Friends,
I am caving in, succumbing to peer pressure, joining the tide of the masses. I am moving my blog, The Light Mirror, to My Space. The following link will get you there:
http://blog.myspace.com/lightmirror
Monday, March 20, 2006
Friday, March 17, 2006
Sermon – Spiritual Warfare Part 1 Mar 19, 2006
Series Intro
Last year in June, Steve, Denise, Dani, and I returned from Africa and you may recall we showed videos of demons manifesting during baptism. We had six different encounters in the three weeks we were there. I came back and told you I still did not understand all the reasons God allowed us to be confronted with these issues. Since that time I have been praying, reading, and asking experienced missionaries about spiritual warfare. For the next two weeks I want to share some of my findings. Many Christians do not live in joy. Understanding the war around us and gaining victory is the key to joy as we await the return of Jesus.
Still Active in Our Time?
One common teaching on demons is that these powers were around in Bible times but not today, except possibly in some superstitious third-world countries. If I were a demon and I wanted to have my way with you, that is exactly what I would want you to think: that I don’t exist. Our Western scientific worldview says: If you can’t see it, touch it, measure it, or define it, it does not exist. We are blinded by the egotistical boundaries some scientists put on existence. We look to ourselves and to false teachers to solve how life works rather than ask God. What God tells us in scripture is that we DO have spiritual enemies:
2 Cor 12:7-8
…there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Jesus said to Peter:
Luke 22:31-32
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
Peter in turn warned us:
1 Peter 5:8-9
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith…
Eph 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The truth is we do have spiritual enemies and they are active today all over the world; however in our culture they tend to manifest themselves as materialism, pride, apathy, lust, bitterness, and over-indulgence, etc.
Let me give you a list of examples of when we are under spiritual attack (Most taken from The Bondage Breaker by Neal T. Anderson):
1) Have you ever seen, heard, or felt a spiritual being in your room?
2) Do you have recurring nightmares, or have you ever felt choked, or a heavy weight on your chest at night?
3) Have you ever had an imaginary friend or spirit-guide, or “angel” offering you guidance or companionship?
4) Have you ever heard voices in your head or nagging thoughts such as, “I am no good,” “I’m ugly,” “I’m an evil person?”
5) Have you been prompted to seriously consider suicide, or kill another person, or an animal, or be destructive?
6) Have you ever been contacted by beings who said they were aliens?
7) Do you have real problems with wandering thoughts especially when trying to read the Bible, listen to a Christian message, or pray?
8) Do you fret and worry over things you cannot control?
9) Do you fantasize about sex, power, fame, revenge, or wealth?
10) Do you suffer from recurring headaches, dizziness, or sleepiness?
11) Do suggestions of doubt pop into your mind when you consider Biblical promises?
12) Do swear words or vile thoughts take over your mind at uninvited times?
13) Do you brew in anger over issues or when others offend you?
14) Do you obsess over any particular thing?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you are possibly under spiritual attack. This week I hope to explain the theology behind demons and next week provide practical steps for victory.
Demonic Beginnings
Here is a brief history on where demons came from. Sometime before the fall of man (Adam and Eve), Satan was called Lucifer and was a powerful angel. The name Lucifer means angel of light.
EZE 28:14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
EZE 28:15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
EZE 28:16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
EZE 28:17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
Jude 1:[6] And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
REV 12:7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. [8] But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. [9] The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Satan and one-third of the angels were condemned and thrown out of heaven, but now comes the worst part for humans:
Rev 12:12
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.
Satan and his demons hate God so they take it out on us, God’s children. That is why we have spiritual enemies today.
Spiritual Strongholds
The Apostle Paul explains how demonic strongholds work.
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.
Arguments and pretensions that are set against the knowledge of God become spiritual strongholds. Simply put, accepting lies is what allows a demon to hang-on and harass. Behind every sin is a lie we have accepted and acted on. For example, we accept the lie that sex, or drugs, or possessions can fulfill us when only Jesus can meet our truest needs. The lies we accept enter our hearts during life events; the larger the life event, the larger the potential of impact on who we become. Let me explain this with an analogy.
Imagine your spirit as a clean and sleek rocket ship flying through space. You have a pointed top and shiny untouched sides. You are blasting across the galaxy enjoying the incredible creations of God in space. All of the sudden, blammo! A rock slams into your nosecone and leaves a big dent. Then, blammo again. Another space rock tears down the side of your rocket leaving a deep gash. More ferrous meteorites are leaving dents in your pristine rocket.
The shock wave from the smashes has attracted evil enemies. They fly through space and try to hang onto your speeding spirit. But the hull is too slick and round and they peel off. But some of them begin to dig into the dents and hang on. Soon you have all these evil spirits clinging to the dents on your rocket ship.
This analogy gives us a picture of what happens in the spiritual realm. The meteorites are life events that slam into us: sexual abuse, emotional abuse, a fight with a loved one, an encounter with drugs, someone hurting us, pornography, practicing the occult; there are any number of rocks that can dent our hull. Once dented, we are vulnerable to demonic attacks. Notice I did not say possession. The original Greek in the New Testament never uses the words ‘demon possessed.’ It uses the word demonized. Only the Holy Spirit can possess a Christian. However, a demon can terrorize and tempt a Christian—especially if the demon has a dent to hang onto. Next week we are going to review the more common meteorites, or life events, that cause demonic strongholds of deceit.
All At Once
Let’s switch from discussing evil to discussing truth. Once we have accepted Christ, some incredible things happen to us on the inside. Here is a partial list of the changes that happened to us when we were born-again. Each one is given as an ‘I am’ statement because we already have these.
I am God’s child
John 1:12
I am Christ’s friend
John 15:15
I have been justified
Rom 5:1
I am one with the Lord
1 Cor 6:17
I have been bought with a price
1 Cor 6:20
I am a member of Christ’s body
1 Cor 12:27
I am a saint
Eph 1:1
I have been adopted as God’s child
Eph 1:5
I have direct access to God
Eph 2:18
I am forgiven of my sins
Col 1:14
I am complete in Christ
Col 2:10
I am free of condemnation
Rom 8:1,2
I am assured all things work for good
Rom 8:28
I cannot be separated from God‘s love
Rom 8:35-39
I am anointed and sealed
2 Cor 1:21,22
I am hidden with Christ in God
Col 3:3
I am assured of God’s work in me
Phil 1:6
I am a citizen of heaven
Phil 3:20
I have a spirit of love, power, & self-discipline
2 Tim 1:7
I am protected from the evil one
1 John 5:18
I am the salt of the earth
Matt :13
I am a witness for Jesus
Acts 1:8
I am a minister of reconciliation
2 Cor 5:17-20
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm
Eph 2:6
I am God’s workmanship
Eph 2:10
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
Phil 4:13
I am the temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Cor 3:16
Living Temple of God
The last ‘I am’ is the key to all the others. Before Jesus came, people had to worship God in the temple. Now, we are the temple. The Old Testament temple was made of an outer court, a Holy Place, and a Holy of Holies. God’s presence was in the Holy of Holies.
The construction of the temple is a mirror of how we are made. The outer court is our body, the Holy Place is our mind, and the Holy of Holy of Holies is our spirit. As soon as we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit moves into our Holy of Holies and He brings with Him all those treasures we read on the ‘I am’ list.
The real you—your spirit, the part that will last forever—is now completed in Christ. Demons do not want us to live in the reality of all we have in Christ so they try to get us to accept another reality where sinful things bring fulfillment. Demons work on our mind—our Holy Place—to get us to live for the body instead of the Holy of Holies. The mind is where all the battles of spiritual warfare are fought.
No Fear, Just Precaution
Next week we will discuss how to reveal demonic strongholds of deceit, how to get free of them, and how to defend ourselves from future attacks. We should feel about demons the same way we feel about germs. Are you afraid of germs? No, but you are concerned about them and you take measures so they cannot infect you. You wash your hands, you are careful what you eat is not rotten, and if someone with a cold offers to kiss you, you run. Demons can only harm us when we do not take the correct precautions. So do not fear them, just learn how to steer clear of them.
1 John 4:3-4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Prayer
Last year in June, Steve, Denise, Dani, and I returned from Africa and you may recall we showed videos of demons manifesting during baptism. We had six different encounters in the three weeks we were there. I came back and told you I still did not understand all the reasons God allowed us to be confronted with these issues. Since that time I have been praying, reading, and asking experienced missionaries about spiritual warfare. For the next two weeks I want to share some of my findings. Many Christians do not live in joy. Understanding the war around us and gaining victory is the key to joy as we await the return of Jesus.
Still Active in Our Time?
One common teaching on demons is that these powers were around in Bible times but not today, except possibly in some superstitious third-world countries. If I were a demon and I wanted to have my way with you, that is exactly what I would want you to think: that I don’t exist. Our Western scientific worldview says: If you can’t see it, touch it, measure it, or define it, it does not exist. We are blinded by the egotistical boundaries some scientists put on existence. We look to ourselves and to false teachers to solve how life works rather than ask God. What God tells us in scripture is that we DO have spiritual enemies:
2 Cor 12:7-8
…there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Jesus said to Peter:
Luke 22:31-32
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
Peter in turn warned us:
1 Peter 5:8-9
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith…
Eph 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The truth is we do have spiritual enemies and they are active today all over the world; however in our culture they tend to manifest themselves as materialism, pride, apathy, lust, bitterness, and over-indulgence, etc.
Let me give you a list of examples of when we are under spiritual attack (Most taken from The Bondage Breaker by Neal T. Anderson):
1) Have you ever seen, heard, or felt a spiritual being in your room?
2) Do you have recurring nightmares, or have you ever felt choked, or a heavy weight on your chest at night?
3) Have you ever had an imaginary friend or spirit-guide, or “angel” offering you guidance or companionship?
4) Have you ever heard voices in your head or nagging thoughts such as, “I am no good,” “I’m ugly,” “I’m an evil person?”
5) Have you been prompted to seriously consider suicide, or kill another person, or an animal, or be destructive?
6) Have you ever been contacted by beings who said they were aliens?
7) Do you have real problems with wandering thoughts especially when trying to read the Bible, listen to a Christian message, or pray?
8) Do you fret and worry over things you cannot control?
9) Do you fantasize about sex, power, fame, revenge, or wealth?
10) Do you suffer from recurring headaches, dizziness, or sleepiness?
11) Do suggestions of doubt pop into your mind when you consider Biblical promises?
12) Do swear words or vile thoughts take over your mind at uninvited times?
13) Do you brew in anger over issues or when others offend you?
14) Do you obsess over any particular thing?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you are possibly under spiritual attack. This week I hope to explain the theology behind demons and next week provide practical steps for victory.
Demonic Beginnings
Here is a brief history on where demons came from. Sometime before the fall of man (Adam and Eve), Satan was called Lucifer and was a powerful angel. The name Lucifer means angel of light.
EZE 28:14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
EZE 28:15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
EZE 28:16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
EZE 28:17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
Jude 1:[6] And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
REV 12:7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. [8] But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. [9] The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Satan and one-third of the angels were condemned and thrown out of heaven, but now comes the worst part for humans:
Rev 12:12
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.
Satan and his demons hate God so they take it out on us, God’s children. That is why we have spiritual enemies today.
Spiritual Strongholds
The Apostle Paul explains how demonic strongholds work.
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.
Arguments and pretensions that are set against the knowledge of God become spiritual strongholds. Simply put, accepting lies is what allows a demon to hang-on and harass. Behind every sin is a lie we have accepted and acted on. For example, we accept the lie that sex, or drugs, or possessions can fulfill us when only Jesus can meet our truest needs. The lies we accept enter our hearts during life events; the larger the life event, the larger the potential of impact on who we become. Let me explain this with an analogy.
Imagine your spirit as a clean and sleek rocket ship flying through space. You have a pointed top and shiny untouched sides. You are blasting across the galaxy enjoying the incredible creations of God in space. All of the sudden, blammo! A rock slams into your nosecone and leaves a big dent. Then, blammo again. Another space rock tears down the side of your rocket leaving a deep gash. More ferrous meteorites are leaving dents in your pristine rocket.
The shock wave from the smashes has attracted evil enemies. They fly through space and try to hang onto your speeding spirit. But the hull is too slick and round and they peel off. But some of them begin to dig into the dents and hang on. Soon you have all these evil spirits clinging to the dents on your rocket ship.
This analogy gives us a picture of what happens in the spiritual realm. The meteorites are life events that slam into us: sexual abuse, emotional abuse, a fight with a loved one, an encounter with drugs, someone hurting us, pornography, practicing the occult; there are any number of rocks that can dent our hull. Once dented, we are vulnerable to demonic attacks. Notice I did not say possession. The original Greek in the New Testament never uses the words ‘demon possessed.’ It uses the word demonized. Only the Holy Spirit can possess a Christian. However, a demon can terrorize and tempt a Christian—especially if the demon has a dent to hang onto. Next week we are going to review the more common meteorites, or life events, that cause demonic strongholds of deceit.
All At Once
Let’s switch from discussing evil to discussing truth. Once we have accepted Christ, some incredible things happen to us on the inside. Here is a partial list of the changes that happened to us when we were born-again. Each one is given as an ‘I am’ statement because we already have these.
