. He sought to have The Christ child disposed of; but these wise men became aware of Herod’s intent and departed back to their country after paying homage to Jesus.

 

Appearing this time of year are manger scenes depicting the birth of Christ. Often there are three wise men depicted presenting gifts to Jesus in the manger soon after his birth. From the historical documents this is incorrect for the wise men appeared around 2 years after the birth of Christ, which would have supported Herod to then be the king. These manger scenes also depict three men for the three gifts that were given, but some ancient documents say there were possibly 14 men. Travel during this time was difficult and often done in large groups so that they could protect and support one another. Most likely this group was closer to the fourteen and more than the three.

If you are playing Christmas trivia and asked who was present at the manger it was Joseph, Mary, Jesus, shepherds of the area and the animals. The wise men were not present as we have been made to believe. If asked how many wise men were there, the answer is unknown, but probably more than three.  If asked where the wise men presented their gifts it was at the home of Jesus.

We always have to be careful in life to ensure we know the truth. Often things are presented as the truth when they are only close representations of the truth.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” At least we have Jesus who is the truth, presents the truth and lived by the truth. Always be ready to put your trust in Jesus -- a truth we can always believe in.

Paid in full

Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT)
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

God always knows the right time to put a plan into action. So at the time of His choosing, God sent His only-begotten son, Jesus Christ into the world. Humbly Jesus was born as any other man so that He might experience the fullness of man while possessing the fullness of God. Mary was subject to the law as many others, but even she was able to experience the mercy and grace of The Father through her son. God sent Jesus to redeem us of our sins and to free us from the burden of those sins. No longer were we to be slaves to sin, but instead children of God. For when we accept Christ we are adopted into God’s family that inherits the benefits of an everlasting and joyful life.

 

Author James Herriot tells of an unforgettable wedding anniversary he and his wife celebrated early in their marriage. His boss had encouraged him to take his wife to a fancy restaurant, but Herriot balked. He was a young veterinarian and couldn't really afford it. "Oh, do it!" the boss insisted. "It's a special day!" Herriot reluctantly agreed and surprised his wife with the news.

En route to the restaurant, Herriot and his wife stopped at a farm to examine a farmer's horse. Having finished the routine exam, he returned to his car and drove to the restaurant, unaware that his checkbook had fallen in the mud. After a wonderful meal, Herriot reached for his checkbook and discovered it was gone. Quite embarrassed, he tried to offer a way of making it up.

"Not to worry," the waiter replied. "Your dinner has been taken care of!" As it was, Herriot's employer had paid for the dinner in advance.

God has done the same for us. Jesus' utterance on the cross, "It is finished," is a Greek term meaning "paid in full."

Imagine knowing you had to pay the debit for your sins that you knew you couldn’t pay. Thankfully Jesus stepped up and paid in full the price for us that we might be free from sin.

There is a lasting life waiting for us

1 Peter 1:23-25 (NLT)
23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass;    their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. 25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”[words from Isa 40:6-8] And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

From Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Man, in his utmost flourish and glory, is still a withering, fading, dying creature. Take him singly, all flesh is grass. In his entrance into the world, in his life and in his fall, he is similar to grass. Take him in all his glory, even this is as the flower of grass; his wit, beauty, strength, vigour, wealth, honour—these are but as the flower of grass, which soon withers and dies away. The only way to render this perishing creature solid and incorruptible is for him to entertain and receive the word of God; for this remains everlasting truth, and, if received, will preserve him to everlasting life, and abide with him forever.  The prophets and apostles preached the same doctrine. This word which Isaiah and others delivered in the Old Testament is the same which the apostles preached in the New.

 

C. .S Lewis once wrote, War makes death real to us: and that would have been regarded as one of its blessings by most of the Christians of the past. They thought it good for us to be always aware of our mortality. I am inclined to think they were right. All the animal life in us, all schemes of happiness that centered in this world, were always doomed to a final frustration. In ordinary times only a wise man can realize it. Now the stupidest of us knows. We see unmistakably the sort of universe in which we have all along been living, and must come to terms with it. If we had foolish un-Christian hopes about human culture, they are now shattered. If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon. [Citation: C. S. Lewis, "Learning in War-Time," from a sermon preached in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford, 1939.]

