Here are a few links related to Hurricane Katrina relief and Hurricanes in general that you might find helpful:
Craig's List -- Information for hurricane survivors, for how to volunteer, and for those who can help house or provide supplies for refugees.
Stormtrack Blog -- Excellent site with information on the current state of conditions in LA, MS, and AL as well as information on other storms currently occurring.
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) -- The United Methodist relief agency who responds to disasters on behalf of the denomination. You can help by making donations, sending supplies, or offering assistance in addition to prayers.
American Red Cross -- Everyone knows them. You probably have a local office in your town. Give money. Give blood. Give supplies.
Operation Blessing -- A charitable organization that gives over 99.2% of its donations directly to relief effort for disasters and for taking care of children and the poor (how many churches could make the same claim?)
Salvation Army -- We all know the bellringers at Christmas, but the Salvation Army is always one of the first on site.
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief -- Third largest disaster relief organization in the U.S. They are already on site and I have seen pictures of them feeding and ministering to Katrina's victims.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
THE NEW SHAPE OF AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY?
As I was driving today, I watched in dismay as an attendant changed the gas prices at one of the economy stations from $2.69 per gallon to over $3 per gallon, an increase of at least $0.31 overnight, presumably from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
As I thought about this today and watched the continuing coverage of the immediate impacts of Hurricane Katrina, I was left wondering, "What is going to happen in the future, economically, to this country as a result of this natural disaster?" According to some reports I watched/read, the oil production and distribution network for our country may have been decreased by as much as 25% over normal. There are thousands of Americans in three states who have lost, not only their homes, but their jobs, their source of income, and are not wards of the state or the federal government, for, as President Bush said, "perhaps years."
What will be the impact on this nation economically? I know that personally, over the last month, I have seen my gas bill double to the point where it now is almost as much as my mortgage payment. And, now gas prices have gone up again, which means that prices for all goods and services will likely rise. Utility costs will rise. And an ever greater economic strain is going to be placed on everyone throughout the country.
So, what will be the impact on how the church functions in the days and weeks and years to come?
I am not an economist or a prophet, but here's my guess as to what could happen, as far as the church is concerned:
1) Giving in the church will go down. There will be a temporary rise in giving for hurricane relief over the next several weeks, but then, as the news media latches onto the next big story, this will gradually decline. But, because of the higher cost of living, giving in the church and giving to outside ministries is likely to go down.
2) Ministries will be cut. Already, in one of the two small churches that I pastor, we made the decision to stop having weekly Bible studies but to go to every other week meetings because of the high gas prices. It is simply a hardship on those with fixed incomes to have to drive to church during the week, especially when they are looking at utility costs rising in the near future as well. Van ministries and other ministries that depend on gas-powered vehicles are going to be significantly impacted.
3) Churches might tend to look inward more than outward. In an age of ever-increasing demands on an ever-shrinking budget, our churches may go into preservation mode, trying to make sure they survive and their internal programs are not harmed.
4) Visitation by pastors and church members will probably decrease, both for pastoral care visits and outreach visits. Likewise, the number of visitors to the church may decline, as non-churched people make their decision about attendance based on their pocketbook and not on their need for a Savior.
5) Churches are going to have to learn to adapt and become more creative in reaching out to the unchurched and the unsaved since budgets are likely to be affected and gas prices are likely to affect who might come to church. Perhaps this will usher in a time where we focus more on our neighbors and to ministering to those around us rather than to the community as a whole.
It will be interesting to watch and see if economic pressures drive revival and change in the church in the same way persecution drove revival and change in the first century church.
Regardless of what is going to happen, one thing is for sure. Hurricane Katrina did not take God by surprise, and He is still going to work through His body here on earth. It may be in new and different ways, but God's word will not return void, and His kingdom WILL be made manifest here on earth.
As I thought about this today and watched the continuing coverage of the immediate impacts of Hurricane Katrina, I was left wondering, "What is going to happen in the future, economically, to this country as a result of this natural disaster?" According to some reports I watched/read, the oil production and distribution network for our country may have been decreased by as much as 25% over normal. There are thousands of Americans in three states who have lost, not only their homes, but their jobs, their source of income, and are not wards of the state or the federal government, for, as President Bush said, "perhaps years."
What will be the impact on this nation economically? I know that personally, over the last month, I have seen my gas bill double to the point where it now is almost as much as my mortgage payment. And, now gas prices have gone up again, which means that prices for all goods and services will likely rise. Utility costs will rise. And an ever greater economic strain is going to be placed on everyone throughout the country.
So, what will be the impact on how the church functions in the days and weeks and years to come?
I am not an economist or a prophet, but here's my guess as to what could happen, as far as the church is concerned:
1) Giving in the church will go down. There will be a temporary rise in giving for hurricane relief over the next several weeks, but then, as the news media latches onto the next big story, this will gradually decline. But, because of the higher cost of living, giving in the church and giving to outside ministries is likely to go down.
2) Ministries will be cut. Already, in one of the two small churches that I pastor, we made the decision to stop having weekly Bible studies but to go to every other week meetings because of the high gas prices. It is simply a hardship on those with fixed incomes to have to drive to church during the week, especially when they are looking at utility costs rising in the near future as well. Van ministries and other ministries that depend on gas-powered vehicles are going to be significantly impacted.
3) Churches might tend to look inward more than outward. In an age of ever-increasing demands on an ever-shrinking budget, our churches may go into preservation mode, trying to make sure they survive and their internal programs are not harmed.
4) Visitation by pastors and church members will probably decrease, both for pastoral care visits and outreach visits. Likewise, the number of visitors to the church may decline, as non-churched people make their decision about attendance based on their pocketbook and not on their need for a Savior.
5) Churches are going to have to learn to adapt and become more creative in reaching out to the unchurched and the unsaved since budgets are likely to be affected and gas prices are likely to affect who might come to church. Perhaps this will usher in a time where we focus more on our neighbors and to ministering to those around us rather than to the community as a whole.
It will be interesting to watch and see if economic pressures drive revival and change in the church in the same way persecution drove revival and change in the first century church.
Regardless of what is going to happen, one thing is for sure. Hurricane Katrina did not take God by surprise, and He is still going to work through His body here on earth. It may be in new and different ways, but God's word will not return void, and His kingdom WILL be made manifest here on earth.
THE LORD'S PRAYER: OUR DAILY BREAD
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
28 August 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6
9. "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10. your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us today our daily bread.
12. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. '
-- back when Col Sanders was still alive, Kentucky Fried Chicken was going through bad times -- for three straight months, he watched as sales of chicken in his restaurants continued to drop -- so, he one day, he gets an idea and he calls up the Pope and asks for a favor.
-- The Pope said, "What can I do?" -- Colonel Sanders said, "I need you to change the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken'. If you do it, I'll donate 10 Million Dollars to the Vatican."
-- The Pope replied, "I am sorry. That is the Lord's prayer and I can not change the words."
-- So, Colonel Sanders hangs up -- After another month of dismal sales, the Colonel panics, and calls again. -- "Listen your Excellency. I really need your help. I'll give you $50 million dollars if you change the words of the daily prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'"
-- The Pope responded, "It is very tempting, Colonel Sanders. The church could do a lot of good with that much money. It would help us support many charities. But, again, I must decline. It is the Lord's prayer, and I can't change the words."
-- So the Colonel gives up again. After two more months of terrible sales. the Colonel gets desperate. -- "This is my final offer, your Excellency. If you change the words of the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken', I will donate $100 million to the Vatican."
-- The Pope replied, "Let me get back to you." -- The next day, the Pope called together all of his bishops and he said, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that KFC is going to donate $100 million to the Vatican." -- The bishops rejoice at the news. Then one of them asked what the bad news was -- The Pope replied, "The bad news is that we lost the Wonder Bread account."
-- this morning, we're going to be continuing our series on the Lord's Prayer and we're going to be looking at our petition to God -- "Give us this day our daily bread" -- in this petition that Jesus has told us to pray to God, I believe that He wants us to keep in mind two things:
II. Our Daily Bread
-- first, I think He wants us to understand what He meant by the term "our daily bread"
-- I told you that opening joke just to help make you aware that this petition is not just about food -- it's not really about bread or about chicken or about us just getting something to eat -- it's about something more than that -- it is about depending on God -- and God alone -- for our daily sustenance -- for all the things that we need to keep us alive both physically and spiritually
-- in the wilderness when Satan tried to tempt Jesus to turn the stones into bread, Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' -- this prayer, then, is about more than just food -- it is about everything that we need on a daily basis from God
-- if you will notice, this is the only place in this entire prayer where we actually ask God to give us something -- in the first part of the prayer, Jesus taught us to praise God and to pray that His kingdom and His will would be made manifest on earth as it is in heaven
-- in the rest of this prayer, Jesus tells us to ask for forgiveness and protection from temptation and sin and evil
-- this is the only place where we make our daily needs known to God -- and we all know that we need more than just food to live
-- when you pray, "Give us our daily bread" you are asking Him to provide all the physical things that you need to stay alive -- food -- water -- air -- a place to live -- a place to sleep -- clothing -- protection from the elements -- protection from sickness and disease -- all the other physical things that you need in your life just to survive
-- but, it means more than that, too -- as Jesus pointed out, "Man does not live on bread alone" -- and when we pray this prayer, it means that we are asking for the other things in our life that we need -- the things that make life worth living -- family -- friends -- love -- mercy -- forgiveness -- grace -- daily communion with our God and our Creator
-- when you pray, "our daily bread" -- you are asking God to give you everything that you need to stay alive -- both physically and spiritually -- and it means that you are trusting in God's power and ability to provide what you need on a daily basis
III. Give Us This Day
-- this is the second thing that I think Jesus wanted us to recognize in this phrase -- in its most basic form, this petition is a cry of faith in God -- it is a cry of trust in the power of God to sustain us and give us exactly what we need in our lives when we need it
-- God's desire is to bring us to the point where we are in total dependence on Him for all the things in our life -- to bring us to the point where we don't worry about the future or what we will eat or what we will wear because we trust in Him and in His providence on a daily basis
-- a marvelous picture of this is seen in the Old Testament, and when Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, I expect that they immediately thought about this example -- about God providing food to the Israelites in the desert
-- as you probably remember, after God had led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, they were in the wilderness and they didn't have any food -- the people complained to Moses and Moses prayed to God to provide food for the nation of Israel
-- in Exodus 16:4, it reads, "the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."
-- and the next morning, the Bible says that after the dew was gone, the Israelites saw flakes like frost covering the ground -- they didn't know what it was -- so Moses told them, "this is the bread that the Lord has provided to you" -- they called it "manna" and noted that it tasted like wafers made with honey
-- and God used this event to teach the children of Israel to trust in His divine providence -- the manna would only last for one day -- if they tried to keep it for more than one day, it would rot and maggots would fill the jar where the manna was kept -- so, every single day, the Israelites would have to get up and gather enough manna -- enough bread -- to sustain them for that day
-- God provided their daily bread on a daily basis -- teaching them that He would meet all their needs when they came up and not before -- teaching them not to worry but to trust in Him
-- now, we have a hard time with that, don't we -- we find it hard to trust God to provide our needs on a daily basis -- I know that this is something that I struggle with in my own life -- there's not much that I'm good at, but I am good at worrying -- the Apostle Paul said that he was the chief of sinners -- I'm the chief of worriers -- I can come up with more gloom and doom predictions of the future and more things to worry about than anyone else -- but God is working on me -- and He's trying to get me to see that I should trust in Him every day to provide what I need and not to worry about the future but to simply trust in Him -- to simply pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" and trust that He will bring it to pass
-- evidently, this was a problem with the disciples, too
-- look down at verse 25 here in Matthew 6:25-34
25. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
28. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31. So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'
32. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-- after teaching them to pray and to trust God to provide, Jesus makes a point here of telling His disciples not to worry about the things of life
-- in essence, He was saying, "God knows what you need -- and God knows when you need it -- and when you pray to Him and make your needs known to Him then He will meet those needs on His timetable -- you'll have the food to eat when you need it -- the water to drink when you need it -- the clothes to wear when you need them -- if God provides all that to the birds and to the plants, don't you think He'll take care of you, too -- if God provided manna for the Israelites every single day, don't you think He will provide what you need, too -- so don't worry about tomorrow -- just trust in Him today"
-- the same holds true in our spiritual lives, as well -- have you ever heard the phrase, "grace for the moment?" -- that means that God doesn't give you grace to get through a situation until you need it -- but when you need it, then He will give it to you at that moment
-- I am currently reading a book by Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of the organization, "The Voice of the Martyrs" -- in this book, he recounts his experiences in a Romanian prison suffering torture and abuse because of his faith in Christ -- he points out that he did not know if he would have the strength to withstand the torture and the imprisonment, but that God gave him the strength at just the moment he needed it
-- that's exactly what He does for us, too -- God doesn't give you the grace and the strength to deal with a death in your family until you face a death in your family -- He doesn't give you the grace and strength to face a severe sickness until you actually come face to face with that sickness -- He doesn't give you the grace and strength to withstand anything until you actually need it -- that is why it says in Lamentations 3:23, "God's compassions and mercies are new every morning" -- they come to us just like the manna did to the ancient Israelites
-- when we pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread" -- we are also asking for God to give us the grace that we need to make it through that day -- He knows exactly what trials and tribulations and temptations that we are going to face that day -- and He knows what we need for that day -- it would do no good for Him to give us grace now to handle a situation that may come up in the future -- that is why Jesus tells us in verse 34, "don't worry about tomorrow -- today has enough troubles of its own"
IV. Closing
-- so, in closing, let us join together in prayer realizing the two great truths that Jesus taught in this short petition, "Give us this day, our daily bread" -- Jesus taught us that we need more than just food and water and air to survive -- there are other needs in our life that only God can meet -- spiritual and relational needs that give us a purpose and a meaning for life -- and that we should trust Him to provide those needs to us on a daily basis
-- and, secondly, Jesus taught that we should not worry about the future, but simply to go through each day trusting that God will provide what we need at the moment we need it -- He will not only meet our physical needs as they come up, but He will also give us grace for the moment -- spiritual help in times of trials, troubles, and tribulations to meet what that day will hold
-- from now on, when you pray this prayer, remember that this is a statement of your faith and your trust in the providential power of God and boldly step forward into each new day with this knowledge deep within your heart
-- may God use it to sustain you and bless you in the days to come
-- let us pray
28 August 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6
9. "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10. your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us today our daily bread.
12. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. '
-- back when Col Sanders was still alive, Kentucky Fried Chicken was going through bad times -- for three straight months, he watched as sales of chicken in his restaurants continued to drop -- so, he one day, he gets an idea and he calls up the Pope and asks for a favor.
-- The Pope said, "What can I do?" -- Colonel Sanders said, "I need you to change the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken'. If you do it, I'll donate 10 Million Dollars to the Vatican."
-- The Pope replied, "I am sorry. That is the Lord's prayer and I can not change the words."
-- So, Colonel Sanders hangs up -- After another month of dismal sales, the Colonel panics, and calls again. -- "Listen your Excellency. I really need your help. I'll give you $50 million dollars if you change the words of the daily prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'"
-- The Pope responded, "It is very tempting, Colonel Sanders. The church could do a lot of good with that much money. It would help us support many charities. But, again, I must decline. It is the Lord's prayer, and I can't change the words."
-- So the Colonel gives up again. After two more months of terrible sales. the Colonel gets desperate. -- "This is my final offer, your Excellency. If you change the words of the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken', I will donate $100 million to the Vatican."
-- The Pope replied, "Let me get back to you." -- The next day, the Pope called together all of his bishops and he said, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that KFC is going to donate $100 million to the Vatican." -- The bishops rejoice at the news. Then one of them asked what the bad news was -- The Pope replied, "The bad news is that we lost the Wonder Bread account."
-- this morning, we're going to be continuing our series on the Lord's Prayer and we're going to be looking at our petition to God -- "Give us this day our daily bread" -- in this petition that Jesus has told us to pray to God, I believe that He wants us to keep in mind two things:
II. Our Daily Bread
-- first, I think He wants us to understand what He meant by the term "our daily bread"
-- I told you that opening joke just to help make you aware that this petition is not just about food -- it's not really about bread or about chicken or about us just getting something to eat -- it's about something more than that -- it is about depending on God -- and God alone -- for our daily sustenance -- for all the things that we need to keep us alive both physically and spiritually
-- in the wilderness when Satan tried to tempt Jesus to turn the stones into bread, Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' -- this prayer, then, is about more than just food -- it is about everything that we need on a daily basis from God
-- if you will notice, this is the only place in this entire prayer where we actually ask God to give us something -- in the first part of the prayer, Jesus taught us to praise God and to pray that His kingdom and His will would be made manifest on earth as it is in heaven
-- in the rest of this prayer, Jesus tells us to ask for forgiveness and protection from temptation and sin and evil
-- this is the only place where we make our daily needs known to God -- and we all know that we need more than just food to live
-- when you pray, "Give us our daily bread" you are asking Him to provide all the physical things that you need to stay alive -- food -- water -- air -- a place to live -- a place to sleep -- clothing -- protection from the elements -- protection from sickness and disease -- all the other physical things that you need in your life just to survive
-- but, it means more than that, too -- as Jesus pointed out, "Man does not live on bread alone" -- and when we pray this prayer, it means that we are asking for the other things in our life that we need -- the things that make life worth living -- family -- friends -- love -- mercy -- forgiveness -- grace -- daily communion with our God and our Creator
-- when you pray, "our daily bread" -- you are asking God to give you everything that you need to stay alive -- both physically and spiritually -- and it means that you are trusting in God's power and ability to provide what you need on a daily basis
III. Give Us This Day
-- this is the second thing that I think Jesus wanted us to recognize in this phrase -- in its most basic form, this petition is a cry of faith in God -- it is a cry of trust in the power of God to sustain us and give us exactly what we need in our lives when we need it
-- God's desire is to bring us to the point where we are in total dependence on Him for all the things in our life -- to bring us to the point where we don't worry about the future or what we will eat or what we will wear because we trust in Him and in His providence on a daily basis
-- a marvelous picture of this is seen in the Old Testament, and when Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, I expect that they immediately thought about this example -- about God providing food to the Israelites in the desert
-- as you probably remember, after God had led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, they were in the wilderness and they didn't have any food -- the people complained to Moses and Moses prayed to God to provide food for the nation of Israel
-- in Exodus 16:4, it reads, "the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."