I am God’s child
John 1:12
I am Christ’s friend
John 15:15
I have been justified
Rom 5:1
I am one with the Lord
1 Cor 6:17
I have been bought with a price
1 Cor 6:20
I am a member of Christ’s body
1 Cor 12:27
I am a saint
Eph 1:1
I have been adopted as God’s child
Eph 1:5
I have direct access to God
Eph 2:18
I am forgiven of my sins
Col 1:14
I am complete in Christ
Col 2:10
I am free of condemnation
Rom 8:1,2
I am assured all things work for good
Rom 8:28
I cannot be separated from God‘s love
Rom 8:35-39
I am anointed and sealed
2 Cor 1:21,22
I am hidden with Christ in God
Col 3:3
I am assured of God’s work in me
Phil 1:6
I am a citizen of heaven
Phil 3:20
I have a spirit of love, power, & self-discipline
2 Tim 1:7
I am protected from the evil one
1 John 5:18
I am the salt of the earth
Matt :13
I am a witness for Jesus
Acts 1:8
I am a minister of reconciliation
2 Cor 5:17-20
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm
Eph 2:6
I am God’s workmanship
Eph 2:10
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
Phil 4:13
I am the temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Cor 3:16
Living Temple of God
The last ‘I am’ is the key to all the others. Before Jesus came, people had to worship God in the temple. Now, we are the temple. The Old Testament temple was made of an outer court, a Holy Place, and a Holy of Holies. God’s presence was in the Holy of Holies.
The construction of the temple is a mirror of how we are made. The outer court is our body, the Holy Place is our mind, and the Holy of Holy of Holies is our spirit. As soon as we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit moves into our Holy of Holies and He brings with Him all those treasures we read on the ‘I am’ list.
The real you—your spirit, the part that will last forever—is now completed in Christ. Demons do not want us to live in the reality of all we have in Christ so they try to get us to accept another reality where sinful things bring fulfillment. Demons work on our mind—our Holy Place—to get us to live for the body instead of the Holy of Holies. The mind is where all the battles of spiritual warfare are fought.
No Fear, Just Precaution
Next week we will discuss how to reveal demonic strongholds of deceit, how to get free of them, and how to defend ourselves from future attacks. We should feel about demons the same way we feel about germs. Are you afraid of germs? No, but you are concerned about them and you take measures so they cannot infect you. You wash your hands, you are careful what you eat is not rotten, and if someone with a cold offers to kiss you, you run. Demons can only harm us when we do not take the correct precautions. So do not fear them, just learn how to steer clear of them.
1 John 4:3-4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Prayer
Monday, March 13, 2006
Alone With Jesus
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matt 6:6When I meet with Jesus, I am assured of at least one patch of sunshine in my day. No matter what clouds of dismay blow in, I can recall our time together and mentally step back into the sunny patch. Now I am addicted. I hide in a closet and get my fix of meeting with the Creator of the universe. How could an inadequate person like me give that up? Should I let deadlines, or travel, or guests invade this time? Call me obsessive, but I cannot help myself. I will wangle a way to get time with Him everyday; in fact, I am militant about it. It is not that I am disciplined or heroic—I am desperate.
Some years ago, the Lord led me to two unrelated books by respected authors who told how their lives changed when they began having devotions at 5:00 AM. My old nature resisted the challenge; nevertheless, while praying myself to sleep I made a half-hearted commitment to try early mornings. I did not set the alarm clock. The next morning, I found myself awake at 5:00 AM. Smirking at what this meant, I rose for my devotion time. The same thing happened the next day—no alarm, the Lord woke me. I finally agreed this was doable and began setting an alarm. The charcoal line sketches the Scriptures usually put in my mind, suddenly filled in with realistic color. Prayer became intense time on my face, emptying me and filling with the Spirit. Abba Father wrapped me in joy as He honored a sacrifice of time set apart while the world slept.
After several years, a new threat crept in. My mornings became disciplined for discipline sake, not for the Lord. Jesus wants Spirit-led obedience in joy, not habit in drudgery. He knows I cannot live without our meetings, but now He wants to set the day’s schedule. I have so much more to learn. What keeps me going forward is the wonder that it is the unseen King of the Universe who is guiding me and who really wants to meet with this feeble small child.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for coming to me each day.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Sermon – The Living Word Mar 5th, 2006
Living Dialogue
Have you ever observed a group of women in a long conversation? There is often this amazing phenomenon going on. They are flowing from one subject to another, then someone will toss out the second half of a sentence that has nothing to do with the current topic and the others will respond as though they read her mind and were right on track with her. This used to freak me out, but then I figured out what was happening. Many women have the ability to multi-task subjects. What appears to be a random telepathic change of topics is actually a return to where an old subject left off. They weave on-going dialogue between other topics until a matter is finally resolved. It is all rather clever and mysterious to us men.
This is something like the dialogue Jesus carries on with His followers. Problems, questions, and unresolved sins resurface and He is always moving us toward the solution. When Larry, an elder, or one of us prepares to speak on Sunday mornings, we ask God to guide us. In response, God works out an on-going dialogue that adds the next bit to the individual conversations each of us has with God. This week Dani told me that what Larry said about the curse on Eve of wrestling against the authority of her husband really clicked something in her mind. When Larry mentioned that, God added the next piece of an on-going dialogue and it came right when Dani was prepared to hear it.
Corporate Dialogue
God also continues a corporate dialogue with Harvest as a church. A couple of weeks ago Larry got into the Genesis 17 yes-no-yes-but trouble. Then last week, Paul’s communication meditation showed us what a lousy master doctrine is and Larry spoke on how God resolved the validity of Sarah’s faith. All these things are connected and, step-by-step, God is preparing us for what is next in the life of Harvest CC. This morning I want to be open to how God’s Spirit will add the next chapter based on what we have learned in the previous chapters.
A few weeks before the famous yes-no-yes-but week, in an effort to refute the da Vinci Code movie, we talked about the historicity of the Bible. We looked at the source of the books of our Bible and the divinely guided process followed to ensure their authenticity. With what we have learned since that message, I now want to carry the subject of the word of God forward.
What is Scripture?
2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
What did Paul mean when he said “all scripture?” At the time of writing, the Old Testament held the only books bound together as scripture. However, there were other documents circulating among the Christians that were inspired by God and considered scripture. The Apostle Peter considered Paul’s letters as scripture.
2 Peter 3:15-16
Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Peter lists Paul’s letters among the “other scriptures.” There is evidence the early church also had a document we have now lost known as the Q document. It contained quotes of Jesus. The sayings of Jesus would likely be one of the writings Paul referred to when he said “all scripture is God-breathed.”
Logos of God
It is important to note that the Greek term for scripture, grafee, is very different from the term for all of God’s words. That term is logos. Here is the dictionary definition for logos:
Logos (log'-os); something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive.
The logos of God is everything He has ever said or expressed; far more than the few words written in our Bibles.
Primacy of Scripture
When theologians talk about the primacy of scripture they mean the Bible is like the trunk of a tree. There is certainly more to all the logos of God, but all other forms of hearing from God must branch from, or be held up by the scripture.
I think of the Bible as our PMS chart. That is not a chart to tell you how irritable your wife is; it stands for Pantone Matching System. It is a numbered reference system used in the printing industry to insure accuracy of colors. When I used to order stationery and marketing materials the printers would sometimes make the colors a little off. It is important when you are trying to present a coordinated image that everything matches. So we carried a small flip-out PMS chart. Our corporate color was blue-2738 and we could hold the chart up against the stationery and know right away if the color was true.
The logos of God is vast and rich and comes from all directions. Sometimes He speaks through a song, sometimes a friend, sometimes nature. I have even had Him speak through people who did not like me. However, we must continually hold the scripture up against the message to be sure it is the true logos of God.
Internalized Faith
Now I want to change gears and show you something amazing about our faith. We have to go back to where God gave the directions for sacrifice to Moses in Exodus 29:
Ex 29:31-33
And you shall take the ram of the consecration and boil its flesh in the holy place. 32 Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 33 They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them… NKJV
Aaron and the priests were to eat the same lamb that brought them atonement or forgiveness. Sacrificing the lamb brought forgiveness; eating the lamb brought sanctification, which means the process of becoming holy. Why did God want them to eat the sacrificial lamb? Because He did not want forgiveness to be something He did to the Israelites; He wanted it to be something that they ingested and became a part of them. God has always wanted a special people who internalize their faith.
When the Jews could not get beyond the externals of religious rules and regulations, God stated He would start over with a new covenant.
Jer 31:31-33
The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
The New Covenant is fulfilled in Jesus. But the same principle of internalization still applies. God does not want forgiveness through Jesus to be something He does to us; He wants us to internalize Jesus and become one with Him. God wants to live in holy union and dialogue with little puny us!
Melding with God
Jesus is like PVC glue. PVC is plastic pipes that go together with a special solvent glue. Most glues just stick to two surfaces and hold them together, but solvent glue melts a little of both surfaces. The molecules of each piece blend into each other. Jesus is the solvent glue that melts into us and into God and brings us all together until we are one spirit.
John 17:20-23
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.
This is remarkable. God wants to live in us.
John 14:23
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
God never wanted an external relationship. He wants to live with us 24-7, guide us, cherish us, hold us, and celebrate His love with us. He wants the presence of His Spirit in our hearts to transform us into a new kind of human. The person living with God on the inside exhibits love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—the fruits of the Spirit. Ever since Adam and Eve had to leave the garden and God’s presence, God has said, “I miss My walks with Adam.” So He made a way through Jesus to be re-united with us.
Logos = Jesus
Let’s go back to the subject of logos—God’s word. I want to show you how logos fits into this discussion. God wanted to re-unite with us and so he took all His words and expressions—His logos—and He compressed it into His Son. Jesus is the full logos of God. Listen:
John 1:1-3
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In every one of those instances where John says ‘the word,’ he is using the term logos. So Jesus becomes man and brings the logos to men. However, as we said earlier, it is not enough to be saved by Jesus, God also wants us to internalize Jesus so that His logos becomes part of us. This is what Jesus said in:
John 6:53-58
53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Think of the symbols and metaphors God uses to describe the relationship He wants with us: The Passover Lamb, the bread of life, life in the vine, the yeast of the gospel. Do you know what all these things have in common? None of them does us any good until we take them inside us.
Transubstantiation
Catholic doctrine teaches that when we take communion the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ as they pass into us. This is called transubstantiation. Lutherans teach consubstantiation which means the bread and wine are simultaneously present with the real body and blood of Jesus in us. Debating these doctrines is dealing with pointless externals.
Each one of us has the opportunity to experience the miracle of spiritual transubstantiation everyday when we meditate on our Bible and the Holy Spirit speaks the logos of God into our hearts; not mere head knowledge, but His revelation for what we need at that moment.
The Apostle Paul tells us:
1 Cor 8:1-2
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.
The test of when we have correctly used the Bible is when we come away humbled by how small is our grasp of truth and how large is the grace of God.
The challenge to us today is to allow our Bibles, and all the logos of God, to speak to our hearts rather than becoming entangled in the externals of doctrinal systems, correct versions of the Bible, accuracy of words, and all the other activities of head knowledge that leave our hearts unaffected.
Invitation
Are you experiencing God’s living word speaking into the particulars of your life? If you have never opened the door to your heart and invited Him inside, I cannot find the words to describe the joy you are missing. The Bible tells how simple and available this joy is to everybody:
Acts 2:38-39
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.
If you feel Him calling you today, open the door and say, “Come on in”. Jesus is speaking:
Rev 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
How blessed are we to have Jesus—God’s Living Word—in our hearts?
Prayer
Communion Meditation
As we take communion today we have another opportunity for spiritual transubstantiation. As we allow the bread to symbolize the strengthening presence of Jesus that we so desperately need in us, and we allow the juice to represent the sacrifice for forgiveness we must also have, and we take these reminders into us, then the word of God, the logos, will enter our spirit and that is transubstantiation. Don’t just eat a cracker and swallow a gulp of juice. Meditate on how desperately you need the strength, forgiveness, and friendship of Jesus.
Have you ever observed a group of women in a long conversation? There is often this amazing phenomenon going on. They are flowing from one subject to another, then someone will toss out the second half of a sentence that has nothing to do with the current topic and the others will respond as though they read her mind and were right on track with her. This used to freak me out, but then I figured out what was happening. Many women have the ability to multi-task subjects. What appears to be a random telepathic change of topics is actually a return to where an old subject left off. They weave on-going dialogue between other topics until a matter is finally resolved. It is all rather clever and mysterious to us men.
This is something like the dialogue Jesus carries on with His followers. Problems, questions, and unresolved sins resurface and He is always moving us toward the solution. When Larry, an elder, or one of us prepares to speak on Sunday mornings, we ask God to guide us. In response, God works out an on-going dialogue that adds the next bit to the individual conversations each of us has with God. This week Dani told me that what Larry said about the curse on Eve of wrestling against the authority of her husband really clicked something in her mind. When Larry mentioned that, God added the next piece of an on-going dialogue and it came right when Dani was prepared to hear it.
Corporate Dialogue
God also continues a corporate dialogue with Harvest as a church. A couple of weeks ago Larry got into the Genesis 17 yes-no-yes-but trouble. Then last week, Paul’s communication meditation showed us what a lousy master doctrine is and Larry spoke on how God resolved the validity of Sarah’s faith. All these things are connected and, step-by-step, God is preparing us for what is next in the life of Harvest CC. This morning I want to be open to how God’s Spirit will add the next chapter based on what we have learned in the previous chapters.