This past week Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent was arrested for intoxicated manslaughter Saturday after being involved in a car accident that killed teammate Jerry Brown. Sadly Jerry was killed early in his life and whatever dreams he may have had went with him.

The plane carrying Jenni Rivera, a popular Mexican-American singer, crashed and killed all aboard. Everyone and everything in the crash was destroyed beyond recognition. The impact was so powerful that the remains of the plane "are scattered over an area of 250 to 300 meters. The dreams she and those with her had also vanished.

Those are some of the deaths that have been highlighted this week. However they are not alone. I dare to estimate the number of deaths that took place this week from accidents, murders, and natural causes. Our human bodies will eventually die whether in an expected time or more tragically in an unexpected time.

There is only one hope for life and that is an eternal life in heaven with God. It’s a life of immeasurable hope without the pain of this world; for in heaven there is only joy. All God asks is that we acknowledge our sins to Him; be willing to turn from those sins; and on faith believe in His Son Jesus Christ who died for our sins. There is hope of life beyond this world and I pray all grab hold of it while they can.

An I Test

1 Timothy 1:5-7 (NLT)
5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 7 They want to be known as teachers of the Law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.

The Apostle Paul is writing Timothy, a Christian and trusted friend, on how to guard against Judaizing teachers or others who mingled fables and family accounts with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The whole point of Paul’s message is best stated by Romans 13:10, “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” The Law of Moses was to help people see their own faults and needs and not to be used as a weapon towards others. It was to show people how to love, how to act with a clear conscience, and how to have genuine faith in God. But others had taken the Law of Moses to use for their own purposes against others. Instead of teaching, instead of loving they were using the law to ridicule, harass and accuse others. This is what Timothy had to be on guard against.

 

A good question we should all ask ourselves – Are we using God’s word to correct ourselves and love others; or are we using God’s word to correct others? You see if we use God’s word to get our hearts right with God then we want to love others. However if we are just concerned about how others live then we end up disliking and maybe even going to the extreme of hating those who do not follow what we believe.  

Jesus was very careful to point this out when he said how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? Jesus knew man was quick to judge others without looking at their own selves first. It seems we are often blind to our own faults while being quick to see the faults of others.

Love is a result of looking at ourselves and seeing our need to follow God. When we see our faults it becomes easier to overlook the faults of others. When we see our need for mercy and grace it is easier to extend mercy and grace to others. When we see our need for love it is easier to love others.

So are you looking first to correct yourself and love others; or trying to correct others? Hopefully most people are correcting self and loving others, but if not let me encourage you to think about that question. Take time to consider the logs in your life before picking at the splinters in others’ lives.

Heavenly Father it is so easy to see the faults of others while missing our own faults. Help us to see instead of being blind to our own ways. Let us first correct ourselves so we can love and encourage others in the good ways of life. Amen

God has a plan even in war

Mark 13:5-8 (NIV)
5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

The conversation prior to the verses stated this - “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.” Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”  Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”  --- The disciples were concerned as many would about the destruction of those things they loved. In this case they were particularly concerned about the destruction of Jerusalem, which might be the end of life as they knew it. Jesus reassured them they should not be alarmed or deceived by what others may say. For there are things that must happen which are under God’s control. They will be wars, rumors of wars and many other disasters, but God’s timing is meant to give everyone an opportunity for salvation.

 

Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke these words on December the 8^, 1941. December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

Wars, earthquakes, and other disastrous events can come into our lives at any time. These events come unexpected out of the blue and often take us by surprise. Often there is no way to prepare and no way to prevent what will happen. Many times lives are lost and families are devastated.

However there is one thing we can be reassured of -- God is in control. People may think why would a benevolent God allow these things to happen? God is not the cause of these problems. God is looking instead at a long term plan to bring people to salvation and grant them an eternal life in heaven. There are many people unaware of this plan, but when disasters strike people often begin to search out for God. When the World Trade Towers were attacked in America it became a time when people united and people turned to God for reassurance and comfort. Yes, God has a plan to show people how they can obtain eternal salvation through His Son Jesus Christ that is ever lasting and can never be taken away.

