2/8/04—New Creation Gifts
I remember hearing about reporters and doctors that go to interview and study athletes a few weeks after the Olympics. Those athletes, especially the ones who had used steroids to boost muscle mass and stamina, often didn’t look anything like they did during the Olympics. During the games, you could see their big biceps and their washboard stomach, but after the Olympics, they would get some much needed rest & time off.
Have you ever seen an Olympian a few weeks after the Olympics? They’d be gone! The arms would be flabby, the stomachs wouldn’t be as strong. Legs would lose their definition. What happened to all those hard muscles? All that hard word would be lost in a matter of weeks. At some point, they’d have to start all over again to be ready for the next competition.
So not only do you have to work hard to build the muscles, you’ve got to work hard just to maintain what you’ve got otherwise it will be lost. If you don’t exercise your muscles, they weaken.
2 Corinthians 5:17-- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” As a New Creation, you have been given gifts and abilities through the Holy Spirit— 1 Corinthians 7:7—“Each man has his own gift from God.” 1 Cor. 12:4-5—“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
In the same way, if you don’t utilize the abilities and skills God has given you, they weaken. You have the potential to lose them. Jesus taught the parable of the talents to emphasize this truth. As a New Creation in Christ,
1. New Creation Gifts In the Kingdom of God—Talents—Matt. 25:14-15
a. The master desires to entrust his assets to his servants. All His servants are entrusted with something that they are responsible for. Given for a purpose—V. 7—Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
b. This Master is not foolish, he knows that everyone is not the same so the Master determines what each servant is capable of doing—“each according to his ability”
c. God doesn’t apply a cookie cutter standard to His children. God designed us and empowers each of us uniquely and for a purpose. He gives us “talents” or gifts to use on His behalf. Every believer in Christ received at least one gift, we are stewards of God’s Kingdom Assets that come when we become New Creations.
d. Romans 12:4-8 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
e. So we have these gifts that God desires to give us for us to use. The question becomes, what do we do with the talents we’re given?
2. New Creation Opportunity— Matt. 25:16-18
a. The man with the 5 talents quickly proved the master’s confidence was warranted. He went “at once and put his money to work and gained 5 more”. So did the servant who got 2 talentss.
b. They saw the opportunity presented them and went after it. They used their talents to further the Master’s assets. And we have the same opportunity, to further our God’s Kingdom, to increase His glory and to add not wealth but something far more valuable to God—People He loves.
c. But sadly, we are often more like the 3rd servant who didn’t take advantage of the opportunity that the Master had given him. Instead, he dug a hole in the ground and hid the talent. IOW’s, he didn’t use the money, the Master’s assets the way the master desired him to.
d. As we’ll find out later, the reason had more to do with the attitude the servant had toward the master than it did of his own ability.
e. The talents the servants were given could either be used, misused or they could lie unused. The muscles these talents represent could either grow stronger or weaken with non-use.
f. How you choose to use your spiritual talent muscles speaks to your spiritual fitness. At this point, which servant most describes you?
g. Are you are a New Creation in Christ, you are endowed with gifts or talents from God that He desires for you to use in His Kingdom and you are using them? Or are you the New Creation Servant, given gifts and talents from God that refuses to use their gifts? If you’re not using your talents, the Body of Christ is suffering with that loss.
h. You are essentially burying yourself in the dirt. You’ve dug a hole and climbed down in it waiting for the world to pass you by.
i. We all marveled at seeing Sadaam Hussein, once a powerful dictator, cowering in a hole in the desert. But that reality is insignificant compared to the Servants of God making themselves unavailable for God to use. Here we have the power of God at our disposal and we live as if we have nothing at all.
j. Are your spiritual muscles going unused? Are your gifts and talents getting stronger or are they weakening? It’s important to answer those questions because…
k. There are some expectations with the talents and gifts we are given. There is Accountability that God will hold us to.
3. New Creation Expectations & Accountability—Matt. 25:19
a. Two things we can be sure of, the Master’s Return and the settling of our accounts. At some point, either in the Second Coming of Christ or in our own death, God will come to us to reckon the investment He has made in our lives. Believers will have to account for the gifts and talents the Spirit has given us.
b. People spend millions of dollars on home fitness machines in order to stay in shape, and a significant percentage of those machines are used for a little while and then they gather dust. The promise of improving health goes unattained, not because of the failure of the machine, but the failure of the person to effectively use what they have.
c. But how do we attempt to stay spiritually strong? Our spiritual muscles are suffering from not being used; we’ve become spiritually lazy and flabby. Because of that we’ll have to go into stricter training.
d. God desires us to go into training so our faith will be refined because at some point, God will examine us to determine if we are of any use to Him in growing His Kingdom, to determine whether we are using His talents responsibly.
e. 1 Cor. 3:10-14—“1CO 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
f. 1 Peter 3:6-7—“6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
g. God will assess how well we have used the talents, even the Faith He has given us. And He does so, not b/c He wants to see us fail, but b/c He wants to see us succeed and grow stronger in our faith. Jesus wants to see our spiritual muscles strong and in shape. And depending on how we have used our talents, on how we have been faithful with His generosity, will determine whether we experience His blessing or the realization of just what we have been missing out on. Our salvation is not lost, but the greater joy in our salvation is lessened and we understand the true nature of our loss.
4. New Creation Blessing—Matt. 25:20-30
a. The first servant took his 5 talents and earned 5 more. The second servant with 2 talents earned 2 more. They took the talents they had been given and used them responsibly. They understood their responsibility to the Master when they said, “you ‘entrusted’ me”
b. And how does the Master respond to them? He says, “well done, good and faithful servant.” The Master is able to see the heart of his servant by how faithful he was with the talents given to him.
c. God can see our hearts by how faithfully we serve Him with whatever ability we have. It tells Him of our love for Him, our service tells Him of our devotion to Him.
d. God rewarded the 2 Faithful servants. He said, “you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
e. Our faithful service to God will have a benefit in eternity. We will have the praise of our Savior, we will be given a greater responsibility in His kingdom and we will be invited to fully share in the Master’s Happiness. His Presence will be ours, His joy will fill our hearts.
5. New Creation Loss—v. 24-25
a. But the heart of the 3rd servant was different. And it started with the view he had of his Master. READ 24-25
b. This servant was more afraid of the master, he resented the master for exploiting and benefiting from the work of others.
c. He didn’t want to try hard with his talent b/c he didn’t think he would see much if any profit or benefit from it. And he was afraid of losing the talent and bringing on the “hard” wrath of his master.
d. This servant had no idea who his Master was, this servant had love for His master.
e. He didn’t realize that when the master benefits, when the master’s kingdom grows, the servant will benefit, that the master desires to bless and reward. His heart was revealed to his master.
f. How is your heart revealed to God? Do you fear Him as a hard demanding God or do you love Him and know Him as a God who rejoices in faithfulness and desires to bless?
g. Do you believe God is a hard master, taking advantage of His people? Are you more afraid of failing Him than of benefiting Him? If that is your attitude, you will suffer loss from it. You will miss out on many things that God desires for your life. God wants you to serve and use whatever talents you have. You don’t have to fear God when all you desire to be is faithful.
h. Now we get to see the reaction of the Master. Vs. 26-30. The master recognizes the heart of the servant and sees through his excuses for not using his talent. The Master sees the blame that the servant was trying to pass off onto the master. “It’s really your fault. If you weren’t so hard and demanding, I could have used this talent.”
i. The Master wasn’t confirming that he took advantage of his workers. When he said, “so you knew, that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?” that is, I believe a sarcastic statement.
j. “you knew, you decided, you’ve got it in your head that I’m a hard master?”
k. This is a prejudice, a pre-judgment of the character of the Master so the servant could excuse his behavior. I’ve done that before, so have several people in Scripture, haven’t you? Have you ever given excuses like this one:
“I’m not going to share my testimony of God changing my life because all these people will think worse of me, and besides, I’m not good at speaking in front of people.”
OR “There’s too many good singers in here for me to try to sing a solo.”
OR “There’s people smarter than me that can teach the Bible. I’d hate to say something wrong and have to be corrected, so I’m not going to teach at all.”
OR “well, I’m not going to talk to that person about Jesus b/c I know he doesn’t like me, I don’t really like him and he’s probably not going say ‘yes’ to God anyway”
l. God sees through all the best excuses we can give for not using the talents we’ve been given. He saw through all of mine when I was running from being a pastor.
m. The danger we face is that if we don’t use the gift God has given us to benefit the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God, we could very well lose that gift and it will be given to someone who will make use of it. READ v. 28. God intends for the Body of Christ to be built up. And if we are not fulfilling the part we are supposed to fill, the body suffers, but eventually, God will raise up someone else to fill that need.
n. We can lose the talent and gift we have been given if we do not put it to use. Remember that passage earlier.
o. 1 Cor 3:12-15—“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
p. Our work and accomplishments in life will be examined and only that which grows the Kingdom of God will survive. There will be many things, many of our favorite things, many things that we spend our time in, things that we consider great accomplishments that will not survive this process. They will be burned up, we will suffer loss. Most importantly, we will miss out on the blessings of our master, we will miss out on the joy of our Master.
q. I want you to know that Jesus is not telling this parable b/c He wants to see us fail, b/c He wants to take the gifts and talents away from us. He tells this parable for one main reason. To spur us to action and readiness!
r. He wants us to take seriously our responsibility to use the gifts and talents we’ve been given to further the work of the Kingdom of God and Strengthen the Body of Christ. We must use the gifts we have just like we must use our muscles. If we don’t use them, we become flabby and weak.
s. God wants you to be strong. He wants to say “well done, good and faithful servant… come and share your master’s happiness.” That is what your gifts are for, not for ourselves, but for Him.
t. What is your heart?
u. Everyone here in this room that has received Jesus has a gift, has a talent that our Master has given you.
v. Your gift is for the common good—to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.
w. God Expects you to Use Your Gift to Serve Him and others.
x. You are Responsible for How you Use Your gift. God will Hold You accountable—in blessing or discipline.
y. How you use your gift is a measure of your maturity in Christ
z. God Desires to See You Faithfully and Successfully Use Your Gift.
aa. Are you using your gift, are you a strong, mature believer or a flabby Christian? How you answer that question says a lot about your love for Him. If you love Him, then Respond to Him when He speaks to you
bb. Maybe you look at your life and you realize that you’re not using the gifts and talents to further His kingdom. Let me say that one of our responsibilities at UBC is to encourage you and to provide you with opportunities to serve God. Respond to Him and commit to living for Him
cc. Maybe you look at your life and you are using your gifts—Respond to Him with Thanksgiving for using you at all.
dd. Maybe you look at your life and you don’t know how God wants to use you or what your gifts are—then respond to Him and we’ll be a part of the faith journey to discover it.
ee. Maybe you look at your life and you realize that you have no gift b/c you are not a New Creation—you’ve never asked Christ into your life.
The Pursuit Life
Monday, October 09, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Personal Testimony--Pt. 2
I referenced in my sermon “Mixed Signals” and in my testimony about some demonic experiences I’ve had. Some may read this and dismiss the possibility out of hand, but please only come to that decision after reading. This is definitely not something that is current or happens often (or really since).
I don’t remember the date the first time it happened, but it was within my first 2 years at the University of Texas. I was walking around campus, probably late for a class, when I heard a voice over my shoulder speak my name. It was one of those raspy voices that sounds like someone playing a trick on you. It was right in my ear and I quickly spun around to see who it was. There was nobody there. But the experience was not positive or reassuring, it was creepy and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end in warning.
I didn’t know what to do, I just knew I had to get to class and so I kept walking. I don’t remember if it happened again in that trip, but it wasn’t the last time. One time—sure, I could dismiss it and not think twice about it, but it began to happen more and more. It got to be a regular thing—at least once a week, sometimes more. Hearing voices was not a normal thing so I began to question my sanity—was I hallucinating, or some other more serious problem. At the time, I never told anyone about it.
I kept coming back, however, to the reaction I kept having—one of warning. This was not right, you’re in danger. Having read Peretti’s, “This Present Darkness”, I entertained the possibility that this was a spiritual battle in some form. I had never experienced this for myself, so I didn’t know. What I did do was begin praying for protection the moment I heard the voice say my name. That action seemed to make the situation pass quickly.
You could argue it was therapeutic, but it got to the point that my reaction of prayer was almost automatic. I didn’t miss a step from hearing the voice and prayer. I didn’t respond with the fear that I always had, but with the assurance of God’s protection. I got to the point that I was able to ignore it. Over the next couple of years, the voice occurred with less and less frequency. From the height of once a week, to once or twice a month, to once a month, to once every couple of months. It never really stopped entirely and it was only while I was on campus.
The question of my mental sanity was still an issue, especially considering I was now a psychology major. But something happened to change all of that. I cannot now remember who I was sitting with at the time, but one day, I was having lunch with some acquaintances at the Student Union just outside the Wendy’s franchise. There was one guy on my left, and two on the other side of the table.
We were enjoying a good lunch with good conversation when all of a sudden, I heard the voice in my left ear. I ignored it, kicked into prayer and kept on dipping my French Fry in ketchup and talking with my friends. I didn’t move, flinch or anything—but the guy next to me did.
He turned around to look. Naturally, he didn’t see anyone, so he said (as normal college student would) “what the #$%@%**&@$ was that???” That stopped me, I did flinch at that. “What are you talking about?”
“Some voice just said your name and there’s nobody there!”
I was stunned, shocked, but there was also a sense of reassurance of my mental stability. He heard it. I had never told him or anyone else, but he heard it, heard it clearly to know exactly what it said and what it sounded like.
That changed the conversation that day and I was able to tell them what had been going on—share the reality of a spiritual battle, the power and protection of Christ and so forth. I don’t know if anything came from it in their lives. I’m not sure if the two across the table ever bought it or if they thought we were pulling their leg, but it happened.
I know the demonic is real from experience. It helps me approach the month of October and Halloween celebrations with a little more caution and understanding of the spiritual battles that will be going on.
Also realize that as much as I know that the demonic is real and something to be taken seriously, I have a much greater experience and knowledge that God Himself is real—He has made a much greater and daily impact on my life in ways that makes Satan’s voice a parlor trick. In many ways, the experience helped teach me the importance of truth, good doctrine and the necessity of distinguishing the voice of my Shepherd from the voice of my enemy.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them here. I’ll do my best to respond to each one.
Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,
Kelly Reed
I don’t remember the date the first time it happened, but it was within my first 2 years at the University of Texas. I was walking around campus, probably late for a class, when I heard a voice over my shoulder speak my name. It was one of those raspy voices that sounds like someone playing a trick on you. It was right in my ear and I quickly spun around to see who it was. There was nobody there. But the experience was not positive or reassuring, it was creepy and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end in warning.
I didn’t know what to do, I just knew I had to get to class and so I kept walking. I don’t remember if it happened again in that trip, but it wasn’t the last time. One time—sure, I could dismiss it and not think twice about it, but it began to happen more and more. It got to be a regular thing—at least once a week, sometimes more. Hearing voices was not a normal thing so I began to question my sanity—was I hallucinating, or some other more serious problem. At the time, I never told anyone about it.
I kept coming back, however, to the reaction I kept having—one of warning. This was not right, you’re in danger. Having read Peretti’s, “This Present Darkness”, I entertained the possibility that this was a spiritual battle in some form. I had never experienced this for myself, so I didn’t know. What I did do was begin praying for protection the moment I heard the voice say my name. That action seemed to make the situation pass quickly.
You could argue it was therapeutic, but it got to the point that my reaction of prayer was almost automatic. I didn’t miss a step from hearing the voice and prayer. I didn’t respond with the fear that I always had, but with the assurance of God’s protection. I got to the point that I was able to ignore it. Over the next couple of years, the voice occurred with less and less frequency. From the height of once a week, to once or twice a month, to once a month, to once every couple of months. It never really stopped entirely and it was only while I was on campus.