A few weeks before the famous yes-no-yes-but week, in an effort to refute the da Vinci Code movie, we talked about the historicity of the Bible. We looked at the source of the books of our Bible and the divinely guided process followed to ensure their authenticity. With what we have learned since that message, I now want to carry the subject of the word of God forward.
What is Scripture?
2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
What did Paul mean when he said “all scripture?” At the time of writing, the Old Testament held the only books bound together as scripture. However, there were other documents circulating among the Christians that were inspired by God and considered scripture. The Apostle Peter considered Paul’s letters as scripture.
2 Peter 3:15-16
Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Peter lists Paul’s letters among the “other scriptures.” There is evidence the early church also had a document we have now lost known as the Q document. It contained quotes of Jesus. The sayings of Jesus would likely be one of the writings Paul referred to when he said “all scripture is God-breathed.”
Logos of God
It is important to note that the Greek term for scripture, grafee, is very different from the term for all of God’s words. That term is logos. Here is the dictionary definition for logos:
Logos (log'-os); something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive.
The logos of God is everything He has ever said or expressed; far more than the few words written in our Bibles.
Primacy of Scripture
When theologians talk about the primacy of scripture they mean the Bible is like the trunk of a tree. There is certainly more to all the logos of God, but all other forms of hearing from God must branch from, or be held up by the scripture.
I think of the Bible as our PMS chart. That is not a chart to tell you how irritable your wife is; it stands for Pantone Matching System. It is a numbered reference system used in the printing industry to insure accuracy of colors. When I used to order stationery and marketing materials the printers would sometimes make the colors a little off. It is important when you are trying to present a coordinated image that everything matches. So we carried a small flip-out PMS chart. Our corporate color was blue-2738 and we could hold the chart up against the stationery and know right away if the color was true.
The logos of God is vast and rich and comes from all directions. Sometimes He speaks through a song, sometimes a friend, sometimes nature. I have even had Him speak through people who did not like me. However, we must continually hold the scripture up against the message to be sure it is the true logos of God.
Internalized Faith
Now I want to change gears and show you something amazing about our faith. We have to go back to where God gave the directions for sacrifice to Moses in Exodus 29:
Ex 29:31-33
And you shall take the ram of the consecration and boil its flesh in the holy place. 32 Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 33 They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them… NKJV
Aaron and the priests were to eat the same lamb that brought them atonement or forgiveness. Sacrificing the lamb brought forgiveness; eating the lamb brought sanctification, which means the process of becoming holy. Why did God want them to eat the sacrificial lamb? Because He did not want forgiveness to be something He did to the Israelites; He wanted it to be something that they ingested and became a part of them. God has always wanted a special people who internalize their faith.
When the Jews could not get beyond the externals of religious rules and regulations, God stated He would start over with a new covenant.
Jer 31:31-33
The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
The New Covenant is fulfilled in Jesus. But the same principle of internalization still applies. God does not want forgiveness through Jesus to be something He does to us; He wants us to internalize Jesus and become one with Him. God wants to live in holy union and dialogue with little puny us!
Melding with God
Jesus is like PVC glue. PVC is plastic pipes that go together with a special solvent glue. Most glues just stick to two surfaces and hold them together, but solvent glue melts a little of both surfaces. The molecules of each piece blend into each other. Jesus is the solvent glue that melts into us and into God and brings us all together until we are one spirit.
John 17:20-23
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.
This is remarkable. God wants to live in us.
John 14:23
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
God never wanted an external relationship. He wants to live with us 24-7, guide us, cherish us, hold us, and celebrate His love with us. He wants the presence of His Spirit in our hearts to transform us into a new kind of human. The person living with God on the inside exhibits love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—the fruits of the Spirit. Ever since Adam and Eve had to leave the garden and God’s presence, God has said, “I miss My walks with Adam.” So He made a way through Jesus to be re-united with us.
Logos = Jesus
Let’s go back to the subject of logos—God’s word. I want to show you how logos fits into this discussion. God wanted to re-unite with us and so he took all His words and expressions—His logos—and He compressed it into His Son. Jesus is the full logos of God. Listen:
John 1:1-3
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In every one of those instances where John says ‘the word,’ he is using the term logos. So Jesus becomes man and brings the logos to men. However, as we said earlier, it is not enough to be saved by Jesus, God also wants us to internalize Jesus so that His logos becomes part of us. This is what Jesus said in:
John 6:53-58
53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Think of the symbols and metaphors God uses to describe the relationship He wants with us: The Passover Lamb, the bread of life, life in the vine, the yeast of the gospel. Do you know what all these things have in common? None of them does us any good until we take them inside us.
Transubstantiation
Catholic doctrine teaches that when we take communion the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ as they pass into us. This is called transubstantiation. Lutherans teach consubstantiation which means the bread and wine are simultaneously present with the real body and blood of Jesus in us. Debating these doctrines is dealing with pointless externals.
Each one of us has the opportunity to experience the miracle of spiritual transubstantiation everyday when we meditate on our Bible and the Holy Spirit speaks the logos of God into our hearts; not mere head knowledge, but His revelation for what we need at that moment.
The Apostle Paul tells us:
1 Cor 8:1-2
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.
The test of when we have correctly used the Bible is when we come away humbled by how small is our grasp of truth and how large is the grace of God.
The challenge to us today is to allow our Bibles, and all the logos of God, to speak to our hearts rather than becoming entangled in the externals of doctrinal systems, correct versions of the Bible, accuracy of words, and all the other activities of head knowledge that leave our hearts unaffected.
Invitation
Are you experiencing God’s living word speaking into the particulars of your life? If you have never opened the door to your heart and invited Him inside, I cannot find the words to describe the joy you are missing. The Bible tells how simple and available this joy is to everybody:
Acts 2:38-39
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.
If you feel Him calling you today, open the door and say, “Come on in”. Jesus is speaking:
Rev 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
How blessed are we to have Jesus—God’s Living Word—in our hearts?
Prayer
Communion Meditation
As we take communion today we have another opportunity for spiritual transubstantiation. As we allow the bread to symbolize the strengthening presence of Jesus that we so desperately need in us, and we allow the juice to represent the sacrifice for forgiveness we must also have, and we take these reminders into us, then the word of God, the logos, will enter our spirit and that is transubstantiation. Don’t just eat a cracker and swallow a gulp of juice. Meditate on how desperately you need the strength, forgiveness, and friendship of Jesus.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Daily Bread
Give us today our daily bread. Mat 6:11In an effort to simplify, I sold my snazzy yellow truck and bought a bicycle. Afterwards, I prayed several times, “Shall I buy another car now; perhaps something basic for transportation?” The same answer from the Lord kept convicting me: “If you want to, sure go ahead. Or you can trust Me and receive the blessing of My provision.” Those are hard words on self-sufficient ears. For 30 years when I wanted to go somewhere I never depended on supernatural intervention, I jumped in my car and went.
It started with the biographies of Hudson Taylor and George Miller, two men who took God literally about the source of daily bread. So I launched my own experiment with transportation. Whenever there was a need, I brought it to Father. It was a thrill to watch Him provide and with bonus blessings to-boot. For example, an arranged ride left me waiting in front of the church. Just then, a family confrontation exploded around a dear friend and he fled randomly to the church. There I was, sitting on the curb. We prayed; he healed. With a car, I would have missed that divine appointment. Then my ride came and we got to our destination to find them behind schedule so we were right on time.
This afternoon I realized there is an important meeting tomorrow. Out came the usual doubt-filled prayer, “Well Lord, I guess this is Your sign I need to get wheels of my own so I’m not stuck like this. But if you can do something, please do.” Not ten minutes after the amen, I discovered a message from my wife: “If you need my car tomorrow, you can use it because I’m working from home.”
My experiment has resulted in either A) I do not really need the trip or, B) a means of transportation is available. Which all makes me wonder, what other areas of life have I missed seeing Father’s provision?
Prayer: Father, show me new ways I can trust You.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
The Food Chain
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matt 10:39The spring sun warmed the soil after a rain-shower. Moisture seeped into the husk of a domant seed. Within hours, a graceful pale-green stock pushed through rich loam. His delicate whiskers twitching, a young mole sniffed along the ground in the night. His pink eraser-of-a-nose came upon the newborn plant and he chomped it off. A misty sun rose to find the mole still nibbling tender shoots. In mid-bite, a hawk snapped him into steely talons. She flew her prey toward a nest of downy eyas frantic with hunger. However, in her absence, a falconer collected the chicks to train for professional hunting. He whisked them into the city where his freckled son belted out, “I get the big one, I get the big one.”
It would seem for every creature including man that “the full exertion of all their faculties and all their energies is required to preserve their own existence and provide for that of their infant offspring” (A. R. Wallace). It is the way of the food chain. Then Jesus invites us to step out of nature and forgo the struggle for physical life. He asks us to trade up to spiritual life. This tests our utmost limits. Everything we know, everything we see says self-preserve. To lose my life, sacrifice for others, and scorn personal advancement requires something outside my natural self. It requires I be more than animal; I must be spirit in composition. What is more, my spirit must be infused with the Holy Spirit or I will never get past mere physical preservation.
So the question at hand is, “Am I of the stuff of heaven?” I pray with all my heart that I am. Yet I intertwine with this earthly existence until there is indeed a struggle for real life. It is a struggle that seeks to extend the food chain one-step beyond the human organism at the top. The true culmination is where, by grace, my flesh succumbs to my spirit.
Prayer: Oh, Lord Jesus, help me lose my life that I might gain spiritual life in You.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Sacrificing Success
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Phil 2:17
I am not bound to win
But I am bound to be true.
I am not bound to succeed,
But I am bound to live up to what light I have. Abraham Lincoln
I recently spearheaded a new outreach ministry. I bathed it in prayed, received outside training, wrote a prospectus, and waited for months on the Lord’s timing. When I felt He said go for it, I launched with zeal. The whole thing dried up within a week. What a lot of wasted calories. However, the Lord is turning my head to view the effort differently.
God says His ways are not my ways (Isa 55:8-9). One look at the cross makes that clear. By all rights, Jesus’ death on the cross was squandered potential. Yet in the spiritual realm it was the most clever coup d'état of all time. God purchased our forgiveness, stripped the enemy of power, swept millions into paradise, and extended a hand of friendship to the lowest of the low—quite impressive for a failure.
Re-evaluating my failed project in light of the cross reveals a grand spiritual success. Father was glorified by one obedient to Him; and this was obedience undiluted by earthly success. Had this thing blossomed, my deceitful heart would have sought the affirmation of the numbers gathered about me. It is a dangerous thing when we serve the growth of a ministry. Instead, by His grace, I have the affirmation of serving only Jesus. How wonderfully freeing it is to escape slavery to results and live instead for the Spirit of Jesus. I confess I need my at-a-boys like others, but there is only one voice that will fully satisfy.
Prayer: Jesus, I long to hear You say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
I am not bound to win
But I am bound to be true.
I am not bound to succeed,
But I am bound to live up to what light I have. Abraham Lincoln
I recently spearheaded a new outreach ministry. I bathed it in prayed, received outside training, wrote a prospectus, and waited for months on the Lord’s timing. When I felt He said go for it, I launched with zeal. The whole thing dried up within a week. What a lot of wasted calories. However, the Lord is turning my head to view the effort differently.
God says His ways are not my ways (Isa 55:8-9). One look at the cross makes that clear. By all rights, Jesus’ death on the cross was squandered potential. Yet in the spiritual realm it was the most clever coup d'état of all time. God purchased our forgiveness, stripped the enemy of power, swept millions into paradise, and extended a hand of friendship to the lowest of the low—quite impressive for a failure.
Re-evaluating my failed project in light of the cross reveals a grand spiritual success. Father was glorified by one obedient to Him; and this was obedience undiluted by earthly success. Had this thing blossomed, my deceitful heart would have sought the affirmation of the numbers gathered about me. It is a dangerous thing when we serve the growth of a ministry. Instead, by His grace, I have the affirmation of serving only Jesus. How wonderfully freeing it is to escape slavery to results and live instead for the Spirit of Jesus. I confess I need my at-a-boys like others, but there is only one voice that will fully satisfy.
Prayer: Jesus, I long to hear You say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Sermon – Fragrance of Christ Feb 12, 2006
T-Shirt Test
A few years ago the scientific journal Nature Genetics raised international interest when it reported the findings of a study that proved women can detect and respond to their preferences of odor in men. Male volunteers slept in the same T-shirt for two nights and then turned in the shirt. Next, women rated the shirts according to familiarity, intensity, pleasantness, and spiciness. The findings revealed that women’s preferences parallel their genetic groupings. In other words, to a woman, a man may smell good while to another woman the same man smells offensive, depending on genetic makeup.
The whole business sounds rather disgusting to me but it highlights a truth we are going to focus on today: That which is a fragrance to one person may be a stench to another. I am going to tell you a story that has a wonderful fragrance to some people but to others, it causes a stench. First, let’s turn to our theme passage for today:
2 Cor 2:14-16
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
Now the story:
A father wanted to demonstrate to his children why Jesus came to save us. This father put a ladder beside the house and got up on the roof. Then he told the kids that the game was that each of them had to come up to the roof with him, but they could not touch the ladder. So the kids struggled and debated until the youngest said, “Daddy, this is not fair and we can’t do it.” The father only encouraged them to keep thinking and trying harder. Finally the youngest said, “Daddy, please come down the ladder.” And the father did so. She said, “Daddy, please bend down.” The father did so and the girl jumped up on his back. Then she asked, “Daddy, please climb back up the ladder.” As the father climbed the other children caught on and took their turns at getting a ride to the roof on dad’s back without touching the ladder.
