Sermon – Generational Curses September 4, 2005

Intro
Simon’s father stumbles in at 2:30am drunk. This is nothing new to 10 year old Simon. When he hears the banging of lamps and doors, Simon knows the best thing is to pull his pillow tight over his head so he will not have to hear the swearing or his mother being hit. Simon mutters into the darkness that he will never be like his father.

If Simon hates the sin of his father so much, why is he statistically likely to grow up to repeat the sins of his parents? 50% of the children of alcoholics grow up to be alcoholics themselves. The reason for that tragic statistic is found way back in the Ten Commandments:

Ex 20:1-7
20:1 And God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.

We are going to focus on verses 5 & 6 today.

How God Feels About the Expression, “Oh my God”
First, may I tangent to mention something about the next commandment? Let’s read it:

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

For the word “misuse” the original text uses the Hebrew “shave,” which means emptiness, vanity, or falsely. The King James interprets this as vain; do not use the Lord’s name in vain. The Darby translation says, do not “idly utter the name” of God. God does not want us to use His name cheaply. So often we hear the expression “Oh my God.” That is using the Lord’s name cheaply; without a real purpose. I’m guessing some of us didn’t know that was in the Bible, so I wanted to mention it. If we are interested in pleasing God we should know that He has specifically commanded us not to use His name cheaply. Okay, back to generational sins.

The Curse
What I want us to see from the covenant of the Ten Commandments is that in verses 5 & 6 God warns that punishment for major sin effects not only the perpetrator but also his offspring three and four generations later. Let’s look at some examples.

Abraham’s Big Lie

Gen 12:11-13
11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

The King of Egypt took Sarah as his wife. When God cursed the royal household and the King discovered the truth, Abraham and Sarah were thrown out of Egypt. Abraham’s lie was based in mistrust of God’s provision. It is a sin many of us are pone to today. Much later in Chapter 20 we find him repeating the same error all over again.

Gen 20:1-3
20:1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman."

Fast forward many years and six chapters in Genesis. Turn to chapter 26. Abraham has passed away and his son Isaac is now seeking a place to live.


Gen 26:6, 7
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."

Does this sound familiar? The nut does not fall far from the tree. Even though God blessed Abraham right up to the end of his life, nevertheless, Abraham’s big error of not trusting God’s provision and resorting to deception was clearly passed on to his prodigy. What we learn from Isaac is there is not some kind of undeserved retribution in generational sins, rather the children themselves adopt and repeat their parents’ errors. Let’s move on to another example.

David’s Big Sin
Like Abraham, David loved the Lord and followed Him. Yet David gave in to his lusts and sinned with Bathsheba who was married to another man. When she sent word their sin resulted in pregnancy, David had her husband murdered in battle to cover up. The Lord was deeply grieved by all this and sent the prophet Nathan to confront David.

2 Sam 12:11-14
"This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"

13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die." NIV

God in His grace forgave the repentant David but because of the covenant in the Ten Commandments the consequences of David’s sin followed the generations that came after. Not only did the baby die as Nathan predicted, but the son’s born to David later repeated their father’s big lustful sin. David’s son Amnon raped his stepsister which led to hatred from Absalom, a son by a different wife. Absalom killed Amnon two years later and then fled from David. Absalom lived as an enemy of his own father and for a short time captured Jerusalem. Nathan’s prophecy came true when Absalom pitched a tent on the palace roof and slept with 10 of his father’s concubines. Absalom later died in battle against David and his father mourned him deeply. David’s sin of not being satisfied with what God had provided and taking a forbidden woman was repeated by his sons. Even Solomon, the son of great wisdom later repeated this sin when he married foreign women who led him into idolatry.

Again we see David enjoyed God’s larger blessings including heaven, but his life on earth was painfully marked by grief, as were the lives of his children, all because of his big error.

Stronghold of Deceptions
Behind every generational sin is a demonic stronghold of deception that can only be broken by the power of Christ. Listen:

2 Cor. 10:4-5
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Verse 5 uses the words “arguments,” “pretension,” and “knowledge of God.” These are all references to truth. So a stronghold is a lie we accept so deeply that it becomes a strategic entrenchment; territory controlled by the enemy. It is like a cavity of decay on our soul and demonic powers can latch on to that point. By the spiritual power of the covenant in the Ten Commandments, these strongholds of deception are passed on for generations.

An example is when we accept the lie that alcohol or sex will bring satisfaction then pass those deceptions on to our children. The truth is only Jesus brings ultimate satisfaction. Often the sin will be different from generation to generation while the underling lie is the same. For example, the child of an alcoholic may never drink but they become a workaholic or obsessed with food. The underling lie is still the same: something other than Jesus can bring meaning and fulfillment to life.