-- and the next morning, the Bible says that after the dew was gone, the Israelites saw flakes like frost covering the ground -- they didn't know what it was -- so Moses told them, "this is the bread that the Lord has provided to you" -- they called it "manna" and noted that it tasted like wafers made with honey
-- and God used this event to teach the children of Israel to trust in His divine providence -- the manna would only last for one day -- if they tried to keep it for more than one day, it would rot and maggots would fill the jar where the manna was kept -- so, every single day, the Israelites would have to get up and gather enough manna -- enough bread -- to sustain them for that day
-- God provided their daily bread on a daily basis -- teaching them that He would meet all their needs when they came up and not before -- teaching them not to worry but to trust in Him
-- now, we have a hard time with that, don't we -- we find it hard to trust God to provide our needs on a daily basis -- I know that this is something that I struggle with in my own life -- there's not much that I'm good at, but I am good at worrying -- the Apostle Paul said that he was the chief of sinners -- I'm the chief of worriers -- I can come up with more gloom and doom predictions of the future and more things to worry about than anyone else -- but God is working on me -- and He's trying to get me to see that I should trust in Him every day to provide what I need and not to worry about the future but to simply trust in Him -- to simply pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" and trust that He will bring it to pass
-- evidently, this was a problem with the disciples, too
-- look down at verse 25 here in Matthew 6:25-34
25. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
28. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31. So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'
32. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-- after teaching them to pray and to trust God to provide, Jesus makes a point here of telling His disciples not to worry about the things of life
-- in essence, He was saying, "God knows what you need -- and God knows when you need it -- and when you pray to Him and make your needs known to Him then He will meet those needs on His timetable -- you'll have the food to eat when you need it -- the water to drink when you need it -- the clothes to wear when you need them -- if God provides all that to the birds and to the plants, don't you think He'll take care of you, too -- if God provided manna for the Israelites every single day, don't you think He will provide what you need, too -- so don't worry about tomorrow -- just trust in Him today"
-- the same holds true in our spiritual lives, as well -- have you ever heard the phrase, "grace for the moment?" -- that means that God doesn't give you grace to get through a situation until you need it -- but when you need it, then He will give it to you at that moment
-- I am currently reading a book by Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of the organization, "The Voice of the Martyrs" -- in this book, he recounts his experiences in a Romanian prison suffering torture and abuse because of his faith in Christ -- he points out that he did not know if he would have the strength to withstand the torture and the imprisonment, but that God gave him the strength at just the moment he needed it
-- that's exactly what He does for us, too -- God doesn't give you the grace and the strength to deal with a death in your family until you face a death in your family -- He doesn't give you the grace and strength to face a severe sickness until you actually come face to face with that sickness -- He doesn't give you the grace and strength to withstand anything until you actually need it -- that is why it says in Lamentations 3:23, "God's compassions and mercies are new every morning" -- they come to us just like the manna did to the ancient Israelites
-- when we pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread" -- we are also asking for God to give us the grace that we need to make it through that day -- He knows exactly what trials and tribulations and temptations that we are going to face that day -- and He knows what we need for that day -- it would do no good for Him to give us grace now to handle a situation that may come up in the future -- that is why Jesus tells us in verse 34, "don't worry about tomorrow -- today has enough troubles of its own"
IV. Closing
-- so, in closing, let us join together in prayer realizing the two great truths that Jesus taught in this short petition, "Give us this day, our daily bread" -- Jesus taught us that we need more than just food and water and air to survive -- there are other needs in our life that only God can meet -- spiritual and relational needs that give us a purpose and a meaning for life -- and that we should trust Him to provide those needs to us on a daily basis
-- and, secondly, Jesus taught that we should not worry about the future, but simply to go through each day trusting that God will provide what we need at the moment we need it -- He will not only meet our physical needs as they come up, but He will also give us grace for the moment -- spiritual help in times of trials, troubles, and tribulations to meet what that day will hold
-- from now on, when you pray this prayer, remember that this is a statement of your faith and your trust in the providential power of God and boldly step forward into each new day with this knowledge deep within your heart
-- may God use it to sustain you and bless you in the days to come
-- let us pray
UMCOR FLOOD BUCKETS
From the UMCOR Site -- something YOU can do to help in a tangible, physical way!
To Sustain Everyday Life: UMCOR Kits Are Another Way to Give
UMCOR Sager Brown Material Resources Specifications
Kits to Assist in Recovery from Disasters
The following resources are used in places where people may have suffered losses due
to natural or human made disasters. Please follow the directions exactly. Include all
items; do not add items. Extra gifts, though given with the best of intentions, render a kit unusable and must be removed. Note: All items sent must be new!
Flood Bucket
(Updated: 9/3/2004)
These supplies help people begin the overwhelming cleanup job after a flood or storm.
5-gallon bucket with resealable lid
Bleach--two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle (Do not include bleach of you are shipping the bucket through the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEx)
5 scouring pads
7 pack sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)
* Special requirements: Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid. Please ensure that all cleansing agents are liquids (not powder) and in plastic bottles. All aerosols or flammables: If aerosols are included,do not send the bucket by US mail or DHL/Airborne freight. Ship by UPS ground, FedEx ground, or truck.
Pack inside the bucket or strong outer boxes. Put the ORM-D mark on the outside of any buckets or boxes containing these items. Get different sizes of the ORM-D mark at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/ormd.cfm or use the one on the next page. Copy and tape on each bucket or box. Boxes cannot exceed 66 lbs. each.
Value: $45 per bucket.
In a separate envelope, please send a check for at least $1.50 for each flood bucket to help UMCOR Sager Brown with the costs of processing and shipping.
Thank you for your donations. You are helping to make a difference in people's lives.
To Sustain Everyday Life: UMCOR Kits Are Another Way to Give
UMCOR Sager Brown Material Resources Specifications
Kits to Assist in Recovery from Disasters
The following resources are used in places where people may have suffered losses due
to natural or human made disasters. Please follow the directions exactly. Include all
items; do not add items. Extra gifts, though given with the best of intentions, render a kit unusable and must be removed. Note: All items sent must be new!
Flood Bucket
(Updated: 9/3/2004)
These supplies help people begin the overwhelming cleanup job after a flood or storm.
5-gallon bucket with resealable lid
Bleach--two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle (Do not include bleach of you are shipping the bucket through the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEx)
5 scouring pads
7 pack sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)
* Special requirements: Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid. Please ensure that all cleansing agents are liquids (not powder) and in plastic bottles. All aerosols or flammables: If aerosols are included,do not send the bucket by US mail or DHL/Airborne freight. Ship by UPS ground, FedEx ground, or truck.
Pack inside the bucket or strong outer boxes. Put the ORM-D mark on the outside of any buckets or boxes containing these items. Get different sizes of the ORM-D mark at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/ormd.cfm or use the one on the next page. Copy and tape on each bucket or box. Boxes cannot exceed 66 lbs. each.
Value: $45 per bucket.
In a separate envelope, please send a check for at least $1.50 for each flood bucket to help UMCOR Sager Brown with the costs of processing and shipping.
Thank you for your donations. You are helping to make a difference in people's lives.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA
Well, Hurricane Katrina has mostly come and gone now. Just a few lingering clouds and rain soaking the southern coastal areas. Thankfully, the hurricane did not give New Orleans a direct hit but turned north east at the last moment, missing the heavily populated area and making landfall primarily in the Mississippi area. My wife's family in Biloxi and Mobile seemed to fare o.k. through the storm, although final damage assessments there and in Louisiana won't be taking place until today.
Just wanted to drop a short note to let everyone know what the UM Committee on Relief is doing for hurricane relief. Of great relief is the fact that UMCOR's facility in Baldwin, LA, that houses supplies for hurricane relief made it through the storm without significant damage and will be reopening tomorrow.
How You Can Help (From the UMCOR Website)
Give: Your generous gift to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 Global, will help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. You can give online at www.methodistrelief.org, at your church, over the phone at 1-800-554-8583, or by mailing a check directly to: UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be written to UMCOR with the Advance number and name written on the memo line of your check. If you would prefer that your funds to go to recovery in a specific region, please note that on your donation.
Send: Flood Buckets filled with cleaning supplies that people use to clean their homes after floods and hurricanes. For assembly and shipping instructions, call UMCOR Sager Brown at 1-800-814-8765 or visit the UMCOR website at umcor.org. You may also give a financial donation to to UMCOR's Material Resource Ministry, Advance #901440 to purchase cleaning supplies that the Depot staff and volunteers will use to assemble flood buckets.
Go: Volunteers will be needed to help in Hurricane Katrina recovery. To find out how you can help with hurricane cleanup, write Mission Volunteers at voluntrs@gbgm-umc.org for contact information for your United Methodist Volunteers in Mission jurisdictional and conference coordinators. They will provide details on creating and training a team as well as scheduling details. For information on what disaster sites are currently scheduling volunteers, call the Volunteer Hotline at 800-918-3100.
Also, please don't forget to continue to pray for those affected by the storm. As rescuers are finally able to start getting into the affected areas, we may find a lot of damage and a lot of injuries and deaths associated with the storms. I believe that it was through our prayers that God lessened the severity of the storm prior to landfall and caused it to turn to the northeast and kept it away from New Orleans.
Just wanted to drop a short note to let everyone know what the UM Committee on Relief is doing for hurricane relief. Of great relief is the fact that UMCOR's facility in Baldwin, LA, that houses supplies for hurricane relief made it through the storm without significant damage and will be reopening tomorrow.
How You Can Help (From the UMCOR Website)
Give: Your generous gift to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 Global, will help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. You can give online at www.methodistrelief.org, at your church, over the phone at 1-800-554-8583, or by mailing a check directly to: UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be written to UMCOR with the Advance number and name written on the memo line of your check. If you would prefer that your funds to go to recovery in a specific region, please note that on your donation.
Send: Flood Buckets filled with cleaning supplies that people use to clean their homes after floods and hurricanes. For assembly and shipping instructions, call UMCOR Sager Brown at 1-800-814-8765 or visit the UMCOR website at umcor.org. You may also give a financial donation to to UMCOR's Material Resource Ministry, Advance #901440 to purchase cleaning supplies that the Depot staff and volunteers will use to assemble flood buckets.
Go: Volunteers will be needed to help in Hurricane Katrina recovery. To find out how you can help with hurricane cleanup, write Mission Volunteers at voluntrs@gbgm-umc.org for contact information for your United Methodist Volunteers in Mission jurisdictional and conference coordinators. They will provide details on creating and training a team as well as scheduling details. For information on what disaster sites are currently scheduling volunteers, call the Volunteer Hotline at 800-918-3100.
Also, please don't forget to continue to pray for those affected by the storm. As rescuers are finally able to start getting into the affected areas, we may find a lot of damage and a lot of injuries and deaths associated with the storms. I believe that it was through our prayers that God lessened the severity of the storm prior to landfall and caused it to turn to the northeast and kept it away from New Orleans.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
HURRICANE KATRINA
As I write this, we are sitting on the extreme eastern side of Hurricane Katrina, watching and waiting for the devastation to come and praying for our family and friends in the direct path of the storm. My wife's father is in Mobile, and decided to try to ride the storm out just about 10 miles from Mobile Bay. He is now regretting that decision, but it's too late to evacuate.
Here in south Georgia, we are expecting only rain with some wind, nothing significant. But, as you all know, the central Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle is bracing for one of the most deadly hurricanes to ever hit the United States.
This morning at church, and again this evening, we gathered to pray for those in the path of the storm. We also took steps to prepare to help those who are going to be affected by the storm, by taking up donations to be sent to the affected region immediately.
If you would like to do more than just watch the storm, if you feel led to make a financial donation for hurricane relief in this area, please visit the United Methodist Church Committee on Relief (UMCOR) website. There you can make financial donations on-line that will be given directly to relief in the Lousiana/Mississippi/Alabama areas. The direct link to the on-line donation site is here.
Otherwise, please contact the Red Cross or other relief agencies and offer your financial help and assistance in whatever way you can. From what we are hearing in our region, this will be the worst natural disaster ever experienced in the southeast, far worse than the devastation caused by the four hurricanes that hit us last year.
And, most important, PRAY! God works in answer to prayer, and if you do nothing else, please pray for the people in the path of the storm.
Here in south Georgia, we are expecting only rain with some wind, nothing significant. But, as you all know, the central Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle is bracing for one of the most deadly hurricanes to ever hit the United States.
This morning at church, and again this evening, we gathered to pray for those in the path of the storm. We also took steps to prepare to help those who are going to be affected by the storm, by taking up donations to be sent to the affected region immediately.
If you would like to do more than just watch the storm, if you feel led to make a financial donation for hurricane relief in this area, please visit the United Methodist Church Committee on Relief (UMCOR) website. There you can make financial donations on-line that will be given directly to relief in the Lousiana/Mississippi/Alabama areas. The direct link to the on-line donation site is here.
Otherwise, please contact the Red Cross or other relief agencies and offer your financial help and assistance in whatever way you can. From what we are hearing in our region, this will be the worst natural disaster ever experienced in the southeast, far worse than the devastation caused by the four hurricanes that hit us last year.
And, most important, PRAY! God works in answer to prayer, and if you do nothing else, please pray for the people in the path of the storm.
Friday, August 26, 2005
POWER OF THE SPIRIT
Isn't God good? Sometimes, when you are struggling in your life and caught up in your own woes and despair and find yourself in a place where you catch yourself doubting the power of God in your life, you will just get a fresh dose of the reality and power of God thrown right in your face -- sort of like a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning that wakes you right up.
At our weekly Emmaus reunion/accountability group, I was reminded once again of how awesome the power of our God is as we reminisced about our experiences with the Kairos Prison Ministry. For those who aren't familiar with Kairos, it is the prison version of the Walk to Emmaus, a three-day spiritual journey/retreat designed to move people closer to God through a series of talks and experiences.
If there is one place where Satan holds sway, it is in our prison systems today. The men and women in these places exist without hope, without life, without love. They are faced with horrific conditions and most live in fear for their safety on a daily basis. Gangs, murders, crime, rape -- all of this are common every-day events in such a setting. But, as He has shown time and time again, there is no place where God's power and authority cannot be made manifest.
During the first Kairos held at our local prison, we were confronted with extreme opposition. The correctional officers didn't want us there. The inmates didn't want us there. The chaplain didn't want us there (he felt we were trespassing on his turf). So, since the chaplain was the one who selected which inmates got to participate in the program, he picked the worst of the worst and sent them to us. The guards had a pool going to see how long the team would last in the prison before fleeing for the exit. But, the power of God descended on that place and the team watched as these men, hardened by years of hate and abuse and neglect and self-damage, turned to God and had their lives transformed into new creations. Overnight, the prison was transformed into a different place and none of the usual stabbings or murders that occur on a full-moon weekend took place that weekend. One of the inmates there, who was the most-feared man in the prison because of his brutality and violence to others, became saved that weekend and serves Christ by ministering to and serving his fellow inmates at Kairos and chapel events. No one ever believed that the same hand that once held prisoners down and stabbed them brutally would shake with emotion as he prayed for God's blessings to flow down on others in that place.
During another Kairos, the team began the practice of anointing the doors to the gym (e.g. "chapel") before the inmates came that day. Two of the inmates were self-professed devil-worshipers. When they got to the door, it was like they hit a barrier. They refused to pass through the door. They said they couldn't pass through the door and became very nervous and very apprehensive and asked to be locked up again. We are still praying that God would touch these men, but it shows that the powers of darkness are no match for the power of our God!
As I write this, another team is preparing to enter our local prisons for two more Kairos weekends. The mood of the team is vastly different from that of the first. Where we entered with trepidation, these teams enter with confidence and with the authority of Christ. They have seen the power of God at work and have no doubt that He can do what miracles in the hearts of all who attend, inmates and team alike.
Remembering these great stories of the past help me when I am feeling down and hopeless. It gives me renewed strength and vigor and hope, knowing that the same God that defeated the darkness is with me in anything I might face. Perhaps this is the reason why the stories of the Passover, of the parting of the Red Sea, and the lighting of the lamps in the temple are told each year in the Jewish communities? Perhaps we need to make more of a practice in our worship services of remembering the greatness of our God in the past and thanking Him for His faithfulness to us in the future and in the problems that we are currently facing. Nothing is impossible with God, and we are all more than conquerors through Him!