The question of my mental sanity was still an issue, especially considering I was now a psychology major. But something happened to change all of that. I cannot now remember who I was sitting with at the time, but one day, I was having lunch with some acquaintances at the Student Union just outside the Wendy’s franchise. There was one guy on my left, and two on the other side of the table.
We were enjoying a good lunch with good conversation when all of a sudden, I heard the voice in my left ear. I ignored it, kicked into prayer and kept on dipping my French Fry in ketchup and talking with my friends. I didn’t move, flinch or anything—but the guy next to me did.
He turned around to look. Naturally, he didn’t see anyone, so he said (as normal college student would) “what the #$%@%**&@$ was that???” That stopped me, I did flinch at that. “What are you talking about?”
“Some voice just said your name and there’s nobody there!”
I was stunned, shocked, but there was also a sense of reassurance of my mental stability. He heard it. I had never told him or anyone else, but he heard it, heard it clearly to know exactly what it said and what it sounded like.
That changed the conversation that day and I was able to tell them what had been going on—share the reality of a spiritual battle, the power and protection of Christ and so forth. I don’t know if anything came from it in their lives. I’m not sure if the two across the table ever bought it or if they thought we were pulling their leg, but it happened.
I know the demonic is real from experience. It helps me approach the month of October and Halloween celebrations with a little more caution and understanding of the spiritual battles that will be going on.
Also realize that as much as I know that the demonic is real and something to be taken seriously, I have a much greater experience and knowledge that God Himself is real—He has made a much greater and daily impact on my life in ways that makes Satan’s voice a parlor trick. In many ways, the experience helped teach me the importance of truth, good doctrine and the necessity of distinguishing the voice of my Shepherd from the voice of my enemy.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them here. I’ll do my best to respond to each one.
Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,
Kelly Reed
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Personal Testimony--Pt. 1
Now that I’ve been into the blogging world for a while, I thought I should share a bit of my journey of faith. It might help make some of my ramblings make more sense.
My family had attended Baptist churches for most of my childhood. However, I did not go forward until after we had become members of a Presbyterian church in Denton, TX. I believe I became a Christian about the age of 11 while we were at this church. When my family moved to southern California, I was biblically baptized by immersion at the Baptist church we joined there (ironically one we had attended some years before). Unfortunately, my memory of these events is clouded and I do not remember them very well largely due to a lack of maturity on my part and discipleship/follow-up from the churches. This is one of the side effects of baptizing young kids because they may not remember or they may in turn take for granted the significance of what brought them to that decision.
Over the course of the next 6-7 years, church involvement was primarily a social activity for me (friends and cute girls), thus my faith did not grow the way it could have. I know I had some good teachers, but I didn’t’ take advantage of it. So after my family moved back to southern California, I was exposed to a huge display of false and cultic religious systems. Even though I was regularly attending church, I became curious in these other belief systems. What is so amazing about God is that even though I was not fully committed to Him, on numerous occasions, God steered me away from actually becoming involved with or finding much information about these falsehoods.
Only after my family moved to Austin, TX for my Junior year of high school, was I ever directly exposed to false teaching. As part of a Christmas gift exchange in the marching band, I was given the book One, by Richard Bach, a major proponent of Transcendental Meditation. By reading this book I was directly exposed to TM and other New Age formulas, which at the time, due to the immaturity of my faith, I considered very appealing. Once again, however, God proved His faithfulness to my by not allowing me to expose myself to much other material. I did some reading, but it never went much further than that. If we would have had the internet back then, who knows where I would have ended up.
Then on my 18th birthday, just a few months before graduating high school, my best friend, Kevin Scheible, gave me a copy of Frank Peretti’s book, This Present Darkness, which I read in about 3 days. I quickly located the sequel Piercing the Darkness and finished it. These books followed human characters as well as the unseen spiritual conflict with angelic and demonic characters. These books seriously confronted me about what was going to be my source of authority in my life, especially when it comes to accurate information about the nature of reality, existence, and God. What did it was that some of the deceptive practices of the demonic characters were practically word for word with some of the “wisdom” of the “ascended masters” from One that I had found so attractive. I was forced to determine what my source of authority was going to be. I chose the Bible, the Word of God, and my faith has not been the same since. I'll even share in another post the demonic experiences I had while on campus at the University of Texas.
I believe it is important to say at this point that in the years since my faith became alive and real to me, I have struggled with questions surrounding my salvation experience. I do not remember the initial decisive event very well, to which I have questioned, was I really “saved” at that point or the days after my 18th birthday? I no longer have those doubts. I believe I was saved at 11 for two major reasons. First, I can look back during those years and see the numerous protective acts of God’s faithfulness. Though I wandered, He was faithful and never let me wander very far. His protection went beyond the religious exploration. On several occasions, I was one action, one decision away from dangerous sexual or drug related activities which God steered me away from. Though at the time I might not have recognized, nor even appreciated His work, I do now. Secondly, I believe salvation is by the Grace of God and not by works. If I adhere to the belief that there is no formulaic prayer to receive salvation, nor any other thing that I can do to merit my salvation, then neither does it depend upon my explicit memory of the event. What I do know, is the continuing life and fruit of His presence in my life. If I were to suggest that I was not saved at 11, then I would essentially be saying that I had done something wrong in my part of salvation. Yet that would make the “decision” a work, and not an act of receiving God’s unmerited favor. I am unwilling to believe my actions, nor memory, contributes to God’s saving and sanctifying work in my life, which continues to this day.
The decision to make the Bible my source of authority, just before I entered college, prepared me for what I would find there. I rarely had a class at the University of Texas, that didn’t challenge or even ridicule my faith in Christ—often by undermining the Bible. I had 3 basic options, which most students take today when faced with such challenges. I could:
1. Abandon my faith thinking, “My parents are stupid for ever believing this stuff or taking me to church”
2. Ignore the problem, Plug my ears and deny that there is any criticism at all
3. Study and Research and find that Christians have intelligent and reasonable responses to those criticisms
I chose option 3 and was greatly helped by the Probe Center in Austin (www.probecenter.org a part of Probe Ministries— www.probe.org ) a Christian resource library just off campus. My faith was strengthened rather than weakened because I was forced to think about my beliefs for the first time, rather than just accepting what I was taught without question. It was during this time of growth that I heard the call into the ministry. My college experience was my greatest time of personal growth and walk in the faith. Of course, I failed on many levels as well. Since I was supposed to be taking everything seriously now, I wasn’t always rescued from my poor decisions. God desired me to grow into making the right decisions for myself.
Pt. II will focus on experiences while at the University of Texas that confirmed for me the reality of the demonic and provide a better understanding of why i believe the previous sermon was necessary.
Part III will be life in Seminary and coming to terms with God’s call—meeting my wife and eventually becoming a pastor.
My family had attended Baptist churches for most of my childhood. However, I did not go forward until after we had become members of a Presbyterian church in Denton, TX. I believe I became a Christian about the age of 11 while we were at this church. When my family moved to southern California, I was biblically baptized by immersion at the Baptist church we joined there (ironically one we had attended some years before). Unfortunately, my memory of these events is clouded and I do not remember them very well largely due to a lack of maturity on my part and discipleship/follow-up from the churches. This is one of the side effects of baptizing young kids because they may not remember or they may in turn take for granted the significance of what brought them to that decision.
Over the course of the next 6-7 years, church involvement was primarily a social activity for me (friends and cute girls), thus my faith did not grow the way it could have. I know I had some good teachers, but I didn’t’ take advantage of it. So after my family moved back to southern California, I was exposed to a huge display of false and cultic religious systems. Even though I was regularly attending church, I became curious in these other belief systems. What is so amazing about God is that even though I was not fully committed to Him, on numerous occasions, God steered me away from actually becoming involved with or finding much information about these falsehoods.
Only after my family moved to Austin, TX for my Junior year of high school, was I ever directly exposed to false teaching. As part of a Christmas gift exchange in the marching band, I was given the book One, by Richard Bach, a major proponent of Transcendental Meditation. By reading this book I was directly exposed to TM and other New Age formulas, which at the time, due to the immaturity of my faith, I considered very appealing. Once again, however, God proved His faithfulness to my by not allowing me to expose myself to much other material. I did some reading, but it never went much further than that. If we would have had the internet back then, who knows where I would have ended up.
Then on my 18th birthday, just a few months before graduating high school, my best friend, Kevin Scheible, gave me a copy of Frank Peretti’s book, This Present Darkness, which I read in about 3 days. I quickly located the sequel Piercing the Darkness and finished it. These books followed human characters as well as the unseen spiritual conflict with angelic and demonic characters. These books seriously confronted me about what was going to be my source of authority in my life, especially when it comes to accurate information about the nature of reality, existence, and God. What did it was that some of the deceptive practices of the demonic characters were practically word for word with some of the “wisdom” of the “ascended masters” from One that I had found so attractive. I was forced to determine what my source of authority was going to be. I chose the Bible, the Word of God, and my faith has not been the same since. I'll even share in another post the demonic experiences I had while on campus at the University of Texas.
I believe it is important to say at this point that in the years since my faith became alive and real to me, I have struggled with questions surrounding my salvation experience. I do not remember the initial decisive event very well, to which I have questioned, was I really “saved” at that point or the days after my 18th birthday? I no longer have those doubts. I believe I was saved at 11 for two major reasons. First, I can look back during those years and see the numerous protective acts of God’s faithfulness. Though I wandered, He was faithful and never let me wander very far. His protection went beyond the religious exploration. On several occasions, I was one action, one decision away from dangerous sexual or drug related activities which God steered me away from. Though at the time I might not have recognized, nor even appreciated His work, I do now. Secondly, I believe salvation is by the Grace of God and not by works. If I adhere to the belief that there is no formulaic prayer to receive salvation, nor any other thing that I can do to merit my salvation, then neither does it depend upon my explicit memory of the event. What I do know, is the continuing life and fruit of His presence in my life. If I were to suggest that I was not saved at 11, then I would essentially be saying that I had done something wrong in my part of salvation. Yet that would make the “decision” a work, and not an act of receiving God’s unmerited favor. I am unwilling to believe my actions, nor memory, contributes to God’s saving and sanctifying work in my life, which continues to this day.
The decision to make the Bible my source of authority, just before I entered college, prepared me for what I would find there. I rarely had a class at the University of Texas, that didn’t challenge or even ridicule my faith in Christ—often by undermining the Bible. I had 3 basic options, which most students take today when faced with such challenges. I could:
1. Abandon my faith thinking, “My parents are stupid for ever believing this stuff or taking me to church”
2. Ignore the problem, Plug my ears and deny that there is any criticism at all
3. Study and Research and find that Christians have intelligent and reasonable responses to those criticisms
I chose option 3 and was greatly helped by the Probe Center in Austin (www.probecenter.org a part of Probe Ministries— www.probe.org ) a Christian resource library just off campus. My faith was strengthened rather than weakened because I was forced to think about my beliefs for the first time, rather than just accepting what I was taught without question. It was during this time of growth that I heard the call into the ministry. My college experience was my greatest time of personal growth and walk in the faith. Of course, I failed on many levels as well. Since I was supposed to be taking everything seriously now, I wasn’t always rescued from my poor decisions. God desired me to grow into making the right decisions for myself.
Pt. II will focus on experiences while at the University of Texas that confirmed for me the reality of the demonic and provide a better understanding of why i believe the previous sermon was necessary.
Part III will be life in Seminary and coming to terms with God’s call—meeting my wife and eventually becoming a pastor.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Sermon--10/1/06--Mixed Signals
Mixed Signals
I am going to make a few proposals to change some of the famous public service ad campaigns you’ve seen in the last decades and I want to ask how many of you think these sound like good ideas? What kind of message do you think they send?
Noting a shift in the youth mindset and America’s value systems, many of the old government, public service announcements have been retooled. Gone are the outdated “Just Say No”, “Don’t Drink & Drive”, “Don’t Play with Matches” campaigns. Maybe you’ve seen some of the new ones.
Smokey the Bear—longtime spokesman for the National Park Service has come out with a new commercial series concerning playing with fire—“Only You can prevent forest fires, but if you really want to start a fire or play with matches—be sure and only start small fires at home.”
On a similar note—the Illinois Department of Transportation is coming out with a new ad campaign, getting rid of the “Designated Driver” idea, instead, they could offer special training classes for the frequent drinker. The new slogan is—“Protect the Streets—Drink and Drive successfully by Practicing Often.”
“Just Say NO” and other warnings against gateway drugs like alcohol and marijuana have been replaced. Local elementary, middle and high schools can offer after school training and free samples to students so they can find out which drugs they prefer and how to take them correctly. After all, they’re going to do it anyway. “Just say ‘Once’”.
What kind of message do these ads send?
Mixed Signals. Mixed Signals are things that are confusing to our kids. We parents say one thing, then at some point, contradict ourselves and the kids cannot be sure which one they should follow, which one they should believe.
Is it wise for us to say 364 days of the year that something is bad, something is to be avoided, something is dangerous, and 1 day of the year, give them permission to participate in what we’ve been saying is bad all the other days. Last year America spent about 3.3 Billion Dollars on Halloween related things.
This is a month in which many believers will send mixed signals to their kids, their neighbors and friends. Some of it won’t be by design or decision, but by the decision of others. Some may be because you may not have noticed or given it a second thought in some time.
Let me ask you, how many of you, your friends, or your kids have seen more about death, about witchcraft, about evil and murderous and demonic forces lately? If you haven’t yet, drive by the front of Wal-Mart, watch TV this month, ask the video store what type of videos are most rented this month.
I am concerned how we adults and parents tend to tolerate, even send mixed messages about death, the occult, witchcraft or the demonic. Messages that are inconsistent with our faith the remaining part of the year. Adults and Parents seem to be leading the mixed signals.
National Retail Federation
2005 Top Kids' Costumes
# of Children
1. Princess 11.8% 3,778,217
2. Witch 5.2% 1,664,215
3. Spiderman 4.5% 1,439,321
4. Monster 4.1% 1,304,385
5. Darth Vader 3.9% 1,259,406
6. Superhero 3.9% 1,259,406
7. Star Wars Character 2.5% 809,618
8. Batman 2.4% 764,639
9. Ninja 2.3% 719,660
10. Clown 2.3% 719,660
11. Pirate 2.1% 674,682
12. Angel 2.0% 629,703
13. Pumpkin 2.0% 629,703
14. Power Rangers 1.8% 584,724
15. Cinderella 1.7% 539,745
16. Vampire 1.5% 494,767
17. Cheerleader 1.5% 494,767
18. Cat 1.5% 494,767
19. Ghost/Ghoul 1.4% 449,788
20. Soldier/Sailor 1.4% 449,788
2005 Top Adults' Costumes
# of Adults
1. Witch 16.4% 3,923,124
2. Vampire 6.0% 1,448,538
3. Actor/Famous Person 3.3% 784,625
4. Monster 3.0% 724,269
5. Pirate 2.4% 573,380
6. Angel 2.3% 543,202
7. Clown 2.3% 543,202
8. Ghost/Ghoul 2.1% 513,024
9. Zombie 2.1% 513,024
10. Renaissance Costume 2.0% 482,846
11. Princess 1.9% 452,668
12. Devil 1.8% 422,490
13. Grim Reaper 1.5% 362,135
14. Soldier/Sailor 1.4% 331,957
15. Superhero 1.4% 331,957
16. Nurse 1.4% 331,957
17. Gypsy 1.4% 331,957
18. Pumpkin 1.3% 301,779
19. Pimp 1.1% 271,601
20. Wizard 1.0% 241,423
Apparently, the older you get, the darker your costumes. It’s hard to say how these mixed signals are contributing to the spiritual climate in our country. But let me share this with you.