Let us take a moment today to remember lives which have been lost. Let us also remember we have a sovereign God who loves us and desires for us to live a glorious and wonderful eternal life in heaven.

Our sinful self

Galatians 5:18-21 (NLV)
18 If you let the Holy Spirit lead you, the Law no longer has power over you.  19 The things your sinful old self wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living, 20 worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching, 21 wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things will have no place in the holy nation of God.

The apostle, speaking to the church, starts these verses by saying when the Holy Spirit leads us to do that which Christ commands us to do; there is no law given by God that would prevent us from such acts. For the Holy Spirit leads a person to do what is right and holy. However our own flesh, which is our sinful desire, leads us away from the Holy Spirit and calls us to commit acts contrary to God’s desire. Our Christianity obliges us not only to die unto sin, but to live unto righteousness; not only to oppose the works of the flesh, but to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit too. It should appear to the others that we belong to Christ and not to the world. This is our duty to support our character as Christians.

 

 

From the beginning of man’s sin he has tried to blame God or others around him instead of himself. When you look at the sins of the flesh above you can see how this is almost impossible to do. One might say, “I was angry at my wife so I gave into drinking.”  Well uncontrolled anger is a sin that a person is responsible for. There is nothing wrong with anger as an emotion, but the acts we often commit out of anger are often wrong. For instance this person turned to drinking and yes, uncontrolled drinking is a sin. So the person tried to justify one sin by another sin they committed. Logically you can’t do that.

I have always said the devil doesn’t need to make us sin, most of the time we are pretty good about sinning on our own. Look thought the list of what our sin nature desires and if you are like me you can find a few that apply to yourself.

I want to encourage you along with myself that when we see something we are doing wrong – let’s try to resolve the wrong. If another person confronts us with our wrong, let us listen instead of striking back in anger. Encourage one another to love, to follow God, to do what is right. If you do these things God will bless you and give you more good things to accomplish.

Heavenly Father, I know we all have fallen into the trap of our own sinful desires. I know there are times we have disobeyed you and went our own way. Father we are grateful for the love, grace and mercy you provide; for if we did not have that we surely would have destroyed ourselves. Our Father please let us see the truth and put away the lies that call us to sin. I ask Father for the Holy Spirit to lead each one of us and keep us close to Christ. Help us Father to be examples to those who do not know you. Let us reach out to others in love and avoid the sin of hate, jealousy, arguing and anger. Father be with us in our daily lives, healing, nurturing, and just loving on us.

I pray these things in the name of Jesus,

Amen

Trust in Jesus

Galatians 3:23-29 (NLT
23 Before it was possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by putting our trust in Christ, we were held under the Law. It was as if we were being kept in prison. We were kept this way until Christ came. 24 The Law was used to lead us to Christ. It was our teacher, and so we were made right with God by putting our trust in Christ. 25 Now that our faith is in Christ, we do not need the Law to lead us. 26 You are now children of God because you have put your trust in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who have been baptized to show you belong to Christ have become like Christ. 28 God does not see you as a Jew or as a Greek. He does not see you as a servant or as a person free to work. He does not see you as a man or as a woman. You are all one in Christ. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you have become the true children of Abraham. What God promised to him is now yours.

The law kept people prisoners because they had to keep strict observance of the law under the threat of severe punishment. The law was their teacher, to bring them to Christ so that they might be justified by faith. The Law was used to help people realize they could not take away sin on their own. It required them to place their faith in God in order to obtain mercy and grace. It was said of Abraham that he believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. It was faith in God that made Abraham righteous and it was faith in God that allowed him to carry out God’s will. When Christ came the law still showed us right from wrong, but did not hold us in bondage to it. For we have the choice of trying to accomplish what is right on our own or accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. The law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)  So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the Law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.  That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

 

 

Theologian Alister McGrath outlines the following three stages of receiving what Christ did for us on the cross:

1.       I may believe that God is promising me forgiveness of sins.

2.       I may trust that promise.

3.       Unless I respond to that promise, I shall not obtain forgiveness. The first two stages of faith prepare the way for the third, without it they are incomplete.