At our weekly Emmaus reunion/accountability group, I was reminded once again of how awesome the power of our God is as we reminisced about our experiences with the Kairos Prison Ministry. For those who aren't familiar with Kairos, it is the prison version of the Walk to Emmaus, a three-day spiritual journey/retreat designed to move people closer to God through a series of talks and experiences.
If there is one place where Satan holds sway, it is in our prison systems today. The men and women in these places exist without hope, without life, without love. They are faced with horrific conditions and most live in fear for their safety on a daily basis. Gangs, murders, crime, rape -- all of this are common every-day events in such a setting. But, as He has shown time and time again, there is no place where God's power and authority cannot be made manifest.
During the first Kairos held at our local prison, we were confronted with extreme opposition. The correctional officers didn't want us there. The inmates didn't want us there. The chaplain didn't want us there (he felt we were trespassing on his turf). So, since the chaplain was the one who selected which inmates got to participate in the program, he picked the worst of the worst and sent them to us. The guards had a pool going to see how long the team would last in the prison before fleeing for the exit. But, the power of God descended on that place and the team watched as these men, hardened by years of hate and abuse and neglect and self-damage, turned to God and had their lives transformed into new creations. Overnight, the prison was transformed into a different place and none of the usual stabbings or murders that occur on a full-moon weekend took place that weekend. One of the inmates there, who was the most-feared man in the prison because of his brutality and violence to others, became saved that weekend and serves Christ by ministering to and serving his fellow inmates at Kairos and chapel events. No one ever believed that the same hand that once held prisoners down and stabbed them brutally would shake with emotion as he prayed for God's blessings to flow down on others in that place.
During another Kairos, the team began the practice of anointing the doors to the gym (e.g. "chapel") before the inmates came that day. Two of the inmates were self-professed devil-worshipers. When they got to the door, it was like they hit a barrier. They refused to pass through the door. They said they couldn't pass through the door and became very nervous and very apprehensive and asked to be locked up again. We are still praying that God would touch these men, but it shows that the powers of darkness are no match for the power of our God!
As I write this, another team is preparing to enter our local prisons for two more Kairos weekends. The mood of the team is vastly different from that of the first. Where we entered with trepidation, these teams enter with confidence and with the authority of Christ. They have seen the power of God at work and have no doubt that He can do what miracles in the hearts of all who attend, inmates and team alike.
Remembering these great stories of the past help me when I am feeling down and hopeless. It gives me renewed strength and vigor and hope, knowing that the same God that defeated the darkness is with me in anything I might face. Perhaps this is the reason why the stories of the Passover, of the parting of the Red Sea, and the lighting of the lamps in the temple are told each year in the Jewish communities? Perhaps we need to make more of a practice in our worship services of remembering the greatness of our God in the past and thanking Him for His faithfulness to us in the future and in the problems that we are currently facing. Nothing is impossible with God, and we are all more than conquerors through Him!
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
21 August 2005
I. Divided Kingdoms
-- turn in your Bibles to Matthew 6:9-11
9. "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10. your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us today our daily bread.
12. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. '
-- this morning, we are going to be continuing our series on the Lord's Prayer and will be talking about the kingdom of God.
-- as we begin this study this morning, I want you to remember the concept of duality that I talked about last week, because it becomes very prominent in our discussions on the kingdom of God
-- in his book, The City of God, St. Augustine pointed out this duality by stating that on earth there were two kingdoms -- the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God and that both existed together at the same time
-- as we go through this we need to keep in mind that fact
-- we can see a clear example of that in Isaiah 6 -- if you would, turn there now and listen as I read verses 1-5
1. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
3. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
4. At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
-- as we read in this passage on the commission of Isaiah, the nation of Israel is in turmoil at the death of King Uzziah -- the king of Israel -- the king of the kingdom of man for Isaiah -- has passed away
-- the passing of a king was a traumatic experience -- they didn't know what would happen -- they didn't know whether chaos and disorder would enter the kingdom -- Isaiah's heart was probably filled with terror and uncertainty in this time
-- but, at that very moment, God gave Isaiah a glimpse of the other kingdom -- God's kingdom -- and Isaiah is given a vision of God enthroned on high, surrounded by His mighty angels who are praising and glorifying God -- the true ruler and King of Kings
-- in verse 3, the angels call out, "the whole earth is filled with your glory" -- pointing out exactly what we want to talk about this morning -- God's kingdom was present in the world -- and despite the uncertainty surrounding the kingdom of man -- God's kingdom was secure
II. What is kingdom of God?
-- this duality also exists in another way -- not only do we need to remember that there are two kingdoms present right now -- the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God -- but we need to consider the reality and duality of the kingdom of God that is here
-- when we think of the kingdom of God, we tend to think of a future kingdom -- the millenial kingdom of Christ and His kingdom in heaven -- when Christ will physically rule over the nations as King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- Bible tells us there will be a day when Christ will return -- the Day of the Lord -- at the end of human history
-- at this time, Christ will come back with shouts of acclamation to claim His throne here on earth -- creation will be restored, the earth will be recreated, and the new Jerusalem will be the capitol city of our King
-- as it describes in the book of Revelation, this will be a time when there will be no more weeping or sorrow because we will dwell in the house of the Lord -- He will be our God and our King and we will worship Him in all our ways -- at that time, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
-- this is what the first-century Jews had in mind when Jesus talked to them of the "kingdom of God" -- they wanted God to send a great and powerful leader -- the Messiah -- who would throw off Roman rule and restore Judea to greatness once again as an independent nation -- a nation of righteousness, glory and blessings -- a nation where everyone would come to so they would learn God's way -- this was why they missed Jesus when He came the first time -- they expected the Messiah to come and take over rule of Israel -- that is why they gathered on Palm Sunday and cried "Hosannah! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" -- they expected Jesus to remove the Romans and set up His rule in Jerusalem at that time -- but, when He didn't, they quickly turned against Him because they thought that He could not be the Messiah
-- they didn't understand the duality of the kingdom of God -- that God's kingdom could exist in two realms -- the spiritual and the physical -- and that the manifestation of God's kingdom would have two different timings -- the present spiritual kingdom and the future physical kingdom
-- they did not understand that God's kingdom occurs where ever God is -- Jesus used the phrase "kingdom of Heaven" that every Jew knew and longed for in their heart, but He gave it a new meaning -- He wanted them to see that God's kingdom did not exist only as an actual physical kingdom, but also as a spiritual present reality -- in teaching the people, Jesus said my Kingdom is not of this world -- and when He talked to Nicodemus late one night, He told Nicodemus that God's kingdom was invisible to most people -- to understand it or experience it, a person must be renewed by God's spirit -- they must be born again
-- just like the first century Jews, we also tend to forget the fact that when we talk about the Kingdom of God, we are talking about two realities -- the future kingdom of God and the current spiritual kingdom of God here on earth
-- we look forward to the coming of Christ and the restoration of the world without realizing that we are already living in the kingdom
-- in the Lord's prayer, when we pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -- we tend to think only of the future -- we pray in our hearts -- "come Lord Jesus -- come again and establish your kingdom on earth -- remove sin and death once and for all time -- bring down the new Jerusalem and set up your throne"
-- but, this prayer means more than that -- it is also a cry for God's kingdom to be fully established and recognized here on earth at the present time -- don't forget that Jesus gave us this prayer as a model for our daily communing with God -- this prayer for God's kingdom to come and for His will to be done is a daily prayer -- it is something that we should pray on a daily basis
-- when we pray this phrase, it means three things for us as Christians in the 21st century:
-- first, it means that God's kingdom is present right now -- it exists in a spiritual realm that is just as real and powerful as any human kingdom or government that exists -- it means that we recognize God's kingdom and recognize ourselves as His subjects in this land
-- secondly, it means, "God, be enthroned in my heart -- let your will be done in my life" -- Lord, I submit myself to you -- I surrender my will to you -- I surrender my life to you -- I step off the throne of my life and I allow you to be the Lord of my life
-- this means that we recognize that our life is not our own -- that it was bought with a price and that we no longer have the right to rule it -- it means that we trust God to manifest His power and His grace in our lives as He wills -- we see the most perfect example of this in the life of Christ -- when Christ was praying in the Garden of Gethsemene on the night before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed to God to take the cup of suffering from Him if it was possible -- but finally, Jesus cried out, "But not my will, but yours be done" -- in other words, "Father, You are God and King -- I surrender myself to You and I trust in You and your plans"
-- to pray this way means that we set aside our agendas -- our plans -- our dreams -- and replace them with God's perfect agenda -- His perfect plans -- His promises for our life -- it means we trust in His word when He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and future"
-- Thirdly, when we pray this prayer, it means that we are praying for God's power and authority to be made manifest not only in our lives but in the life of the world around us
-- this means that we recognize the authority and power of God to change hearts and transform lives in every circumstance -- it means that we ask God to extend His power through us and through His church to reach out into a dying world to redeem lost souls and bring them into the light of His kingdom
-- when we pray this prayer, we are asking that God's light would shine forth into a dark world, sending evil spirits fleeing and standing as a lighthouse of safety for those around us
III. Application and Closing
-- do you understand what you are saying, then, when you pray this prayer? -- you are saying that there is nothing that our God cannot do -- there is no life He cannot touch -- no heart He cannot change -- no situation He cannot work for His good
-- sometimes, we can get discouraged in this day and age -- every morning when I go to work, the first thing I do is quickly scan the national, state, and local news -- I can tell you, there are many mornings when I sit at my desk with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart because of the terrible, terrible things that are going on in the world -- and I have often prayed, "thy kingdom come" longing for the day when Christ would come back and make all the wrong right -- when He would come and establish His kingdom on earth and get rid of the sin and trash and strife in our land
-- but lately, God has been showing me that this promise of His kingdom coming is not a future promise but can be a present reality -- God can reach down and change any situation -- if we trust Him and believe in His power and let Him work through us
-- right now, I think the best example of this that we can see is in the story of Rose Sims and what God did through her in Trilby, FL -- we have talked about this before and I have pointed out several times how she led that church from seven people over 70 years of age to over 350 in worship in just three years -- but, that isn't the whole story -- that's just the end result of the story
-- when Rose Sims got to Trilby, it was described by the papers as a third world country -- it had been written off -- it was a place where life was cheap -- where murder and drugs and crime was common -- where babies were getting pregnant and having babies -- where families lived in squalor and poverty -- it was a place without life -- without love -- without hope
-- but, Rose Sims believed in the manifest power of God working through His people -- and so she prayed for that town -- she prayed "thy kingdom come, thy will be done -- here, in Trilby, FL, just like it is in heaven" -- in other words, she prayed, "God, this is a horrible place -- there are horrible things going on here -- Satan has set up his throne in this place and claimed it for his own -- but we want you to come and evict Satan -- we want you to come and let your power and majesty flow through this community -- we believe that your matchless power can change the hearts of this people -- we believe that you can change their hearts and transform their lives -- we believe that your presence is enough to cause the darkness to flee and we are praying for that to happen right now"
-- and, in response to this prayer, God came -- and His power and His presence swept through that town and His will was done -- lives were changed and a community was transformed -- the crime rate went down -- the drug dealers either left or were converted -- the young men and women there saw the promise of hope and the promise of a future for the first time in their life -- and God's kingdom was established in that place
-- it can happen here, too -- it can happen in your home, too -- it can happen in your life, too
-- this phrase in this prayer -- "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -- is my battlecry
-- you know of some of the things that we battle in our family -- it appears hopeless -- there is nothing that can be done to change it -- there is no way for anyone to bring change or healing to our lives -- but, when I pray this prayer, I am recognizing that only God has the power and authority to change it -- I am asking Him to come into my life and to pour out His healing grace in my life and in the life of my family
-- when we pray this prayer into a situation, we are asking God to work -- we are trusting and believing that He can work
-- when I read in the paper about some of the things going on in this nation -- the crime and the sin and the hurts going on -- I pray to God that His kingdom would come -- that His presence would be felt in their lives and that His will would be done instead of the will of the world -- the will of the flesh -- or the will of Satan -- I pray and I trust and I believe that God will come in power and majesty and authority and will redeem all of these situations
-- there is not a life that He cannot touch -- there is not a heart that He cannot change -- our job is to pray forth His kingdom here on earth and to live as citizens of His kingdom -- not as citizens of this world
-- our churches should be God's embassies in a foreign land and we should be amabassadors of His grace -- this means that when we see lives that need the presence of God, we should pray for His kingdom to be made a present reality in their lives and that we should reach out to them as the hands and feet of Christ -- as His subjects in a royal kingdom -- to minister to their physical and spiritual needs as He directs
-- I want to close with a quote from Rev. Charles Roesel of the First Baptist Church of Leesburg, FL -- Rev. Roesel is another who believes in the current reality of the kingdom of God and who was dissatisfied with the way the church was living out kingdom principles in reality
-- He said, "Doing nothing when you can save or transform a life is condemned by the Sixth Commandment -- Ministry is not an elective -- it is a divine mandate -- any church not involved in ministry is guilty of high treason and spiritual disobedience -- for too long we've evaluated a church by how many people stream in the front door on a Sunday -- we should evaluate a church by how many people serve the Lord Jesus by serving the hurting all week long."
-- what Rev Roesel is talking about here is praying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" and working with God to see it come to pass in the land -- there is nothing that God can't do -- there is no one He can't touch -- there is no life -- no situation -- no sin -- that is too big for God and that He cannot overcome
-- He wants to expand His kingdom in our lives and in our homes and in this church -- and in this prayer, we pray for this to happen -- and with our hands, we work with God to see it come to pass
-- will you pray this with me this morning -- will you pray, "Thy kingdom come" and work to make it happen through God's power made manifest in you and me?
-- Let us pray
21 August 2005
I. Divided Kingdoms
-- turn in your Bibles to Matthew 6:9-11
9. "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10. your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us today our daily bread.
12. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. '
-- this morning, we are going to be continuing our series on the Lord's Prayer and will be talking about the kingdom of God.
-- as we begin this study this morning, I want you to remember the concept of duality that I talked about last week, because it becomes very prominent in our discussions on the kingdom of God
-- in his book, The City of God, St. Augustine pointed out this duality by stating that on earth there were two kingdoms -- the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God and that both existed together at the same time
-- as we go through this we need to keep in mind that fact
-- we can see a clear example of that in Isaiah 6 -- if you would, turn there now and listen as I read verses 1-5
1. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
3. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
4. At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
-- as we read in this passage on the commission of Isaiah, the nation of Israel is in turmoil at the death of King Uzziah -- the king of Israel -- the king of the kingdom of man for Isaiah -- has passed away
-- the passing of a king was a traumatic experience -- they didn't know what would happen -- they didn't know whether chaos and disorder would enter the kingdom -- Isaiah's heart was probably filled with terror and uncertainty in this time
-- but, at that very moment, God gave Isaiah a glimpse of the other kingdom -- God's kingdom -- and Isaiah is given a vision of God enthroned on high, surrounded by His mighty angels who are praising and glorifying God -- the true ruler and King of Kings
-- in verse 3, the angels call out, "the whole earth is filled with your glory" -- pointing out exactly what we want to talk about this morning -- God's kingdom was present in the world -- and despite the uncertainty surrounding the kingdom of man -- God's kingdom was secure