According to Information collected from 1990 to 2001, The fastest growing religion (in terms of percentage) is Wicca -- a Neopagan religion that is sometimes referred to as Witchcraft. Their numbers of adherents are doubling about every 30 months.
14.1% do not follow any organized religion. This is an unusually rapid increase -- almost a doubling -- from only 8% in 1990.
These beliefs, once largely ignored or dismissed in America are increasing in our population and becoming more and more accepted & real to the point that now the military is required to have wiccan chaplains and burial rites.
When the Israelites began entering the Promised Land, they were given several warnings regarding the religious practices of the surrounding peoples and how they were not to be like them. For them such beliefs were a reality, a competing belief system that was a lure to be unfaithful to God.
Deuteronomy 18:10-14—“10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells [notice good/bad, white/black isn’t mentioned], or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
Isaiah 8:19-20—“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
I believe God knew what He was talking about when he called His people to stay away from those things because they are dangerous to us spiritually. The other nations practiced these things so they could gain control over or knowledge of the future, they would worship the created thing, rather than the Creator—ultimately these beliefs and practices keep people from an authentic faith in God based on worship in spirit and truth—so these are deceptions intended to prevent us from truly knowing God—so they function as lies and are demonic in their origin.
While many of us dismiss the occult or demonic, I know there are those in this room who can say otherwise, myself included. . I hope you believe the Bible when it talks about the dangers of the demonic and the occult. I hope you believe that Jesus had very real confrontations with the demonic, as did Peter, Paul, the other Apostles and the church—and you don’t write those accounts off as psychological conditions or some other medical phenomenon.
I hope you are not telling your kids that the occult is wrong, it’s dangerous, and totally opposed to God while at the same time saying, “we’re going to let you dabble with it for a little while, just once a year. We’re going to buy dark, occultic decorations for our house, we’re going to encourage playing with witchcraft by putting the black pot in the lawn, we’re going to trivialize death and the demonic with cute cartoon figures and costumes that desensitize you to the real thing.”
That’s like saying:
Playing with matches is bad and dangerous, but let me show you the right way to strike them, let me give you a few things to burn.
You shouldn’t drink kids, but let me buy you a six pack and let you drink it at home.
Hey Kids, there is a spiritual evil out there trying to corrupt your soul and keep you from God, you must Resist the devil—but let me buy you a 10 horned demon mask, a witch or serial killer costume.
John tells us that he wrote the book of 1 John to warn us “about those who are trying to lead you astray”—1 John 2:26. John warns us in 4:1 to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God”.
It is my conviction that many Bible believing Christians have stopped “testing the spirits” when it comes to how we participate in Halloween. I’m not saying that that a real Christian will not participate in Halloween. I’m afraid that we no longer care whether what we do, or whether how we celebrate is “from God” or not, that we no longer consider the spiritual impact of HOW we participate. The demonic packaged up as “harmless fun” is still demonic and makes it more dangerous.
2 Corinthians 11:14 warns us that, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”. In other words—he puts on a costume trying to convince everyone he is a cute, harmless, misunderstood guy. He wears a costume to hide who he really is and hopes that you’ll invite him in for a visit.
1. Playing with the Occult is Dangerous—Saul in 1 Samuel 28:4- was so afraid of the Philistines, that after trying to ask God what to do about it and getting nothing—more likely b/c his heart wasn’t faithful and his attempts were more insulting to God than inspiring.
He then sought out a “medium” (the title of a recent TV series, BTW) to consult the dead prophet Samuel. He wore a costume to do it— vs. 8 lets us know that he wore a disguise to meet with this woman. And while most biblical scholars disagree on exactly what happened when the spirit of Samuel appeared, was it really him, was it a delusion or a demonic deception, they all agree that something happened. Saul had to take her word for it because he apparently could not see the vision for himself—vs. 14.
Saul is playing with fire—he is doing something God commanded not to do, something he knows is wrong & tried to get rid of at one point by expelling the mediums earlier in his career.
He is dabbling, thinking he is exempt, thinking that it won’t hurt him, thinking that it’s not really a big deal, but he’s about to find out it is a big deal that there are consequences.
2. Playing with the Occult has Consequences—
1 Chron. 10:13-14—“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
a. Even non-Christians are beginning to recognize Halloween related consequences for children.
b. A study conducted of six- and seven-year-olds by Penn State psychologist Cindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying the holiday can be for young kids.
c. “Halloween is a holiday when adults assist children in behaviors taboo and out of bounds," Clark writes in the anthropological journal Ethos. "It is striking that on Halloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very children whom adults routinely protect."
3. Dabbling In The Occult is not Compatible
a. Acts 19:13-16—The demonic is real and dangerous. You and I must not dismiss it because there is a very real spiritual battle going on; a real demonic power. While most of what we see in America today, like the astrology, the wicca, the psychic hotlines, is fake—it is not always fake. And the Believer should know better than to try and live in both worlds.
b. Acts 19:17-20—Believers Got rid of their old way of life. Some of them had practiced sorcery in their previous way of life—but Jesus changed all of that. They may not have felt convicted to get rid of it in their lives, but they eventually saw the need, no matter how valuable the items were. Sorcery, witchcraft, the occult, idolizing death are not compatible in the lives of those who love God.
Whether you celebrate & participate in Halloween activities is a decision between you and God. I want you to hear me clearly-- the way the world celebrates Halloween is not compatible with your faith.
I’m not questioning your salvation if you have a pumpkin at your house or if you give out candy.
What I do want you to do is question how & why you participate—don’t decide as a parent today, based on the pleasant memories you had as a child. Examine everything by your faith.
1. Test the Spirits to see whether they are from God.
a. Test the things your kids are exposed to—sadly, Halloween is more than just one day—many kids are looking forward to it all month just like they do Christmas—it’s hard to walk into Wal-Mart with all the decorations all over the stores, TV shows more horror movies, cute cartoonish characters try to convince your kids that witchcraft, magic, monsters and death is all harmless fun—they talk as if God sees a difference between a bad witch and a good witch, between black magic and white magic—and there is none.
b. Test the costumes they want to wear—kids, let your faith guide your decision. Adults, make the decision whether something is appropriate for your kids—offer alternatives because it’s not too late
c. Test the decorations of your house—kids open your eyes to what you see at home and ask what message it sends to your friends of your fatih. Parents, re-examine your plans—make your home a place of light and hope that does not glorify dabbling in darkness.
d. Test the decorations of houses as you walk around—don’t go to those houses that glorify the occult
e. Remember that Kids can’t always distinguish between the Real and Unreal. They don’t think like adults logically, emotionally—as the study I mentioned found—the scary, death, occult themes affect them more than we realize. Make a commitment to Protect them and not Confuse them or send conflicting messages
f. Reclaim the day—don’t let this day be controlled by the dead in your house. Try to promote life by handing out tracts with your candy, by carving Christian images in your pumpkins, by inviting all you know and recognize to church, and by reminding your house and your guests that Oct. 31st is the day Martin Luther hammered his 95 Theses on the door of the Cathedral back in 1517 that started the Reformation. On Oct. 31st, he began a revolution of faith that we are living in today.
g. Embrace Philippians 4:8—“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”
I am going to make a few proposals to change some of the famous public service ad campaigns you’ve seen in the last decades and I want to ask how many of you think these sound like good ideas? What kind of message do you think they send?
Noting a shift in the youth mindset and America’s value systems, many of the old government, public service announcements have been retooled. Gone are the outdated “Just Say No”, “Don’t Drink & Drive”, “Don’t Play with Matches” campaigns. Maybe you’ve seen some of the new ones.
Smokey the Bear—longtime spokesman for the National Park Service has come out with a new commercial series concerning playing with fire—“Only You can prevent forest fires, but if you really want to start a fire or play with matches—be sure and only start small fires at home.”
On a similar note—the Illinois Department of Transportation is coming out with a new ad campaign, getting rid of the “Designated Driver” idea, instead, they could offer special training classes for the frequent drinker. The new slogan is—“Protect the Streets—Drink and Drive successfully by Practicing Often.”
“Just Say NO” and other warnings against gateway drugs like alcohol and marijuana have been replaced. Local elementary, middle and high schools can offer after school training and free samples to students so they can find out which drugs they prefer and how to take them correctly. After all, they’re going to do it anyway. “Just say ‘Once’”.
What kind of message do these ads send?
Mixed Signals. Mixed Signals are things that are confusing to our kids. We parents say one thing, then at some point, contradict ourselves and the kids cannot be sure which one they should follow, which one they should believe.
Is it wise for us to say 364 days of the year that something is bad, something is to be avoided, something is dangerous, and 1 day of the year, give them permission to participate in what we’ve been saying is bad all the other days. Last year America spent about 3.3 Billion Dollars on Halloween related things.
This is a month in which many believers will send mixed signals to their kids, their neighbors and friends. Some of it won’t be by design or decision, but by the decision of others. Some may be because you may not have noticed or given it a second thought in some time.
Let me ask you, how many of you, your friends, or your kids have seen more about death, about witchcraft, about evil and murderous and demonic forces lately? If you haven’t yet, drive by the front of Wal-Mart, watch TV this month, ask the video store what type of videos are most rented this month.
I am concerned how we adults and parents tend to tolerate, even send mixed messages about death, the occult, witchcraft or the demonic. Messages that are inconsistent with our faith the remaining part of the year. Adults and Parents seem to be leading the mixed signals.
National Retail Federation
2005 Top Kids' Costumes
# of Children
1. Princess 11.8% 3,778,217
2. Witch 5.2% 1,664,215
3. Spiderman 4.5% 1,439,321
4. Monster 4.1% 1,304,385
5. Darth Vader 3.9% 1,259,406
6. Superhero 3.9% 1,259,406
7. Star Wars Character 2.5% 809,618
8. Batman 2.4% 764,639
9. Ninja 2.3% 719,660
10. Clown 2.3% 719,660
11. Pirate 2.1% 674,682
12. Angel 2.0% 629,703
13. Pumpkin 2.0% 629,703
14. Power Rangers 1.8% 584,724
15. Cinderella 1.7% 539,745
16. Vampire 1.5% 494,767
17. Cheerleader 1.5% 494,767
18. Cat 1.5% 494,767
19. Ghost/Ghoul 1.4% 449,788
20. Soldier/Sailor 1.4% 449,788
2005 Top Adults' Costumes
# of Adults
1. Witch 16.4% 3,923,124
2. Vampire 6.0% 1,448,538
3. Actor/Famous Person 3.3% 784,625
4. Monster 3.0% 724,269
5. Pirate 2.4% 573,380
6. Angel 2.3% 543,202
7. Clown 2.3% 543,202
8. Ghost/Ghoul 2.1% 513,024
9. Zombie 2.1% 513,024
10. Renaissance Costume 2.0% 482,846
11. Princess 1.9% 452,668
12. Devil 1.8% 422,490
13. Grim Reaper 1.5% 362,135
14. Soldier/Sailor 1.4% 331,957
15. Superhero 1.4% 331,957
16. Nurse 1.4% 331,957
17. Gypsy 1.4% 331,957
18. Pumpkin 1.3% 301,779
19. Pimp 1.1% 271,601
20. Wizard 1.0% 241,423
Apparently, the older you get, the darker your costumes. It’s hard to say how these mixed signals are contributing to the spiritual climate in our country. But let me share this with you.
According to Information collected from 1990 to 2001, The fastest growing religion (in terms of percentage) is Wicca -- a Neopagan religion that is sometimes referred to as Witchcraft. Their numbers of adherents are doubling about every 30 months.
14.1% do not follow any organized religion. This is an unusually rapid increase -- almost a doubling -- from only 8% in 1990.
These beliefs, once largely ignored or dismissed in America are increasing in our population and becoming more and more accepted & real to the point that now the military is required to have wiccan chaplains and burial rites.
When the Israelites began entering the Promised Land, they were given several warnings regarding the religious practices of the surrounding peoples and how they were not to be like them. For them such beliefs were a reality, a competing belief system that was a lure to be unfaithful to God.
Deuteronomy 18:10-14—“10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells [notice good/bad, white/black isn’t mentioned], or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
Isaiah 8:19-20—“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
I believe God knew what He was talking about when he called His people to stay away from those things because they are dangerous to us spiritually. The other nations practiced these things so they could gain control over or knowledge of the future, they would worship the created thing, rather than the Creator—ultimately these beliefs and practices keep people from an authentic faith in God based on worship in spirit and truth—so these are deceptions intended to prevent us from truly knowing God—so they function as lies and are demonic in their origin.
While many of us dismiss the occult or demonic, I know there are those in this room who can say otherwise, myself included. . I hope you believe the Bible when it talks about the dangers of the demonic and the occult. I hope you believe that Jesus had very real confrontations with the demonic, as did Peter, Paul, the other Apostles and the church—and you don’t write those accounts off as psychological conditions or some other medical phenomenon.
I hope you are not telling your kids that the occult is wrong, it’s dangerous, and totally opposed to God while at the same time saying, “we’re going to let you dabble with it for a little while, just once a year. We’re going to buy dark, occultic decorations for our house, we’re going to encourage playing with witchcraft by putting the black pot in the lawn, we’re going to trivialize death and the demonic with cute cartoon figures and costumes that desensitize you to the real thing.”
That’s like saying:
Playing with matches is bad and dangerous, but let me show you the right way to strike them, let me give you a few things to burn.
You shouldn’t drink kids, but let me buy you a six pack and let you drink it at home.
Hey Kids, there is a spiritual evil out there trying to corrupt your soul and keep you from God, you must Resist the devil—but let me buy you a 10 horned demon mask, a witch or serial killer costume.
John tells us that he wrote the book of 1 John to warn us “about those who are trying to lead you astray”—1 John 2:26. John warns us in 4:1 to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God”.
It is my conviction that many Bible believing Christians have stopped “testing the spirits” when it comes to how we participate in Halloween. I’m not saying that that a real Christian will not participate in Halloween. I’m afraid that we no longer care whether what we do, or whether how we celebrate is “from God” or not, that we no longer consider the spiritual impact of HOW we participate. The demonic packaged up as “harmless fun” is still demonic and makes it more dangerous.
2 Corinthians 11:14 warns us that, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”. In other words—he puts on a costume trying to convince everyone he is a cute, harmless, misunderstood guy. He wears a costume to hide who he really is and hopes that you’ll invite him in for a visit.
1. Playing with the Occult is Dangerous—Saul in 1 Samuel 28:4- was so afraid of the Philistines, that after trying to ask God what to do about it and getting nothing—more likely b/c his heart wasn’t faithful and his attempts were more insulting to God than inspiring.
He then sought out a “medium” (the title of a recent TV series, BTW) to consult the dead prophet Samuel. He wore a costume to do it— vs. 8 lets us know that he wore a disguise to meet with this woman. And while most biblical scholars disagree on exactly what happened when the spirit of Samuel appeared, was it really him, was it a delusion or a demonic deception, they all agree that something happened. Saul had to take her word for it because he apparently could not see the vision for himself—vs. 14.
Saul is playing with fire—he is doing something God commanded not to do, something he knows is wrong & tried to get rid of at one point by expelling the mediums earlier in his career.
He is dabbling, thinking he is exempt, thinking that it won’t hurt him, thinking that it’s not really a big deal, but he’s about to find out it is a big deal that there are consequences.
2. Playing with the Occult has Consequences—
1 Chron. 10:13-14—“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
a. Even non-Christians are beginning to recognize Halloween related consequences for children.
b. A study conducted of six- and seven-year-olds by Penn State psychologist Cindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying the holiday can be for young kids.
c. “Halloween is a holiday when adults assist children in behaviors taboo and out of bounds," Clark writes in the anthropological journal Ethos. "It is striking that on Halloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very children whom adults routinely protect."