The New Covenant
Let’s turn now to the New Covenant under Christ. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that God would one day send a cure for generational curses:

Jer 31:27-30
27 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD. 29 "In those days people will no longer say,

'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge.'

30 Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes — his own teeth will be set on edge.

It is often said the Old Covenant found in the Old Testament is dead and no longer governs us. More accurately, the Old Covenant is fulfilled, not annulled by, the New Covenant. Listen to Jesus:

Matt 5:17-18
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

What we have under the New Covenant is not an escape from the reality of generational sins but a solution. Now we can apply the blood of Christ and satisfy the demand for punishment called for by the Old Covenant.

Heb 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Gal 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

So Jesus takes the curse of sin, including generationally inherited sins, off us and puts it on Himself on the cross. However, this transaction is only positional: that is in our relationship to God. It doesn’t transfer into our lives now unless we work through three steps.

Step #1
Recognize the deception and repent. Jesus said:

John 8:32
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. TLB

Step #2
Name our errors out loud, confidentially, to a trusted individual. The demons whispering constant untruth have exclusive domain over their stronghold as long as we keep our sin a secret. They lose tremendous power when the conversation is taken out of our heads and brought into dialogue with a loving, honest third party. Confession takes the sting out of a sin. That is why James writes:

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Step #3
Apply the blood of Jesus in prayer.

Heb 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Prayer
“Dear Lord, my family has sinned, I have sinned. We have given over a special place in our hearts meant for You to __________________(Name the lie you have embraced). Jesus as much as I hate to put one more punishment on You, I have no choice. I am desperate. I cannot remove this myself, so I must ask that Your blood be applied to the sin I’ve named.”

Sermon 8/28/05 Worship Meditation – Repent, Rest, Worship

Today, rather than a sermon, we are going to work through a guided worship time.

Repent
Let us begin with a conversation with Jesus.

You: Lord, I have this burden on my back and I’ve been carrying it through the week. It is very heavy and I am tired.

Jesus:
Matt 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Mark 6:31
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

You: Oh that sounds so good Lord. Thank you! Now how do I give you this load and find Your rest? My soul very much needs your rest.

Jesus:
John 16:33
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

You: So what You are saying Lord is You will not take away my troubles but you will help carry them, right? I understand they will still be my burdens but yes I will let You bare the weight.

Jesus:
Phil 4:6-7
6 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 (me) Christ Jesus.

You: Okay Lord, I understand. You want me to present my problems and sins one at a time to You. Then You will give me peace. But Lord I am ashamed by my weakness and sins.

Jesus:
Matt 12:20
20 A bruised reed (I) will not break,
and a smoldering wick (I) will not snuff out,

1 John 1:8-9
8 If (you) claim to be without sin, (you) deceive yourselves and the truth is not in (you). 9 If (you) confess (your) sins, (I am) faithful and just and will forgive (your) sins and purify (you) from all unrighteousness.

You: Thank you Jesus. That is a very great promise. I know I have sins to give You.

Classic Penitential Prayer
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you
In thought, word, and deed,
By what we have done
And by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
Have mercy on us and forgive us,
That we may delight in your will,
And walk in your ways,
To the glory of your name.

Communion
As we take communion, listen to this reading:

You Took My Place
Are you dreaming? You’re not really sure. Something major has just happened and you can’t recall what. Four mighty beings approach with strides of purpose and confidence. They are not menacing, but they clearly have a duty that will be no joy for you or them. You are immediately seized by wrists and ankles and thrown down upon a wooden cross. There is a glimpse of spikes and a hammer. The strength of these beings makes struggle out of the question. The tragic reality of your situation snaps into clarity. You have died and now exist outside of time. You are being crucified and forced to exist in the forever-present, dieing on a cross.

The executioners spread your hands and without hesitation, slam the hammer onto the first spike and through your flesh . White hot pain tares from your hand, through your arm, up the neck and lodges in your brain. Several more blows seat the spike into the cross. You hope to black out from the anguish, but somehow you can’t. This fact barely has time to register when the opposite hand is splayed open and another spike is driven through it. You feel as though every nerve in your body is screaming but when the final spike is driven through both feet you realize there are now thousands more to add to the pain. The cross jostles as it is set upright and slipped into a hole. Now your anguish is complete. Nothing else registers. Your lungs burn from continually shrieking.