II. What is kingdom of God?
-- this duality also exists in another way -- not only do we need to remember that there are two kingdoms present right now -- the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God -- but we need to consider the reality and duality of the kingdom of God that is here
-- when we think of the kingdom of God, we tend to think of a future kingdom -- the millenial kingdom of Christ and His kingdom in heaven -- when Christ will physically rule over the nations as King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- Bible tells us there will be a day when Christ will return -- the Day of the Lord -- at the end of human history
-- at this time, Christ will come back with shouts of acclamation to claim His throne here on earth -- creation will be restored, the earth will be recreated, and the new Jerusalem will be the capitol city of our King
-- as it describes in the book of Revelation, this will be a time when there will be no more weeping or sorrow because we will dwell in the house of the Lord -- He will be our God and our King and we will worship Him in all our ways -- at that time, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
-- this is what the first-century Jews had in mind when Jesus talked to them of the "kingdom of God" -- they wanted God to send a great and powerful leader -- the Messiah -- who would throw off Roman rule and restore Judea to greatness once again as an independent nation -- a nation of righteousness, glory and blessings -- a nation where everyone would come to so they would learn God's way -- this was why they missed Jesus when He came the first time -- they expected the Messiah to come and take over rule of Israel -- that is why they gathered on Palm Sunday and cried "Hosannah! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" -- they expected Jesus to remove the Romans and set up His rule in Jerusalem at that time -- but, when He didn't, they quickly turned against Him because they thought that He could not be the Messiah
-- they didn't understand the duality of the kingdom of God -- that God's kingdom could exist in two realms -- the spiritual and the physical -- and that the manifestation of God's kingdom would have two different timings -- the present spiritual kingdom and the future physical kingdom
-- they did not understand that God's kingdom occurs where ever God is -- Jesus used the phrase "kingdom of Heaven" that every Jew knew and longed for in their heart, but He gave it a new meaning -- He wanted them to see that God's kingdom did not exist only as an actual physical kingdom, but also as a spiritual present reality -- in teaching the people, Jesus said my Kingdom is not of this world -- and when He talked to Nicodemus late one night, He told Nicodemus that God's kingdom was invisible to most people -- to understand it or experience it, a person must be renewed by God's spirit -- they must be born again
-- just like the first century Jews, we also tend to forget the fact that when we talk about the Kingdom of God, we are talking about two realities -- the future kingdom of God and the current spiritual kingdom of God here on earth
-- we look forward to the coming of Christ and the restoration of the world without realizing that we are already living in the kingdom
-- in the Lord's prayer, when we pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -- we tend to think only of the future -- we pray in our hearts -- "come Lord Jesus -- come again and establish your kingdom on earth -- remove sin and death once and for all time -- bring down the new Jerusalem and set up your throne"
-- but, this prayer means more than that -- it is also a cry for God's kingdom to be fully established and recognized here on earth at the present time -- don't forget that Jesus gave us this prayer as a model for our daily communing with God -- this prayer for God's kingdom to come and for His will to be done is a daily prayer -- it is something that we should pray on a daily basis
-- when we pray this phrase, it means three things for us as Christians in the 21st century:
-- first, it means that God's kingdom is present right now -- it exists in a spiritual realm that is just as real and powerful as any human kingdom or government that exists -- it means that we recognize God's kingdom and recognize ourselves as His subjects in this land
-- secondly, it means, "God, be enthroned in my heart -- let your will be done in my life" -- Lord, I submit myself to you -- I surrender my will to you -- I surrender my life to you -- I step off the throne of my life and I allow you to be the Lord of my life
-- this means that we recognize that our life is not our own -- that it was bought with a price and that we no longer have the right to rule it -- it means that we trust God to manifest His power and His grace in our lives as He wills -- we see the most perfect example of this in the life of Christ -- when Christ was praying in the Garden of Gethsemene on the night before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed to God to take the cup of suffering from Him if it was possible -- but finally, Jesus cried out, "But not my will, but yours be done" -- in other words, "Father, You are God and King -- I surrender myself to You and I trust in You and your plans"
-- to pray this way means that we set aside our agendas -- our plans -- our dreams -- and replace them with God's perfect agenda -- His perfect plans -- His promises for our life -- it means we trust in His word when He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and future"
-- Thirdly, when we pray this prayer, it means that we are praying for God's power and authority to be made manifest not only in our lives but in the life of the world around us
-- this means that we recognize the authority and power of God to change hearts and transform lives in every circumstance -- it means that we ask God to extend His power through us and through His church to reach out into a dying world to redeem lost souls and bring them into the light of His kingdom
-- when we pray this prayer, we are asking that God's light would shine forth into a dark world, sending evil spirits fleeing and standing as a lighthouse of safety for those around us
III. Application and Closing
-- do you understand what you are saying, then, when you pray this prayer? -- you are saying that there is nothing that our God cannot do -- there is no life He cannot touch -- no heart He cannot change -- no situation He cannot work for His good
-- sometimes, we can get discouraged in this day and age -- every morning when I go to work, the first thing I do is quickly scan the national, state, and local news -- I can tell you, there are many mornings when I sit at my desk with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart because of the terrible, terrible things that are going on in the world -- and I have often prayed, "thy kingdom come" longing for the day when Christ would come back and make all the wrong right -- when He would come and establish His kingdom on earth and get rid of the sin and trash and strife in our land
-- but lately, God has been showing me that this promise of His kingdom coming is not a future promise but can be a present reality -- God can reach down and change any situation -- if we trust Him and believe in His power and let Him work through us
-- right now, I think the best example of this that we can see is in the story of Rose Sims and what God did through her in Trilby, FL -- we have talked about this before and I have pointed out several times how she led that church from seven people over 70 years of age to over 350 in worship in just three years -- but, that isn't the whole story -- that's just the end result of the story
-- when Rose Sims got to Trilby, it was described by the papers as a third world country -- it had been written off -- it was a place where life was cheap -- where murder and drugs and crime was common -- where babies were getting pregnant and having babies -- where families lived in squalor and poverty -- it was a place without life -- without love -- without hope
-- but, Rose Sims believed in the manifest power of God working through His people -- and so she prayed for that town -- she prayed "thy kingdom come, thy will be done -- here, in Trilby, FL, just like it is in heaven" -- in other words, she prayed, "God, this is a horrible place -- there are horrible things going on here -- Satan has set up his throne in this place and claimed it for his own -- but we want you to come and evict Satan -- we want you to come and let your power and majesty flow through this community -- we believe that your matchless power can change the hearts of this people -- we believe that you can change their hearts and transform their lives -- we believe that your presence is enough to cause the darkness to flee and we are praying for that to happen right now"
-- and, in response to this prayer, God came -- and His power and His presence swept through that town and His will was done -- lives were changed and a community was transformed -- the crime rate went down -- the drug dealers either left or were converted -- the young men and women there saw the promise of hope and the promise of a future for the first time in their life -- and God's kingdom was established in that place
-- it can happen here, too -- it can happen in your home, too -- it can happen in your life, too
-- this phrase in this prayer -- "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" -- is my battlecry
-- you know of some of the things that we battle in our family -- it appears hopeless -- there is nothing that can be done to change it -- there is no way for anyone to bring change or healing to our lives -- but, when I pray this prayer, I am recognizing that only God has the power and authority to change it -- I am asking Him to come into my life and to pour out His healing grace in my life and in the life of my family
-- when we pray this prayer into a situation, we are asking God to work -- we are trusting and believing that He can work
-- when I read in the paper about some of the things going on in this nation -- the crime and the sin and the hurts going on -- I pray to God that His kingdom would come -- that His presence would be felt in their lives and that His will would be done instead of the will of the world -- the will of the flesh -- or the will of Satan -- I pray and I trust and I believe that God will come in power and majesty and authority and will redeem all of these situations
-- there is not a life that He cannot touch -- there is not a heart that He cannot change -- our job is to pray forth His kingdom here on earth and to live as citizens of His kingdom -- not as citizens of this world
-- our churches should be God's embassies in a foreign land and we should be amabassadors of His grace -- this means that when we see lives that need the presence of God, we should pray for His kingdom to be made a present reality in their lives and that we should reach out to them as the hands and feet of Christ -- as His subjects in a royal kingdom -- to minister to their physical and spiritual needs as He directs
-- I want to close with a quote from Rev. Charles Roesel of the First Baptist Church of Leesburg, FL -- Rev. Roesel is another who believes in the current reality of the kingdom of God and who was dissatisfied with the way the church was living out kingdom principles in reality
-- He said, "Doing nothing when you can save or transform a life is condemned by the Sixth Commandment -- Ministry is not an elective -- it is a divine mandate -- any church not involved in ministry is guilty of high treason and spiritual disobedience -- for too long we've evaluated a church by how many people stream in the front door on a Sunday -- we should evaluate a church by how many people serve the Lord Jesus by serving the hurting all week long."
-- what Rev Roesel is talking about here is praying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" and working with God to see it come to pass in the land -- there is nothing that God can't do -- there is no one He can't touch -- there is no life -- no situation -- no sin -- that is too big for God and that He cannot overcome
-- He wants to expand His kingdom in our lives and in our homes and in this church -- and in this prayer, we pray for this to happen -- and with our hands, we work with God to see it come to pass
-- will you pray this with me this morning -- will you pray, "Thy kingdom come" and work to make it happen through God's power made manifest in you and me?
-- Let us pray
Monday, August 22, 2005
PROMISE KEEPERS -- ORLANDO
I just got back from a trip to a Promise Keepers rally in Orlando, FL (picture is from the Orlando conference borrowed from the official Promise Keepers site). I have been to several conferences in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed each. In fact, as I tell others, it was a Promise Keepers event in 1997 in Knoxville, TN, that reinvigorated my Christian walk, challenged me to be the man God called me to be, and set me off on the rollercoaster ride that ended up with my call to the ministry.
While there have been changes in the format as of late, I still get a lot out of them each time I go. There's just something about a group of 15,000 men, gathering together to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" in total abandonment to God that stirs my soul and that causes me to want to do more and be more than I am. I was especially heartened this year, because I took a group from my church, four Godly men, who experienced for the first time a worship service of this magnitude and who saw how God was calling them back to their biblical responsibilities as the spiritual leaders in their household.
To the men who are reading this, let me encourage you to attend a Promise Keepers event if you have never done so. For me it was a life-changing event. It may be so for you, too.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
FINDING TIME TO READ
Yesterday I had a discussion with a fellow local pastor, and he asked me how I find time to read and keep current while working a full-time secular job and pastoring two churches. In actuality, it is an impossible task if you try to do it on your own. There is simply too much information being put out on the internet now and too many good books being put out to read everything that comes your way (and that's not mentioning the not-so-good information and articles being put out).
So, here's what I do: I rely heavily on others to do the filtering for me and I read only what is currently interesting to me. When it comes to getting an idea of what's going on in the Methodist world, I check out Shane Raynor's site, The Wesley Blog, and rely heavily on Locust and Honey's Methodist Blog Weekly Roundup (current roundup is here).
For books, I go to Amazon or Sparknotes . Both of these sites offer quick glimpses of books so you can get a general feel for the theme of the book and whether it's worth reading in greater detail. I especially like Sparknotes because it gives a detailed synopsis of the book by summarizing several chapters at a time.
I've also had several people ask me what I am currently reading. I usually am in the process of reading several books at one time. Here's what's currently on my nightstand (not counting internet reading or magazines):
Non-fiction: Brokeness by Lon Solomon
The Prayer of Jesus by Hank Hanegraaff
Fiction: Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince
Waiting in the wings (books I'm waiting to start):
Non-fiction: Tortured for Christ by Voice of the Martyrs (Wurmbrand?)
How to Preach Without Notes
Fiction: Obsessed by Ted Dekker
So, here's what I do: I rely heavily on others to do the filtering for me and I read only what is currently interesting to me. When it comes to getting an idea of what's going on in the Methodist world, I check out Shane Raynor's site, The Wesley Blog, and rely heavily on Locust and Honey's Methodist Blog Weekly Roundup (current roundup is here).
For books, I go to Amazon or Sparknotes . Both of these sites offer quick glimpses of books so you can get a general feel for the theme of the book and whether it's worth reading in greater detail. I especially like Sparknotes because it gives a detailed synopsis of the book by summarizing several chapters at a time.
I've also had several people ask me what I am currently reading. I usually am in the process of reading several books at one time. Here's what's currently on my nightstand (not counting internet reading or magazines):
Non-fiction: Brokeness by Lon Solomon
The Prayer of Jesus by Hank Hanegraaff
Fiction: Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince
Waiting in the wings (books I'm waiting to start):
Non-fiction: Tortured for Christ by Voice of the Martyrs (Wurmbrand?)
How to Preach Without Notes
Fiction: Obsessed by Ted Dekker
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
PET ALLIGATORS?
Last week, I took some time off and went kayaking on a lake on the installation. As I finished paddling and pulled my kayak up on the shore, I noticed that a rather large (about 10 feet) alligator had evidently been following me along my route, staying just outside my vision but there none the less. I watched as he left me and started cruising past the fishermen and picnickers and begging for food from them. Usually, we catch and relocate nuisance alligators, but given his size and location, we decided to have him permanently removed by the Department of Natural Resources.
Several years ago, I had a similar problem with a large alligator but I handled it differently. This alligator was blocking a road that was being constructed through a swamp. We captured the alligator and released it in another location on the base. About one week later, I get a call. There's an alligator underneath a car in a parking lot near the General's house. I go there, and, lo and behold, it's the same alligator! So, we catch him again, relocate him to another location and turn him loose. A couple of weeks later, another call, and the same alligator has reared his ugly head once again. This time we took steps to permanently remove him to prevent him from continuing to be a danger.
As I reflected on my incidents with alligators, it has occurred to me that we sometimes keep pet alligators in our lives, in our spiritual lives, I mean. We all have pet sins and temptations that we just really don't want to give up. Sure, we go to God and we confess our sins and we lay them down at the foot of the cross, but then we pick them back up and carry them with us when we get off our knees. You see, we don't like the sin, but we really don't want to get rid of it. And just like a nuisance alligator, this temptation or sin may be following you, just out of your vision, waiting for a weak moment or a tasty morsel and then it attacks.
Just like it is foolish to keep pet alligators around, it is foolish to keep pet sins around. The only cure is the blood of Christ. We have to make the decision in our lives to get rid of our pet sins once and for all and not to put them away temporarily, knowing that they might just come back again "at an opportune time." Christ died on the cross to forgive our sins and to destroy the power of sin in our lives. Trust that He can remove the power of pet sins and alligators, and allow Him to take the sin away from you once and for all. Don't pick it back up and carry it with you away from the cross. Do whatever you must to permanently remove it from your life.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER
In answer to some questions, our daughter's primary condition is called Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), thought to be a form of autism caused by abuse and neglect during the infant years. It is very common in foster and adoptive children from abused homes.
A good article can be found at Focus on the Family here.
Thanks for your concern and your prayers.
A good article can be found at Focus on the Family here.
Thanks for your concern and your prayers.
Monday, August 15, 2005
WHAT CAN I DO?
"What can I do? What could this church possibly do?" If you've been in the ministry for any length of time, you've probably heard these phrases or similar ones. And that's a real good question. The problem is, it takes some of us longer to find out what the answer is than others.
When I started in the ministry, I felt sure that all it took was a willingness to go out and ingenuity to make it happen. Every idea we had we went forth with. We gave out Bibles, we put together brochures, we had gospel sings, we sent out flyers, we knocked on door after door, we invited people to church, we invited people to homecomings and revivals. In the two churches I pastor we have literally worn ourselves out trying to increase membership and bring people to Christ. But now, six years later, we still find ourselves with basically the same number of members as before. Sure, there's been spiritual growth and maturity in the members in the church, but no increase in members, no increase in professions of faith, despite our best efforts. I can't tell you how many times I yelled up at the heavens and asked God, "OK, what more should we do?"
I have seen the same thing in my personal life as well. Our daughter has a behavioral disorder that makes life literally "hell-on-earth." We've been to psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, and social workers, but nothing has helped. We've tried medications, behavioral modifications, habitat modifications -- nothing. We've bought books, video tapes, been to seminars and consulted with the nation's experts in this disorder. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Despite our best efforts, we have not seen one iota of a change. Once again, I find myself yelling out to heaven, "OK, God, what more can we do" as it seems my prayers bounced off the atmosphere and never made it to His throne.
But lately, I have sensed that an answer to prayer is forthcoming. I have finally taken my eyes off myself and looked around and found that God has been leading me on a path for months and years that I was not aware of. A path that led me away from myself and my strength and my talents. A path that led me to deny myself and my ways and my life and to turn and trust in Him. A path of brokeness and utter dependence on the grace of God for survival.
And when I looked around, I found that I was not alone on this path. Others from our church were walking this same path. After years of trying to revive these small country churches through our own efforts, we have begun to realize that we can't do it. In answer to our questions, "What can I do," God answered back, "Nothing."
We preach it all the time. We study it in the Bible. We claim it as the foundation of our faith. Total dependency on the grace of God, not only for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him, but also for the abundant life that He promised. But somewhere between the head and the heart, we get lost and end up thinking, perhaps subconsciously, "I can't trust God to do it for me. I have to do something to help the promise come true."
But, on the path to brokeness, you realize what a gift God has given us through His grace. We DON'T have to do anything. We can't do anything. All of our works and our efforts and our talents, if used apart from God, are nothing but filfthy rags and worthless to accomplish anything of eternal value. But, if you trust God, if you step forth with His power and in His presence and fully depending only on Him, then miracles can be accomplished.
Just this past week, while on this path, God sent a ray of light and hope in the form of a retired Methodist minister who shared her story with our church. Dr. Rose Sims showed us what it meant to live in full dependency on God, and she showed us what one small country church could do -- if they truly believed in God and let Him work instead of them. At her last appointment to Trilby United Methodist Church in Florida, a church with seven members -- all over 70 years of age -- and a termite-infested sanctuary with a hole in the roof, Rev. Sims trusted God and His ability to change lives and affect eternity. In just three years, God worked through those 8 people to build a church of over 350 in worship every Sunday, with a youth group of 100 teens doing drama ministry throughout the world. Her message to us was, "If God can do it here, He can do it anywhere!"
We are just starting to understand it and to believe it. We have surrendered ourselves to His will and are trusting in Him to lead our church and to make it what He wants it to be. Maybe it will never grow numerically, but we are going to step forward and know that His plans will come to pass -- if we stand back and let Him direct us and lead us and move us down His path.
And, I know that the same can be said of my personal life as well. Maybe my daughter will never be healed. But God can still work in me and can still use her to mold me and shape me into the person He has called me to be. As He tells us in Romans 8:28, "in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
What can I do? What can our church do? The sky's the limit, IF God is the one leading.
When I started in the ministry, I felt sure that all it took was a willingness to go out and ingenuity to make it happen. Every idea we had we went forth with. We gave out Bibles, we put together brochures, we had gospel sings, we sent out flyers, we knocked on door after door, we invited people to church, we invited people to homecomings and revivals. In the two churches I pastor we have literally worn ourselves out trying to increase membership and bring people to Christ. But now, six years later, we still find ourselves with basically the same number of members as before. Sure, there's been spiritual growth and maturity in the members in the church, but no increase in members, no increase in professions of faith, despite our best efforts. I can't tell you how many times I yelled up at the heavens and asked God, "OK, what more should we do?"