3. Dabbling In The Occult is not Compatible
a. Acts 19:13-16—The demonic is real and dangerous. You and I must not dismiss it because there is a very real spiritual battle going on; a real demonic power. While most of what we see in America today, like the astrology, the wicca, the psychic hotlines, is fake—it is not always fake. And the Believer should know better than to try and live in both worlds.
b. Acts 19:17-20—Believers Got rid of their old way of life. Some of them had practiced sorcery in their previous way of life—but Jesus changed all of that. They may not have felt convicted to get rid of it in their lives, but they eventually saw the need, no matter how valuable the items were. Sorcery, witchcraft, the occult, idolizing death are not compatible in the lives of those who love God.
Whether you celebrate & participate in Halloween activities is a decision between you and God. I want you to hear me clearly-- the way the world celebrates Halloween is not compatible with your faith.
I’m not questioning your salvation if you have a pumpkin at your house or if you give out candy.
What I do want you to do is question how & why you participate—don’t decide as a parent today, based on the pleasant memories you had as a child. Examine everything by your faith.
1. Test the Spirits to see whether they are from God.
a. Test the things your kids are exposed to—sadly, Halloween is more than just one day—many kids are looking forward to it all month just like they do Christmas—it’s hard to walk into Wal-Mart with all the decorations all over the stores, TV shows more horror movies, cute cartoonish characters try to convince your kids that witchcraft, magic, monsters and death is all harmless fun—they talk as if God sees a difference between a bad witch and a good witch, between black magic and white magic—and there is none.
b. Test the costumes they want to wear—kids, let your faith guide your decision. Adults, make the decision whether something is appropriate for your kids—offer alternatives because it’s not too late
c. Test the decorations of your house—kids open your eyes to what you see at home and ask what message it sends to your friends of your fatih. Parents, re-examine your plans—make your home a place of light and hope that does not glorify dabbling in darkness.
d. Test the decorations of houses as you walk around—don’t go to those houses that glorify the occult
e. Remember that Kids can’t always distinguish between the Real and Unreal. They don’t think like adults logically, emotionally—as the study I mentioned found—the scary, death, occult themes affect them more than we realize. Make a commitment to Protect them and not Confuse them or send conflicting messages
f. Reclaim the day—don’t let this day be controlled by the dead in your house. Try to promote life by handing out tracts with your candy, by carving Christian images in your pumpkins, by inviting all you know and recognize to church, and by reminding your house and your guests that Oct. 31st is the day Martin Luther hammered his 95 Theses on the door of the Cathedral back in 1517 that started the Reformation. On Oct. 31st, he began a revolution of faith that we are living in today.
g. Embrace Philippians 4:8—“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”
Friday, September 29, 2006
God's Work vs. Man's Work
I saw these pictures released today and thought they were great.
In case you can't figure out what those little dots are, here's a closer view.
None other than the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station as they move across the sun.
It is astounding to me the magnitude of God's creation! I praise Him that in all this expansive universe, He, for some reason, shows an interest in you and me, even our mundane, everyday lives. Even the hairs on my head (may they grow no fewer) He is aware of.
Here again is an example that some of our most advanced creations pale in light of God's universe. Yet even as far back as the Tower of Babel, we had the arrogance to think that we could ever rival what He has done. Our accomplishments, while astounding, especially the advances of the last 100 years, will never rival what He has made in this universe.
Late some night, when the sky is clear, go outside and marvel at His universe, then marvel again that He is there, in His love, marveling over you.
Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,
Kelly
In case you can't figure out what those little dots are, here's a closer view.
None other than the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station as they move across the sun.
It is astounding to me the magnitude of God's creation! I praise Him that in all this expansive universe, He, for some reason, shows an interest in you and me, even our mundane, everyday lives. Even the hairs on my head (may they grow no fewer) He is aware of.
Here again is an example that some of our most advanced creations pale in light of God's universe. Yet even as far back as the Tower of Babel, we had the arrogance to think that we could ever rival what He has done. Our accomplishments, while astounding, especially the advances of the last 100 years, will never rival what He has made in this universe.
Late some night, when the sky is clear, go outside and marvel at His universe, then marvel again that He is there, in His love, marveling over you.
Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,
Kelly
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Sermon 9/24/06--New Creation Trials
New Creation Trials
Barbara Brown Taylor tells of spending a few days on a barrier island where loggerhead turtles were laying their eggs. On night when the tide was out, she watched a huge female turtle heave herself up on the beach to dig her nest and empty her eggs into the sand. Taylor didn’t want to disturb her, but the next day she returned to try to find the spot where the eggs were hidden. What she found instead were tracks leading in the wrong direction. Instead of heading back out to sea, she had wandered into the dunes, which were already as hot as asphalt in the morning sun.
A little ways inland, Taylor found the mother turtle, exhausted and all but baked. Her head and flippers were caked with dried sand. After pouring some water on her and covering her, Taylor fetched a park ranger, who returned with a jeep to rescue her.
Then from the turtle’s perspective, a bad situation got worse. The ranger arrived, flipped her onto her back, wrapped tire chains around her front legs, and hooked the chains to the trailer hitch. Then he took off, yanking her body forward so fast that her open mouth filled with sand.
At ocean’s edge, he unhooked her and turned her right side up again. She lay motionless in the surf as the water rolled over her, washing sand from her eyes and mouth. Then a large wave broke over her, and she lifted her head slightly, moving her back legs as she did. Every fresh wave brought her life back to her until one of them made her light enough to push off back into the water.
In this world, we often find ourselves feeling much the same way. We’re going along, and get disoriented, things begin happening and all the world seems to fall apart. This happens for Believers and Unbelievers alike. Then the help that comes, the cure, many times feels like it’s worse than the disease.
This world is full of trouble, trials and sorrows. It’s no wonder, Jesus promised that it would be this way.
1. We Will Have Trouble--John 16:33b—In This World You Will Have Trouble—“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.”—NLT
a. Jesus said many things during His ministry on earth. We know about His declarations about God’s love, we know His teachings on morality, we know His expectation of crucifixion and resurrection. The words of Jesus always ring true.
b. Few are played out everyday for all to see as this one. Watch the news tonight and you will hear of all the trials and sorrows that this world is enduring, that our friends and neighbors are enduring, that Believers in Christ are enduring.
c. Loved ones are lost or injured. Practically every week you can read accounts from around the world of Christians murdered for their faith, or churches burned.
d. In a world that is alienated from God, we should expect trial and trouble, especially for those fighting against the kingdom of darkness.
e. If you are a New Creation—you should expect more trouble. All of us are expected to tell everyone about “Peace on Earth and Good Will to all men”, yet we are warned by Jesus Himself that we should anticipate difficulty.
f. So where does the Trial and Trouble come from? The verse gives us the first clue. The World
2. The World In Opposition
a. This world does not operate the way it is supposed to. It has been corrupted, it experiences the effect of the fall. The rules and principles God set up to meet our needs in the Garden of Eden no longer work as effectively—in many ways they have been turned against us.
b. Now we must toil and labor, now it’s eat or be eaten. This is truly a Fallen World where Bad things happen—this isn’t a fallen world because of bad things happening, bad things happen because it is fallen. As I recently pointed out in a conversation—the greatest act of global & environmental destruction the human race has ever perpetuated on this planet is to introduce sin into it.
c. Believing this, I don’t believe there were tornados or hurricanes before the fall, No flu, or cancer, No blood sucking Mosquitoes or E-Coli Food Poisoning.
d. The World we live in is a source of our trials and struggles because it has been corrupted by our sin. Even now, Paul says in Romans 8 that the Creation itself is in bondage and in a state of decay and death. This state came after the choices of Adam and Eve—it damaged God’s provision and what He had carefully created for us.
e. When God gave us the freedom to choose to Love Him or to choose to Hate Him, He knew it would have consequences, but love is worth the risk.
f. The first recorded sin recorded just after the garden was the murder of Abel by his brother. God knew that people’s choices have the power to help people but also have the power to hurt. This is even more true for the People of God. Believers often endure Persecution in this world.
g. Persecution
i. Jesus reminded us in John 15:18--that if this World Hates you, know that it hated Him first. Every spring we enter a season that reminds us how the world treated Jesus.
ii. There are Christians around the world that are not faring much better solely based on their faith. In America today, the Christian community is being marginalized in the discussion of ideas because of our moral positions on abortion, homosexuality, and our views of the Bible and Jesus.
iii. But, as Paul said in Galatians 1:10—“ Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We are not to live to please men, if we did, we would be compromising our loyalty, commitment and willingness to be servants of Christ.
iv. But when we make that pledge, that commitment to follow Christ, everyone here must know, that standing with your faith will have consequences from the world. The world will often take things out on you because it first rejected Jesus.
v. Another major source of our trials, troubles and sorrows is our Flesh or our Sin Nature.
3. The Flesh In Conflict—this is the nature that all human beings inherited at the Fall. The image of God was not lost, but it was tarnished, it has been damaged because of our sin. Now there is a gulf that separates us from God.
a. We have this tendency to be drawn to the perverse, to the dark, to the things we know are not from God. Our Desire often works against us. One theologian described sin as the “illegitimate or wrong expression of a legitimate or right desire”.
b. Our flesh wars against us, our minds wander to those that carry us away from God and it causes trouble and sorrow in our lives. We have addictions in this country to drugs, to alcohol, to pornography, to gambling that are destroying families and children. We are often hurting ourselves by our choices to indulge our imagination, to indulge our desires and not resist by the power of God.
c. James put it this way in 1:14—“each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”—CEV—“ We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. 15 Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.”
d. CEV—We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.”
e. Paul described a war in his mind in Romans 7—how he does not understand what he is doing when he is unspiritual, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”. He even has the desire to do good, but cannot always follow through.
f. Listen to how the NLT puts this passage—Romans 7:14-“The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. 19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?”
g. NIV—24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Even an apostle battled with his sin nature. Your mind, your heart, your desires, your needs will all try to pull you away from the provision, protection and path of God.
h. If the World and our Flesh is not enough, we face another that brings trials and sorrows into our lives.
4. The Devil Attacking
a. Temptation—Satan comes to us everyday just as he did Adam & Eve, he plays with our desires and our fears. He comes with the same tactics he used against Jesus in Luke 4—using basic needs like food, trust in God, and power.
b. When he does not succeed, he’s not gone, Luke 4:13--merely waiting for a more opportune time—“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him, until an opportune time”.
c. He knows how to manipulate the world for he is the Prince of this world, and he knows human behavior so well that he can push our buttons and target our weaknesses so that we will believe his lies.
d. Satan attacks us. He shoots fiery arrows at us to pierce through our defenses. And our defenses our own strength are not enough to defeat him. Satan is portrayed in 1 Peter 5 as a roaring lion, prowling around looking for someone to devour. The Living Bible says it this way—“Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. 9Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.”
e. We are attacked from the Outside, from the Inside with a ruthless Enemy who knows how to manipulate both.
f. With all this against us, is there any doubt how much we need God to intervene on our behalf? I cannot imagine how anyone goes through life, enduring all these trials and temptations without God! But we must take heart for…
5. Our Trials are not without Provision—
a. In dealing with the World, Jesus encouraged us in John 16:33—“But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
b. Christ’s Victory is a Christian Triumph! Never was there such a conqueror of the world as Christ was, and we ought to be encouraged by it, (1.) Because Christ has overcome the world we may look upon it as a conquered enemy (2.) He has conquered it for us, as the captain of our salvation. His victory on the Cross is our Victory. Believers have nothing to do but to pursue their victory, and divide the spoil; and this we do by faith, 1 Jn. 5:4. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory.
c. The Flesh—When Paul cried out in Romans 7—“24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die?” he knew there was an answer—“25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.”
d. When you face temptation you must know that 1 Corinthians 10:13--No Temptation has seized you except what is common to man—He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
e. What about The Devil?—Ephesians 6 tells us that one of the reasons for the full Armor of God is because our struggle is not against flesh and blood only. We face an adversary that is constantly throwing fiery darts that penetrate our defenses. So we need God’s armor so we may stand against his schemes and be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. James encourages us to Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. This is all possible b/c of the Holy Spirit living within all believers.
f. The Presence of the Holy Spirit--Jesus calls the Holy Spirit The Counselor, Advocate or Comforter in John 14 and that the Spirit would never leave them but guide them into all truth. In All of our temptations, all our attacks, all our difficulties, God Himself is in our hearts ministering to us, holding us close and giving us strength to carry on.
g. Jesus said—in me you will have peace—John 14:27—“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you." Only in Christ is Peace in your life possible. And when Peace exists in your heart and your relationship with God, we become another source God uses to help us in our times of need.
h. People to Carry Burdens--The Church is also supposed to be a Comfort. The Spirit working in us will use our experiences and trials to help others.
i. 2CO 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
j. Priviledge and Power of Prayer—Philippians 4:6-7—“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
k. So in some way, that we don’t understand, there is even a
6. Benefit from our Trials—
a. In ways we cannot see or understand, God is able to use our struggles in life. Trouble can be an opportunity for God’s grace to shine through you. James 1:2—“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
5 If you need wisdom—(understanding) if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”
b. Peter put it this way—1 Peter 4:12—“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed
c. The person who is able to persevere under trial will, “because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
d. We face trials, troubles and sorrows. I don’t have the wisdom, I don’t have God’s personal phone number, I can’t tell you why or how things will turn out.
But I can say with confidence that no matter the situation, no matter the sorrow, no matter the trouble you face in this world, there is a God who loves you. There is a God who Provides for you in your time of need.
There is a God who is in control and can give you strength, give you endurance, give you power, give you victory and even overturn any bad situation and use it for His glory.
e. South African pastor Andrew Murray once faced a terrible crisis. Gathering himself into his study, he sat a long while quietly, prayerfully, thoughtfully. His mind flew at last to Jesus, and picking up his pen wrote these words in his jrnl:
First, He brought me here, it is by His will that I am in this straight place: in that fact I will rest.
Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
f. Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, in His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.
Let me say I am here—By God’s Appointment—In His Keeping—Under His training—For His time.
g. “The more we trust the sovereignty of heaven, the less we fear the calamities of earth.”
h. Today the trials may be upon you. If not today, then tomorrow or the next, or next week. They are coming. But you are not alone. God has made a provision for you in Jesus, but only if you receive His gift of forgiveness. Without Him, you can do nothing to overcome your trials.
Barbara Brown Taylor tells of spending a few days on a barrier island where loggerhead turtles were laying their eggs. On night when the tide was out, she watched a huge female turtle heave herself up on the beach to dig her nest and empty her eggs into the sand. Taylor didn’t want to disturb her, but the next day she returned to try to find the spot where the eggs were hidden. What she found instead were tracks leading in the wrong direction. Instead of heading back out to sea, she had wandered into the dunes, which were already as hot as asphalt in the morning sun.
A little ways inland, Taylor found the mother turtle, exhausted and all but baked. Her head and flippers were caked with dried sand. After pouring some water on her and covering her, Taylor fetched a park ranger, who returned with a jeep to rescue her.
Then from the turtle’s perspective, a bad situation got worse. The ranger arrived, flipped her onto her back, wrapped tire chains around her front legs, and hooked the chains to the trailer hitch. Then he took off, yanking her body forward so fast that her open mouth filled with sand.
At ocean’s edge, he unhooked her and turned her right side up again. She lay motionless in the surf as the water rolled over her, washing sand from her eyes and mouth. Then a large wave broke over her, and she lifted her head slightly, moving her back legs as she did. Every fresh wave brought her life back to her until one of them made her light enough to push off back into the water.
In this world, we often find ourselves feeling much the same way. We’re going along, and get disoriented, things begin happening and all the world seems to fall apart. This happens for Believers and Unbelievers alike. Then the help that comes, the cure, many times feels like it’s worse than the disease.