The first hour is the most intense, but slowly the sharpness and edginess of the pain turns to a dull throb coming from the direction of those mangled hands and feet. Straightening your knees keeps your weight from hanging on the hands, but it causes intense agony in the feet and the tradeoff is not worth the effort. Either hands, or feet must carry the brunt of the hurt and neither gives any relief. In exhaustion, you let the body hang limp.

Other thoughts creep into your awareness. How did this happen? Did I deserve this? It all becomes clear. The heavenly executioners were doing their job. There is nothing aimed at you by way of vengeance, no malice, no hatred behind this horrible reality. A deep truth is now made part of you. You know that in this new realm after death, everything is exactly as it must be. There is no longer any pretense or falsehood. You are suffering on a cross because of how you lived.

In your mind, you see before you every sin you ever committed. Many were never acknowledged before now. None of them is too terrible. There is no murder or grand theft. But there is a huge pile of small ones. Smugness, failure to love, sexual sins, gluttony, a lie when you were 12, cheating in college, stinginess as an adult, bitterness. They are all there, every one of them and it is an overwhelming collection.

At first it seemed horribly unjust that you could be crucified. But now, looking at all those sins in one place, you know this one-time, eternal act of crucifixion is the precise punishment equal to all your combined sins. It is just and right, but so terribly painful. No shame can stop you now and you throw your head back and lament of the permanent destruction you have brought on yourself.

Someone has been whispering your name for some time. A familiar sweet voice is trying to wake you out of the horror. You raise your head enough to distinguish the one calling. It is Jesus and His face is smeared with tears. When at last you are looking directly into His warm eyes He speaks to you, “Child, just say ‘yes’ and you will be brought down. A body must die and hang thus, but I would rather it be mine then yours. I love you too much to see you this way and I want to take your place. Just say ‘yes.’ Say ‘yes.’”

No sooner has the end of the ‘s’ left your lips then you find yourself standing in paradise amidst perfection and love. All you just dreamed never came to pass. You never hung on that cross because Jesus took your place back when you said yes, in another life so long ago.

That rich voice comes again, “Welcome, good and faithful servant. Welcome to My joy.”

You take in the splendor around you. Your eyes lock on His and in a choked whisper you reply, “You took my place.”

Rest
We often talk about God’s presence felt in a room, especially a sanctuary. But God’s temple is in our hearts. For a few minutes we are going to cause our minds to be still and aware of God’s presence in our hearts. It is not so much that He comes and goes as it is that we do not make the effort to be aware of His presence. A sail boat can be out in a brisk wind but if the sails are not hoisted, the boat will not move and the wind will go unnoticed. Jesus said:

John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

We must hoist the sail of our hearts and let it fill with the Spirit’s wind. The way to do that is to be still and concentrate on God.

Ps 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God…

Isa 30:15
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength…

During the week we take so little opportunity to come aside with Jesus as the Apostles did. Today we will make time. We’ll begin by singing an old melody about being alone with Jesus in the garden, then we will silence ourselves to enjoy His presence blowing across our hearts.

Song: In the Garden

Don’t let any other thought force its way into your mind except Jesus. Just be still, and know that He is God.

Background CD of birds.

Hands Down/Hands Up
Pray with your palms face down on your lap and imagine your problems and every concern falling out of your grasp and away from you. Next turn your palms up and imagine God filling your hands with His grace, love, and beauty.

Worship
Consider who Jesus is as we worship him.


Col 2:9
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…

Heb 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Col 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.


Jesus shares the throne with God. Listen:

Rev 22:1
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Matt 24:30
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

Rev 5:13-14
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Prayer

The crucible of yieldedness

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich… Rev 3:18

We were boys. One of our better campfires crackled and glowed warmth through jackets, jeans, and flesh—down to the bones. Then it began. A twig was strategically tossed where orange-red waves of translucent heat jitterbugged over humming coals. There was an anticipatory moment where the sacrificial stick seemed unharmed. Yellow flares hissed about its skin. Then the helpless victim began to writhe and shrink until it became one with the embers. “Cool,” we exclaimed in unison. It was an experiment that bore repeating. Hence the selection of our objects of peril rapidly escalated. Pine needles, pinecones, a coke can, coat hangers. We thought our fire so hot there was nothing it could not consume or transform. The search for an ultimate martyr culminated in scientific placement of a glass bottle. Ample fuel and much waiting rewarded us. Suspended in the night air on the end of a hanger radiated a blob of molten glass surrounded by giddy oohs and ahs.