I have seen the same thing in my personal life as well. Our daughter has a behavioral disorder that makes life literally "hell-on-earth." We've been to psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, and social workers, but nothing has helped. We've tried medications, behavioral modifications, habitat modifications -- nothing. We've bought books, video tapes, been to seminars and consulted with the nation's experts in this disorder. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Despite our best efforts, we have not seen one iota of a change. Once again, I find myself yelling out to heaven, "OK, God, what more can we do" as it seems my prayers bounced off the atmosphere and never made it to His throne.
But lately, I have sensed that an answer to prayer is forthcoming. I have finally taken my eyes off myself and looked around and found that God has been leading me on a path for months and years that I was not aware of. A path that led me away from myself and my strength and my talents. A path that led me to deny myself and my ways and my life and to turn and trust in Him. A path of brokeness and utter dependence on the grace of God for survival.
And when I looked around, I found that I was not alone on this path. Others from our church were walking this same path. After years of trying to revive these small country churches through our own efforts, we have begun to realize that we can't do it. In answer to our questions, "What can I do," God answered back, "Nothing."
We preach it all the time. We study it in the Bible. We claim it as the foundation of our faith. Total dependency on the grace of God, not only for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him, but also for the abundant life that He promised. But somewhere between the head and the heart, we get lost and end up thinking, perhaps subconsciously, "I can't trust God to do it for me. I have to do something to help the promise come true."
But, on the path to brokeness, you realize what a gift God has given us through His grace. We DON'T have to do anything. We can't do anything. All of our works and our efforts and our talents, if used apart from God, are nothing but filfthy rags and worthless to accomplish anything of eternal value. But, if you trust God, if you step forth with His power and in His presence and fully depending only on Him, then miracles can be accomplished.
Just this past week, while on this path, God sent a ray of light and hope in the form of a retired Methodist minister who shared her story with our church. Dr. Rose Sims showed us what it meant to live in full dependency on God, and she showed us what one small country church could do -- if they truly believed in God and let Him work instead of them. At her last appointment to Trilby United Methodist Church in Florida, a church with seven members -- all over 70 years of age -- and a termite-infested sanctuary with a hole in the roof, Rev. Sims trusted God and His ability to change lives and affect eternity. In just three years, God worked through those 8 people to build a church of over 350 in worship every Sunday, with a youth group of 100 teens doing drama ministry throughout the world. Her message to us was, "If God can do it here, He can do it anywhere!"
We are just starting to understand it and to believe it. We have surrendered ourselves to His will and are trusting in Him to lead our church and to make it what He wants it to be. Maybe it will never grow numerically, but we are going to step forward and know that His plans will come to pass -- if we stand back and let Him direct us and lead us and move us down His path.
And, I know that the same can be said of my personal life as well. Maybe my daughter will never be healed. But God can still work in me and can still use her to mold me and shape me into the person He has called me to be. As He tells us in Romans 8:28, "in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
What can I do? What can our church do? The sky's the limit, IF God is the one leading.
THE LORD'S PRAYER: "OUR FATHER"
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
7 August 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6:9-13 [read vs. 9-13]
-- several years ago, a nun who worked in a prison was asked by a prisoner to help her buy him a Mother's Day card for his mother -- she did, and the word traveled like a wildfire around the prison -- she was overwhelmed with requests for Mother's Day cards by all the prisoners -- so, she called Hallmark Cards, who sent huge boxes of Mother's Day cards as a donation to the prison -- the warden arranged for each inmate to draw a number, and they lined up through the cell blocks to get their cards
-- weeks later, the nun was looking ahead on her calendar and decided to call Hallmark again and ask for a donation of the same number of Father's Day cards -- she wanted to avoid another rush like with Mother's Day -- Hallmark sent the cars and as Father's Day approached, the warden anounced that free cards were again available at the chapel -- to the nun's surprise, not a single prisoner ever asked her for a Father's Day card
-- what is it about fathers that caused all of those prisoners to resent them and not to want to contact them on Father's Day? -- what is it about fathers that cause a lot of children to not respect them? -- have you ever wondered why football players never say "Hi Dad" on the field when the tv camera pans over them?
-- it all goes back to the concepts put forth in this prayer -- this morning, we're going to be looking at the invocation to the Lord's Prayer and the concept of God as our Father
II. Our Father
A. Real Meaning
-- we need to keep in mind that this prayer that Jesus gave us was a radical shift in relating to God -- good spiritual Jews recognized God as their Father and their Creator and their King, but they didn't think of Him as approachable in the same sense that we do -- they could only approach God through the intercession of the priests, who ministered on their behalf in the temple -- sure, they could pray to Him, but they approached Him more as a loyal subject speaking to a King rather than a child speaking to his father
-- this was simply not done by Jews -- they considered God's name sacred and certainly would not refer to Him in a term such as "Father" -- in their eyes, this bordered on heresy -- in fact, they wouldn't even speak or write God's name -- if you remember, in the Old Testament, when Moses asked God what His name was, God replied, "I am" -- the word for this in Hebrew is Yahweh -- Y, A, H, W, E, H -- when they wrote God's name down, they left out the vowels and just wrote down Y-H-W-H so that no one might pronounce it, even in their head as they read it
-- so, you can see how this prayer was a radical shift in thinking about and relating to God, especially to the Jews -- it was a relationship-driven prayer -- Jesus presented God in this prayer and in His ministry not as an unapproachable king but also as a father who could be approached by His children -- one of the main complaints the Jews had with Jesus was that He called God " My Father" and spoke of Him in personal terms
-- the word "Father" used in this prayer is actually the Aramaic word "abba" -- it is best translated, not as the formal word "Father," but the more affectionate word "Daddy"
-- there's a big difference between the terms "Father" and "Daddy" -- a father is someone on your family tree -- a daddy is someone you love -- a father is someone who is far away and distant emotionally -- a daddy is someone who is always there for you -- a father is someone who produced you -- a daddy is someone who raised you to be special and to know right from wrong -- a daddy is someone who changed our dirty diapers -- who sat and comforted us when we were sick or feeling down -- who provided not only the necessities of life but also their love, caring and nurture
-- Jesus is telling us here that we should see God as our Daddy -- yes, He is our King and our Creator and our God -- but He's also our loving Daddy -- and Jesus tells us here that when we pray -- when we come into His presence and say "Daddy" -- He's going to stop everything that He's doing and listen to us
-- a great illustration of this can be found in the movie "Anna and the King" that starred Jodie Foster -- there is a scene in the movie where a disturbance breaks out in the class for the king's children that Jodie Foster is teaching -- the king's youngest daughter -- about four years old -- takes off on a run for the king's court -- she enters the court that is filled with servants all bowing down to the king and with important men petitioning the king to hear their problems
-- she ran right through the middle of them and crawled up into the king's lap and whispered in his ear -- immediately, he dismissed the court and went with her to the place where Jodie Foster was teaching
-- why did this little girl get such an immediate response from the king? -- because he wasn't only her king -- he was her daddy -- and when one of his children crawled in his lap and asked for his help, he dropped everything in the world to run to her aid
-- that is the picture of God that Jesus gives us in this prayer and that's why He told His disciples -- and us -- to come to God and say "Daddy"
-- God is more than creator or abstract power or distant king -- He is our Daddy who is in Heaven -- and this whole prayer is based on this relationship that we should have with God the Father
B. Rejection of "Father"
-- but, there's a lot of people who object to this prayer because of the use of the term "Father"
-- some don't like to use the term "Our Father" because of gender equality issues -- they think that calling God "Father" puts too much of an importance on men and that it raises men above women in authority -- that is one reason why there is a current push now to make new translations of the Bible "gender neutral"
-- but, this is an invalid criticism -- I would hope that we all understand that God is not either male or female -- while the Bible does generally refer to God in a masculine tense, it does include several feminine images of God -- for instance, in Deut 32:11, we see God compared to a mother eagle who protects her young in the nest and in Matthew 23:37, Jesus looks out over Jerusalem and says that He had the desire to gather them to Himself like a hen gathered up her chicks -- so, the image of God in the Bible includes both masculine and feminine images
-- however, Jesus chose to use the image of God as a Father several times in the Scriptures as a means of illustrating one way in which God related to us -- for instance, in the story of the prodigal son we see God portrayed as the loving father who is searching and longing for the return of His wayward son
-- we also see it in this prayer, when Jesus tells us to pray to God as "Our Father who art in Heaven" to help us see how God hears our petitions and prayers -- some people claim that the term "Father" is paternalistic -- that God is actually genderless -- that is true, but as Ralph Wilson points, out, "we should not change the Scriptures in places where it is clear that it is meant to impart a level of importance by using specific masculine terms" -- such as here in this prayer
-- other people object to this prayer because of their concept of fatherhood -- not everyone grew up with loving, caring, and nurturing fathers -- some people grew up with bad fathers -- abusive fathers -- harsh fathers -- distant fathers, both emotionally and physically -- and absent fathers
-- because of their poor relationship with their earthly father, they look at God the Father in the same way as their earthly father -- they impart their own father's faults and failures onto God, leading to a poor perception of God that is not what Jesus intended when He told us to pray to "Our Father in Heaven"
-- these concerns about the term "Our Father" in this prayer are not happen-stance -- they are planned -- they are planned by our enemy, Satan -- he knew that God wanted to relate to us as a father to a child, and so Satan has done everything he can to destroy fatherhood and families -- and, failing that, he has done everything he can to destroy our understanding and appreciation of fatherhood
-- think about the state of fatherhood in our country -- Satan has spent a lot of time trying to tear families apart -- do you think it's a coincidence that the divorce rate is as high as it is? -- do you think it's a coincidence that a large percentage of children grow up in single parent homes? -- do you think it's a coincidence that abortion and pornography and adultery increased exponentially around the same time that the feminist movement took off?
-- Paul warned us in Ephesians 6 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of darkness and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm -- we can never forget that we are in the middle of a spiritual battle
-- Satan's goal was to warp our relationship with our earthly fathers so that we could not relate to God as Father as Jesus intended with this prayer
-- that is why there has been such an outcry against same-sex marriages in the past year -- anything that destroys the family destroys our concept of God and our relationship with God -- it changes our thinking about God -- all of these things -- abortion -- pornography -- adultery -- same-sex marriages -- all of these degrade the concept of fatherhood and the family and cause us to not give God the Father the honor and glory that He deserves
-- when we pray "Our Father" it should evoke something special in our minds -- according to Ralph Wilson, in Jesus' day, the term "Abba" included the concepts of care, love, responsibility, and discipline -- the term "Abba" in that day carried hopes and dreams for one's children and represented a figure of respect and authority
-- we have lost that in our country today and we should do everything we can to restore the true meaning of fatherhood to our children and our families so that we can relate to God as a child, crawling up onto the lap of our loving and caring heavenly Father, knowing that He is going to listen to our concerns and will take action on our behalf
III. Who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be They Name
-- real quickly, let's look at the rest of the invocation in the Lord's Prayer -- Jesus tells us to pray to God in this manner, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name"
-- by telling us to pray to Our Father who is in Heaven, Jesus wants us to recognize the difference between our earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father -- God is not just any father, but the Father of us all -- He is our Creator and our Lord -- and by praying in this way we acknowledge God and all His holiness and His position of power and authority
-- the other thing this phrase, "who art in heaven," does is specifically identify our Father as the Lord God Almighty -- El Shaddai -- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- keep in mind that the Jewish people were surrounded by pagans who were polytheistic -- they had many gods who lived in various places -- by identifying Heaven as the abode of God we are affirming that this is not just some nebulous 'god' like the Romans worshiped but the true living God of Israel
-- the phrase "hallowed by thy name" -- "holy by thy name" -- recognizes the sovereign claim of God over the world and anticipates a human response
-- as I pointed out a few minutes ago, without this phrase, our understanding of "Father" can be distorted -- God is not like our earthly fathers -- God does not have faults and never fails -- Jesus reminds us here that God is holy -- He is set apart from sin and cannot look at sin -- this phrase points us to the fact that God -- in all His holiness and goodness -- can only be reconciled to sinners through the atoning death of Jesus on the cross
-- when we pray, "hallowed by thy Name" -- we are actually saying, "Father, may you be treated with the respect and honor that your holiness demands" -- God may be our "Daddy in Heaven" -- but He is also the holy God of the universe (Dr. Ralph Wilson)
VI. Closing
-- in the book of Exodus, we read the story of God appearing to Moses in the burning bush -- when Moses approached the burning bush, God told him to take off his shoes and not to approach because the ground he was standing on was holy -- God did not invite Moses to come into His presence at that time
-- late, when Moses had brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt, God appeared to them on Mt. Sinai in awesome power and invited them into His presence -- but the Israelites refused to come out of fear -- this fear of relating to God in a close and personal way kept the Jewish people distant from God in their prayers and their worship for centuries
-- here in this prayer, Jesus offered yet another invitation to come into the presence of God -- to enter into a close and personal relationship with the Lord God Almighty
-- this prayer is an invitation to approach God in a relationship as a child to our Father in Heaven -- to veiw God, the all-wise, all-loving, and all-powerful creator of the universe -- holy and perfect in all His ways -- as our Daddy in Heaven, who is waiting for us to crawl up on His lap and tell Him about our day
-- will you join me? there's plenty of room in His lap for all -- let us pray
7 August 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6:9-13 [read vs. 9-13]
-- several years ago, a nun who worked in a prison was asked by a prisoner to help her buy him a Mother's Day card for his mother -- she did, and the word traveled like a wildfire around the prison -- she was overwhelmed with requests for Mother's Day cards by all the prisoners -- so, she called Hallmark Cards, who sent huge boxes of Mother's Day cards as a donation to the prison -- the warden arranged for each inmate to draw a number, and they lined up through the cell blocks to get their cards
-- weeks later, the nun was looking ahead on her calendar and decided to call Hallmark again and ask for a donation of the same number of Father's Day cards -- she wanted to avoid another rush like with Mother's Day -- Hallmark sent the cars and as Father's Day approached, the warden anounced that free cards were again available at the chapel -- to the nun's surprise, not a single prisoner ever asked her for a Father's Day card
-- what is it about fathers that caused all of those prisoners to resent them and not to want to contact them on Father's Day? -- what is it about fathers that cause a lot of children to not respect them? -- have you ever wondered why football players never say "Hi Dad" on the field when the tv camera pans over them?