This world is full of trouble, trials and sorrows. It’s no wonder, Jesus promised that it would be this way.
1. We Will Have Trouble--John 16:33b—In This World You Will Have Trouble—“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.”—NLT
a. Jesus said many things during His ministry on earth. We know about His declarations about God’s love, we know His teachings on morality, we know His expectation of crucifixion and resurrection. The words of Jesus always ring true.
b. Few are played out everyday for all to see as this one. Watch the news tonight and you will hear of all the trials and sorrows that this world is enduring, that our friends and neighbors are enduring, that Believers in Christ are enduring.
c. Loved ones are lost or injured. Practically every week you can read accounts from around the world of Christians murdered for their faith, or churches burned.
d. In a world that is alienated from God, we should expect trial and trouble, especially for those fighting against the kingdom of darkness.
e. If you are a New Creation—you should expect more trouble. All of us are expected to tell everyone about “Peace on Earth and Good Will to all men”, yet we are warned by Jesus Himself that we should anticipate difficulty.
f. So where does the Trial and Trouble come from? The verse gives us the first clue. The World
2. The World In Opposition
a. This world does not operate the way it is supposed to. It has been corrupted, it experiences the effect of the fall. The rules and principles God set up to meet our needs in the Garden of Eden no longer work as effectively—in many ways they have been turned against us.
b. Now we must toil and labor, now it’s eat or be eaten. This is truly a Fallen World where Bad things happen—this isn’t a fallen world because of bad things happening, bad things happen because it is fallen. As I recently pointed out in a conversation—the greatest act of global & environmental destruction the human race has ever perpetuated on this planet is to introduce sin into it.
c. Believing this, I don’t believe there were tornados or hurricanes before the fall, No flu, or cancer, No blood sucking Mosquitoes or E-Coli Food Poisoning.
d. The World we live in is a source of our trials and struggles because it has been corrupted by our sin. Even now, Paul says in Romans 8 that the Creation itself is in bondage and in a state of decay and death. This state came after the choices of Adam and Eve—it damaged God’s provision and what He had carefully created for us.
e. When God gave us the freedom to choose to Love Him or to choose to Hate Him, He knew it would have consequences, but love is worth the risk.
f. The first recorded sin recorded just after the garden was the murder of Abel by his brother. God knew that people’s choices have the power to help people but also have the power to hurt. This is even more true for the People of God. Believers often endure Persecution in this world.
g. Persecution
i. Jesus reminded us in John 15:18--that if this World Hates you, know that it hated Him first. Every spring we enter a season that reminds us how the world treated Jesus.
ii. There are Christians around the world that are not faring much better solely based on their faith. In America today, the Christian community is being marginalized in the discussion of ideas because of our moral positions on abortion, homosexuality, and our views of the Bible and Jesus.
iii. But, as Paul said in Galatians 1:10—“ Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We are not to live to please men, if we did, we would be compromising our loyalty, commitment and willingness to be servants of Christ.
iv. But when we make that pledge, that commitment to follow Christ, everyone here must know, that standing with your faith will have consequences from the world. The world will often take things out on you because it first rejected Jesus.
v. Another major source of our trials, troubles and sorrows is our Flesh or our Sin Nature.
3. The Flesh In Conflict—this is the nature that all human beings inherited at the Fall. The image of God was not lost, but it was tarnished, it has been damaged because of our sin. Now there is a gulf that separates us from God.
a. We have this tendency to be drawn to the perverse, to the dark, to the things we know are not from God. Our Desire often works against us. One theologian described sin as the “illegitimate or wrong expression of a legitimate or right desire”.
b. Our flesh wars against us, our minds wander to those that carry us away from God and it causes trouble and sorrow in our lives. We have addictions in this country to drugs, to alcohol, to pornography, to gambling that are destroying families and children. We are often hurting ourselves by our choices to indulge our imagination, to indulge our desires and not resist by the power of God.
c. James put it this way in 1:14—“each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”—CEV—“ We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. 15 Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.”
d. CEV—We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.”
e. Paul described a war in his mind in Romans 7—how he does not understand what he is doing when he is unspiritual, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”. He even has the desire to do good, but cannot always follow through.
f. Listen to how the NLT puts this passage—Romans 7:14-“The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. 19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?”
g. NIV—24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Even an apostle battled with his sin nature. Your mind, your heart, your desires, your needs will all try to pull you away from the provision, protection and path of God.
h. If the World and our Flesh is not enough, we face another that brings trials and sorrows into our lives.
4. The Devil Attacking
a. Temptation—Satan comes to us everyday just as he did Adam & Eve, he plays with our desires and our fears. He comes with the same tactics he used against Jesus in Luke 4—using basic needs like food, trust in God, and power.
b. When he does not succeed, he’s not gone, Luke 4:13--merely waiting for a more opportune time—“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him, until an opportune time”.
c. He knows how to manipulate the world for he is the Prince of this world, and he knows human behavior so well that he can push our buttons and target our weaknesses so that we will believe his lies.
d. Satan attacks us. He shoots fiery arrows at us to pierce through our defenses. And our defenses our own strength are not enough to defeat him. Satan is portrayed in 1 Peter 5 as a roaring lion, prowling around looking for someone to devour. The Living Bible says it this way—“Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. 9Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.”
e. We are attacked from the Outside, from the Inside with a ruthless Enemy who knows how to manipulate both.
f. With all this against us, is there any doubt how much we need God to intervene on our behalf? I cannot imagine how anyone goes through life, enduring all these trials and temptations without God! But we must take heart for…
5. Our Trials are not without Provision—
a. In dealing with the World, Jesus encouraged us in John 16:33—“But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
b. Christ’s Victory is a Christian Triumph! Never was there such a conqueror of the world as Christ was, and we ought to be encouraged by it, (1.) Because Christ has overcome the world we may look upon it as a conquered enemy (2.) He has conquered it for us, as the captain of our salvation. His victory on the Cross is our Victory. Believers have nothing to do but to pursue their victory, and divide the spoil; and this we do by faith, 1 Jn. 5:4. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory.
c. The Flesh—When Paul cried out in Romans 7—“24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die?” he knew there was an answer—“25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.”
d. When you face temptation you must know that 1 Corinthians 10:13--No Temptation has seized you except what is common to man—He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
e. What about The Devil?—Ephesians 6 tells us that one of the reasons for the full Armor of God is because our struggle is not against flesh and blood only. We face an adversary that is constantly throwing fiery darts that penetrate our defenses. So we need God’s armor so we may stand against his schemes and be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. James encourages us to Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. This is all possible b/c of the Holy Spirit living within all believers.
f. The Presence of the Holy Spirit--Jesus calls the Holy Spirit The Counselor, Advocate or Comforter in John 14 and that the Spirit would never leave them but guide them into all truth. In All of our temptations, all our attacks, all our difficulties, God Himself is in our hearts ministering to us, holding us close and giving us strength to carry on.
g. Jesus said—in me you will have peace—John 14:27—“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you." Only in Christ is Peace in your life possible. And when Peace exists in your heart and your relationship with God, we become another source God uses to help us in our times of need.
h. People to Carry Burdens--The Church is also supposed to be a Comfort. The Spirit working in us will use our experiences and trials to help others.
i. 2CO 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
j. Priviledge and Power of Prayer—Philippians 4:6-7—“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
k. So in some way, that we don’t understand, there is even a
6. Benefit from our Trials—
a. In ways we cannot see or understand, God is able to use our struggles in life. Trouble can be an opportunity for God’s grace to shine through you. James 1:2—“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
5 If you need wisdom—(understanding) if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”
b. Peter put it this way—1 Peter 4:12—“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed
c. The person who is able to persevere under trial will, “because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
d. We face trials, troubles and sorrows. I don’t have the wisdom, I don’t have God’s personal phone number, I can’t tell you why or how things will turn out.
But I can say with confidence that no matter the situation, no matter the sorrow, no matter the trouble you face in this world, there is a God who loves you. There is a God who Provides for you in your time of need.
There is a God who is in control and can give you strength, give you endurance, give you power, give you victory and even overturn any bad situation and use it for His glory.
e. South African pastor Andrew Murray once faced a terrible crisis. Gathering himself into his study, he sat a long while quietly, prayerfully, thoughtfully. His mind flew at last to Jesus, and picking up his pen wrote these words in his jrnl:
First, He brought me here, it is by His will that I am in this straight place: in that fact I will rest.
Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
f. Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, in His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.
Let me say I am here—By God’s Appointment—In His Keeping—Under His training—For His time.
g. “The more we trust the sovereignty of heaven, the less we fear the calamities of earth.”
h. Today the trials may be upon you. If not today, then tomorrow or the next, or next week. They are coming. But you are not alone. God has made a provision for you in Jesus, but only if you receive His gift of forgiveness. Without Him, you can do nothing to overcome your trials.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Great Flood Creates British Isles?
In light of recent discussions on this blog, and just in case you've laid awake at night trying to figure out just how the British Isles became separated from Europe, (I know I've had recurring nightmares on the subject) you might find this proposal interesting. Read about it in The Austrailian, here
The proposed mechanism has to be different, of course, but here are a few interesting exerpts:
"The finding has emerged from an advanced sonar survey of the sea bed of the English Channel that revealed huge scour marks, deep bowls and piles of rock that could have been created only by a giant torrent of water. If confirmed, it will force an important revision of British prehistory.
It had been thought the Channel had formed by slow erosion combined with rises in sea level that took place over millions of years, rather than by a sudden, biblical-style catastrophe.
"This could have been one of the most powerful flood events ever known on earth," said Chris Stringer, head of human origins at the Natural History Museum in London. "It would have cut through the chalk hills joining Britain to Europe and created a Niagara-style waterfall 300ft (91.5m) to 400ft high."
Later:
"In places this huge, underwater valley is more than seven miles (11km) wide and 170ft deep, with vertical sides. Its nearest geological parallels are found not on earth but in the monumental flood terrains of the planet Mars," Dr Gupta said in an abstract published at an academic conference. "This suggests the valley was created by catastrophic flood-flows following the breaching of the Dover Strait and the sudden release of water from a giant lake to the north."
While the proposed causes may very well be be accurate, is another possible explanation being avoided? All the biblical references seem to be saying that the biblical flood concept seems to be in the back of everyone's mind. But that couldn't possibly be it could it?
Kelly
The proposed mechanism has to be different, of course, but here are a few interesting exerpts:
"The finding has emerged from an advanced sonar survey of the sea bed of the English Channel that revealed huge scour marks, deep bowls and piles of rock that could have been created only by a giant torrent of water. If confirmed, it will force an important revision of British prehistory.
It had been thought the Channel had formed by slow erosion combined with rises in sea level that took place over millions of years, rather than by a sudden, biblical-style catastrophe.
"This could have been one of the most powerful flood events ever known on earth," said Chris Stringer, head of human origins at the Natural History Museum in London. "It would have cut through the chalk hills joining Britain to Europe and created a Niagara-style waterfall 300ft (91.5m) to 400ft high."
Later:
"In places this huge, underwater valley is more than seven miles (11km) wide and 170ft deep, with vertical sides. Its nearest geological parallels are found not on earth but in the monumental flood terrains of the planet Mars," Dr Gupta said in an abstract published at an academic conference. "This suggests the valley was created by catastrophic flood-flows following the breaching of the Dover Strait and the sudden release of water from a giant lake to the north."
While the proposed causes may very well be be accurate, is another possible explanation being avoided? All the biblical references seem to be saying that the biblical flood concept seems to be in the back of everyone's mind. But that couldn't possibly be it could it?
Kelly
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Veggie Tales Not Fit for TV per NBC
NBC has been negotiating to show Veggie Tales on Saturday mornings. But apparently, God is too offensive for little kids and quoting the Bible is bad. Read about it here
What are your thoughts?
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Creation/Evolution II
From a recent post on evolution, I was asked a couple of questions that I wanted to talk about. My response got so long that I wanted to just make it a new post. I was asked about any plausible reasons why the data doesn't fit the model we are currently using. I mostly have observations and questions, particularly concerning assumptions, rather than groundbreaking data.
I'll explain my concerns this way. I'm not uncomfortable with a young earth, I'm not uncomfortable with an old earth (though maybe not as old as most accepted doctrine). My faith is not necessarily changed and it is valid in either scenario. But I do have concerns about the ever-increasing old age scenario.
One of the first things I wonder about is the accuracy of a very reasonable principle in geology. It's called the Principle of Uniformity. Basically, that processes that we see at work today--sedimentation rates, plate tectonics, radioactive decay, etc.--are consistent throughout time. From that principle, we can extrapolate time frames for certain observable phenomenon. It is a very reasonable principle and one that is good to work with because it allows scientists to extrapolate information and make certain predictions. The PoU is one of the most basic elements in the geologic field.
Again, it is a reasonable assumption. With that said, what if the PoU is wrong? What if the processes we observe today do not have a consistent rate throughout time?
A couple examples of possibles. Within the last few years, even months (sorry, I don't have links) several papers have been presented arguing that the rates of tectonic movement vary and can happen very rapidly, at locations such as the Mid-Atlantic Spread Zone.
More recently has been the observation from eastern Africa of the subsidence of segments of the Great Rift Valley with upwards of 100 ft (maybe meters) of drop in a matter of a couple months as a new spread section is being formed. As a crew landed on a helicopter, they felt small earthquakes and observed new fault lines and cracks under their feet. They didn't stay as long as they wanted to.
The Mid Atlantic is often used to give an estimate of current age given the "striping" of the magnetic filaments in the hardened magma. Using the size of each stripe, the rate of contemporary spread, and the frequency of polar magnetic shifts, scientists are able to extrapolate time frames. Again, that's reasonable.
However, I would ask, couldn't the conditions that cause a polar instability and fluctuation likewise cause a dramatic increase in activity at the mid-atlantic spread and other tectonic zones? I'm not aware of that question even being asked, but they would have significant implications to geologic time.
Another example would be the tests often done on zircon crystals. These crystals form deep in the earth’s mantle and often incorporate small particles of uranium and other radioactive material. The decay of these radioactive elements leave a “halo” in the surrounding crystal, the size of which, along with tests to determine the ratio of original element to it’s neutral breakdown, is used to determine how long the crystal has existed. Since we generally know the decay rates for elements it is a reasonable extrapolation. However, I believe it also has some assumptions which to my knowledge have never been tested. My big question is whether there are any conditions in which decay rates can be increased or the halo effect that alters surrounding crystalline structure likewise increases. Conditions under which these zircon crystals form are radically different from surface conditions. Does extreme pressure, extreme heat and the presence of large amounts of other radioactive materials in close proximity increase the decay rate and its effect? It could and should be tested because if demonstrated would cause a great revision of dates.
I realize that I am proposing hypotheticals for which I cannot test, and that if done, may not refute anything of the current theoretical models. These are just questions for which my mind would like clarity.
I fear we are making observations and drawing conclusions based on a world that was fundamentally altered and changed in some way by the fall (a theological objection that I realize science can't tackle). In which case our observations could be faulty.
Similarly, I believe in a literal world wide flood event. It's amazing to me that so many ancient cultures from all over the world have persevered a tradition of a catastrophic flood (obviously with different causes and conclusions--but often times the underlying event of mythology has a historical reference).
In the biblical account, the water did not just come from rain falling, but water came from the “springs of the great deep burst forth”. I realize there are various interpretations of this passage, but in my mind I see great movement of the earth and there’s no telling what was going on under the surface. In many ways, I believe the world and environment was again altered by the events of the flood—so it wasn’t the same as before, life wouldn’t be the same, even the ages of the people dramatically changed downward post-flood.