I have never outgrown a penchant for experimentation. Now I am testing spiritual limitations. The theoretical inquiry: how many of my choices can I yield to God and see my heart transformed? I’d like to know. I have thrown my afterlife into God’s fire and witnessed it refined into the gold of hope and assurance. “Cool; what’s next?” I’ve tossed my financial needs into the fire. The results were surprising; the Lord burned off worry and greed leaving the precious metal of peace. What else can I pitch in there? I put in career choices and transportation needs. These are only beginner sticks and pinecones. How about my disappointments, lusts, habits? How about entertainment, sleep, and conversation? I wonder what would happen if I let my thoughts be consumed by the Lord’s fire. One by one I plan to feed each of these into the crucible of yieldedness to what happens.

Prayer: Lord, what can I give You today?

Sermon –Eternal Perspective -August 7, 2005

This rope represents our life. Notice I’m holding the end with a one inch piece of tape around it. The other end goes across the room and out the door. That is to represent the never ending nature of life—we will live forever; either in paradise or hell. So this rope goes out the door where we can never see the end. The first one inch I hold in my hand represents earthly life. This first inch is the 25, 50, or 100 years we will spend on earth; the rest of our life stretches forever. Comparatively speaking, life in the physical body is extremely short.

James 4:14-15
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Are You in Christ?
Listen closely to this next point. How we spend eternity is decided by what happens in this first inch. There are two factors to consider. Whether we spend eternity in heaven or hell is decided based on whether or not we are in Christ. Listen:

1 John 5:11-12
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Matt 25:32-33
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

If you are not in Christ don’t delay, get the remedy today. See me after the service. Jesus’ blood, and Jesus blood alone, will bring us through the narrow gate into paradise.

The Basic Plan
That is the Basic Plan of salvation. Let me read to you some of the benefits that come with this Basic Plan:


Rev 21:4
…no more death or mourning or crying or pain,

Rev 22:4-5
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Rev 14:13
…they will rest from their labor…

And for this same low, low price you also get eternal life and paradise:

Rev 2:7
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Upgrade to Premium Gold
All this comes with the Basic Plan for just knowing Jesus. But what I want to show you today is an amazing one-time-only offer to upgrade from the Basic Entrance Plan to the Premium Gold Plan. What many don’t realize is the Bible teaches there are blessings available beyond the benefits included in the Basic Plan. How do we upgrade? Simple; whatever we do for Jesus in this life will follow us into heaven into our Premium Gold account. You may have thought as I did for many years that everyone is rewarded the same in heaven. So let’s turn to the Word of God so I can show you what we do does in fact follow us. Let’s begin with:

REV 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

Those who have received the sacrifice of Christ will be forgiven every sin committed and even every good deed left undone when we stand before the judgment seat. But every good deed that has been done in Christ’s name and strength will be rewarded and carried forward into paradise. What a perfect situation: all the bad removed, all the good kept and multiplied. Here are a few more verses to support this conclusion:

2CO 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

EPH 6:7-8 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does…

1TI 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth…18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

MK 9:41 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

LK 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great.

Just as there are varying degrees of blessing in heaven there are also varying degrees of suffering in hell. Jesus said this to Capernaum:

Matt 11:23-24
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.

Jesus’ sacrifice is the foundation of our faith. We enter heaven on the foundation of Jesus alone. But if we don’t spend our fleeting days building on that foundation with the gold of eternal virtues, we will arrive in heaven a little singed. Listen:

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. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

This knowledge about rewards changes our perspective from earthly to heavenly. It changes how we choose to live. Listen to the following passage from The Message:

1Co 7:29-32 I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple--in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things--your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out. I want you to live as free of complications as possible. MSG

2 Cor 4:17-18
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Exchanging Trials For Gold
This last passage brings us to talk about the best possible way to upgrade into the Gold Plan. It talks about our troubles. Have you ever asked God what you can do for Him? I have. I looked around at where the world needed help and said, “What great thing can I do for You Lord?”

His answer was, “Look right under your nose, Don. Look at the obligations you already have. Look at the temptations in your life. You have not fully made Me Master of the challenges you have, so why would I give you more? Do you want to do more for Me? Then apply more of My strength to what is on your plate and you will bring honor to Me and achieve an eternal reward we can celebrate forever.”

Are you struggling in some area in this life? Is there some hardship, or temptation that won’t let go of you? How you handle it matters. Eternity will be different, based on how you respond. Life is difficult. God allows us to be tested and stretched to the absolute limits. But this test is building a treasure in heaven. This is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shine in the face of temptation and trials. We must change our prayers from, “Lord, get me out of this situation,” to, ”Lord, thank You for the chance to honor You. Please strengthen me.”