-- it all goes back to the concepts put forth in this prayer -- this morning, we're going to be looking at the invocation to the Lord's Prayer and the concept of God as our Father
II. Our Father
A. Real Meaning
-- we need to keep in mind that this prayer that Jesus gave us was a radical shift in relating to God -- good spiritual Jews recognized God as their Father and their Creator and their King, but they didn't think of Him as approachable in the same sense that we do -- they could only approach God through the intercession of the priests, who ministered on their behalf in the temple -- sure, they could pray to Him, but they approached Him more as a loyal subject speaking to a King rather than a child speaking to his father
-- this was simply not done by Jews -- they considered God's name sacred and certainly would not refer to Him in a term such as "Father" -- in their eyes, this bordered on heresy -- in fact, they wouldn't even speak or write God's name -- if you remember, in the Old Testament, when Moses asked God what His name was, God replied, "I am" -- the word for this in Hebrew is Yahweh -- Y, A, H, W, E, H -- when they wrote God's name down, they left out the vowels and just wrote down Y-H-W-H so that no one might pronounce it, even in their head as they read it
-- so, you can see how this prayer was a radical shift in thinking about and relating to God, especially to the Jews -- it was a relationship-driven prayer -- Jesus presented God in this prayer and in His ministry not as an unapproachable king but also as a father who could be approached by His children -- one of the main complaints the Jews had with Jesus was that He called God " My Father" and spoke of Him in personal terms
-- the word "Father" used in this prayer is actually the Aramaic word "abba" -- it is best translated, not as the formal word "Father," but the more affectionate word "Daddy"
-- there's a big difference between the terms "Father" and "Daddy" -- a father is someone on your family tree -- a daddy is someone you love -- a father is someone who is far away and distant emotionally -- a daddy is someone who is always there for you -- a father is someone who produced you -- a daddy is someone who raised you to be special and to know right from wrong -- a daddy is someone who changed our dirty diapers -- who sat and comforted us when we were sick or feeling down -- who provided not only the necessities of life but also their love, caring and nurture
-- Jesus is telling us here that we should see God as our Daddy -- yes, He is our King and our Creator and our God -- but He's also our loving Daddy -- and Jesus tells us here that when we pray -- when we come into His presence and say "Daddy" -- He's going to stop everything that He's doing and listen to us
-- a great illustration of this can be found in the movie "Anna and the King" that starred Jodie Foster -- there is a scene in the movie where a disturbance breaks out in the class for the king's children that Jodie Foster is teaching -- the king's youngest daughter -- about four years old -- takes off on a run for the king's court -- she enters the court that is filled with servants all bowing down to the king and with important men petitioning the king to hear their problems
-- she ran right through the middle of them and crawled up into the king's lap and whispered in his ear -- immediately, he dismissed the court and went with her to the place where Jodie Foster was teaching
-- why did this little girl get such an immediate response from the king? -- because he wasn't only her king -- he was her daddy -- and when one of his children crawled in his lap and asked for his help, he dropped everything in the world to run to her aid
-- that is the picture of God that Jesus gives us in this prayer and that's why He told His disciples -- and us -- to come to God and say "Daddy"
-- God is more than creator or abstract power or distant king -- He is our Daddy who is in Heaven -- and this whole prayer is based on this relationship that we should have with God the Father
B. Rejection of "Father"
-- but, there's a lot of people who object to this prayer because of the use of the term "Father"
-- some don't like to use the term "Our Father" because of gender equality issues -- they think that calling God "Father" puts too much of an importance on men and that it raises men above women in authority -- that is one reason why there is a current push now to make new translations of the Bible "gender neutral"
-- but, this is an invalid criticism -- I would hope that we all understand that God is not either male or female -- while the Bible does generally refer to God in a masculine tense, it does include several feminine images of God -- for instance, in Deut 32:11, we see God compared to a mother eagle who protects her young in the nest and in Matthew 23:37, Jesus looks out over Jerusalem and says that He had the desire to gather them to Himself like a hen gathered up her chicks -- so, the image of God in the Bible includes both masculine and feminine images
-- however, Jesus chose to use the image of God as a Father several times in the Scriptures as a means of illustrating one way in which God related to us -- for instance, in the story of the prodigal son we see God portrayed as the loving father who is searching and longing for the return of His wayward son
-- we also see it in this prayer, when Jesus tells us to pray to God as "Our Father who art in Heaven" to help us see how God hears our petitions and prayers -- some people claim that the term "Father" is paternalistic -- that God is actually genderless -- that is true, but as Ralph Wilson points, out, "we should not change the Scriptures in places where it is clear that it is meant to impart a level of importance by using specific masculine terms" -- such as here in this prayer
-- other people object to this prayer because of their concept of fatherhood -- not everyone grew up with loving, caring, and nurturing fathers -- some people grew up with bad fathers -- abusive fathers -- harsh fathers -- distant fathers, both emotionally and physically -- and absent fathers
-- because of their poor relationship with their earthly father, they look at God the Father in the same way as their earthly father -- they impart their own father's faults and failures onto God, leading to a poor perception of God that is not what Jesus intended when He told us to pray to "Our Father in Heaven"
-- these concerns about the term "Our Father" in this prayer are not happen-stance -- they are planned -- they are planned by our enemy, Satan -- he knew that God wanted to relate to us as a father to a child, and so Satan has done everything he can to destroy fatherhood and families -- and, failing that, he has done everything he can to destroy our understanding and appreciation of fatherhood
-- think about the state of fatherhood in our country -- Satan has spent a lot of time trying to tear families apart -- do you think it's a coincidence that the divorce rate is as high as it is? -- do you think it's a coincidence that a large percentage of children grow up in single parent homes? -- do you think it's a coincidence that abortion and pornography and adultery increased exponentially around the same time that the feminist movement took off?
-- Paul warned us in Ephesians 6 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of darkness and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm -- we can never forget that we are in the middle of a spiritual battle
-- Satan's goal was to warp our relationship with our earthly fathers so that we could not relate to God as Father as Jesus intended with this prayer
-- that is why there has been such an outcry against same-sex marriages in the past year -- anything that destroys the family destroys our concept of God and our relationship with God -- it changes our thinking about God -- all of these things -- abortion -- pornography -- adultery -- same-sex marriages -- all of these degrade the concept of fatherhood and the family and cause us to not give God the Father the honor and glory that He deserves
-- when we pray "Our Father" it should evoke something special in our minds -- according to Ralph Wilson, in Jesus' day, the term "Abba" included the concepts of care, love, responsibility, and discipline -- the term "Abba" in that day carried hopes and dreams for one's children and represented a figure of respect and authority
-- we have lost that in our country today and we should do everything we can to restore the true meaning of fatherhood to our children and our families so that we can relate to God as a child, crawling up onto the lap of our loving and caring heavenly Father, knowing that He is going to listen to our concerns and will take action on our behalf
III. Who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be They Name
-- real quickly, let's look at the rest of the invocation in the Lord's Prayer -- Jesus tells us to pray to God in this manner, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name"
-- by telling us to pray to Our Father who is in Heaven, Jesus wants us to recognize the difference between our earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father -- God is not just any father, but the Father of us all -- He is our Creator and our Lord -- and by praying in this way we acknowledge God and all His holiness and His position of power and authority
-- the other thing this phrase, "who art in heaven," does is specifically identify our Father as the Lord God Almighty -- El Shaddai -- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- keep in mind that the Jewish people were surrounded by pagans who were polytheistic -- they had many gods who lived in various places -- by identifying Heaven as the abode of God we are affirming that this is not just some nebulous 'god' like the Romans worshiped but the true living God of Israel
-- the phrase "hallowed by thy name" -- "holy by thy name" -- recognizes the sovereign claim of God over the world and anticipates a human response
-- as I pointed out a few minutes ago, without this phrase, our understanding of "Father" can be distorted -- God is not like our earthly fathers -- God does not have faults and never fails -- Jesus reminds us here that God is holy -- He is set apart from sin and cannot look at sin -- this phrase points us to the fact that God -- in all His holiness and goodness -- can only be reconciled to sinners through the atoning death of Jesus on the cross
-- when we pray, "hallowed by thy Name" -- we are actually saying, "Father, may you be treated with the respect and honor that your holiness demands" -- God may be our "Daddy in Heaven" -- but He is also the holy God of the universe (Dr. Ralph Wilson)
VI. Closing
-- in the book of Exodus, we read the story of God appearing to Moses in the burning bush -- when Moses approached the burning bush, God told him to take off his shoes and not to approach because the ground he was standing on was holy -- God did not invite Moses to come into His presence at that time
-- late, when Moses had brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt, God appeared to them on Mt. Sinai in awesome power and invited them into His presence -- but the Israelites refused to come out of fear -- this fear of relating to God in a close and personal way kept the Jewish people distant from God in their prayers and their worship for centuries
-- here in this prayer, Jesus offered yet another invitation to come into the presence of God -- to enter into a close and personal relationship with the Lord God Almighty
-- this prayer is an invitation to approach God in a relationship as a child to our Father in Heaven -- to veiw God, the all-wise, all-loving, and all-powerful creator of the universe -- holy and perfect in all His ways -- as our Daddy in Heaven, who is waiting for us to crawl up on His lap and tell Him about our day
-- will you join me? there's plenty of room in His lap for all -- let us pray
THE LORD'S PRAYER: INTRODUCTION
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
7 August 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6:9-13 [read from The Message]
-- this morning we're going to be starting a series on what we call "The Lord's Prayer" -- this prayer is found in two places in the Bible -- in Matthew 6 and in Luke 11-- and we're going to be looking at the two passages together in order to learn as much as possible about this prayer and what we are supposed to do with this prayer
-- as we begin this series, let me share with you a story about Charles Haddon Spurgeon -- Spurgeon is known as the greatest preacher that England ever produced -- through his ministry, England experienced a great revival and thousands of people came to Christ and experienced God's hand working in a mighty way in their land and in their lives -- one day, a group of American evangelists had occasion to visit Spurgeon in England -- after the service, they met him at the door and commented on what a great sermon he had preached and how much they had enjoyed the service
-- he asked them if they would like a tour of his church -- they were ecstatic -- here was the great preacher Spurgeon himself leading them through his church and showing them around -- as they were finishing their tour, he asked them, "would you like to see our power plant?" -- they weren't really interested in the power plant, but it was Spurgeon, so they followed
-- he led them into the basement and opened a door -- the room was filled with people on their knees, praying and interceding before God for the ministry of the church and for their pastor -- Spurgeon turned to the American evangelists and said, "This is the powerhouse of our church -- if anything happened in the service today, it was not because of anything I did but because of what went on in this room this morning."
-- by and large, the church in America is in decline -- all of the major mainline denominations, including our own, are in decline and have steadily lost members over the past 20-30 years -- there have been minor pockets of revival in some churches and in some denominations, but by and large, we are not experiencing power in our churches and we are not seeing God moving through our land as He has in the past
-- I believe that the main reason for this is a lack of prayer in our churches and in our lives -- for one thing, we have become too hurried in our lives to take time to pray -- we want everything right now -- we have instant news, instant weather, instant food, instant entertainment -- and this has carried over into our spiritual lives
-- we might throw up a quick "McPrayer" or so, but we rarely take time and pour out our hearts before God asking for His blessings or His power to come upon our lives and our churches -- we may sing "Sweet Hour of Prayer" but there aren't many of us who are going to the Lord in prayer for more than just a few minutes a day
-- secondly, we have forgotten the power and the purpose of prayer -- we tend to treat prayer as an afterthought -- as a spare tire -- something that we throw in our trunk and don't think about, just pulling it out from time to time as we have emergencies crop up in our life
-- I once heard about a church administrative council meeting where a large argument came up -- the people were divided about an issue and both sides were getting angrier by the minute -- finally, someone spoke up and said, "I think we need to take a moment and pray." -- another member dropped his head in his hands and said, "Oh no, has it come to that?"
-- John Wesley once said, "Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer."
-- If we want to experience God's power in our lives and see God bring about a revival in our church and in our land like He did in so many cities and nations in the Bible and throughout history, then we need to get serious about praying and we need to be on our face before God asking Him to work -- asking Him to restore us -- asking Him to reverse the membership declines in our churches
-- finally, I think we have forgotten the importance that Christ placed on prayer -- Jesus was a great man of prayer -- throughout the gospels, we see a picture of Him putting an emphasis on prayer -- before and after major events in His lif e and ministry, Jesus sought the Father through prayer -- when He got overwhelmed with the crowds, Luke tells us in 5:16, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" -- it was normal for Jesus to go to a solitary place and spend the night in prayer -- seeking God's face -- seeking God's guidance -- seeking God's presence
-- but, we tend to look at prayer as a minor part of our spiritual lives and our worship services -- we might open our meetings in prayers and we might have prayers in our services, but rarely do we gather and pray for the programs and ministries going on in the church -- let me ask you a question -- how many of you took time to pray for our homecoming and revival last year -- how many of you prayed for the Fifth Sunday Revival -- how many of you are already praying for homecoming and for charge conference -- probably not very many
-- if we're honest with ourselves, we'd have to admit that we are not putting the importance on prayer as we should -- prayer should surround and bathe everything that we do in our churches and in our lives
-- God commands us to pray -- He expects us to pray -- in addition to the example of Christ, throughout the Bible God commands us to: "Pray without ceasing@ -- Acontinue in prayer@ -- Ain everything by prayer, let your request be made known unto God@ -- Apray always, pray and not faint@ -- Amen should pray everywhere@ -- Apraying always, with all prayer and supplication." -- and of course, "humble yourselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from your wicked ways."
-- prayer should not be an afterthought or a minor part of our lives -- it should be the most important thing that we do -- it should be the powerhouse in our lives and in our churches
-- if we are going to see anything happen in this church and in this community, then we are going to have to get more serious about prayer -- prayer for our churches, our pastors, our communities, and our denomination
-- so, we are going to spend the next several weeks talking about prayer, specifically the Lord's prayer, in the hopes that it might help us recognize the importance of prayer in our spiritual lives and that it might waken a desire in our life to become more dedicated in our prayer life
-- let's look now at some background information on the Lord's Prayer
II. Background and Context
-- as I said, the Lord's Prayer is found in two places in our Bible -- in Matthew 6:9-13 and in Luke 11:1-4
-- the passage in Matthew 6 is the one that we traditionally recite in our Protestant churches -- Matthew places this prayer in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus taught His disciples on a variety of kingdom issues -- within the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer is found in a series of teachings by Christ on prayer and fasting
-- Luke places this prayer right after the episode with Mary and Martha -- when Jesus visited Martha's house and she came and complained because her sister Mary sat listening to Jesus teach rather than helping with the household chores -- immediately after this, Luke tells us that Jesus' disciples came to Him after He finished praying and they asked Him to teach them to pray -- Jesus gave them this prayer in response to their request
-- if you think about it, who better to teach us to pray than Christ -- not only did He exemplify a life of prayer, but He is the One that we are praying to -- Jesus knew exactly what He wanted us to say -- He knew exactly how He wanted us to say it -- if for no other reason than that, we should study this prayer simply because God Himself told us to pray to Him in this manner
-- Matthew's version of the prayer is longer than the prayer in Luke's gospel -- in Matthew, the prayer is composed of an invocation and seven petitions to God -- the first three asking for God's glorification and the last four requesting divine help and guidance -- depending on the translation that you use, Matthew's version may also include a doxology -- but most of the early New Testament manuscripts do not include this doxology -- we traditionally include this doxology when we pray this prayer in our services
-- Luke's version is more abbreviated, with an invocation and only five petitions to God -- flip over to Luke 11 and let's read Luke's version real quick [read Luke 11:1-4] -- a little different from what we normally pray, isn't it? -- when you read this version it just doesn't seem complete, does it?
-- so, why do we have two versions in our Bibles? -- well, it appears, based on the context and background of the two passages, that Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples on two different occasions -- the first at the sermon on the mount and the second in a more private setting
-- but, more importantly, having these two different versions in the Bible shows that Jesus did not design this prayer to be prayed as a liturgical recitation -- in other words, Jesus did not give us this prayer to pray back to Him word for word as it is written -- if that had been the case, it would be exactly the same in both Matthew and Luke's gospels
-- instead, this prayer is a given to us as a model of how to pray -- as Eduard Schweizer said, "the Lord's Prayer is an aid to prayer -- a guide to be followed without being bound to this or that precise wording" -- first we offer up our praise and thanksgiving to God and then we pray about our human needs
-- this prayer model from Jesus teaches us that right prayer begins with worship -- it puts the interests of the kingdom before our personal, human interests -- it accepts beforehand the Father's will -- His right to either grant or withhold answers to our prayers -- and then it presents petitions for our present need only, leaving the future to the Father's care and love (Scofield)
-- if you would, look at Matthew 6:1 and lets look at one more thing about the context of this passage [read vs. 1-8]
-- this prayer that Jesus gave us was different from the prayers traditionally prayed by the Jewish people -- their prayers were more liturgical -- they had specific prayers that they prayed every single day and prayers that were recited word for word during festivals and worship ceremonies -- their prayers were primarily restricted to praise and adoration and very seldom included petitions to God to work
-- prayers like these are great ways to commune with God -- but, a problem with liturgical prayers like this is that they tend to become rote repetitions -- they just become something that we say and that we don't really think about it -- and, it can cause us to forget what and why we are praying in the first place -- in the sermon on the mount, Jesus warned His listeners about hyprocrisy in their prayer -- He told them not to pray in public seeking to gain the approval of man and not God -- and He told them not to pray with rote repetition of words and lots of words like the Gentiles, because the quantity of words was not what was important
-- in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus reminded us of the underlying purpose in prayer -- to commune with our God and Creator -- to talk with Him -- to work on our relationship with Him
-- in our prayers, we should praise Him and thank Him for what He has done and tell Him what we need -- our prayers should never become dogmatic repetitions that have the form of Godliness but that denies its power
-- that is why this prayer that Jesus gave us here was a radical shift in the understanding of prayer -- instead of giving us a prayer that we just pray word for word, Jesus gave us a prayer that is relationship based -- we are told to come before God and to speak with Him because we are in a relationship with Him -- He is not an impersonal power but a personal God -- a God who knows us and loves us and cares about us and who wants us to talk with Him on a daily basis
-- We need to recognize that prayer puts us into a close relationship with God -- It results in us turning ourselves over to God -- body, mind, and soul -- Prayer not only causes God to work, but it also results in changing us, changing our hearts, and conforming our will to that of God
III. Closing
-- if we want to see a fresh outpouring of God's power and presence in our lives and in our church and in our communities, then we have to change our thinking about prayer
-- we have to get serious about prayer -- we must bathe our ministries in prayer -- We must bathe our worship services in prayer -- We must bathe our daily lives in prayer
-- To borrow a phrase from Maxie Dunnam, we must be immersed in prayer to such a point that prayer seeps from our bodies like a spring of refreshing water.
-- We need to ask God to revive us. We need to ask God to revive our church. We need to ask God to revive our community, and we need to expect Him to work.
-- as we go through this series on the Lord's prayer, I want to encourage you to commit to becoming more dedicated in your prayer life -- don't be satisfied with sending up little McPrayers while you're driving to work -- but spend time with God over these next few weeks -- spent time with His Word and spend time talking to Him and praying to Him for the things going on in your life and in this church
-- let's start right now -- let's pray
7 August 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6:9-13 [read from The Message]
-- this morning we're going to be starting a series on what we call "The Lord's Prayer" -- this prayer is found in two places in the Bible -- in Matthew 6 and in Luke 11-- and we're going to be looking at the two passages together in order to learn as much as possible about this prayer and what we are supposed to do with this prayer
-- as we begin this series, let me share with you a story about Charles Haddon Spurgeon -- Spurgeon is known as the greatest preacher that England ever produced -- through his ministry, England experienced a great revival and thousands of people came to Christ and experienced God's hand working in a mighty way in their land and in their lives -- one day, a group of American evangelists had occasion to visit Spurgeon in England -- after the service, they met him at the door and commented on what a great sermon he had preached and how much they had enjoyed the service
-- he asked them if they would like a tour of his church -- they were ecstatic -- here was the great preacher Spurgeon himself leading them through his church and showing them around -- as they were finishing their tour, he asked them, "would you like to see our power plant?" -- they weren't really interested in the power plant, but it was Spurgeon, so they followed
-- he led them into the basement and opened a door -- the room was filled with people on their knees, praying and interceding before God for the ministry of the church and for their pastor -- Spurgeon turned to the American evangelists and said, "This is the powerhouse of our church -- if anything happened in the service today, it was not because of anything I did but because of what went on in this room this morning."