This wise father then explained to his kids that the reason they played this game was it demonstrated how none of us are able to get into heaven on our own strength. We can never pay for our own sins and trying to be good enough to qualify for heaven is like trying to jump up to the roof from the ground; no one is that good. So God sent Jesus to the earth so all of us, from the strongest to the weakest, from the most holy to the most sinful, could climb onto the back of Jesus and get a free ride into heaven. With Jesus, it is easy for anyone to come up to God; without Jesus, it is impossible.
Sweet or Stink?
When you hear that story, does is create a sweet fragrance in your mind or an awful stench? If at some point in your life you gave your heart to Christ, you said to Him, “I am a sinner and I need You,” than this story probably brings a wonderful smell to you. You can identify with the fragrant truth that you have been given a free ride on Jesus’ back and are now fully accepted by God. So this story makes you nod your head in agreement and smile inside.
However, if you have never thought about how we are all pathetically lost without Jesus or about yielding your life to Him, then this story probably has no sent whatsoever. It does not really make sense to you and causes no reaction.
If you once considered Christ but decided you don’t need or want Him, than this story is probably a real stinker to you. It may even make you angry when you hear stories like this. The whole idea of being dependent on Jesus or the claims that He is the only way, probably sounds narrow and ignorant. I know I once held that attitude. I did not want to do the homework of researching the voracity of Christ or His sayings because I did not want to submit my life under the authority of anyone else. So before I yielded my prideful heart, the Gospel meant nothing to me. The Apostle Paul said:
1 Cor 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Jesus Himself warned us that some would have a very negative reaction to the Gospel:
Matt 10:25
The student shares the teacher's fate. The servant shares the master's fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household.
I am so glad I finally got off my horse and bowed to Jesus. Now I understand my previous negative reaction and the reaction of some around me. This reminds me of the time I was flying on Southwest Air and I had selected a window seat and started reading my Bible. An elderly couple came and took the two seats beside me. As soon as the man looked across his wife and saw my Bible, he started talking loud and said, “Oh look here. What do we have here but a gol darn Bible thumper. Oh jeeze.”
I got really mad but I resolved not to say anything back. I remember trying to go on reading but wouldn’t you know it, the very passage I had turned to was something like love your neighbor and pray for those who persecute you. So I started praying for them and soon my heart softened toward the old couple, especially the poor wife who had to put up with her husband’s embarrassments. The Lord put it in my head to offer them my drink coupons and when I did that, the wife thanked my profusely. The husband just muttered something about how he used to give his coupons away when he traveled for business.
What I had forgotten during that encounter was that the old man was not cursing me but rather Jesus whom I represented. Now that I am saved, my old nature wants to be angry with those how will not accept Jesus. I am quick to make much of verses like:
Matt 7:6
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.
Matt 10:14
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet…
But I am slow to get my arms around verses like:
Matt 5:44
…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Matt 7:1
Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Reasons for Patience
I am going to give you two reasons why we need to be patient and loving with unbelievers. The first reason is that not one of us is any better than many unbelievers. Every Christian on the planet is a low-down, scum guzzling, gutter slopping sinner. I do not just mean before we were saved, I mean now. We have heard preachers say things like this before and we think, “I’m sitting here in church for goodness sakes. How can I be sinning right now?” But we fail to grasp the perfection and unapproachable holiness of God. None of us, even sitting here in church, can come into such an awesome and righteous God’s presence without melting into a puddle of carbon.
1 Tim 6:15-16
God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.
That verse needs to be amended to say, “whom no one has seen or can see without Jesus.” We do not need Jesus to save us from just our past, we desperately need Him right now in this very moment. So not one of us can afford to be prideful to say we have it together and the unsaved do not. When we Christians slander the gays, or the democrats, or the republicans, or Hare Krishna we only reveal we do not fully grasp our own desperate need for Jesus.
Reason number two for patience toward unbelievers is hell. If they do not change their minds between now and death, they will spend eternity in hell. We often do not want to consider hell. There are a lot more sermons about heaven then there are about hell, yet Jesus spoke about hell more than heaven. Let me read you a few verses to see what we know about hell.
Hell
Jesus said to those in Capernaum:
Matt 11:24
But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
So we know there are different degrees of judgment.
REV 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened…15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Matt 25:41
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
MT 13:40 As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 9:47-48
It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where
"'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.'
Review:
Hell is not figurative
There are different degrees of hell
It was prepared for the devil and his demons
Everything that causes sin is there
It has fire
There is weeping
Those in hell gnash their teeth
It is never ending
(worst of all) It is completely separated from God
When we think about even the most hardened unbeliever spending eternity in that place, the only right emotion is pity; not anger, or hatred, or repulsion, but pity. None of us is without sin, we all deserve to be exiled to hell because of our continual choices of self over God, and yet:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I have eternal life, you have eternal life—paradise with Jesus where we will be completed and everything made right; an eternity of bliss. How could we feel for the unbeliever anything accept what God feels? He is about to loose millions of His children through their own prideful condemnation. That thought should make us sick down to the basement of our hearts as it does God.
Nuclear Reaction
If you and I are living boldly for Christ, we are going to be the fragrance of life to some and the stench of death to others. We cannot help that. That is how Jesus affects humans. A nuclear reaction occurs when a carbon moderator such as graphite mixes with uranium. When you combine the carbon moderator of Jesus with the uranium of men, there is going to be an extreme reaction. It only remains to be seen if the reaction will turn out to be a spiritual energy-producing power plant or an eternally destructive bomb. We cannot control the reactions of others, but we can control our own reaction and our reaction to others. Born-again Christians are called to humble, grateful, joyous celebration of our own condition while maintaining a pitying, compassionate, loving bereavement over the condition of the world.
Call to Action
Let me ask the question again: Are these words the fragrance of life to you or are they the stench of death? Have you given your heart to Jesus? You may be thinking, I hope I have—especially after hearing about hell today—but I’m not 100 percent sure. How can I be sure? I would never presume to give my answer to that question that holds all the difference for eternity for you. I can only tell you what the Bible says.
Rom 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
At the wonderful Pritzl and Roe concert on Monday they were making fun of churches who ask people to bow their heads and close their eyes then raise a hand if they want to accept Christ. I will confess I have used that technique once or twice but I agree with the musicians. Never do we read in the Bible where Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said, “Now with every head bowed and every eye closed, raise your hand if you want to be a follower. I see that hand.” And do you know how many times the Bible tells of someone praying the sinner’s prayer to receive Christ? Zero, yet that is the most common practice in modern evangelical churches. I am not saying these things cannot bring you to Christ. God sees into the heart. But if we are going to follow the Bible then we have got to do things in Bible ways.
Do you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead? Then according to this verse we just read and others like it, if you will confess that believe to someone else you will be saved. You can confess it in front of a church, or to your best friend. If you have come to the conclusion that you need Jesus, I pray you will let us or someone know of your decision today. In the New Testament, the subject of baptism is brought up over 60 times. The way converts in the time of Jesus made their confession of belief was through baptism. If you want to seal your decision to follow Jesus, I could recommend nothing better.
Prayer
A few years ago the scientific journal Nature Genetics raised international interest when it reported the findings of a study that proved women can detect and respond to their preferences of odor in men. Male volunteers slept in the same T-shirt for two nights and then turned in the shirt. Next, women rated the shirts according to familiarity, intensity, pleasantness, and spiciness. The findings revealed that women’s preferences parallel their genetic groupings. In other words, to a woman, a man may smell good while to another woman the same man smells offensive, depending on genetic makeup.
The whole business sounds rather disgusting to me but it highlights a truth we are going to focus on today: That which is a fragrance to one person may be a stench to another. I am going to tell you a story that has a wonderful fragrance to some people but to others, it causes a stench. First, let’s turn to our theme passage for today:
2 Cor 2:14-16
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
Now the story:
A father wanted to demonstrate to his children why Jesus came to save us. This father put a ladder beside the house and got up on the roof. Then he told the kids that the game was that each of them had to come up to the roof with him, but they could not touch the ladder. So the kids struggled and debated until the youngest said, “Daddy, this is not fair and we can’t do it.” The father only encouraged them to keep thinking and trying harder. Finally the youngest said, “Daddy, please come down the ladder.” And the father did so. She said, “Daddy, please bend down.” The father did so and the girl jumped up on his back. Then she asked, “Daddy, please climb back up the ladder.” As the father climbed the other children caught on and took their turns at getting a ride to the roof on dad’s back without touching the ladder.
This wise father then explained to his kids that the reason they played this game was it demonstrated how none of us are able to get into heaven on our own strength. We can never pay for our own sins and trying to be good enough to qualify for heaven is like trying to jump up to the roof from the ground; no one is that good. So God sent Jesus to the earth so all of us, from the strongest to the weakest, from the most holy to the most sinful, could climb onto the back of Jesus and get a free ride into heaven. With Jesus, it is easy for anyone to come up to God; without Jesus, it is impossible.
Sweet or Stink?
When you hear that story, does is create a sweet fragrance in your mind or an awful stench? If at some point in your life you gave your heart to Christ, you said to Him, “I am a sinner and I need You,” than this story probably brings a wonderful smell to you. You can identify with the fragrant truth that you have been given a free ride on Jesus’ back and are now fully accepted by God. So this story makes you nod your head in agreement and smile inside.
However, if you have never thought about how we are all pathetically lost without Jesus or about yielding your life to Him, then this story probably has no sent whatsoever. It does not really make sense to you and causes no reaction.
If you once considered Christ but decided you don’t need or want Him, than this story is probably a real stinker to you. It may even make you angry when you hear stories like this. The whole idea of being dependent on Jesus or the claims that He is the only way, probably sounds narrow and ignorant. I know I once held that attitude. I did not want to do the homework of researching the voracity of Christ or His sayings because I did not want to submit my life under the authority of anyone else. So before I yielded my prideful heart, the Gospel meant nothing to me. The Apostle Paul said:
1 Cor 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Jesus Himself warned us that some would have a very negative reaction to the Gospel:
Matt 10:25
The student shares the teacher's fate. The servant shares the master's fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household.
I am so glad I finally got off my horse and bowed to Jesus. Now I understand my previous negative reaction and the reaction of some around me. This reminds me of the time I was flying on Southwest Air and I had selected a window seat and started reading my Bible. An elderly couple came and took the two seats beside me. As soon as the man looked across his wife and saw my Bible, he started talking loud and said, “Oh look here. What do we have here but a gol darn Bible thumper. Oh jeeze.”
I got really mad but I resolved not to say anything back. I remember trying to go on reading but wouldn’t you know it, the very passage I had turned to was something like love your neighbor and pray for those who persecute you. So I started praying for them and soon my heart softened toward the old couple, especially the poor wife who had to put up with her husband’s embarrassments. The Lord put it in my head to offer them my drink coupons and when I did that, the wife thanked my profusely. The husband just muttered something about how he used to give his coupons away when he traveled for business.
What I had forgotten during that encounter was that the old man was not cursing me but rather Jesus whom I represented. Now that I am saved, my old nature wants to be angry with those how will not accept Jesus. I am quick to make much of verses like:
Matt 7:6
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.
Matt 10:14
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet…
But I am slow to get my arms around verses like:
Matt 5:44
…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Matt 7:1
Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Reasons for Patience
I am going to give you two reasons why we need to be patient and loving with unbelievers. The first reason is that not one of us is any better than many unbelievers. Every Christian on the planet is a low-down, scum guzzling, gutter slopping sinner. I do not just mean before we were saved, I mean now. We have heard preachers say things like this before and we think, “I’m sitting here in church for goodness sakes. How can I be sinning right now?” But we fail to grasp the perfection and unapproachable holiness of God. None of us, even sitting here in church, can come into such an awesome and righteous God’s presence without melting into a puddle of carbon.
1 Tim 6:15-16
God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.
That verse needs to be amended to say, “whom no one has seen or can see without Jesus.” We do not need Jesus to save us from just our past, we desperately need Him right now in this very moment. So not one of us can afford to be prideful to say we have it together and the unsaved do not. When we Christians slander the gays, or the democrats, or the republicans, or Hare Krishna we only reveal we do not fully grasp our own desperate need for Jesus.
Reason number two for patience toward unbelievers is hell. If they do not change their minds between now and death, they will spend eternity in hell. We often do not want to consider hell. There are a lot more sermons about heaven then there are about hell, yet Jesus spoke about hell more than heaven. Let me read you a few verses to see what we know about hell.
Hell
Jesus said to those in Capernaum:
Matt 11:24
But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
So we know there are different degrees of judgment.
REV 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened…15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Matt 25:41
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
MT 13:40 As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 9:47-48
It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where
"'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.'
Review:
Hell is not figurative
There are different degrees of hell
It was prepared for the devil and his demons
Everything that causes sin is there
It has fire
There is weeping
Those in hell gnash their teeth
It is never ending
(worst of all) It is completely separated from God
When we think about even the most hardened unbeliever spending eternity in that place, the only right emotion is pity; not anger, or hatred, or repulsion, but pity. None of us is without sin, we all deserve to be exiled to hell because of our continual choices of self over God, and yet:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I have eternal life, you have eternal life—paradise with Jesus where we will be completed and everything made right; an eternity of bliss. How could we feel for the unbeliever anything accept what God feels? He is about to loose millions of His children through their own prideful condemnation. That thought should make us sick down to the basement of our hearts as it does God.