Science dismisses these accounts and their possible effects as unhistorical, largely due to the influence of 19th Century biblical criticism (Documentary Hypothesis) and the desire to remove the miraculous from consideration that dates back even further than Thomas Jefferson who created his own New Testament minus the miracles. I wouldn’t argue that science isn’t reasonable in not considering the miraculous, after all, we have no conclusive evidence, nor any kind of comparable contemporary experience, but then again, it comes back to assumptions (ex.--if the flood is unhistorical, why do I need to look for any evidence of it). That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen and fundamentally change the world we are trying to observe today.
To dismiss the flood account as unhistorical; however, has theological implications. It essentially says the biblical account is not reliable, accurate or valid which calls into question its Inspiration—God communicating and revealing truth to us, and its Sufficiency—its trustworthiness to impart truth of our spiritual condition, its remedy and how we are to live in light of the revealed truth. To write the opening chapters of Genesis off as allegory undermines the foundation of who we are as human beings, our spiritual situation and the great steps of mercy God has taken to redeem us.
It presents us with a dilemma. Either contemporary theories are correct and the flood (or Fall) never happened, thereby undermining the accuracy, trustworthiness and authority of Scripture, or Scripture is accurate, and contemporary theories are missing some significant events and information for drawing conclusions, thus making the current conclusions inaccurate.
To chase a rabbit for a moment, a couple of years ago, the Discover Channel (or possibly History Channel—still looking for that link) had a program on human population and ancestry by analyzing mitochondrial DNA that is passed only through the mother. They found that at one point in human history (in their time frame 100,000 years ago), there was a large and diverse human population. Then something happened about 70,000 years ago that drastically reduced that population to probably less than 1000 people, from which the population then expanded back to it’s present size. It was obvious the team presenting this information were trying to avoid any parallels to a famous biblical account which basically claimed the same thing. They could not identify a cause but speculated disease or conflict.
I would argue that the flood did happen, but I could not say for sure when (realizing there is wide debate and understanding of the various genealogies)—to which this information was appropriate. And if the flood did happen, then what effect would it have had on the world that was, how was it altered and how does that effect what we are trying to look at and understand today. Again, I realize that science cannot or will not take it seriously, and therein lies an assumptive and foundational problem. The desire to know and search for truth is noble and good, so long as you don’t leave out or ignore a significant source of it.
I believe it makes the scientists’ job harder, but can also make it more dismissive and closed minded. We religious folks don’t have to worry about that though, right? Of course we do.
In any event, scientific theories have theological implications just like theological interpretations will have questions to raise and test in the scientific world. If only it wasn’t so hostile and exclusive of each other. Like has been said, a greater sense of humility by all of us would be welcome and warranted.
Pursuing Answers to Quesitons of Faith & Life,
Kelly
I'll explain my concerns this way. I'm not uncomfortable with a young earth, I'm not uncomfortable with an old earth (though maybe not as old as most accepted doctrine). My faith is not necessarily changed and it is valid in either scenario. But I do have concerns about the ever-increasing old age scenario.
One of the first things I wonder about is the accuracy of a very reasonable principle in geology. It's called the Principle of Uniformity. Basically, that processes that we see at work today--sedimentation rates, plate tectonics, radioactive decay, etc.--are consistent throughout time. From that principle, we can extrapolate time frames for certain observable phenomenon. It is a very reasonable principle and one that is good to work with because it allows scientists to extrapolate information and make certain predictions. The PoU is one of the most basic elements in the geologic field.
Again, it is a reasonable assumption. With that said, what if the PoU is wrong? What if the processes we observe today do not have a consistent rate throughout time?
A couple examples of possibles. Within the last few years, even months (sorry, I don't have links) several papers have been presented arguing that the rates of tectonic movement vary and can happen very rapidly, at locations such as the Mid-Atlantic Spread Zone.
More recently has been the observation from eastern Africa of the subsidence of segments of the Great Rift Valley with upwards of 100 ft (maybe meters) of drop in a matter of a couple months as a new spread section is being formed. As a crew landed on a helicopter, they felt small earthquakes and observed new fault lines and cracks under their feet. They didn't stay as long as they wanted to.
The Mid Atlantic is often used to give an estimate of current age given the "striping" of the magnetic filaments in the hardened magma. Using the size of each stripe, the rate of contemporary spread, and the frequency of polar magnetic shifts, scientists are able to extrapolate time frames. Again, that's reasonable.
However, I would ask, couldn't the conditions that cause a polar instability and fluctuation likewise cause a dramatic increase in activity at the mid-atlantic spread and other tectonic zones? I'm not aware of that question even being asked, but they would have significant implications to geologic time.
Another example would be the tests often done on zircon crystals. These crystals form deep in the earth’s mantle and often incorporate small particles of uranium and other radioactive material. The decay of these radioactive elements leave a “halo” in the surrounding crystal, the size of which, along with tests to determine the ratio of original element to it’s neutral breakdown, is used to determine how long the crystal has existed. Since we generally know the decay rates for elements it is a reasonable extrapolation. However, I believe it also has some assumptions which to my knowledge have never been tested. My big question is whether there are any conditions in which decay rates can be increased or the halo effect that alters surrounding crystalline structure likewise increases. Conditions under which these zircon crystals form are radically different from surface conditions. Does extreme pressure, extreme heat and the presence of large amounts of other radioactive materials in close proximity increase the decay rate and its effect? It could and should be tested because if demonstrated would cause a great revision of dates.
I realize that I am proposing hypotheticals for which I cannot test, and that if done, may not refute anything of the current theoretical models. These are just questions for which my mind would like clarity.
I fear we are making observations and drawing conclusions based on a world that was fundamentally altered and changed in some way by the fall (a theological objection that I realize science can't tackle). In which case our observations could be faulty.
Similarly, I believe in a literal world wide flood event. It's amazing to me that so many ancient cultures from all over the world have persevered a tradition of a catastrophic flood (obviously with different causes and conclusions--but often times the underlying event of mythology has a historical reference).
In the biblical account, the water did not just come from rain falling, but water came from the “springs of the great deep burst forth”. I realize there are various interpretations of this passage, but in my mind I see great movement of the earth and there’s no telling what was going on under the surface. In many ways, I believe the world and environment was again altered by the events of the flood—so it wasn’t the same as before, life wouldn’t be the same, even the ages of the people dramatically changed downward post-flood.
Science dismisses these accounts and their possible effects as unhistorical, largely due to the influence of 19th Century biblical criticism (Documentary Hypothesis) and the desire to remove the miraculous from consideration that dates back even further than Thomas Jefferson who created his own New Testament minus the miracles. I wouldn’t argue that science isn’t reasonable in not considering the miraculous, after all, we have no conclusive evidence, nor any kind of comparable contemporary experience, but then again, it comes back to assumptions (ex.--if the flood is unhistorical, why do I need to look for any evidence of it). That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen and fundamentally change the world we are trying to observe today.
To dismiss the flood account as unhistorical; however, has theological implications. It essentially says the biblical account is not reliable, accurate or valid which calls into question its Inspiration—God communicating and revealing truth to us, and its Sufficiency—its trustworthiness to impart truth of our spiritual condition, its remedy and how we are to live in light of the revealed truth. To write the opening chapters of Genesis off as allegory undermines the foundation of who we are as human beings, our spiritual situation and the great steps of mercy God has taken to redeem us.
It presents us with a dilemma. Either contemporary theories are correct and the flood (or Fall) never happened, thereby undermining the accuracy, trustworthiness and authority of Scripture, or Scripture is accurate, and contemporary theories are missing some significant events and information for drawing conclusions, thus making the current conclusions inaccurate.
To chase a rabbit for a moment, a couple of years ago, the Discover Channel (or possibly History Channel—still looking for that link) had a program on human population and ancestry by analyzing mitochondrial DNA that is passed only through the mother. They found that at one point in human history (in their time frame 100,000 years ago), there was a large and diverse human population. Then something happened about 70,000 years ago that drastically reduced that population to probably less than 1000 people, from which the population then expanded back to it’s present size. It was obvious the team presenting this information were trying to avoid any parallels to a famous biblical account which basically claimed the same thing. They could not identify a cause but speculated disease or conflict.
I would argue that the flood did happen, but I could not say for sure when (realizing there is wide debate and understanding of the various genealogies)—to which this information was appropriate. And if the flood did happen, then what effect would it have had on the world that was, how was it altered and how does that effect what we are trying to look at and understand today. Again, I realize that science cannot or will not take it seriously, and therein lies an assumptive and foundational problem. The desire to know and search for truth is noble and good, so long as you don’t leave out or ignore a significant source of it.
I believe it makes the scientists’ job harder, but can also make it more dismissive and closed minded. We religious folks don’t have to worry about that though, right? Of course we do.
In any event, scientific theories have theological implications just like theological interpretations will have questions to raise and test in the scientific world. If only it wasn’t so hostile and exclusive of each other. Like has been said, a greater sense of humility by all of us would be welcome and warranted.
Pursuing Answers to Quesitons of Faith & Life,
Kelly
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Baptism Sunday
This past Sunday we had a special service in that we had 4 people baptized. In the few months I have been at University Baptist Church, there have already been more baptisms than I experienced in 4.5 years at my previous pastorate. It has been a blessing to be a part of. I wish I could say these were due to my excellent preaching and ministry skills, but not a one of them was. Each of the people baptized had made a decision for Christ in the past and had delayed baptism for various reasons. Each of them could tell you that God had been working on their heart and that now was the time to do it. They each have unique spiritual journeys that led to the same action--following Christ in baptism.
I taught on Baptism, answering the basic questions--Who, What, When, Where, Why & How in relation to baptism and broke it up into 3 sections with baptism, and singing surrounding them all. It was a great day that I am priviledged to be a part of. I thanked each of them and God for allowing me to be a part of their Christian walk.
In my study and preparation for the service, I considered putting up some pictures of ancient baptistries. I noticed a couple features in some that I looked at that most churches don't do today.
You'll notice that many of the old baptistries dug into the ground have stairs on both sides. Today, when I see that, typicaly the minister comes in one side, the candidate in the other, or girls get ready on one side, boys on the other. However, that's not how they used to be. The candidate would go in one side, be baptized, and then walk up the steps on the other side--another visual image that they have crossed a threshhold of some kind. The Old Life was what they had when they went in, "dying", being buried in the water, and then raised to the New Life was what was waiting for them when they exited. It's another picture of the change that a decision for Christ makes--and the symbolic nature of baptism.
Why did we get away from this?
Pursuing Him,
Kelly
I taught on Baptism, answering the basic questions--Who, What, When, Where, Why & How in relation to baptism and broke it up into 3 sections with baptism, and singing surrounding them all. It was a great day that I am priviledged to be a part of. I thanked each of them and God for allowing me to be a part of their Christian walk.
In my study and preparation for the service, I considered putting up some pictures of ancient baptistries. I noticed a couple features in some that I looked at that most churches don't do today.
You'll notice that many of the old baptistries dug into the ground have stairs on both sides. Today, when I see that, typicaly the minister comes in one side, the candidate in the other, or girls get ready on one side, boys on the other. However, that's not how they used to be. The candidate would go in one side, be baptized, and then walk up the steps on the other side--another visual image that they have crossed a threshhold of some kind. The Old Life was what they had when they went in, "dying", being buried in the water, and then raised to the New Life was what was waiting for them when they exited. It's another picture of the change that a decision for Christ makes--and the symbolic nature of baptism.
Why did we get away from this?
Pursuing Him,
Kelly
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Creation/Evolution
Although I am not particularly a fan of Ann Coulter (for many reasons), I was recently lent a book of hers to read a few chapeters. One line of hers sounded like an idea of mine (scary thought--though now that I have attempted to type it out, it's a lot longer than just one line!). I'll share both and ask what you think of either or both.
Coulter's, pg. 199-- "Although God believers don't need evolution to be false, athiests need evoultion to be true."
Agree/Disagree--Why is/is not this accurate?
Mine--pg. 1,347,856--"There is debate within Christianity whether the earth is young or old. Some insist our faith is dependent on a young earth and practically make this question a test of fellowship. I would argue that my faith is not dependent on the earth being-- 10-15,000 years old; 4.5 billion or somewhere in between. My faith could exist and be valid with either. However, the evolutionary position is dependent on an old earth and would be totally implausible unless the earth is at least 4.5 Billion yrs. old (with increases to come later as needed). Evolution could not have happened in a young earth."
Agree/Disagree--Why is/is not this accurate?
Could there be a tendency to only interpret data that gives us an old earth because of the philosophy that has been accepted? What other implications are there.
Coulter's, pg. 199-- "Although God believers don't need evolution to be false, athiests need evoultion to be true."
Agree/Disagree--Why is/is not this accurate?
Mine--pg. 1,347,856--"There is debate within Christianity whether the earth is young or old. Some insist our faith is dependent on a young earth and practically make this question a test of fellowship. I would argue that my faith is not dependent on the earth being-- 10-15,000 years old; 4.5 billion or somewhere in between. My faith could exist and be valid with either. However, the evolutionary position is dependent on an old earth and would be totally implausible unless the earth is at least 4.5 Billion yrs. old (with increases to come later as needed). Evolution could not have happened in a young earth."
Agree/Disagree--Why is/is not this accurate?
Could there be a tendency to only interpret data that gives us an old earth because of the philosophy that has been accepted? What other implications are there.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Sermon-9/10/06--New Creation Hope
A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, “18-0, we’re behind.”
“Boy,” said the spectator, “I’ll bet your discouraged.”
“Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “WE haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!”
There are times in life when the world is stacked against you. The greatest difference in your reaction will be whether you believe it’s the bottom of the 1st inning or the bottom of the 9th.
A major reason depression is so prevalent is because the pressures and mistakes of life are deemed unfixable or unforgivable. A major reason why the suicide rate is so high, among the young and increasing among Baby Boomers is that they have lost hope that life will get any better, that anyone will love them. A major reason marriage is so avoided, even in the church, is because whole generations have lost hope that love can last forever. So many have no hope that God can overcome anything or make any difference in their life.
But that is so untrue. Hope is a necessary thing, something especially needed in the world today. We as Believers in Christ truly have the market on what the world is looking for.
When we are trapped in the Old Life—nothing we can do can get us out of it. Left to ourselves we are hopeless. We must be born again, we must be made into New Creations.
What is hope? Is it a wishy washy maybe or a kind of unsure optimism? The modern idea of hope is “to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire.”
In Scripture, according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.
By its very nature, hope stresses two things: (a) futurity, and (b) invisibility. It deals with things we can’t see or haven’t received or both .
That’s the promise of 1 Peter 1:3
1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
The Mercy of God was the start of it all. It was His mercy, His love for us that drew Him to make a way for us to become New Creations. And when that happens, we are given a Living Hope. Not a hope that is dead, not a hope that is gone beyond recovery, but one that is living, one that is active, one that is moving and growing and is full of passion and expectation. As long as Christ lives, our hope is alive! We have a future waiting for us that doesn’t get worse with age.
When you’re late for dinner, it sits there and gets cold and it never quite tastes the same when you warm it up.
If it sits there for too long, you’re more inclined to throw it away than eat it because you can tell it’s not fresh anymore. A little time can ruin what was a perfectly good meal. But our inheritance, what we have waiting for us, the marriage feast of the lamb, doesn’t perish, spoil or fade. There will never be reason to look at it and question, “Is that still any good?”
This hope, according to Hebrews 6:19 is supposed to be “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Our hope comes through the resurrection of Christ that turned a moment of fear, defeat and death into a moment of Courage, Victory and Life.
We need hope to be able to survive in this world, in order for us to go on and continue to live and move forward in our service of our Lord. People all around us are walking around without hope. They’re stumbling through life trying to figure out what it’s all about, what is important. They’re filling their lives with distractions and entertainment so they don’t have to think about what’s important. If we did not have hope in Christ, we would be no different. Without Christ, we would give up.