-- by and large, the church in America is in decline -- all of the major mainline denominations, including our own, are in decline and have steadily lost members over the past 20-30 years -- there have been minor pockets of revival in some churches and in some denominations, but by and large, we are not experiencing power in our churches and we are not seeing God moving through our land as He has in the past
-- I believe that the main reason for this is a lack of prayer in our churches and in our lives -- for one thing, we have become too hurried in our lives to take time to pray -- we want everything right now -- we have instant news, instant weather, instant food, instant entertainment -- and this has carried over into our spiritual lives
-- we might throw up a quick "McPrayer" or so, but we rarely take time and pour out our hearts before God asking for His blessings or His power to come upon our lives and our churches -- we may sing "Sweet Hour of Prayer" but there aren't many of us who are going to the Lord in prayer for more than just a few minutes a day
-- secondly, we have forgotten the power and the purpose of prayer -- we tend to treat prayer as an afterthought -- as a spare tire -- something that we throw in our trunk and don't think about, just pulling it out from time to time as we have emergencies crop up in our life
-- I once heard about a church administrative council meeting where a large argument came up -- the people were divided about an issue and both sides were getting angrier by the minute -- finally, someone spoke up and said, "I think we need to take a moment and pray." -- another member dropped his head in his hands and said, "Oh no, has it come to that?"
-- John Wesley once said, "Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer."
-- If we want to experience God's power in our lives and see God bring about a revival in our church and in our land like He did in so many cities and nations in the Bible and throughout history, then we need to get serious about praying and we need to be on our face before God asking Him to work -- asking Him to restore us -- asking Him to reverse the membership declines in our churches
-- finally, I think we have forgotten the importance that Christ placed on prayer -- Jesus was a great man of prayer -- throughout the gospels, we see a picture of Him putting an emphasis on prayer -- before and after major events in His lif e and ministry, Jesus sought the Father through prayer -- when He got overwhelmed with the crowds, Luke tells us in 5:16, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" -- it was normal for Jesus to go to a solitary place and spend the night in prayer -- seeking God's face -- seeking God's guidance -- seeking God's presence
-- but, we tend to look at prayer as a minor part of our spiritual lives and our worship services -- we might open our meetings in prayers and we might have prayers in our services, but rarely do we gather and pray for the programs and ministries going on in the church -- let me ask you a question -- how many of you took time to pray for our homecoming and revival last year -- how many of you prayed for the Fifth Sunday Revival -- how many of you are already praying for homecoming and for charge conference -- probably not very many
-- if we're honest with ourselves, we'd have to admit that we are not putting the importance on prayer as we should -- prayer should surround and bathe everything that we do in our churches and in our lives
-- God commands us to pray -- He expects us to pray -- in addition to the example of Christ, throughout the Bible God commands us to: "Pray without ceasing@ -- Acontinue in prayer@ -- Ain everything by prayer, let your request be made known unto God@ -- Apray always, pray and not faint@ -- Amen should pray everywhere@ -- Apraying always, with all prayer and supplication." -- and of course, "humble yourselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from your wicked ways."
-- prayer should not be an afterthought or a minor part of our lives -- it should be the most important thing that we do -- it should be the powerhouse in our lives and in our churches
-- if we are going to see anything happen in this church and in this community, then we are going to have to get more serious about prayer -- prayer for our churches, our pastors, our communities, and our denomination
-- so, we are going to spend the next several weeks talking about prayer, specifically the Lord's prayer, in the hopes that it might help us recognize the importance of prayer in our spiritual lives and that it might waken a desire in our life to become more dedicated in our prayer life
-- let's look now at some background information on the Lord's Prayer
II. Background and Context
-- as I said, the Lord's Prayer is found in two places in our Bible -- in Matthew 6:9-13 and in Luke 11:1-4
-- the passage in Matthew 6 is the one that we traditionally recite in our Protestant churches -- Matthew places this prayer in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus taught His disciples on a variety of kingdom issues -- within the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer is found in a series of teachings by Christ on prayer and fasting
-- Luke places this prayer right after the episode with Mary and Martha -- when Jesus visited Martha's house and she came and complained because her sister Mary sat listening to Jesus teach rather than helping with the household chores -- immediately after this, Luke tells us that Jesus' disciples came to Him after He finished praying and they asked Him to teach them to pray -- Jesus gave them this prayer in response to their request
-- if you think about it, who better to teach us to pray than Christ -- not only did He exemplify a life of prayer, but He is the One that we are praying to -- Jesus knew exactly what He wanted us to say -- He knew exactly how He wanted us to say it -- if for no other reason than that, we should study this prayer simply because God Himself told us to pray to Him in this manner
-- Matthew's version of the prayer is longer than the prayer in Luke's gospel -- in Matthew, the prayer is composed of an invocation and seven petitions to God -- the first three asking for God's glorification and the last four requesting divine help and guidance -- depending on the translation that you use, Matthew's version may also include a doxology -- but most of the early New Testament manuscripts do not include this doxology -- we traditionally include this doxology when we pray this prayer in our services
-- Luke's version is more abbreviated, with an invocation and only five petitions to God -- flip over to Luke 11 and let's read Luke's version real quick [read Luke 11:1-4] -- a little different from what we normally pray, isn't it? -- when you read this version it just doesn't seem complete, does it?
-- so, why do we have two versions in our Bibles? -- well, it appears, based on the context and background of the two passages, that Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples on two different occasions -- the first at the sermon on the mount and the second in a more private setting
-- but, more importantly, having these two different versions in the Bible shows that Jesus did not design this prayer to be prayed as a liturgical recitation -- in other words, Jesus did not give us this prayer to pray back to Him word for word as it is written -- if that had been the case, it would be exactly the same in both Matthew and Luke's gospels
-- instead, this prayer is a given to us as a model of how to pray -- as Eduard Schweizer said, "the Lord's Prayer is an aid to prayer -- a guide to be followed without being bound to this or that precise wording" -- first we offer up our praise and thanksgiving to God and then we pray about our human needs
-- this prayer model from Jesus teaches us that right prayer begins with worship -- it puts the interests of the kingdom before our personal, human interests -- it accepts beforehand the Father's will -- His right to either grant or withhold answers to our prayers -- and then it presents petitions for our present need only, leaving the future to the Father's care and love (Scofield)
-- if you would, look at Matthew 6:1 and lets look at one more thing about the context of this passage [read vs. 1-8]
-- this prayer that Jesus gave us was different from the prayers traditionally prayed by the Jewish people -- their prayers were more liturgical -- they had specific prayers that they prayed every single day and prayers that were recited word for word during festivals and worship ceremonies -- their prayers were primarily restricted to praise and adoration and very seldom included petitions to God to work
-- prayers like these are great ways to commune with God -- but, a problem with liturgical prayers like this is that they tend to become rote repetitions -- they just become something that we say and that we don't really think about it -- and, it can cause us to forget what and why we are praying in the first place -- in the sermon on the mount, Jesus warned His listeners about hyprocrisy in their prayer -- He told them not to pray in public seeking to gain the approval of man and not God -- and He told them not to pray with rote repetition of words and lots of words like the Gentiles, because the quantity of words was not what was important
-- in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus reminded us of the underlying purpose in prayer -- to commune with our God and Creator -- to talk with Him -- to work on our relationship with Him
-- in our prayers, we should praise Him and thank Him for what He has done and tell Him what we need -- our prayers should never become dogmatic repetitions that have the form of Godliness but that denies its power
-- that is why this prayer that Jesus gave us here was a radical shift in the understanding of prayer -- instead of giving us a prayer that we just pray word for word, Jesus gave us a prayer that is relationship based -- we are told to come before God and to speak with Him because we are in a relationship with Him -- He is not an impersonal power but a personal God -- a God who knows us and loves us and cares about us and who wants us to talk with Him on a daily basis
-- We need to recognize that prayer puts us into a close relationship with God -- It results in us turning ourselves over to God -- body, mind, and soul -- Prayer not only causes God to work, but it also results in changing us, changing our hearts, and conforming our will to that of God
III. Closing
-- if we want to see a fresh outpouring of God's power and presence in our lives and in our church and in our communities, then we have to change our thinking about prayer
-- we have to get serious about prayer -- we must bathe our ministries in prayer -- We must bathe our worship services in prayer -- We must bathe our daily lives in prayer
-- To borrow a phrase from Maxie Dunnam, we must be immersed in prayer to such a point that prayer seeps from our bodies like a spring of refreshing water.
-- We need to ask God to revive us. We need to ask God to revive our church. We need to ask God to revive our community, and we need to expect Him to work.
-- as we go through this series on the Lord's prayer, I want to encourage you to commit to becoming more dedicated in your prayer life -- don't be satisfied with sending up little McPrayers while you're driving to work -- but spend time with God over these next few weeks -- spent time with His Word and spend time talking to Him and praying to Him for the things going on in your life and in this church
-- let's start right now -- let's pray
HAFRADA AND JIHAD
Shane Raynor of The Wesley Blog has an interesting article about the stance that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) has taken concerning Israel's security wall separating itself from Palestinian controlled territories.
While I was reading this, I was reminded on a book I read by John Ortberg. Ortberg pointed out that two common themes occur in the Middle East, both in a physical and a spiritual sense -- namely, hafrada and jihad. Hafrada is separation, fencing yourself off from others to prevent being hurt from others. This is exactly what Israel is doing with the construction and maintenance of the wall/fence barrier in their land. Jihad, on the other hand, is an attack against your neighbor based on your perceived righteous stance.
These two themes -- hafrada and jihad -- play out before our eyes every single day in the Middle East and in our land. Israel constructs a fence to keep terrorists out. The terrorists declare a jihad against Israel and do everything in their power to hurt them. Israel retaliates, and the situation goes on and on, back and forth, hafrada and jihad over and over again.
I see the same thing in our churches and in our individual Christian lives. We come to church and immediately enter hafrada. We put up a wall -- a mask -- to hide who we really are from our neighbors so they won't condemn us or judge us or get too close to us. When asked how we are doing, we smile and nod and say, "Great! How are you doing?" while never pausing to listen to their answer. We go through our life with artificial walls separating the real us from those around us and separating ourself from God and His healing presence at the same time.
On the other hand, we are quick to yell "Jihad" in the church as well. Rather than simply disagreeing and seeing unity, we fight to the death in meetings to hold our position firm. "I don't like that color carpet (JIHAD!) -- I don't think we need a kid's program (JIHAD!) -- Our music is fine just as it is -- If you try to change it, we're leaving (JIHAD!)" Let someone give in to temptation and sin and fall in their Christian walk. We are quick to attack them and judge them and hold them down. As the old saying goes, the church is the only place that shoots its wounded.
Jesus came to bring the opposite of Hafrada and Jihad. He came to bring the separated peoples together, to dissolve the distinction between Gentile and Jew, free and slave, male and female. He came to tear down the veil in the temple that separated us from God. He came to join us together as one body under His headship. And He came to bring peace and love to all, to reconcile us to one another and to God through His body and His blood. Today, may the peace and unity of Christ dwell in our hearts and remove any vestiges of Hafrada or Jihad that may be left.
While I was reading this, I was reminded on a book I read by John Ortberg. Ortberg pointed out that two common themes occur in the Middle East, both in a physical and a spiritual sense -- namely, hafrada and jihad. Hafrada is separation, fencing yourself off from others to prevent being hurt from others. This is exactly what Israel is doing with the construction and maintenance of the wall/fence barrier in their land. Jihad, on the other hand, is an attack against your neighbor based on your perceived righteous stance.
These two themes -- hafrada and jihad -- play out before our eyes every single day in the Middle East and in our land. Israel constructs a fence to keep terrorists out. The terrorists declare a jihad against Israel and do everything in their power to hurt them. Israel retaliates, and the situation goes on and on, back and forth, hafrada and jihad over and over again.
I see the same thing in our churches and in our individual Christian lives. We come to church and immediately enter hafrada. We put up a wall -- a mask -- to hide who we really are from our neighbors so they won't condemn us or judge us or get too close to us. When asked how we are doing, we smile and nod and say, "Great! How are you doing?" while never pausing to listen to their answer. We go through our life with artificial walls separating the real us from those around us and separating ourself from God and His healing presence at the same time.
On the other hand, we are quick to yell "Jihad" in the church as well. Rather than simply disagreeing and seeing unity, we fight to the death in meetings to hold our position firm. "I don't like that color carpet (JIHAD!) -- I don't think we need a kid's program (JIHAD!) -- Our music is fine just as it is -- If you try to change it, we're leaving (JIHAD!)" Let someone give in to temptation and sin and fall in their Christian walk. We are quick to attack them and judge them and hold them down. As the old saying goes, the church is the only place that shoots its wounded.
Jesus came to bring the opposite of Hafrada and Jihad. He came to bring the separated peoples together, to dissolve the distinction between Gentile and Jew, free and slave, male and female. He came to tear down the veil in the temple that separated us from God. He came to join us together as one body under His headship. And He came to bring peace and love to all, to reconcile us to one another and to God through His body and His blood. Today, may the peace and unity of Christ dwell in our hearts and remove any vestiges of Hafrada or Jihad that may be left.
Monday, August 08, 2005
BLOGGER PROFILE
I neglected to mention this last week, but John at Locusts and Honey blog, kindly posted a "blogger profile" on me. Here is the link if you are interested. If nothing else, may this be an opportunity for you to check out John's site. I usually try to read it daily, and find his weekly blog roundup to be especially helpful.
THE ROLLERCOASTER LIFE
During the three-day Kairos weekend (the prison version of the Walk to Emmaus), we went over an exercise where we mapped out our lives, both our regular life and our spiritual life. The purpose of this exercise is to help the residents realize where they came from and to let them know where they can go, to give them a hope and a future with Christ.
To do this, you basically make a timeline graph, with an arbitrary line drawn parallel to the x-axis that represents the "0" or neutral point. Then you draw your life. If something good and significant happened, you draw your line upwards as far as you think it should go. If something bad happened, you draw your line downwards as far as you think it should go. Sometimes, especially in the case of most of the residents, they might start out with a couple of highs, but then the lows in their life drew them down below the "0" point, indicative of their residence in the prison.
As team members, we were expected to map out our lives as well, as an example to the residents. Based on my spiritual life map and my continuing experiences with Christ since, I have come to recognize that my spiritual life is a rollercoaster. By this I mean that I have very high spiritual peaks in my life, but they are usually followed by very low spiritual failures. It is a pattern that I see played out time and time again. And every time, I hear the words of the Apostle Paul echoing from 1 Corinthians 10:12, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"
As I have studied Scripture, I have come to realize that my spiritual life patterns are similar to those experienced by David (recognizing, of course, that I am no where near the spiritual giant that David was). David's life, too, was characterized by extreme spiritual highs and then extreme spiritual lows. From the slaying of Goliath in the power of God to dodging the spear of Saul. From being annointed to be king of Israel and the spiritual leader of Israel to committing adultery and murder.
So, what can I learn -- what can you learn -- from a map of your spiritual life patterns? For me, it serves as a warning for times that I am especially vulnerable to falling and failing. After a significant spiritual high -- a good church service, good results from a ministry project, leading people to Christ, spending signficant amounts of time with God -- I know that I am going to have the potential to face a downward spiral. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's simply unwariness brought on by a spiritual high. But whatever the cause, I can know it's coming and I can take steps to avoid the fall and to stop the precipitous decline. By knowing my danger areas, those areas where I am most likely to sin and fail God, I can better turn away from them and turn to Him, trusting in His power to keep me safe.
As an exercise, I would heartily recommend that each of you map out their spiritual lives in relation to their physical lives. Look for patterns. Look for interactions between the two. And use this tool to better prepare you to stand firm in the face of oncoming temptation.
To do this, you basically make a timeline graph, with an arbitrary line drawn parallel to the x-axis that represents the "0" or neutral point. Then you draw your life. If something good and significant happened, you draw your line upwards as far as you think it should go. If something bad happened, you draw your line downwards as far as you think it should go. Sometimes, especially in the case of most of the residents, they might start out with a couple of highs, but then the lows in their life drew them down below the "0" point, indicative of their residence in the prison.
As team members, we were expected to map out our lives as well, as an example to the residents. Based on my spiritual life map and my continuing experiences with Christ since, I have come to recognize that my spiritual life is a rollercoaster. By this I mean that I have very high spiritual peaks in my life, but they are usually followed by very low spiritual failures. It is a pattern that I see played out time and time again. And every time, I hear the words of the Apostle Paul echoing from 1 Corinthians 10:12, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"
As I have studied Scripture, I have come to realize that my spiritual life patterns are similar to those experienced by David (recognizing, of course, that I am no where near the spiritual giant that David was). David's life, too, was characterized by extreme spiritual highs and then extreme spiritual lows. From the slaying of Goliath in the power of God to dodging the spear of Saul. From being annointed to be king of Israel and the spiritual leader of Israel to committing adultery and murder.