Nuclear Reaction
If you and I are living boldly for Christ, we are going to be the fragrance of life to some and the stench of death to others. We cannot help that. That is how Jesus affects humans. A nuclear reaction occurs when a carbon moderator such as graphite mixes with uranium. When you combine the carbon moderator of Jesus with the uranium of men, there is going to be an extreme reaction. It only remains to be seen if the reaction will turn out to be a spiritual energy-producing power plant or an eternally destructive bomb. We cannot control the reactions of others, but we can control our own reaction and our reaction to others. Born-again Christians are called to humble, grateful, joyous celebration of our own condition while maintaining a pitying, compassionate, loving bereavement over the condition of the world.
Call to Action
Let me ask the question again: Are these words the fragrance of life to you or are they the stench of death? Have you given your heart to Jesus? You may be thinking, I hope I have—especially after hearing about hell today—but I’m not 100 percent sure. How can I be sure? I would never presume to give my answer to that question that holds all the difference for eternity for you. I can only tell you what the Bible says.
Rom 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
At the wonderful Pritzl and Roe concert on Monday they were making fun of churches who ask people to bow their heads and close their eyes then raise a hand if they want to accept Christ. I will confess I have used that technique once or twice but I agree with the musicians. Never do we read in the Bible where Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said, “Now with every head bowed and every eye closed, raise your hand if you want to be a follower. I see that hand.” And do you know how many times the Bible tells of someone praying the sinner’s prayer to receive Christ? Zero, yet that is the most common practice in modern evangelical churches. I am not saying these things cannot bring you to Christ. God sees into the heart. But if we are going to follow the Bible then we have got to do things in Bible ways.
Do you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead? Then according to this verse we just read and others like it, if you will confess that believe to someone else you will be saved. You can confess it in front of a church, or to your best friend. If you have come to the conclusion that you need Jesus, I pray you will let us or someone know of your decision today. In the New Testament, the subject of baptism is brought up over 60 times. The way converts in the time of Jesus made their confession of belief was through baptism. If you want to seal your decision to follow Jesus, I could recommend nothing better.
Prayer
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Don’t Look Down
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal… Phil 3:13-14a
A fellow pastor plopped heavily into my guest chair. The laugh lines melted from his eyes and he let out that sigh that says here comes something deep. “After 30 years in my Christian walk, I don’t feel any different. I’m still battling the same old habits.” That struck a cord of agreement in my own life. It set me thinking, could it be we are no higher up on the mountain?
It is scary to look back down at our failures. Before Jesus, we had to look back; it was the epoch of looking back. The law required strict record keeping of slips and gains. I had to continually watch over my shoulder for mistakes. I was nervous and sick from my guilt. Everything depended on my ability to climb God’s impossibly holy mountain. When a flawed human is forced to live looking back on his mistakes, it is a dismal existence.
Jesus paid a dear price to keep us from the fright of looking back. How blessed I am to live in the age of looking forward. All hope, eternal treasure, and beauty are in front of me—at the top of the mountain. All I have to do from waking till sleeping each day is look forward. Because of the substitution on the cross, the failures of my past are non-existent. They have been erased from the annals of time. And whatever mistakes I make between now and heaven will also crumble into oblivion the instant the present becomes the past. Now I look down the mountain and there is nothing but a few bright successes and many blank voids where my sins used to be. Actually, it is a rather boring view. Up ahead, now that is a wondrous landscape. It is steep, but in the most treacherous places are bright colors of future success. The top is crowned with spikes of yellow-white beams shooting off the paradise wherein my Favorite dwells.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Keep me looking forward to You.
A fellow pastor plopped heavily into my guest chair. The laugh lines melted from his eyes and he let out that sigh that says here comes something deep. “After 30 years in my Christian walk, I don’t feel any different. I’m still battling the same old habits.” That struck a cord of agreement in my own life. It set me thinking, could it be we are no higher up on the mountain?
It is scary to look back down at our failures. Before Jesus, we had to look back; it was the epoch of looking back. The law required strict record keeping of slips and gains. I had to continually watch over my shoulder for mistakes. I was nervous and sick from my guilt. Everything depended on my ability to climb God’s impossibly holy mountain. When a flawed human is forced to live looking back on his mistakes, it is a dismal existence.
Jesus paid a dear price to keep us from the fright of looking back. How blessed I am to live in the age of looking forward. All hope, eternal treasure, and beauty are in front of me—at the top of the mountain. All I have to do from waking till sleeping each day is look forward. Because of the substitution on the cross, the failures of my past are non-existent. They have been erased from the annals of time. And whatever mistakes I make between now and heaven will also crumble into oblivion the instant the present becomes the past. Now I look down the mountain and there is nothing but a few bright successes and many blank voids where my sins used to be. Actually, it is a rather boring view. Up ahead, now that is a wondrous landscape. It is steep, but in the most treacherous places are bright colors of future success. The top is crowned with spikes of yellow-white beams shooting off the paradise wherein my Favorite dwells.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Keep me looking forward to You.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Sermon – Walking By the Spirit Feb 5, 2006
Intro - GPS
I have a new gadget for my laptop computer. It is a Bluetooth wireless GPS. It communicates up to satellites to keep track of precisely where it is and then uses wireless Bluetooth protocol to relay that information to my computer. By setting this little device on the dash of the car, the computer points with a map program to show right where I am and the correct route to my destination. We used this on our trips to Southern Calif. and Washington. It was great because as we drove along, a gentle voice on the laptop would tell us, “Turn right in 0.1 mile.” Whenever we took a wrong turn, the voice said, “Off route, off route!” Dani commented how nice it would be if she had a GPS for her life. Every time she made a wrong decision, a voice would tell her, “Off route.”
Romans 7:7 to 8:4
Today we are studying in Romans Chapters seven and eight and we will discover that what Dani wished for—a Global Positioning System for life—is already invented and ready for use.
Rom 7:7-8:4
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Road Maps
I want to laugh every time I read that, for two reasons: first, because I so identify with what Paul is saying, “The evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing,” and second because of the humorous way he repeats the irony of the situation, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…” What makes this passage so confusing is Paul’s detailed analysis using legalese to describe the interaction between the law and the human nature. To help us understand his meaning, I have re-written the passage as though it applies to reading a map. The law is very much like a road map. It is a great reference tool if you know how to read it and where you are, but if you are direction-challenged like me, a map sometimes adds confusion and makes you even more lost. So permit me to re-read this passage with a few changes:
Rom 7:5-8:4 (Re-write)
7 What shall we say, then? Is the map wrong? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known how lost I was except through the map. For I would not have known I was not at First and Elm Streets if the map had not said, "Here is where First and Elm intersect."
8 But disorientation, seizing the opportunity afforded by the map, produced in me an acute awareness of how lost I was. For apart from the map, locating yourself is impossible. 9 Once I was happy without a map; but when the map came, disorientation sprang to life and I was lost. 10 I found that the very directions that were intended to bring guidance actually brought confusion. 11 For disorientation, seizing the opportunity afforded by the map, confused me more, and through the map got me really lost. 12 So then, the map is accurate, and the directions are accurate, true and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, cause me to be lost? By no means! But in order that lost might be recognized as lost, it produced disorientation in me through what was good, so that through the map I might realize how utterly lost I was.
14 We know that the map is right; but I am wrong, sold as a slave to disorientation. 15 I do not understand where I am going. For where I want to go, I do not go, but where I hate to go, I go. 16 And if I go where I do not want to go, I agree that the map is right. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who go there, but it is disorientation living in me. 18 I know that no sense of direction lives in me, that is, in my clueless nature. For I have the desire to go where I need to go, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For where I go, is not where I want to go; no, the wrong place to which I do not want to go-this is where I keep going. 20 Now if I go where I do not want to go, it is no longer I who go there, but it is disorientation living in me that goes there.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to go where I need to go, disorientation is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in going to good places; 23 but I see another law at work in my sense of direction, waging war against the law of my good intentions and making me a prisoner of the disorientation at work within my brain. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from wandering the streets forever? 25 Thanks be to God-for the GPS, or Global Positioning System!
8:1 Therefore, there is now no embarrassment for those who are using a GPS, 2 because through the GPS the law of exact orientation set me free from the law of lost and confused. 3 For what the map was powerless to do in that it was weakened by my total lack of a sense of direction, engineers did by sending satellites into space to replace my sense of direction. And so they abolished disorientation in confused men, 4 in order that the exacting directions of the map might be fully followed by us, who do not navigate according to the disorientated nature but according to the GPS.
Remain Connected
I hope my silly analogy helps us understand what Paul is getting at. The GPS represents the Spirit—the Holy Spirit. Paul says we live according to the Spirit, and down in 8:26 he says it is the Spirit Who intercedes for us. So just as the GPS talks to the satellite then relays the data on to the computer, the Spirit is always connected to God interceding for us and then relaying the information on to us. The Bluetooth protocol between the GPS and the computer represents prayer. Prayer is our vital connection through which we have a Voice that lets us know when we are off route. Paul said:
1 Thess 5:17
pray continually
However, like the Bluetooth communications between the GPS and the computer, prayer needs to travel both directions. We need to learn to listen to the Spirit as much as we talk to Him.
According to Acts 2:38 we receive the Spirit when we first accept Christ:
Acts 2:38-39
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.
We have the gift of the Spirit but it takes practice to learn His language and His agenda. One of the amazing realities of becoming a Christian is that we participate in God’s agenda. Jesus said:
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
This is what Paul meant when he said:
Rom 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
The New Way of the Spirit
Under the new way of the Spirit we do not obey rote laws out of guilt but we gladly follow Jesus because we are part of His agenda. Through the Bible and the Holy Spirit, we are given insight to understand how sinning is a part of Satan’s dark kingdom and has no place in our new home. On top of learning the Spirit’s agenda, we also learn His language through prayer.
Classical Influences
The single event in my Christian walk that launched the most growth was when I began learning to pray bi-directionally. I did a lot of research into this and I would like to share a few excerpts from classical Christian writers.
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)
The Inward Conversation of Christ with the Faithful Soul
I WILL hear what the Lord God will speak in me.
Blessed is the soul who hears the Lord speaking within her, who receives the word of consolation from His lips. Blessed are the ears that catch the accents of divine whispering, and pay no heed to the murmurings of this world. Blessed indeed are the ears that listen, not to the voice which sounds without, but to the truth which teaches within. Blessed are the eyes which are closed to exterior things and are fixed upon those which are interior. Blessed are they who penetrate inwardly, who try daily to prepare themselves more and more to understand mysteries. Blessed are they who long to give their time to God, and who cut themselves off from the hindrances of the world.
Consider these things, my soul, and close the door of your senses, so that you can hear what the Lord your God speaks within you. "I am your salvation," says your Beloved. "I am your peace and your life. Remain with Me and you will find peace. Dismiss all passing things and seek the eternal. What are all temporal things but snares? And what help will all creatures be able to give you if you are deserted by the Creator?" Leave all these things, therefore, and make yourself pleasing and faithful to your Creator so that you may attain to true happiness.
Brother Lawrence (1605-1691)
Brother Lawrence, was a monk on 17th century France and the one who coined the phrase “Practicing the presence of God.”
I have ceased all forms of devotion and set prayers except those which my state requires. I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple attention and a fond regard for God, which I may call an actual presence of God. Or, to put it another way, it is an habitual, silent, and private conversation of the soul with God. This gives me much joy and contentment. In short, I am sure, beyond all doubt, that my soul has been with God above these past thirty years.
Jeanne Guyon (1647-1717)
I like this author because she breaks the concept of continual prayer down into clear practical language.
I especially address those of you who are very simple… You may think you are the one person most incapable of this abiding experience of Christ; but in fact you are the one most suited to know Him well.
You see, the only way to be perfect is to walk in the presence of God. The only way you can live in His presence in uninterrupted fellowship is by means of prayer, but very special kind of prayer. It is a prayer that leads you into the presence of God and keeps you there at all times; a prayer that can be experienced under any conditions, any place, and any time. A prayer that does not interfere with your outward activities or your daily routine.
Turn to the Scripture; choose some passage that is simple and fairly practical. Next, come to the Lord. Come quietly and humbly. There, before Him, read a small portion of the passage you have opened to. Be careful as you read. Take in fully, gently and carefully what you are reading. Taste it and digest it as you read.
The mind has a very strong tendency to stray away from the Lord. Therefore, make use of the scripture to quiet your mind. First, read a passage. Once you sense the Lord’s presence, pause. You have paused so that you may set your mind on the Spirit. Turn your heart to the presence of God. How is this done? You turn to Him by faith. By faith you believe you have come into the presence of God. Once your heart has been turned inwardly to the Lord, you will have an impression of His presence. You will be able to notice His presence more acutely because your outer senses have now become calm and quiet. Your attention is no longer on outward things or on the surface thoughts of your mind; instead, sweetly and silently, your mind becomes occupied with what you have read and by that touch of His presence.”
Leanne Payne (Current) Book: Listening Prayer
We begin with the practice of the presence of God. To learn to acknowledge always the God who is really there—immanently with and within us as well as transcendent over and above us—is a way of praying continually as the scriptures exhort us to do. When we do this the eyes and ears of our hearts are opened to receive the word He always speaks. We enter a path of listening obedience we could not find through striving (for example, keeping the law perfectly), a path of freedom where we joyfully realize and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and carry out His will.