John Maxwell tells about a small town in Maine that was proposed for the site of a great hydro-electric plant. A dam would built across the river and the town submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate.
During those months, a curious thing happened. All improvements ceased. No painting was done. No repairs were made on the buildings, roads, or sidewalks. Day by day the whole town got shabbier and shabbier. A long time before the waters came, the town looked uncared for and abandoned, even though the people had not yet moved away. One citizen explained: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.” That town was cursed with hopelessness because it had no future.
In the OT past, the Prophets & saints looked forward to the hope we now have. In one encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus said that even Abraham was looking forward to His day. When Jesus picked up the scroll of Isaiah in Luke 4 and read about the good news to the poor, freedom for the captive, recovery of sight for the blind, release of the oppressed and proclaim the Year of the Lord’s Favor, Jesus was reading Isaiah’s hope for the future. Then Jesus had the audacity to say He was the fulfillment of that hope. Everything that Isaiah was looking forward to, Jesus fulfilled.
When the prophets spoke of the promised Messiah, they were hoping in the Almighty God what would fulfill His promise. They were inspired to write down the future that God was showing them. Hope from the Past comes through the pages of Scripture.
Look at Romans 15:4—
Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
The OT saints looked forward to Jesus—they looked forward to seeing His day, like Abraham, God gave many of them a vision for the Messiah, the fulfillment of their hope.
What about today, what is our View From the Present?
The KJV in 1 Cor. 13:11 says that now we see through the glass darkly—
1 Cor. 13:11-12—“ Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
Living Bible ---In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.”—
Right now, not everything makes sense to us. What we see of God’s plan is hazy, a poor reflection, hazy and blurred. So we wait in hopeful expectation, knowing just like the prophets did that God will fulfill His promises. So we cannot give up, even when things look bad.
We know more about God’s plan than they do, but we still do not know the day or the hour. We still cannot see or understand how God will use every situation, from wars or elections, to accidents or births.
We are all participating a role within the progression of time. We know time has a beginning and an end. We know God is moving history toward His Return.
We know that Christ’s return will right all wrongs, overturn all evil, and make right all sins and hurts. So no matter how things look from here and now, our hope and faith is able to carry us through.
We struggle with the “Already v. Not Yet”. We are eager to know about those who have fallen asleep in Christ, but we take comfort in our hope that they are with Him, in the presence of their Savior. We know that the world will one day be made right.
Look at
Romans 8:22—We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
The whole world, including you and me, are hoping for what we don’t yet have. We are waiting patiently for our final and complete redemption. CS Lewis—Hope—“a continual looking forward to the eternal world.” What’s amazing about this passage is the statement, “Hope that is seen is no hope at all”.
In other words, if we had all the answers, if we had it all charted and spelled out, then our hope would not just be weak, but non-existent.
If we knew without doubt the date of Christ’s return was going to be in 200 years, if we knew all the of the people God would save with our without us, then we would be like that town in Maine—then the temptation for us as the Body of Christ would be that there’s no point, there’s no use trying—b/c we’re not going to see it.
We could easily become complacent and unprepared, unwilling and unresponsive to the leadership of God.
So in a sense, it is vital, for our hope to remain strong that some things remain hidden.
HEB 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
We are here in this world waiting, waiting for what everyone, whether we realize it or not, is yearning for in our hearts. We should never be afraid of what tomorrow holds because we know where tomorrow is going. No matter how bad things get around us, Believers should have a Hope for the Future. “I don’t know what the Future holds, but I know Who holds the Future.”
Our Past is full of Hope—because we can look back with confidence on what Christ has done for us. We have the privilege of looking backward to Jesus and what He did for us
We have Hope for the Present--we struggle making sense of today and all of our struggles and trials. We have trouble making sense of the evils in the world, like tomorrow’s anniversary, but we have hope that the world today is in the Hands of an Almighty God who is moving our Present in a definitive direction—an outcome that He is fully aware of and in control of.
Hope of the Future—and since we know where this world is going, we we also have hope as New Creations in Christ as we look Forward to His Return.
If you’ve ever wondered, “where are we going”, “what in the world is God doing?”, the answer is the Second Coming, the Kingdom of God, a New Heaven and a New Earth, an Eternity in the Presence of God. It is the celebration of God’s complete and total reunion and restoration with His children. It will be like that moment with the Prodigal’s father—where God calls out, “My children are finally and forever home with me. Kill the fatted calf and let’s celebrate their return.”
God is inviting and calling each of us to faith so we can be a part of all of that. As we read in 1 Peter, God is giving us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
God generously gives us hope because we desperately need it. It comes through our faith in Christ. We know that a future is prepared for us. Despite all of the difficulties in life and the struggles we face, Hope keeps us alive. John Bunyan—“Hope is never ill when faith is well”. Is your faith alive and well? It needs to be.
G.F. Watt has a famous painting entitled Hope. It pictures a poor woman against the world. Her eyes are bandaged so that she cannot see ahead. In her hands is a harp, but all the strings are broken save one. Those broken strings represent her shattered expectations, her bitter disappointments. That one last unbroken string is the string of hope. She strikes that string and a glorious melody floats out over the world; it fills her dark skies with stars. The artist painted a great truth: Even when all else is gone, you still can have hope.
“Boy,” said the spectator, “I’ll bet your discouraged.”
“Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “WE haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!”
There are times in life when the world is stacked against you. The greatest difference in your reaction will be whether you believe it’s the bottom of the 1st inning or the bottom of the 9th.
A major reason depression is so prevalent is because the pressures and mistakes of life are deemed unfixable or unforgivable. A major reason why the suicide rate is so high, among the young and increasing among Baby Boomers is that they have lost hope that life will get any better, that anyone will love them. A major reason marriage is so avoided, even in the church, is because whole generations have lost hope that love can last forever. So many have no hope that God can overcome anything or make any difference in their life.
But that is so untrue. Hope is a necessary thing, something especially needed in the world today. We as Believers in Christ truly have the market on what the world is looking for.
When we are trapped in the Old Life—nothing we can do can get us out of it. Left to ourselves we are hopeless. We must be born again, we must be made into New Creations.
What is hope? Is it a wishy washy maybe or a kind of unsure optimism? The modern idea of hope is “to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire.”
In Scripture, according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.
By its very nature, hope stresses two things: (a) futurity, and (b) invisibility. It deals with things we can’t see or haven’t received or both .
That’s the promise of 1 Peter 1:3
1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
The Mercy of God was the start of it all. It was His mercy, His love for us that drew Him to make a way for us to become New Creations. And when that happens, we are given a Living Hope. Not a hope that is dead, not a hope that is gone beyond recovery, but one that is living, one that is active, one that is moving and growing and is full of passion and expectation. As long as Christ lives, our hope is alive! We have a future waiting for us that doesn’t get worse with age.
When you’re late for dinner, it sits there and gets cold and it never quite tastes the same when you warm it up.
If it sits there for too long, you’re more inclined to throw it away than eat it because you can tell it’s not fresh anymore. A little time can ruin what was a perfectly good meal. But our inheritance, what we have waiting for us, the marriage feast of the lamb, doesn’t perish, spoil or fade. There will never be reason to look at it and question, “Is that still any good?”
This hope, according to Hebrews 6:19 is supposed to be “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Our hope comes through the resurrection of Christ that turned a moment of fear, defeat and death into a moment of Courage, Victory and Life.
We need hope to be able to survive in this world, in order for us to go on and continue to live and move forward in our service of our Lord. People all around us are walking around without hope. They’re stumbling through life trying to figure out what it’s all about, what is important. They’re filling their lives with distractions and entertainment so they don’t have to think about what’s important. If we did not have hope in Christ, we would be no different. Without Christ, we would give up.
John Maxwell tells about a small town in Maine that was proposed for the site of a great hydro-electric plant. A dam would built across the river and the town submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate.
During those months, a curious thing happened. All improvements ceased. No painting was done. No repairs were made on the buildings, roads, or sidewalks. Day by day the whole town got shabbier and shabbier. A long time before the waters came, the town looked uncared for and abandoned, even though the people had not yet moved away. One citizen explained: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.” That town was cursed with hopelessness because it had no future.
In the OT past, the Prophets & saints looked forward to the hope we now have. In one encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus said that even Abraham was looking forward to His day. When Jesus picked up the scroll of Isaiah in Luke 4 and read about the good news to the poor, freedom for the captive, recovery of sight for the blind, release of the oppressed and proclaim the Year of the Lord’s Favor, Jesus was reading Isaiah’s hope for the future. Then Jesus had the audacity to say He was the fulfillment of that hope. Everything that Isaiah was looking forward to, Jesus fulfilled.
When the prophets spoke of the promised Messiah, they were hoping in the Almighty God what would fulfill His promise. They were inspired to write down the future that God was showing them. Hope from the Past comes through the pages of Scripture.
Look at Romans 15:4—
Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
The OT saints looked forward to Jesus—they looked forward to seeing His day, like Abraham, God gave many of them a vision for the Messiah, the fulfillment of their hope.
What about today, what is our View From the Present?
The KJV in 1 Cor. 13:11 says that now we see through the glass darkly—
1 Cor. 13:11-12—“ Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
Living Bible ---In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.”—
Right now, not everything makes sense to us. What we see of God’s plan is hazy, a poor reflection, hazy and blurred. So we wait in hopeful expectation, knowing just like the prophets did that God will fulfill His promises. So we cannot give up, even when things look bad.
We know more about God’s plan than they do, but we still do not know the day or the hour. We still cannot see or understand how God will use every situation, from wars or elections, to accidents or births.
We are all participating a role within the progression of time. We know time has a beginning and an end. We know God is moving history toward His Return.
We know that Christ’s return will right all wrongs, overturn all evil, and make right all sins and hurts. So no matter how things look from here and now, our hope and faith is able to carry us through.
We struggle with the “Already v. Not Yet”. We are eager to know about those who have fallen asleep in Christ, but we take comfort in our hope that they are with Him, in the presence of their Savior. We know that the world will one day be made right.
Look at
Romans 8:22—We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
The whole world, including you and me, are hoping for what we don’t yet have. We are waiting patiently for our final and complete redemption. CS Lewis—Hope—“a continual looking forward to the eternal world.” What’s amazing about this passage is the statement, “Hope that is seen is no hope at all”.
In other words, if we had all the answers, if we had it all charted and spelled out, then our hope would not just be weak, but non-existent.
If we knew without doubt the date of Christ’s return was going to be in 200 years, if we knew all the of the people God would save with our without us, then we would be like that town in Maine—then the temptation for us as the Body of Christ would be that there’s no point, there’s no use trying—b/c we’re not going to see it.
We could easily become complacent and unprepared, unwilling and unresponsive to the leadership of God.
So in a sense, it is vital, for our hope to remain strong that some things remain hidden.
HEB 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
We are here in this world waiting, waiting for what everyone, whether we realize it or not, is yearning for in our hearts. We should never be afraid of what tomorrow holds because we know where tomorrow is going. No matter how bad things get around us, Believers should have a Hope for the Future. “I don’t know what the Future holds, but I know Who holds the Future.”
Our Past is full of Hope—because we can look back with confidence on what Christ has done for us. We have the privilege of looking backward to Jesus and what He did for us
We have Hope for the Present--we struggle making sense of today and all of our struggles and trials. We have trouble making sense of the evils in the world, like tomorrow’s anniversary, but we have hope that the world today is in the Hands of an Almighty God who is moving our Present in a definitive direction—an outcome that He is fully aware of and in control of.
Hope of the Future—and since we know where this world is going, we we also have hope as New Creations in Christ as we look Forward to His Return.
If you’ve ever wondered, “where are we going”, “what in the world is God doing?”, the answer is the Second Coming, the Kingdom of God, a New Heaven and a New Earth, an Eternity in the Presence of God. It is the celebration of God’s complete and total reunion and restoration with His children. It will be like that moment with the Prodigal’s father—where God calls out, “My children are finally and forever home with me. Kill the fatted calf and let’s celebrate their return.”
God is inviting and calling each of us to faith so we can be a part of all of that. As we read in 1 Peter, God is giving us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
God generously gives us hope because we desperately need it. It comes through our faith in Christ. We know that a future is prepared for us. Despite all of the difficulties in life and the struggles we face, Hope keeps us alive. John Bunyan—“Hope is never ill when faith is well”. Is your faith alive and well? It needs to be.
G.F. Watt has a famous painting entitled Hope. It pictures a poor woman against the world. Her eyes are bandaged so that she cannot see ahead. In her hands is a harp, but all the strings are broken save one. Those broken strings represent her shattered expectations, her bitter disappointments. That one last unbroken string is the string of hope. She strikes that string and a glorious melody floats out over the world; it fills her dark skies with stars. The artist painted a great truth: Even when all else is gone, you still can have hope.
Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11 Memories
Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when the Towers were hit?
I was asleep. I had driven into Mountain Home, AR the night before to help Vicky's grandmother celebrate her birthday. When Vicky came in to tell me a plane hit the tower, I thought, small, private plane, some inexperienced pilot, no big deal, I'm going back to sleep. Not long after that she came back in and woke me saying, "another plane hit the other tower, we're under attack!" I quickly jumped out of bed. The rest of the day was spent in front of the TV trying to figure out what had happened. Gabriel was not even a year old, but we didn't want him seeing all that.
Will you share your memories?
Kelly
I was asleep. I had driven into Mountain Home, AR the night before to help Vicky's grandmother celebrate her birthday. When Vicky came in to tell me a plane hit the tower, I thought, small, private plane, some inexperienced pilot, no big deal, I'm going back to sleep. Not long after that she came back in and woke me saying, "another plane hit the other tower, we're under attack!" I quickly jumped out of bed. The rest of the day was spent in front of the TV trying to figure out what had happened. Gabriel was not even a year old, but we didn't want him seeing all that.
Will you share your memories?
Kelly
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Macomb Balloon Festival
Yesterday was the opening of the Macomb Balloon Festival. It was an impressive sight to watch all the balloons fill up and then take off. It was equally fun to watch my kids running around and playing. Gabriel found our neighbors' kids and ran more last night than any other time in his life! Moriah trekked around (with me chasing her)like crazy all over the place.
What's amazing is before we came, we told Gabriel we were going somewhere, but it was a surprise. Of course, he then didn't want to go, not sure of where we were going, he was a bit intimidated. Every time we do this, we're usually going somewhere fun, but he forgets. His trust that we have something good for him was stretched and because he wasn't sure, he tried to bring on such a bad attitude that we wouldn't go at all. But he had such a good time when we got there that he was glad we went.
That's so like us with God. So often He desires to take us somewhere and keep it a surprise--He has a great adventure for us--but our trust is such that we throw an attitude and don't want to go. But when we actually get to where He is taking us, we have a great time. If only we would trust Him completely and be truly willing to go wherever He leads and not have to be dragged kicking and screaming.
Where has God been leading you that you've been unwilling to go? Do you really trust Him? When have you learned this lesson?
Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life,
Kelly
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Spiritual Legacy of 9/11???
In a recent update, George Barna, head of a polling group that focuses on spiritual issues, had this to say about 9/11's spiritual impact just a short 5 years ago. Read the article
Here
What a sad statement, though not surprising. God has been put back up on the shelf after a momentary "need" or "crisis".
A similar equivalent from the life of the early church would be if 5 years after 70 AD and the destruction of the Jewish Temple, the Jewish people all went back to their lives as normal and never questioned their relationship with God at all.
Or 5 years after the deportation of the Exiles, life just continued on unaffected. If the latter was the case (the exiles), we wouldn't be talking about a Jewish people today, they would have assimilated into Babylon and we wouldn't know much of their existence.