--Are you pressed into an impossible life situation? Responding with virtue honors Jesus into eternity.

--Are you regularly tempted by the same distraction? Each time you are victorious it brings praise to Jesus that lasts forever.

--Are there troubled relationships in your life? When you secretly return blessing for curses and love for hatred, every eye in heaven celebrates.

How we respond matters—it matters forever.

What Matters?
Some of you went to Frank and Ann’s yesterday to help around their house. You need to know what you did. You did not just help a brother and sister in Christ. You did not merely get a good feeling for a short time that will soon pass. What you did was lay up treasure for yourself in heaven that will bring praise to Jesus forever.

Some say charity is like wetting your pants in a dark suit; you get a warm feeling but hardly anyone notices. I’m so glad that is not true for those in Christ. Every good action or thought matters forever.

Phil 4:8-9
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 (virtue in the KJV) or praiseworthy-think about such things.

What is true, noble, right, pure, and virtuous—these are the things that matter in the next life so they matter in this life too. Will you commit yourself from this day forward to live every precious day with your eye on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, and whatever has virtue? Will you set your eye on eternity?

The Lord said to Daniel:

Dan 12:1-4
But at that time your people-everyone whose name is found written in the book-will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

“Lord, may we shine like stars for You for ever and ever. Amen.”

Thirsty Hungarians

Hungary was green, hot, friendly, and ripe for the Gospel. I stepped off the plane back in California yesterday with a fresh understanding that this big old world is not about me. Each missions trip reminds me how small I am, how unique foreigners are, and much we all need the Source of life. Let me draw my spoon over the surface of the milk of my memories and skim off the best cream for you.

Suzanne was a blonde Hungarian student sitting in the sweltering railcar by herself. Her tan legs stretched over to the adjacent seat. She smiled up from her book and made room as my niece, Leah, and I asked if we could join her berth. Leah is conversant in Hungarian but began in English so I could follow along. In no time at all we were deep into spiritual matters. Leah bubbled about her joy as a believer.

“But Jesus failed in His mission when He was killed,” Susanne replied. Our eyebrows flew up at such a supposition. We showed her Isaiah 63 to demonstrate Jesus’ goal of dieing on the cross. Everything Suzanne had learned from her culture and university said Jesus was a myth which science opposes. I was amazed to meet many Hungarians who believed exactly as Suzanne until my sister Lori gave me a quick history lesson.

Hungary was occupied by Russian Communists until 1991. 14 years ago it was illegal to own a Bible or preach Christ. No wonder everyone is still confused about the historical facts surrounding the New Testament. After two hours of intense discussion and refuting the communist lies with supporting facts and Leah’s explosive enthusiasm, Suzanne was farther from atheism and closer to God. Leah traded email addresses. Please pray for Suzanne as you read this. It will make an eternal difference.

On Saturday we joined another group of Americans. 40 of us wound through the Hungarian countryside on a bus toward the village of Vescee. We enjoyed a local fair complete with hog roasting, traditional dancing, and an anvil-carry race. Our group found a grassy place next to a cheerful pond and set up face painting, puppet shows, and crafts. I personally found a new giftedness for creating bizarre balloon hats. We passed out dozens of Gospel bracelets along with copies of the Gospel of John. A carpet of blue, white, and purple wildflowers bordered the road home after perfect day of ministry.

Accept for our cookout of roasted pig fat with the locals (Hungarian teen pictured above), I’ve saved the best story for the last. The teens in our group had a wordless drama prepared. We took the tram into the town square of Debrecen (second largest city in Hungary). A stage event was underway with acts from all over the country. The PA system made it difficult to find a place where our small troupe could set up their boom box and draw a crowd. We wandered aimlessly.

“Do you think we could pay the promoters for ten minutes of stage time?” asked son-in-law Josh (our leader).

The Holy Spirit was nudging me at the same time and I blurted out, “Let’s go ask, but don’t offer money unless we have to.” We grabbed an interrupter and to our amazement God opened all the doors. Within 20 minutes our team was on the stage, filling the square with their soundtrack, and seizing the attention of hundreds. The Holy Spirit was palpable as Christ was portrayed to take a man’s place for punishment for his sin. It was powerful and many listened to the Gospel in one-on-one conversations afterward.

Our actors didn’t think it possible they would be invited to use the stage. They didn’t think they were capable of pulling off a professional performance. But God put it all together because somewhere in that crowd were a few He knew would come to Him.

Hungarians have been sucked dry by their history. Please pray God will now restore them with drafts of living water.

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. John 7:37-38