But the acknowledgement that God is always with us—even when we are least aware of it in our sensory being—requires discipline. To acknowledge the Unseen Real requires a concentrated effort of our wills at first.
The practice of the presence, then, is simply the discipline of calling to mind the truth that God is with us. When we do this consistently, we are given the miracle of seeing by faith. We begin to see and hear with the eyes and ears of our hearts.
My personal spiritual life made a big jump when I began trying to keep an inner dialogue with the Holy Spirit. Notice I say “began trying;” I am still very imperfect at this but I wanted to share the results of my meager attempts at practicing the presence of God. It brings huge joy and peace no matter what is going on externally. The difference between living according to legalistic rules, and living under the new way of the Spirit—listening for Him—is like the difference between living as a slave in a dark prison and living as an informed son in the free clear air.
Praise God that Dani’s wish for a spiritual GPS is available to us through constant dialogue with the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father we praise You for the incredible privilege of serving in the new way of the Spirit; of walking moment by moment with You. As we learn to push away the things of the world and quiet our hearts, we ask that we might hear You loud and clear. Please sing Your love into our inner spirit.
I have a new gadget for my laptop computer. It is a Bluetooth wireless GPS. It communicates up to satellites to keep track of precisely where it is and then uses wireless Bluetooth protocol to relay that information to my computer. By setting this little device on the dash of the car, the computer points with a map program to show right where I am and the correct route to my destination. We used this on our trips to Southern Calif. and Washington. It was great because as we drove along, a gentle voice on the laptop would tell us, “Turn right in 0.1 mile.” Whenever we took a wrong turn, the voice said, “Off route, off route!” Dani commented how nice it would be if she had a GPS for her life. Every time she made a wrong decision, a voice would tell her, “Off route.”
Romans 7:7 to 8:4
Today we are studying in Romans Chapters seven and eight and we will discover that what Dani wished for—a Global Positioning System for life—is already invented and ready for use.
Rom 7:7-8:4
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Road Maps
I want to laugh every time I read that, for two reasons: first, because I so identify with what Paul is saying, “The evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing,” and second because of the humorous way he repeats the irony of the situation, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…” What makes this passage so confusing is Paul’s detailed analysis using legalese to describe the interaction between the law and the human nature. To help us understand his meaning, I have re-written the passage as though it applies to reading a map. The law is very much like a road map. It is a great reference tool if you know how to read it and where you are, but if you are direction-challenged like me, a map sometimes adds confusion and makes you even more lost. So permit me to re-read this passage with a few changes:
Rom 7:5-8:4 (Re-write)
7 What shall we say, then? Is the map wrong? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known how lost I was except through the map. For I would not have known I was not at First and Elm Streets if the map had not said, "Here is where First and Elm intersect."
8 But disorientation, seizing the opportunity afforded by the map, produced in me an acute awareness of how lost I was. For apart from the map, locating yourself is impossible. 9 Once I was happy without a map; but when the map came, disorientation sprang to life and I was lost. 10 I found that the very directions that were intended to bring guidance actually brought confusion. 11 For disorientation, seizing the opportunity afforded by the map, confused me more, and through the map got me really lost. 12 So then, the map is accurate, and the directions are accurate, true and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, cause me to be lost? By no means! But in order that lost might be recognized as lost, it produced disorientation in me through what was good, so that through the map I might realize how utterly lost I was.
14 We know that the map is right; but I am wrong, sold as a slave to disorientation. 15 I do not understand where I am going. For where I want to go, I do not go, but where I hate to go, I go. 16 And if I go where I do not want to go, I agree that the map is right. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who go there, but it is disorientation living in me. 18 I know that no sense of direction lives in me, that is, in my clueless nature. For I have the desire to go where I need to go, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For where I go, is not where I want to go; no, the wrong place to which I do not want to go-this is where I keep going. 20 Now if I go where I do not want to go, it is no longer I who go there, but it is disorientation living in me that goes there.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to go where I need to go, disorientation is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in going to good places; 23 but I see another law at work in my sense of direction, waging war against the law of my good intentions and making me a prisoner of the disorientation at work within my brain. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from wandering the streets forever? 25 Thanks be to God-for the GPS, or Global Positioning System!
8:1 Therefore, there is now no embarrassment for those who are using a GPS, 2 because through the GPS the law of exact orientation set me free from the law of lost and confused. 3 For what the map was powerless to do in that it was weakened by my total lack of a sense of direction, engineers did by sending satellites into space to replace my sense of direction. And so they abolished disorientation in confused men, 4 in order that the exacting directions of the map might be fully followed by us, who do not navigate according to the disorientated nature but according to the GPS.
Remain Connected
I hope my silly analogy helps us understand what Paul is getting at. The GPS represents the Spirit—the Holy Spirit. Paul says we live according to the Spirit, and down in 8:26 he says it is the Spirit Who intercedes for us. So just as the GPS talks to the satellite then relays the data on to the computer, the Spirit is always connected to God interceding for us and then relaying the information on to us. The Bluetooth protocol between the GPS and the computer represents prayer. Prayer is our vital connection through which we have a Voice that lets us know when we are off route. Paul said:
1 Thess 5:17
pray continually
However, like the Bluetooth communications between the GPS and the computer, prayer needs to travel both directions. We need to learn to listen to the Spirit as much as we talk to Him.
According to Acts 2:38 we receive the Spirit when we first accept Christ:
Acts 2:38-39
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.
We have the gift of the Spirit but it takes practice to learn His language and His agenda. One of the amazing realities of becoming a Christian is that we participate in God’s agenda. Jesus said:
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
This is what Paul meant when he said:
Rom 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
The New Way of the Spirit
Under the new way of the Spirit we do not obey rote laws out of guilt but we gladly follow Jesus because we are part of His agenda. Through the Bible and the Holy Spirit, we are given insight to understand how sinning is a part of Satan’s dark kingdom and has no place in our new home. On top of learning the Spirit’s agenda, we also learn His language through prayer.
Classical Influences
The single event in my Christian walk that launched the most growth was when I began learning to pray bi-directionally. I did a lot of research into this and I would like to share a few excerpts from classical Christian writers.
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)
The Inward Conversation of Christ with the Faithful Soul
I WILL hear what the Lord God will speak in me.
Blessed is the soul who hears the Lord speaking within her, who receives the word of consolation from His lips. Blessed are the ears that catch the accents of divine whispering, and pay no heed to the murmurings of this world. Blessed indeed are the ears that listen, not to the voice which sounds without, but to the truth which teaches within. Blessed are the eyes which are closed to exterior things and are fixed upon those which are interior. Blessed are they who penetrate inwardly, who try daily to prepare themselves more and more to understand mysteries. Blessed are they who long to give their time to God, and who cut themselves off from the hindrances of the world.
Consider these things, my soul, and close the door of your senses, so that you can hear what the Lord your God speaks within you. "I am your salvation," says your Beloved. "I am your peace and your life. Remain with Me and you will find peace. Dismiss all passing things and seek the eternal. What are all temporal things but snares? And what help will all creatures be able to give you if you are deserted by the Creator?" Leave all these things, therefore, and make yourself pleasing and faithful to your Creator so that you may attain to true happiness.
Brother Lawrence (1605-1691)
Brother Lawrence, was a monk on 17th century France and the one who coined the phrase “Practicing the presence of God.”
I have ceased all forms of devotion and set prayers except those which my state requires. I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple attention and a fond regard for God, which I may call an actual presence of God. Or, to put it another way, it is an habitual, silent, and private conversation of the soul with God. This gives me much joy and contentment. In short, I am sure, beyond all doubt, that my soul has been with God above these past thirty years.
Jeanne Guyon (1647-1717)
I like this author because she breaks the concept of continual prayer down into clear practical language.
I especially address those of you who are very simple… You may think you are the one person most incapable of this abiding experience of Christ; but in fact you are the one most suited to know Him well.
You see, the only way to be perfect is to walk in the presence of God. The only way you can live in His presence in uninterrupted fellowship is by means of prayer, but very special kind of prayer. It is a prayer that leads you into the presence of God and keeps you there at all times; a prayer that can be experienced under any conditions, any place, and any time. A prayer that does not interfere with your outward activities or your daily routine.
Turn to the Scripture; choose some passage that is simple and fairly practical. Next, come to the Lord. Come quietly and humbly. There, before Him, read a small portion of the passage you have opened to. Be careful as you read. Take in fully, gently and carefully what you are reading. Taste it and digest it as you read.
The mind has a very strong tendency to stray away from the Lord. Therefore, make use of the scripture to quiet your mind. First, read a passage. Once you sense the Lord’s presence, pause. You have paused so that you may set your mind on the Spirit. Turn your heart to the presence of God. How is this done? You turn to Him by faith. By faith you believe you have come into the presence of God. Once your heart has been turned inwardly to the Lord, you will have an impression of His presence. You will be able to notice His presence more acutely because your outer senses have now become calm and quiet. Your attention is no longer on outward things or on the surface thoughts of your mind; instead, sweetly and silently, your mind becomes occupied with what you have read and by that touch of His presence.”
Leanne Payne (Current) Book: Listening Prayer
We begin with the practice of the presence of God. To learn to acknowledge always the God who is really there—immanently with and within us as well as transcendent over and above us—is a way of praying continually as the scriptures exhort us to do. When we do this the eyes and ears of our hearts are opened to receive the word He always speaks. We enter a path of listening obedience we could not find through striving (for example, keeping the law perfectly), a path of freedom where we joyfully realize and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and carry out His will.
But the acknowledgement that God is always with us—even when we are least aware of it in our sensory being—requires discipline. To acknowledge the Unseen Real requires a concentrated effort of our wills at first.
The practice of the presence, then, is simply the discipline of calling to mind the truth that God is with us. When we do this consistently, we are given the miracle of seeing by faith. We begin to see and hear with the eyes and ears of our hearts.
My personal spiritual life made a big jump when I began trying to keep an inner dialogue with the Holy Spirit. Notice I say “began trying;” I am still very imperfect at this but I wanted to share the results of my meager attempts at practicing the presence of God. It brings huge joy and peace no matter what is going on externally. The difference between living according to legalistic rules, and living under the new way of the Spirit—listening for Him—is like the difference between living as a slave in a dark prison and living as an informed son in the free clear air.
Praise God that Dani’s wish for a spiritual GPS is available to us through constant dialogue with the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father we praise You for the incredible privilege of serving in the new way of the Spirit; of walking moment by moment with You. As we learn to push away the things of the world and quiet our hearts, we ask that we might hear You loud and clear. Please sing Your love into our inner spirit.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sitting on the Sin-Brat
For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind… Rom 7:22-23Spiritual growth only comes to me with bloody inner violence. I find my old nature is wily and unwilling. One of his tricks is showy enthusiasm for Biblical head knowledge. He encourages me to memorize the B-attitudes and be conversant on their historical interpretations but his slimy goal is preoccupation from ever living out even the first B-attitude, to be poor in spirit.
Another Mr.-Sin-Nature-tactic is to read the Bible too quickly. He will not hold still under the stinging poultice of a few chosen words and instead prefers entertainment by the storyline. I am learning how the real me can tackle the unruly urchin and sit on him.
I begin in a place where I am alone with Jesus. I ask where I need the most heart-work then read no more than a chapter of scripture. How I choose where to read matters little; God can maneuver any method to get me where He wants. I find He consistently points me to exactly what I need. Next, I let the Spirit highlight the handful of words on which He wants me to focus. I wrestle my squirming nature and pin him under those words until he squeals, “I give.” Repentant prayer and brief journaling knock the final wind out of the monster.
I have to repeat this process each morning. After years of letting the sin nature run wild, he thinks he can poke his spoiled nose into every good thought or conversation with Father. Only when I am methodical and strong-handed does he simmer down. As long as I have to co-inhabit with the sin-brat I will not be able to shut him up, but at least Grace forces him to sit in the corner where he belongs. I need Grace in my house at every hour. Not only does Grace pardon my keeping the other unwelcome guest, He also helps me baby-sit the little wretch.
Prayer: Lion of Judah, this is war. Help me overcome myself.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Treasure Rooms
Every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old. Mat 13:52
The room was shaped like a slice of pie; the far end fanned-out wider than the entrance. There were practical chairs, tidy library shelves, and amiable huddles of people chatting. I selected a few books and settled by the fire. They were good literary works, plain but brilliantly true. Conversing with the occupants produced earnest straightforward dialogue. I soon tired of the repetitious topics and noticed a door at the rear.
Amazing. The exit led to an identical, but much larger room. The wedge-shaped space continued expanding from where the wide rear wall of the previous room left off. It was breathtaking. The fireplace and bookshelves were in the same place; however, the décor and furnishings were exquisite. The books contained delightful new discoveries stirred together with familiar facts from the previous room. The discussions buzzed with passion and focus. As stimulating as this room was, there was another door.
Incredible. Another room of the same expanding shape, yet so majestic the others fell out of memory. I could scarcely add anything to the animated talk. I wished I had studied longer in the prior rooms. The people were both wonderful and humble. My mind reeled: how many rooms were there and what could their splendor be like?
Such has been my adventure into the depths of the character of God. I began simply enough, but His beauty quickly outpaced my grasp. At each level, books and conversations have helped me grapple with His splendor around me. What could be more meaningful than penetrating new chambers to discover their glory? They are as exponential in their expansion as they are unending in their number.