But God didn't let this happen in them. There was a spiritual renewal that He desired to accomplish--an act of discipline that demanded an assessment of relationship. Despite the horrors of 9/11--God can accomplish good things from it, even on a national level.
What worries me is that if a nation, if a people do not allow something like 9/11 to affect their relationship with God, what will it take? Such calamaties are often used of God to remind us of our need of Him, but apparently, America is turning a deaf ear to His efforts.
My question is this... Has 9/11 in any way affected the way you live, or your spiritual life?
Here
What a sad statement, though not surprising. God has been put back up on the shelf after a momentary "need" or "crisis".
A similar equivalent from the life of the early church would be if 5 years after 70 AD and the destruction of the Jewish Temple, the Jewish people all went back to their lives as normal and never questioned their relationship with God at all.
Or 5 years after the deportation of the Exiles, life just continued on unaffected. If the latter was the case (the exiles), we wouldn't be talking about a Jewish people today, they would have assimilated into Babylon and we wouldn't know much of their existence.
But God didn't let this happen in them. There was a spiritual renewal that He desired to accomplish--an act of discipline that demanded an assessment of relationship. Despite the horrors of 9/11--God can accomplish good things from it, even on a national level.
What worries me is that if a nation, if a people do not allow something like 9/11 to affect their relationship with God, what will it take? Such calamaties are often used of God to remind us of our need of Him, but apparently, America is turning a deaf ear to His efforts.
My question is this... Has 9/11 in any way affected the way you live, or your spiritual life?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Sermon 9/3/06-- Wiping the Slate Clean
This week begins a series entitled--"New Creation Living"
Wiping the Slate Clean—2 Cor. 5:17
My son Gabriel has a wonderful learning tool at home. It’s a chalkboard. On it, he can draw to his hearts content. He makes lines, he draws shapes, he scribbles characters. Many times, he asks me or Vicky to draw something for him, an animal, a veggie tale character. What’s sad is that I’m not a very good artist. I need to learn a thing or two from Stacy. I’ll be drawing along and realize that what I’m drawing looks absolutely horrible and nothing like what Gabriel asked for. Now, he doesn’t care, he just wants to play with me and see me do it. But my eyes don’t let me tolerate it.
Thankfully, there is an eraser. With a few wipes of the brush, my mistakes can be removed, I can plan what I want to do instead and there’s hope that the task I started will be satisfying to both Gabriel and myself. Not much hope for me, but hope remains.
Sometimes, I get to a point and want to wipe the whole board clean. I see so many old lines, so many past mistakes that the board needs to be totally cleansed. Isn’t it great to know that “wiping the slate clean” is just what God offers us in Christ? Paul reminds us in
2 Cor 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
When we make a decision to be “IN Christ”, when we choose to accept His gift of forgiveness, we are completely changed. In essence, our slate has been wiped clean. It affects our past, our present and our future.
1. Forgotten Past—
a. Our old purposes and aims, our old weaknesses and faults, our old pride & conceit, our old hypocrisies and sins have been changed into something completely new. It springs forth from the power of Christ working in us. It is a new act of Creation on God’s part. One set of conditions and relationships had passed out of existence, another set has come to stay. The individual who comes to faith has experienced a renewal and a rebirth. The believer has been truly “born again”.
b. Think about that connection. The same type of creative power that was at work back in Genesis 1 when God said, “Let there be light” is at work in every believer to change them into a new creation—there is a total transformation—“Let them be made new!—Remade—remade the way I intended them to be!” No we don’t see that total transformation now, but it has happened in eternity, and what has happened there is assured for us here.
c. That’s what makes it a moment of change and an ongoing process of change. To accept Jesus as Lord and live in Him as Lord will make many familiar things, old habits and situations look old, shameful and unpleasant. If you are listening to the voice of Christ, more and more the sins of your past will no longer be appealing, you’ll want to stay away from the things, the situations, the people that were a part of marking up your slate in they eyes of God. You won’t want to be a part of it.
d. But when our slate has been cleansed, our past has been cleansed we have an assurance from the Word of God that our sins have been removed.
e. Psalm 103:12—“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
f. Many of the early Christians could find themselves in a list that Paul expressed in
1 Cor. 6:9-10—“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
g. If we’re honest, most of us could find ourselves somewhere in that list at some point in our lives. But the joy, and the power of being a new creation is found in v. 11—“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
h. In other words, those characteristics may have marked your previous life, but in Christ, He will change us—in some experiences instantaneously, in others over years of discipleship. Some can testify to immediate deliverance from addictions like alcohol, while others have years of struggle. God doesn’t do the same thing in every person. In either case, In Christ--we cannot continue to live defined by our old life.
i. And what’s wonderful to realize is that what we used to be, the mistakes we have made, cannot keep us from living and being used in the Kingdom of God when we have been washed in the Blood of Christ.
j. Your past has been wiped clean. When you are in Christ, you may experience continuing results of the past, but you cannot be bound by the past. God still loves you and wants to use you.
2. Present Guidance
a. A clean slate isn’t worth very much if you’re just going to mark it all up again. Now don’t get me wrong… every single one of us “In Christ” will continue to sin, we will continue to add blemishes to our record. That will not change until we have died or transformed at the Second Coming.
b. We need help today. We need assistance with living today. And because our slate has been cleaned, our past has been forgiven by the blood of Christ, we have hope to resist temptation today. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us, speaking to us, reminding us that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that all of us are priests and called to live a holy life.
c. The Holy Spirit is more than just a little Jimminy Cricket sitting on our shoulder pleading with us to do the right thing. He is even more active and authoritative than that. We have Present Guidance.
d. 1 Cor. 10:13—“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
e. Temptation is not in itself wrong—if that were so, Jesus would be guilty. God promises that for every temptation we face, He will provide a way out of temptation—He will give us Present Guidance.
f. Whenever we are tempted, it is an opportunity to do right as much as wrong.
g. You’re Christ-like character is strengthened when you are tempted to do the exact opposite of what He calls you to be.
You are called to be patient, Satan tempts you to be impatient.
You are called to be self-controlled; Satan tempts you to be self-indulgent.
h. No temptation is too much for us—God won’t allow that—it is as much an opportunity to strengthen your faith, an opportunity to Live for Him and Grow In Him as it is an opportunity to sin.
i. He wants to lead us to the Abundant Life that Jesus spoke about. The adventure of life that sees every moment, every encounter, every relationship as an opportunity to Honor and Give Glory to God. God’s present Guidance is there if only we will listen and recognize His voice.
j. Along with our past and our present, God is preparing a future for you as well.
3. Future Opportunity—
a. In Jeremiah, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God is interested about our future. He wants to see us blessed, He wants to give us hope and a purpose for living.
b. But that is so hard to do if we don’t have something to work for, if we don’t have something to do. Retirement is often difficult or avoided b/c we don’t want to quit, don’t want to have something to do. Many who have nothing to do or are bored have given up on life. Thankfully, part of God’s plan includes things for us to do.
c. Ephesians 2:8-10—“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
d. We cannot earn or deserve God’s love and Grace—our works do nothing to contribute to our salvation, but we do have works to do AFTER we become believers. Works are not in order to be saved, but because we are saved, not saved by good works but saved for good works.
e. We are God’s Workmanship—the NLT says we are God’s “masterpiece”. We have been composed and constructed like an artist paints a painting or a poet writes a poem.
f. We are under continually under construction and God, who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion.
g. “Created anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things”—our new life in Christ has a purpose—so that we can become a blessing to others, so we may serve as God’s ambassadors on earth. Acts of kindness toward other believers and the unchurched in our communities make Christianity tangible to the unsaved world.
h. William Penn wrote: “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore there be any kindness I can show or any good thing I can do to any fellow-being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
i. “God prepared in advance for us to do—which he planned for us long ago—prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”
God prepared a future for us—He prepared good works for us to do. His eternal sovereignty planned out specific things, specific work that He desires for us to do.
j. –Jeremiah’s work was assigned to him before his birth
--Paul was set apart from his mother’s womb to take the Gospel to the Gentiles
--Every day in your life, in my life, according to Psalm 139, has been recorded by God before a single day had passed.
There are some things that God is planning that only you can fulfill.
The next semester, the next year should not be seen as something to endure, or something to look forward to ending, but as an opportunity. Thinking, what does God want to do in me or through me this year?
Our past has been forgiven, our present is being guided, our future has been prepared. All because you are a new creation in Jesus Christ, all b/c of faith.
Have you been changed? Have you become a new creation or are you still trudging around in the same old, bad habits and sins? He is saying to you, “come to me and be forever changed! Come into the future that I have planned for you, come into an eternity with me.”
Wiping the Slate Clean—2 Cor. 5:17
My son Gabriel has a wonderful learning tool at home. It’s a chalkboard. On it, he can draw to his hearts content. He makes lines, he draws shapes, he scribbles characters. Many times, he asks me or Vicky to draw something for him, an animal, a veggie tale character. What’s sad is that I’m not a very good artist. I need to learn a thing or two from Stacy. I’ll be drawing along and realize that what I’m drawing looks absolutely horrible and nothing like what Gabriel asked for. Now, he doesn’t care, he just wants to play with me and see me do it. But my eyes don’t let me tolerate it.
Thankfully, there is an eraser. With a few wipes of the brush, my mistakes can be removed, I can plan what I want to do instead and there’s hope that the task I started will be satisfying to both Gabriel and myself. Not much hope for me, but hope remains.
Sometimes, I get to a point and want to wipe the whole board clean. I see so many old lines, so many past mistakes that the board needs to be totally cleansed. Isn’t it great to know that “wiping the slate clean” is just what God offers us in Christ? Paul reminds us in
2 Cor 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
When we make a decision to be “IN Christ”, when we choose to accept His gift of forgiveness, we are completely changed. In essence, our slate has been wiped clean. It affects our past, our present and our future.
1. Forgotten Past—
a. Our old purposes and aims, our old weaknesses and faults, our old pride & conceit, our old hypocrisies and sins have been changed into something completely new. It springs forth from the power of Christ working in us. It is a new act of Creation on God’s part. One set of conditions and relationships had passed out of existence, another set has come to stay. The individual who comes to faith has experienced a renewal and a rebirth. The believer has been truly “born again”.
b. Think about that connection. The same type of creative power that was at work back in Genesis 1 when God said, “Let there be light” is at work in every believer to change them into a new creation—there is a total transformation—“Let them be made new!—Remade—remade the way I intended them to be!” No we don’t see that total transformation now, but it has happened in eternity, and what has happened there is assured for us here.
c. That’s what makes it a moment of change and an ongoing process of change. To accept Jesus as Lord and live in Him as Lord will make many familiar things, old habits and situations look old, shameful and unpleasant. If you are listening to the voice of Christ, more and more the sins of your past will no longer be appealing, you’ll want to stay away from the things, the situations, the people that were a part of marking up your slate in they eyes of God. You won’t want to be a part of it.
d. But when our slate has been cleansed, our past has been cleansed we have an assurance from the Word of God that our sins have been removed.
e. Psalm 103:12—“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
f. Many of the early Christians could find themselves in a list that Paul expressed in
1 Cor. 6:9-10—“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
g. If we’re honest, most of us could find ourselves somewhere in that list at some point in our lives. But the joy, and the power of being a new creation is found in v. 11—“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
h. In other words, those characteristics may have marked your previous life, but in Christ, He will change us—in some experiences instantaneously, in others over years of discipleship. Some can testify to immediate deliverance from addictions like alcohol, while others have years of struggle. God doesn’t do the same thing in every person. In either case, In Christ--we cannot continue to live defined by our old life.
i. And what’s wonderful to realize is that what we used to be, the mistakes we have made, cannot keep us from living and being used in the Kingdom of God when we have been washed in the Blood of Christ.
j. Your past has been wiped clean. When you are in Christ, you may experience continuing results of the past, but you cannot be bound by the past. God still loves you and wants to use you.
2. Present Guidance
a. A clean slate isn’t worth very much if you’re just going to mark it all up again. Now don’t get me wrong… every single one of us “In Christ” will continue to sin, we will continue to add blemishes to our record. That will not change until we have died or transformed at the Second Coming.
b. We need help today. We need assistance with living today. And because our slate has been cleaned, our past has been forgiven by the blood of Christ, we have hope to resist temptation today. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us, speaking to us, reminding us that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that all of us are priests and called to live a holy life.
c. The Holy Spirit is more than just a little Jimminy Cricket sitting on our shoulder pleading with us to do the right thing. He is even more active and authoritative than that. We have Present Guidance.
d. 1 Cor. 10:13—“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
e. Temptation is not in itself wrong—if that were so, Jesus would be guilty. God promises that for every temptation we face, He will provide a way out of temptation—He will give us Present Guidance.
f. Whenever we are tempted, it is an opportunity to do right as much as wrong.
g. You’re Christ-like character is strengthened when you are tempted to do the exact opposite of what He calls you to be.
You are called to be patient, Satan tempts you to be impatient.
You are called to be self-controlled; Satan tempts you to be self-indulgent.
h. No temptation is too much for us—God won’t allow that—it is as much an opportunity to strengthen your faith, an opportunity to Live for Him and Grow In Him as it is an opportunity to sin.
i. He wants to lead us to the Abundant Life that Jesus spoke about. The adventure of life that sees every moment, every encounter, every relationship as an opportunity to Honor and Give Glory to God. God’s present Guidance is there if only we will listen and recognize His voice.
j. Along with our past and our present, God is preparing a future for you as well.
3. Future Opportunity—
a. In Jeremiah, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God is interested about our future. He wants to see us blessed, He wants to give us hope and a purpose for living.
b. But that is so hard to do if we don’t have something to work for, if we don’t have something to do. Retirement is often difficult or avoided b/c we don’t want to quit, don’t want to have something to do. Many who have nothing to do or are bored have given up on life. Thankfully, part of God’s plan includes things for us to do.
c. Ephesians 2:8-10—“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
d. We cannot earn or deserve God’s love and Grace—our works do nothing to contribute to our salvation, but we do have works to do AFTER we become believers. Works are not in order to be saved, but because we are saved, not saved by good works but saved for good works.
e. We are God’s Workmanship—the NLT says we are God’s “masterpiece”. We have been composed and constructed like an artist paints a painting or a poet writes a poem.
f. We are under continually under construction and God, who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion.
g. “Created anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things”—our new life in Christ has a purpose—so that we can become a blessing to others, so we may serve as God’s ambassadors on earth. Acts of kindness toward other believers and the unchurched in our communities make Christianity tangible to the unsaved world.
h. William Penn wrote: “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore there be any kindness I can show or any good thing I can do to any fellow-being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
i. “God prepared in advance for us to do—which he planned for us long ago—prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”
God prepared a future for us—He prepared good works for us to do. His eternal sovereignty planned out specific things, specific work that He desires for us to do.
j. –Jeremiah’s work was assigned to him before his birth
--Paul was set apart from his mother’s womb to take the Gospel to the Gentiles
--Every day in your life, in my life, according to Psalm 139, has been recorded by God before a single day had passed.
There are some things that God is planning that only you can fulfill.
The next semester, the next year should not be seen as something to endure, or something to look forward to ending, but as an opportunity. Thinking, what does God want to do in me or through me this year?
Our past has been forgiven, our present is being guided, our future has been prepared. All because you are a new creation in Jesus Christ, all b/c of faith.
Have you been changed? Have you become a new creation or are you still trudging around in the same old, bad habits and sins? He is saying to you, “come to me and be forever changed! Come into the future that I have planned for you, come into an eternity with me.”
Friday, September 01, 2006
Wiping the Slate Clean?
So, are we a blank slate or are we pre-determined?
Is there some preordained material with blank spaces to fill in with life?
What's more, if sin is like the lines on a chalkboard, how can we start over?
Sermon Hint for this Sunday!
Kelly
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