As an illustration I can believe antibiotics will cure a bacterial illness. I can trust the doctors who tell me the antibiotics are what I need and will provide a cure for a possible death.  But nothing will change unless I receive the drug. I must allow it to destroy the bacteria which are slowly killing me. Otherwise, I have not benefited from my faith in it.

Benefit in God’s plan of salvation by trusting in Jesus Christ and response to Jesus as He calls you to do His will. Allow Jesus to fend off the sin that attacks you in your daily life.

Secrets

Jeremiah 11:20 (NLT)
20 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you make righteous judgments, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.

There was a plot to kill Jeremiah the prophet. The Lord made it known to Jeremiah. The Lord was on Jeremiah’s side. Yet we see Jeremiah acknowledging the Lord examines the hearts and knows the deepest thought and secrets of man and because of this The Lord can make a righteous judgment.

 

I want to talk about secrets for a moment. The secrets I want to discuss are those we tuck away hoping no one will find out. Psalm 44 says that even while we try to maintain a secret, “God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.” You see, we try to hide something even from God, but when we do we begin to feel the shame in hiding the secret. Another problem with secrets is they often come with lies. For instance a child takes something in secret and when the mother asks the child about what they took - they may say, “No, I didn’t take it.” Then the secret becomes a greater point of shame because now there is a lie attached.

There is a saying I learned long ago, Honesty heals while secrets kill. You may think you are getting away with something you have done, but when it’s exposed you will pay a greater price on the back end than you would have on the front end. Most often when someone goes in and confesses a sinful action they will usually find grace and mercy. They may still have a consequence, but hopefully not as great as if the secret is exposed.

When a sin is held in secret and then revealed trust is broken. Once trust is broken people can’t tell the difference from the truth or a lie and then everything becomes suspect. Remember the little boy who cried wolf? After a while no one can believe you when they keep finding out secrets you hid.

Secrets can destroy individual’s lives because they are not reaching out for help. For instance an addict may try to hide their problem, but eventually the problem becomes too big. If only they had revealed their secret earlier help could have been given and the problem worked on.

Those who hide secrets of shame are often punishing themselves unfairly. There arepeople who understand problems and have even experienced them first hand. Those people are often ready to reach out and help; but they can’t help as long as the secret remains.

You see Satan wants us to hold secrets so we don’t reach out to God, so we don’t reach out to family, and we don’t reach out to friends. Those secrets drive us into isolation and even make us believe we can repeat those habits and keep them a secret. Usually what is done in darkness is eventually revealed in the light.

Let me just finish by saying, even if your secret are never found out – God still knows. God wants you to release the pain of those secrets and become whole again. God wants you free from your burdens.

Father I pray if anyone is holding a secret in their heart that is causing them pain - I pray you give them the strength to share it with someone they trust. Father I pray in revealing their secrets a burden will be lifted from their shoulders. Father I pray mercy and grace would be extended and that those who hear the secret see that the person is reaching out for help. Father grant them the help they need. God bless those who maintain honesty.

I pray this in the name of Jesus,
Amen

Bread of LIfe

John 6:35 (NLT)
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Christ is the bread of life, for he is the fruit of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life promised Adam and Eve eternal life; however God prevented Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life so they could not live an eternal life of sin. Instead God gave us Jesus who provides a sinless, eternal life. To believe in Christ is to come to Christ in faith and receive what has been promised. For those who come to Christ in faith will never be hungry or thirst.  There is such an over-flowing fullness in Christ that can never be exhausted, and there are ever-flowing communications from Him as well that can never be interrupted.

 

Anyone that has played the game of chess knows the most important strategy of the game is to protect the king. The king is the most important piece of the game and to lose the king means forfeiting the kingdom (game). A real life example can be found in history. Sir Winston Churchill wanted to witness “D Day” up close. However, the king felt the Prime Minister’s place was not on the front lines. When Sir Winston Churchill expressed his desire to go the King of England said if it was that important he must attend too. With that Sir Winston Churchill pushed back and did not go to ensure the king would remain safe.

The life of Jesus was just the opposite. The King of Heaven was given up and sacrificed for the welfare of the kingdom. The death of Jesus meant people would find forgiveness for their sin. Jesus freely gave His life that we may life an eternal life free from sin.