Prayer: Oh God, I thrill at the prospects of what I might yet learn about You.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Sermon – The Worthy Lamb Jan 15, 2006
I have a confession about communion. When I close my eyes and meditate on what the bread and the wine represent, I always run into a dead-end trying to figure out how the body and blood of Jesus eliminate my sins. The truth is none of us can fully understand this mystery. It is one of those deep spiritual realities that I must accept without fully grasping it. 1 Corinthians clarifies that we cannot expect to understand everything until we are completed in Paradise.
1 Cor 13:12
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.
Even though we cannot fully understand the ultimate blood sacrifice, we are nevertheless given minds to grasp as much as we can of this spiritual mystery. So today we are going to explore the precept of blood sacrifice and why the sacrifice of Jesus can cleanse us. After all, if we are basing all our hope in this single act, we should know as much about it as possible.
Covenant God
We need to begin by understanding the constancy of our God.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Heb 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Since the very beginning, God has dealt consistently with man. God has always been a covenant God. Covenants between God and man are all through the Bible and God’s covenants have four consistent elements:
Parties
Practices
Promises
Piercing
The major covenants in the Bible are represented in this chart:
Abrahamic- Parties:Abraham/God- Practices: Walk w/ God- Promises: Great nation- Piercing: Circumcision
Isaaiac- Parties: Abraham/God- Practices: Walk w/ God- Promises: Bless all nations- Piercing: Isaac/ram
Mosaic- Parties: Israelites/God- Practices: Ten Commandmnts- Practices: Physical Blessing- Piercong: Anml Sacrifice
New Covenant- Parties: Believers/God- Practices: Discipleship- Promises: Reconciliation- Piercing: Jesus
In each of these covenants, there are specific parties the covenant applied to. There are practices that had to be followed. For instance, Abraham was told to walk in the ways of his God, the Israelites were to practice the Ten Commandments and laws, and we are to follow Jesus. Under promises, Abraham was told he would be a great nation, the Israelites were promised land, crops, and peace. We are promised forgiveness, the Holy Spirit and Paradise. There are usually negative promises as well if the covenant is breeched. The Israelites were warned of many curses, which later came true. We are warned of hell. The piercing, or ratification in covenants is vital. It seals the agreement with blood and makes a symbolic statement that if either party should fail to adhere to their part of the practices, what was done to the sacrifice may be done to them. The common blood ratification in Old Testament covenants was to cut an animal in two. As the vows were made, the parties would walk between the halves.
Gen 15:9-10
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half… 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram…
Cutting the animal apart was a vivid reminder of the punishment they were agreeing to should they fail. Perhaps if we went back to this practice when a business deal was made we would clear our courts of fraud cases. If I agree to buy a piece of land I would have to walk with the seller between a gory severed cow and say, “May this happen to me if I cheat you.” It would make me think twice before I missed a mortgage payment.
Jer 34:18-20
The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. 19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20 I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
Connected Covenants
All this background on covenants is important if we want to understand why Jesus was sacrificed on the cross. As we said, God is consistent. It is not as though the precept of a victim dying for our sins suddenly fell out of the sky in 33 AD. Since the very beginning, God abided by covenants. It is amazing how all the covenants are connected. Examples:
Abrahamic Connection
The promises in the Abrahamic covenant are connected to the New Covenant.
Gen 22:17-18
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
All the nations were blessed because, through Abraham’s offspring, the Jews, God demonstrated He wanted a relationship with a special people, and because Jesus came through Abraham’s descendents. All nations were blessed by Jesus. That is the connection to the New Covenant.
Another example was when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac and at the last minute God provided a substitute ram. 1,800 years before Christ, that action foretold the provision of God’s Son, the Lamb of God, as a substitute for our eternal death for sin under the New Covenant.
Mosaic Connection
The same prophetic connection exists between the covenant of Passover and the New Covenant. Under the Passover covenant, if a lamb was sacrificed and the blood applied to the doorway of the home (symbolic of the doorway to our heart), then death would pass over. That foretold that if we claim the blood of Jesus, the lamb of God, as protection over our heart, then eternal death will pass over us.
Another clear prophetic connection is between the covenant of the fiery serpents, and Christ’s death on the cross. In the wilderness the Israelites sinned and were dying from poisonous snake bites. God told them to raise up a bronze snake on a pole and whoever looked at the snake was healed. This is another foretelling of the coming covenant with Christ where if we look to Him on the cross we are saved.
All the Old Testament covenants were connected to, and culminated in, the New Covenant in Christ.
The New Covenant
In the Old Testament, God foretold of this New Covenant.
Jer 31:31
"The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant…”
Jesus said:
1 Cor 11:25
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Hebrews tells us:
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.
This verse provides an important insight into why the other covenants are connected to the New Covenant. All the other covenants had to roll up into the New Covenant because the piercing used to ratify those covenants could not actually forgive sins.
Heb 10:1-4
10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The old covenants only shadowed the one perfect and complete covenant, the New Covenant.
It Hinges on Jesus
Why is the New Covenant the perfect and final one? Because of who the One sacrificed was. It all hinges on who Jesus is. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with an unbeliever about the unpopular claim of Christians that Jesus is the only door to God. To him, that claim smacked of pride, exclusivity, and narrowness. First, I pointed out that it is not a claim that Christians came up with but one that Jesus Himself made.
John 14:6
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 10:7-9
"I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…”
Secondly, I pointed out to my friend that Jesus is part of God through the Trinity. Several times Jesus said things like:
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”
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.
In His mercy, God can make some accommodation for those who never have the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus or the gospel. There is some scriptural support that Christ is made available to some after death. However, woe to the stubborn soul who hears the gospel and rejects Jesus. They are not rejecting just a man, or a great teacher, or a prophet; they are rejecting a part of God Himself. No wonder hell is reserved for unbelievers who have condemned themselves.
John 3:16-19
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (Now, here comes the real reason some choose unbelief) 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Jesus alone was uniquely qualified to be the ultimate sacrifice. He is the only one in the universe worthy to unlock this incredible mystery of how the sins of all mankind can be transferred to part of the Trinity and there be extinguished. In the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis calls this the deep magic. This deep spiritual mystery is unlocked by understanding:
1) God’s consistency in covenants through history and
2) by understanding who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Key. He alone is worthy to unlock the scroll and open the mystery and power of sacrifice.
We will conclude today by reading chapter 5 of Revelation, then moving directly into a prayer of worship.
Rev 5
5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
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!"
14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Prayer
1 Cor 13:12
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.
Even though we cannot fully understand the ultimate blood sacrifice, we are nevertheless given minds to grasp as much as we can of this spiritual mystery. So today we are going to explore the precept of blood sacrifice and why the sacrifice of Jesus can cleanse us. After all, if we are basing all our hope in this single act, we should know as much about it as possible.
Covenant God
We need to begin by understanding the constancy of our God.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Heb 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Since the very beginning, God has dealt consistently with man. God has always been a covenant God. Covenants between God and man are all through the Bible and God’s covenants have four consistent elements:
Parties
Practices
Promises
Piercing
The major covenants in the Bible are represented in this chart:
Abrahamic- Parties:Abraham/God- Practices: Walk w/ God- Promises: Great nation- Piercing: Circumcision
Isaaiac- Parties: Abraham/God- Practices: Walk w/ God- Promises: Bless all nations- Piercing: Isaac/ram
Mosaic- Parties: Israelites/God- Practices: Ten Commandmnts- Practices: Physical Blessing- Piercong: Anml Sacrifice
New Covenant- Parties: Believers/God- Practices: Discipleship- Promises: Reconciliation- Piercing: Jesus
In each of these covenants, there are specific parties the covenant applied to. There are practices that had to be followed. For instance, Abraham was told to walk in the ways of his God, the Israelites were to practice the Ten Commandments and laws, and we are to follow Jesus. Under promises, Abraham was told he would be a great nation, the Israelites were promised land, crops, and peace. We are promised forgiveness, the Holy Spirit and Paradise. There are usually negative promises as well if the covenant is breeched. The Israelites were warned of many curses, which later came true. We are warned of hell. The piercing, or ratification in covenants is vital. It seals the agreement with blood and makes a symbolic statement that if either party should fail to adhere to their part of the practices, what was done to the sacrifice may be done to them. The common blood ratification in Old Testament covenants was to cut an animal in two. As the vows were made, the parties would walk between the halves.
Gen 15:9-10
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half… 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram…
Cutting the animal apart was a vivid reminder of the punishment they were agreeing to should they fail. Perhaps if we went back to this practice when a business deal was made we would clear our courts of fraud cases. If I agree to buy a piece of land I would have to walk with the seller between a gory severed cow and say, “May this happen to me if I cheat you.” It would make me think twice before I missed a mortgage payment.
Jer 34:18-20
The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. 19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20 I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
Connected Covenants
All this background on covenants is important if we want to understand why Jesus was sacrificed on the cross. As we said, God is consistent. It is not as though the precept of a victim dying for our sins suddenly fell out of the sky in 33 AD. Since the very beginning, God abided by covenants. It is amazing how all the covenants are connected. Examples:
Abrahamic Connection
The promises in the Abrahamic covenant are connected to the New Covenant.
Gen 22:17-18
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
All the nations were blessed because, through Abraham’s offspring, the Jews, God demonstrated He wanted a relationship with a special people, and because Jesus came through Abraham’s descendents. All nations were blessed by Jesus. That is the connection to the New Covenant.
Another example was when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac and at the last minute God provided a substitute ram. 1,800 years before Christ, that action foretold the provision of God’s Son, the Lamb of God, as a substitute for our eternal death for sin under the New Covenant.
Mosaic Connection
The same prophetic connection exists between the covenant of Passover and the New Covenant. Under the Passover covenant, if a lamb was sacrificed and the blood applied to the doorway of the home (symbolic of the doorway to our heart), then death would pass over. That foretold that if we claim the blood of Jesus, the lamb of God, as protection over our heart, then eternal death will pass over us.
Another clear prophetic connection is between the covenant of the fiery serpents, and Christ’s death on the cross. In the wilderness the Israelites sinned and were dying from poisonous snake bites. God told them to raise up a bronze snake on a pole and whoever looked at the snake was healed. This is another foretelling of the coming covenant with Christ where if we look to Him on the cross we are saved.
All the Old Testament covenants were connected to, and culminated in, the New Covenant in Christ.
The New Covenant
In the Old Testament, God foretold of this New Covenant.
Jer 31:31
"The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant…”
Jesus said:
1 Cor 11:25
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Hebrews tells us:
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.
This verse provides an important insight into why the other covenants are connected to the New Covenant. All the other covenants had to roll up into the New Covenant because the piercing used to ratify those covenants could not actually forgive sins.
Heb 10:1-4
10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The old covenants only shadowed the one perfect and complete covenant, the New Covenant.
It Hinges on Jesus
Why is the New Covenant the perfect and final one? Because of who the One sacrificed was. It all hinges on who Jesus is. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with an unbeliever about the unpopular claim of Christians that Jesus is the only door to God. To him, that claim smacked of pride, exclusivity, and narrowness. First, I pointed out that it is not a claim that Christians came up with but one that Jesus Himself made.
John 14:6
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 10:7-9
"I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…”
Secondly, I pointed out to my friend that Jesus is part of God through the Trinity. Several times Jesus said things like:
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”
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.
In His mercy, God can make some accommodation for those who never have the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus or the gospel. There is some scriptural support that Christ is made available to some after death. However, woe to the stubborn soul who hears the gospel and rejects Jesus. They are not rejecting just a man, or a great teacher, or a prophet; they are rejecting a part of God Himself. No wonder hell is reserved for unbelievers who have condemned themselves.
John 3:16-19
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (Now, here comes the real reason some choose unbelief) 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Jesus alone was uniquely qualified to be the ultimate sacrifice. He is the only one in the universe worthy to unlock this incredible mystery of how the sins of all mankind can be transferred to part of the Trinity and there be extinguished. In the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis calls this the deep magic. This deep spiritual mystery is unlocked by understanding:
1) God’s consistency in covenants through history and
2) by understanding who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Key. He alone is worthy to unlock the scroll and open the mystery and power of sacrifice.
We will conclude today by reading chapter 5 of Revelation, then moving directly into a prayer of worship.
Rev 5
5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
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!"
14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Prayer
Monday, January 09, 2006
Faith From Small Things
Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Jhn 20:29
The space around them suffused with a Presence of holy goodness so tangible it felt liquid rather than air. An intoxicating radiance danced through their bodies and blew waves of goose bumps across their skin. Moses on the cleft of the rock, Solomon in the glory-filled temple, the apostles atop the Mount of Transfiguration, John deep into an apocalyptic trance: encounters with the glory of God that cast spiritual giants from the molds of clay mortals.
Now here I come as common a duffer as any who lived. Secretly I long for my own radical encounter with God. But who am I that I should ask? I am the pathetic sap who cannot keep clean thoughts for three minutes running. Yet Jesus offers me a blessing in faith that can exceed what Moses and Elijah received. He says it comes of believing without seeing. What those who behold undeniable miracles have is not faith; it is experience. Faith is what pleases God (Heb 11:6). I want to be a child that makes Abba Daddy glad. He wants a child with faith born of a trusting and loving heart instead of compelled by miracles. God desires that we love Him, not His pyrotechnics.
I spoke with the Lord on this theme as I performed one of those unspectacular but precious life tasks: walking my 17-month-old grandson in the park. Jesus demonstrated how I could engage as much of His glory in that small moment as in any Mount-Carmel-fire-from-heaven extravaganza. It is beside the calm waters of a simple life where whispers of God’s truth are heard the loudest. The impartations of God’s character through my time with little Jaden were of the kind that penetrate the most deeply. If I can get my heart to look for encounters with God in each bite of plain daily bread, a faith more precious than Moses’ may grow.
Prayer: Lord, give me heroic faith through small things.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Sermon – Casting Off Weights Jan 8, 2006
Two Hearts Fully Committed
While Dani and I were away in Central California we attended a Hungarian New Year’s Eve party and met a couple with an extraordinary story. A few years ago, this young woman named Leah learned she had a brain tumor. The doctor declared it inoperable and recommended radiation treatment. Leah was strong in her faith and sure she was going to Paradise so she refused treatments. The doctor strongly disagreed with her decision and told her she was foolish. He then wanted to prescribe pain meds to carry her to the end, which he assured her would be in less than six months. Leah wanted to go to Bible College in Hungary and sold all her possessions in preparation for death or Bible College; whichever came was fine with her. Christians and churches all over the world began praying.
After a few months, the doctor called Leah to his office. He said he had to discuss something that could only be handled in person. When she arrived, the doctor showed her the scan of the large tumor, then the scan taken more recently. It revealed no tumor. Somewhere during the week between the two scans, the tumor had disappeared. About four months later, the doctor gave his heart to Christ and left his practice for the mission field.
Leah went to Hungary to the Bible College where my sister works and where I went in July. There she met a Hungarian young man named Balazs. He also had cancer - fast spreading testicular cancer. The doctors told him even with surgery and chemo he had only a 10 percent chance of surviving. As the cancer wasted his body down until he could wrap a hand around his thigh, a strong solid peace from God grew in his heart. The closer Balazs came to death, the more pronounced the peace became. It surprised him in its intensity and repeatedly he asked God, “What is this peace?” God answered by giving him many verses such as:
Isa 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
The peace grew to be so strong he began praying to die so he could see Jesus, the Source of his peace. After surgery, the cancer quickly returned. After the second chemo treatment, Balazs stopped all medical treatments and trusted himself to the Lord. Again, the doctors called him foolish and pointed out it was illegal in Hungary to practice voluntary euthanasia. However, Balazs had achieved total peace and trusted in God no matter what the outcome. Miraculously, he was cured of all cancer including any scarring from the lesions. Leah and Balazs married in Hungary and have one year left before they both graduate from Bible College.
It occurred to me as I listened to their stories that these two are in a unique spiritual position while in their early twenties. They have already been up to the gate that leads to the next life and discovered that is exactly where they want to be. They can never again be afraid of what is ahead. Nothing that happens in this life will compare to where they have already been. The bottom line is, they have no earthly barriers between them and Jesus. I realized that is precisely where I would like to live.
Meanwhile, the doctors are now saying the impossible has happened again. Balazs' sperm cells are alive and swimming; they are able to have children.
What Holds Us Back?
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to examine our hearts to discover how we can become like Leah and Balazs with nothing earthly between Jesus and us. So the question at hand is, what is it that holds me back from living fully for Christ? What is it that holds you back? The obvious answer is sin holds us back. However, we all know how sin messes up our walk with Jesus. We have all heard plenty of sermons and read books about how greed, drunkenness, hatred, jealousy, theft, lying, drugs, sexual sin, and the rest can ruin a Christian’s faith. I know my sin and you know yours and hopefully we are doing all we can to employ Christ’s strength to fight those temptations. We will all continue to wrestle against sin until we die. I don’t want to talk today about sin. There is something else keeping us from a perfect walk with Jesus.
Heb 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Notice Hebrews says we need to throw off everything that hinders AND the sin that entangles. There are two different hindrances. In addition to sin there is also, “everything that hinders.”
For the phrase “everything that hinders,” the original Greek version of the Bible uses the word euperistatos (yoo-per-is'-tat-os). It is a compound of several other words and means, “standing around thwarting a racing competitor in every direction.” I get the impression of a football player trying to run downfield and an opposing cornerback blocking and slowing him down no matter what direction he tries to go.
The Living Bible puts it this way:
Heb 12:1
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back… TLB
It is euperistatos that slows us down and sin that holds us back.
The Message puts is like this:
Heb 12:1
Do you see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. MSG
No extra spiritual fat. So you can already see where this message is leading—to a New Year’s resolution for another diet. However, this is a spiritual diet. There are things in my life that qualify as spiritual fat. These are not open sins, but they cause unnecessary fatty weight that slows me down. I don’t move to Jesus as fast as I could, I don’t enjoy full-on closeness with Him because of these unnecessary weights.
Rich Young Ruler
Do you recall the story of the rich young ruler? He wanted to fully follow God and he asked Jesus what he should do.
Matt 19:16-22
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18 "Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
(These are the obvious sins. Next Jesus is going to confront the weights in the man’s life.)
20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The young man was not sinning, but he had spiritual fat holding him back from a more perfect walk with God. In Mark’s account of this encounter, after the man said, “What do I still lack?” it says:
Mark 10:21
Jesus looked at him and loved him.
I like that. Jesus looks at us today as we want to move beyond just sin and ask, “What else is there? What else is weighing me down from perfect love with Jesus?” and He loves us.
A Unique Opportunity
Like the young ruler, we have non-sinful things weighing us down. In America, we are not normal. We make more than $2 per day and can eat three meals a day if we want to. Most of the world cannot do that. Like the rich young ruler, we have margin in our lives, unnecessary gifts we are free to give back to Jesus or horde to ourselves. We have a unique opportunity to move into a more perfect love of Jesus.
Barnabas
Another example of giving up surplus for the name of Jesus is found in Acts 4:
Acts 4:32-37
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
I get the idea Barnabas was like Leah and Balazs—he did not hold the things of this world precious but willingly gave even his margin to Jesus.
Holding Back
So often, I am a cake-and-eat-it-too Christian. I want to identify with Jesus but I also want to indulge in earthly pleasures while I wait for heaven. I fear I am like Ananias and Sapphira. Let’s read on:
Acts 5:1-4
5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
We all know the outcome of this story; both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet. The margin of gifts in my life is like the land of Ananias; it is mine to keep or give as I choose. If I keep it, the joy it brings me in this life is all I’ll ever achieve. If I give it to the name of Jesus, it will yield far richer blessings through eternity. The worst scenario is that I should pretend to be giving all to Jesus, but secretly, I am holding back. Ananias and Sapphira made that error.
This is our opportunity to move out from the crowd around us and strip off whatever weights hold us and hand them to Jesus. We can leverage our surplus margin into service for the kingdom. What is your margin; what are your weights? I cannot answer that for you.
Prayer
For our closing prayer time we will allow some quiet space to examine our hearts before the Lord. What are the weights in our lives? What holds us back from an absolute love affair with Jesus? What can we give back to Him in 2006? Let’s seek Him and gratefully commit what we can.
While Dani and I were away in Central California we attended a Hungarian New Year’s Eve party and met a couple with an extraordinary story. A few years ago, this young woman named Leah learned she had a brain tumor. The doctor declared it inoperable and recommended radiation treatment. Leah was strong in her faith and sure she was going to Paradise so she refused treatments. The doctor strongly disagreed with her decision and told her she was foolish. He then wanted to prescribe pain meds to carry her to the end, which he assured her would be in less than six months. Leah wanted to go to Bible College in Hungary and sold all her possessions in preparation for death or Bible College; whichever came was fine with her. Christians and churches all over the world began praying.
After a few months, the doctor called Leah to his office. He said he had to discuss something that could only be handled in person. When she arrived, the doctor showed her the scan of the large tumor, then the scan taken more recently. It revealed no tumor. Somewhere during the week between the two scans, the tumor had disappeared. About four months later, the doctor gave his heart to Christ and left his practice for the mission field.
Leah went to Hungary to the Bible College where my sister works and where I went in July. There she met a Hungarian young man named Balazs. He also had cancer - fast spreading testicular cancer. The doctors told him even with surgery and chemo he had only a 10 percent chance of surviving. As the cancer wasted his body down until he could wrap a hand around his thigh, a strong solid peace from God grew in his heart. The closer Balazs came to death, the more pronounced the peace became. It surprised him in its intensity and repeatedly he asked God, “What is this peace?” God answered by giving him many verses such as:
Isa 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
The peace grew to be so strong he began praying to die so he could see Jesus, the Source of his peace. After surgery, the cancer quickly returned. After the second chemo treatment, Balazs stopped all medical treatments and trusted himself to the Lord. Again, the doctors called him foolish and pointed out it was illegal in Hungary to practice voluntary euthanasia. However, Balazs had achieved total peace and trusted in God no matter what the outcome. Miraculously, he was cured of all cancer including any scarring from the lesions. Leah and Balazs married in Hungary and have one year left before they both graduate from Bible College.
It occurred to me as I listened to their stories that these two are in a unique spiritual position while in their early twenties. They have already been up to the gate that leads to the next life and discovered that is exactly where they want to be. They can never again be afraid of what is ahead. Nothing that happens in this life will compare to where they have already been. The bottom line is, they have no earthly barriers between them and Jesus. I realized that is precisely where I would like to live.
Meanwhile, the doctors are now saying the impossible has happened again. Balazs' sperm cells are alive and swimming; they are able to have children.
What Holds Us Back?
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to examine our hearts to discover how we can become like Leah and Balazs with nothing earthly between Jesus and us. So the question at hand is, what is it that holds me back from living fully for Christ? What is it that holds you back? The obvious answer is sin holds us back. However, we all know how sin messes up our walk with Jesus. We have all heard plenty of sermons and read books about how greed, drunkenness, hatred, jealousy, theft, lying, drugs, sexual sin, and the rest can ruin a Christian’s faith. I know my sin and you know yours and hopefully we are doing all we can to employ Christ’s strength to fight those temptations. We will all continue to wrestle against sin until we die. I don’t want to talk today about sin. There is something else keeping us from a perfect walk with Jesus.
Heb 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Notice Hebrews says we need to throw off everything that hinders AND the sin that entangles. There are two different hindrances. In addition to sin there is also, “everything that hinders.”
For the phrase “everything that hinders,” the original Greek version of the Bible uses the word euperistatos (yoo-per-is'-tat-os). It is a compound of several other words and means, “standing around thwarting a racing competitor in every direction.” I get the impression of a football player trying to run downfield and an opposing cornerback blocking and slowing him down no matter what direction he tries to go.
The Living Bible puts it this way:
Heb 12:1
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back… TLB
It is euperistatos that slows us down and sin that holds us back.
The Message puts is like this:
Heb 12:1
Do you see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. MSG
No extra spiritual fat. So you can already see where this message is leading—to a New Year’s resolution for another diet. However, this is a spiritual diet. There are things in my life that qualify as spiritual fat. These are not open sins, but they cause unnecessary fatty weight that slows me down. I don’t move to Jesus as fast as I could, I don’t enjoy full-on closeness with Him because of these unnecessary weights.
Rich Young Ruler
Do you recall the story of the rich young ruler? He wanted to fully follow God and he asked Jesus what he should do.
Matt 19:16-22
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18 "Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
(These are the obvious sins. Next Jesus is going to confront the weights in the man’s life.)
20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The young man was not sinning, but he had spiritual fat holding him back from a more perfect walk with God. In Mark’s account of this encounter, after the man said, “What do I still lack?” it says:
Mark 10:21
Jesus looked at him and loved him.
I like that. Jesus looks at us today as we want to move beyond just sin and ask, “What else is there? What else is weighing me down from perfect love with Jesus?” and He loves us.
A Unique Opportunity
Like the young ruler, we have non-sinful things weighing us down. In America, we are not normal. We make more than $2 per day and can eat three meals a day if we want to. Most of the world cannot do that. Like the rich young ruler, we have margin in our lives, unnecessary gifts we are free to give back to Jesus or horde to ourselves. We have a unique opportunity to move into a more perfect love of Jesus.
Barnabas
Another example of giving up surplus for the name of Jesus is found in Acts 4:
Acts 4:32-37
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
I get the idea Barnabas was like Leah and Balazs—he did not hold the things of this world precious but willingly gave even his margin to Jesus.
Holding Back
So often, I am a cake-and-eat-it-too Christian. I want to identify with Jesus but I also want to indulge in earthly pleasures while I wait for heaven. I fear I am like Ananias and Sapphira. Let’s read on:
Acts 5:1-4
5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
We all know the outcome of this story; both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet. The margin of gifts in my life is like the land of Ananias; it is mine to keep or give as I choose. If I keep it, the joy it brings me in this life is all I’ll ever achieve. If I give it to the name of Jesus, it will yield far richer blessings through eternity. The worst scenario is that I should pretend to be giving all to Jesus, but secretly, I am holding back. Ananias and Sapphira made that error.
This is our opportunity to move out from the crowd around us and strip off whatever weights hold us and hand them to Jesus. We can leverage our surplus margin into service for the kingdom. What is your margin; what are your weights? I cannot answer that for you.
Prayer
For our closing prayer time we will allow some quiet space to examine our hearts before the Lord. What are the weights in our lives? What holds us back from an absolute love affair with Jesus? What can we give back to Him in 2006? Let’s seek Him and gratefully commit what we can.
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