So, what can I learn -- what can you learn -- from a map of your spiritual life patterns? For me, it serves as a warning for times that I am especially vulnerable to falling and failing. After a significant spiritual high -- a good church service, good results from a ministry project, leading people to Christ, spending signficant amounts of time with God -- I know that I am going to have the potential to face a downward spiral. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's simply unwariness brought on by a spiritual high. But whatever the cause, I can know it's coming and I can take steps to avoid the fall and to stop the precipitous decline. By knowing my danger areas, those areas where I am most likely to sin and fail God, I can better turn away from them and turn to Him, trusting in His power to keep me safe.
As an exercise, I would heartily recommend that each of you map out their spiritual lives in relation to their physical lives. Look for patterns. Look for interactions between the two. And use this tool to better prepare you to stand firm in the face of oncoming temptation.
Friday, August 05, 2005
WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING?
A couple of weeks ago, when I was attending the United Methodist Course of Study at Emory University, I had an experience that caused me to think about the leaders that we follow.
Atlanta had just been hit by the remnants of a hurricane and had experienced massive amounts of rainfall. The ground was saturated, and lots of trees had fallen across roads and homes because the water-saturated soil could not hold the roots of the trees steady. As I was trying to drive to a Christian bookstore, we were stopped in our travels because a massive oak tree had fallen across the road in front of us.
The police motioned for us to take a detour into a neighborhood to go around the tree. The problem was --- there were no detour signs and no one to guide us to where we wanted to go. Just a line of cars meandering through this neighborhood. But then, one driver ahead of me caught my attention. It was obvious he knew where he was going by the way he drove throught the neighborhood. "Aha," I thought. "Here's someone who can lead me out of this mess."
So, I fell right in behind him and followed him. When he turned on his blinker to turn left, so did I. When he turned, I turned. When he went straight, I followed. I looked behind me and we had a string of cars following. At last, the lost had found a shepherd to lead them home. And to home he did lead -- his home! In fact, he lived in the neighborhood, and we followed him right up to his drive on a cul-de-sac and watched as he got out of his van and walked up the drive and into his house! Ten vehicles were now trapped on this narrow street and had to turn around and retrace our path and pray we could find our way back out.
As I was trying to find my way out, it struck me how so like our lives that little drive was. We wander through life looking for direction, looking for salvation. We know we need a leader, someone who has been there before who can lead us and guide us in our path. And so, when someone shows up who seems to know what they're talking about, we jump right on his bandwagon and follow his lead, without once thinking that perhaps he is leading the wrong direction, without considering where we might be going. We tell ourselves, "But he's a pastor (or president or congressman or bishop or whatever else fits the blank). He knows where he's going. I need to follow him." And, by blindly following others, we can find ourselves being led down paths we shouldn't enter.
Which brings me to my question: Who are you following? And, do you know where they are leading you?
Atlanta had just been hit by the remnants of a hurricane and had experienced massive amounts of rainfall. The ground was saturated, and lots of trees had fallen across roads and homes because the water-saturated soil could not hold the roots of the trees steady. As I was trying to drive to a Christian bookstore, we were stopped in our travels because a massive oak tree had fallen across the road in front of us.
The police motioned for us to take a detour into a neighborhood to go around the tree. The problem was --- there were no detour signs and no one to guide us to where we wanted to go. Just a line of cars meandering through this neighborhood. But then, one driver ahead of me caught my attention. It was obvious he knew where he was going by the way he drove throught the neighborhood. "Aha," I thought. "Here's someone who can lead me out of this mess."
So, I fell right in behind him and followed him. When he turned on his blinker to turn left, so did I. When he turned, I turned. When he went straight, I followed. I looked behind me and we had a string of cars following. At last, the lost had found a shepherd to lead them home. And to home he did lead -- his home! In fact, he lived in the neighborhood, and we followed him right up to his drive on a cul-de-sac and watched as he got out of his van and walked up the drive and into his house! Ten vehicles were now trapped on this narrow street and had to turn around and retrace our path and pray we could find our way back out.
As I was trying to find my way out, it struck me how so like our lives that little drive was. We wander through life looking for direction, looking for salvation. We know we need a leader, someone who has been there before who can lead us and guide us in our path. And so, when someone shows up who seems to know what they're talking about, we jump right on his bandwagon and follow his lead, without once thinking that perhaps he is leading the wrong direction, without considering where we might be going. We tell ourselves, "But he's a pastor (or president or congressman or bishop or whatever else fits the blank). He knows where he's going. I need to follow him." And, by blindly following others, we can find ourselves being led down paths we shouldn't enter.
Which brings me to my question: Who are you following? And, do you know where they are leading you?
HE'S BEEN THERE
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
31 July 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn to Job 1:13-22
13. One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
14. a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
15. and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
16. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
17. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
18. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
19. when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
20. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
21. and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
22. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
-- there once was this man who didn't have much, but he had a donkey that meant the world to him -- one day, the donkey fell into an old abandoned well on the farm -- the donkey, being a donkey -- kicked and kicked -- when that didn't seem to help, it brayed and brayed -- it made a terrible commotion, but no one came to help it
-- the donkey was exhausted and resting wearily by the side of the well, when its owner noticed it was missing -- the owner became concerned about his donkey and he searched everywhere he could think of -- he could not find his donkey -- he went to his neighbors and asked them to help -- they searched everywhere -- but no luck -- the donkey appeared to be missing for good
-- the neighbors gathered in the man's farmyard and tried to console him -- it was then that one of the men looked into the old abandoned well and saw the missing donkey -- the men spent the rest of the day and most of the night trying to get a rope around the donkey stuck at the bottom of the well -- they were unable to accomplish the feat -- they felt defeated -- the owner of the donkey felt terrible
-- they talked about it and the wisest among them suggested that they fill in the abandoned well -- it would bury the donkey, but it would prevent the same tragedy from befalling someone else -- perhaps a child -- so they agreed that this was what they would do
-- the men took turns throwing a shovel full of dirt into the hole
-- the owner felt terrible for the donkey -- he felt terrible for himself and his loss -- he didn't have much, but he always had a donkey -- now he wouldn't even have that
-- once the first shovel of dirt hit the donkey, the animal found renewed energy -- it brayed even louder than he had before -- the men turned their eyes from one another and pretended not to hear the donkey's pleadings -- as more and more dirt fell into the hole, the donkey began to understand the hopelessness of its situation -- it began to give up
-- then it happened -- the donkey realized that the dirt was a gift -- with each scoop of dirt that fell into the well, the donkey shook the dirt off it's back and took a step up onto the top of the pile of dirt forming at the bottom of the well -- more dirt, another shake, and then another step up
-- the men kept shoveling, certain that they were burying the donkey -- after much shoveling, the men were quite surprised to see the donkey at eye level -- it was standing on top of all that dirt that had been dropped on it -- it calmly shook itself clean and walked out of the filled-in well
-- how many of you have ever felt like a donkey in the bottom of a well? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one cared that you were lost and alone and afraid and being covered with dirt? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one knew what you were going through and that no one could help?
-- I think we can all identify with the donkey in this story -- because we live in a fallen world, filled with trials and tribulations and sorrows, we can sometimes find ourself in the bottom of a well with no obvious way out
-- it seems like life just keeps throwing dirt on us -- and things just don't go our way -- we understand what it means when people say, "when it rains, it pours" -- we understand that old joke, "someone told me to cheer up, things could get worse -- so I cheered up and sure enough, things got worse"
-- we look at our lives and we feel like Job -- in one moment, Job lost his children, his home, his job, his income, his health, and all his wealth -- he was doing everything he could to live right and to do right but then one day he looked up and realized that he was sitting in the bottom of a well, alone and abandoned, and the world and his friends just kept throwing dirt on him
-- in Job 3:24-26, Job sums up just how he thinks his life is going: 24. For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water. 25. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. 26. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."
-- Job was having a bad day -- a bad life -- and it seemed like no one cared and no one understood and no one could do anything about it
-- can you relate to Job? -- can you understand what he was going through? -- have you ever had similar emotions in your own life? -- I think we all have at some point or the other
-- so, that brings us to the questions that Job struggled with throughout this book -- why is this happening? -- what can we do about it? -- who can we turn to for help? -- who knows what we are going through? -- who can minister to us?
-- the answers to those questions can only be found through Christ
II. Scripture Lesson
-- if you would, please turn over to Hebrews 2 -- one of the books I am currently reading is "Next Door Savior" by Max Lucado -- and in this book, he speaks to people who are going through situations similar to Job's -- to people who are hurting and feeling like no one understands and no one cares and no one can do anything
-- and Lucado points out a concept in this book about Christ that I want us to consider this morning by looking at this passage in Hebrews
A. Jesus has been there
-- Hebrews 2, verse 1-4
1. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
2. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
3. how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
-- when you look around and find yourself in the bottom of a well -- when you're going through life in a valley of despair -- it's hard -- it's difficult -- and when you are going through times like this, it could cause you to drift in your faith -- to doubt God and His promises -- and to turn away from Him -- the only One who can truly help
-- in these verses, the writer of Hebrews warns us to not let our faith drift when we are confronted with difficult times in our lives -- but to stand fast by holding firm to the evidences of our faith through Jesus
-- when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God had each of the 12 tribes take one stone from the middle of the river to use in making an altar -- these stones were to be physical reminders of the presence and work of God in their lives
-- one way to keep your faith from drifting during times of trial and trouble is by storing up stones of remembrance -- spiritual stones -- that remind you of the times that God has helped in the past and to encourage you that He will always be with you and take care of you in the future
-- verse 5
5. It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6. But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7. You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8. and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
-- in these verses, the writer reminds us of His promises to us -- of the kingdom to come -- the writer reminds us that it hasn't been prepared for the created angels to rule but that Christ will be the ruler -- the King of Kings -- the Lord of Lords -- the Alpha and the Omega -- because through His death and resurrection, He was crowned with glory and honor and placed above all names and above all thrones -- all of creation -- even the angels -- will be subject to Christ our King
-- this means that even though we may be living in a fallen world now, it won't always be that way -- even though things may look bad right now, they won't always be that way -- God's kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth and is heaven -- there will be a time where there is restoration and an end to tears -- even though it may not look like it right now, there is always hope
-- Job experienced the restoration of God at the end of the book, when all was restored to him, including wealth and health and family -- and you will experience restoration as well, no matter what you are going through right now
-- verse 10
10. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
12. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."
13. And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
14. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--
15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
16. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.
-- the author reminds us here that Jesus became one of us -- He came to earth clothed in flesh -- remaining fully God while becoming fully human -- He shared in our humanity -- He shared in our lives -- and He shared in our suffering -- as Lucado points out "Jesus has been there"
-- Lucado says the phrase, "I've been there, too" is in the chorus of Jesus' theme song -- what are you going through today? -- Jesus has been there, too -- the Bible tells us that He suffered every temptation -- that He endured all the same pain and trials that make up our lives -- so that He could bear them for us on the cross and intercede for us as our High Priest at the right hand of God
-- Lucado writes, "Are your looks run-of-the-mill and your ways simple? So were His. He's been there. -- questionable pedigree -- raised in an overlooked nation among oppressed people in an obscure village -- simple home -- single mom -- an ordinary laborer with orginary looks" -- however you live -- wherever you are -- He's been there
-- "ever feel as if you need to get away? -- so did Jesus -- ever had so many demands that you can't stop for lunch? -- He can relate -- Do you have too much e-mail to fit in a screen or too many calls to make in a day? -- Christ has been there too" as the crowds came to Him and pressed on His time
-- how about family tension? -- Jesus' family tried to take Him home because they said He was out of His mind -- have you been falsely accused? -- Jesus was too -- do your friends ever let you down? -- "When Christ needed help, His friends dozed off."
-- "unsure of the future? -- Jesus was" -- He pointed out that even He did not know when the day of His coming would be, but only the Father in Heaven -- "knowing that you would face the unknown, he chose to face the same"
-- "Jesus has been there -- He experienced all the pain, all the testing -- He was hungry enough to eat raw grain -- distraught enough to weep in public -- fun loving enough to be called a drunkard -- winsome enough to attract kids -- weary enough to sleep in a storm-bounced boat -- poor enough to sleep on dirt and borrow a coin for a sermon illustration -- radical enough to get kicked out of town -- responsible enough to care for his mother -- tempted enough to know the smell of satan and fearful enough to sweat blood"
--" whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel -- He's been there"
-- what Lucado points out in his striking way is exactly what the write of Hebrews is telling us here -- Jesus became one of us so He could experience everything that we experience -- not only our joys and our hopes and the good times -- but also the temptation and the trials and the tribulations and the troubles -- and, because He was sinless, the Bible tells us that God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us on the cross
-- what ever you are going through today, you can be sure of one thing -- Jesus understands because He's been there too
B. What does this mean for us?
-- so, what does this mean for us? -- two things
-- look at verse Hebrews 2:17-18
17. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
18. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
-- first, realize that Jesus can minister to us because He's been there -- He can show mercy, because He understands what we go through on a daily basis -- and because He understands -- because He Himself suffered and was tempted -- He was not satisfied with leaving us in our condition without hope -- He took upon Himself our sufferings and our sins so that He might make atonement for us -- so that He might bear them for us on the cross and give us hope and a future with Him
-- the focus of this chapter is to restore faith in those of us in pain -- to keep us from drifting away from our faith in the midst of trials and tribulations -- in answer to our questions -- what can we do about it? -- who can we turn to for help? -- who knows what we are going through? -- who can minister to us?
-- the writer tells us to look to Christ -- to trust in His promise of eternal life and salvation through Him -- there is someone who understands -- there is someone who knows what we are going through -- and because of that, He can minister to us and take care of us as no one else can
-- if you are going through a trial in your life right now, don't turn away from God, but turn to Him and trust in His providence and restoration
-- secondly, minister to others through our struggles and through our experiences -- the best ministers -- the best friends -- are those who have been there and who understand what the other person is going through
-- someone who has lost a parent is the best minister for someone grieving the loss of a father -- someone who has lost a child is the best minister for someone going through the same situation -- someone who has experienced the pains of addiction can better minister to someone struggling in that same area
-- couple of quick examples -- friend Rivers passed away this week -- rough life -- he was a member of a motorcycle gang -- problems with drugs and alcohol -- but after he was saved, he was able to reach out to those going through similar issues because he knew what they felt -- he understood because he had been in their shoes
-- helping out friend who has just gotten appointed to a charge in this district -- I had been there -- I knew the issues -- I knew the paperwork -- I knew how to fill things out -- I could help him because I had walked that way before
-- Jesus can work through you as you seek to help others through their issues
III. Closing and Application
-- what are you going through today? -- Jesus has been there -- He can help you through it -- He understands and He is interceding for you at the right hand of God -- trust in Him and in His promises, and hold fast to your faith -- and let others minister to you as they share how God worked through them in similar situations
-- and think for a minute about who can you help today? -- who do you know is suffering through trials or tribulations that you might minister to today? -- who do you know that doesn't know the Lord and doesn't have His promise of eternal life with Him? -- who can you reach out to today?
-- as I close, let me share with you one ministry that exemplifies this concept -- Stephen Ministries was formed to train church members to provide one-to-one Christian care to those who are bereaved, in the hospital, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, or facing some other crisis or life challenge -- if God has spoken to you through this message this morning, He may be leading you to become involved in Stephen Ministries or some other similar ministry
-- regardless of where you are this morning -- whether you are in the middle of trials and sufferings in your life or whether you have experiences to offer others -- if you have been touched by God, I would invite you to respond to His word as He leads you
-- let's pray
31 July 2005
I. Introduction
-- turn to Job 1:13-22
13. One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
14. a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
15. and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
16. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
17. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
18. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
19. when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
20. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
21. and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
22. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
-- there once was this man who didn't have much, but he had a donkey that meant the world to him -- one day, the donkey fell into an old abandoned well on the farm -- the donkey, being a donkey -- kicked and kicked -- when that didn't seem to help, it brayed and brayed -- it made a terrible commotion, but no one came to help it
-- the donkey was exhausted and resting wearily by the side of the well, when its owner noticed it was missing -- the owner became concerned about his donkey and he searched everywhere he could think of -- he could not find his donkey -- he went to his neighbors and asked them to help -- they searched everywhere -- but no luck -- the donkey appeared to be missing for good
-- the neighbors gathered in the man's farmyard and tried to console him -- it was then that one of the men looked into the old abandoned well and saw the missing donkey -- the men spent the rest of the day and most of the night trying to get a rope around the donkey stuck at the bottom of the well -- they were unable to accomplish the feat -- they felt defeated -- the owner of the donkey felt terrible
-- they talked about it and the wisest among them suggested that they fill in the abandoned well -- it would bury the donkey, but it would prevent the same tragedy from befalling someone else -- perhaps a child -- so they agreed that this was what they would do
-- the men took turns throwing a shovel full of dirt into the hole
-- the owner felt terrible for the donkey -- he felt terrible for himself and his loss -- he didn't have much, but he always had a donkey -- now he wouldn't even have that
-- once the first shovel of dirt hit the donkey, the animal found renewed energy -- it brayed even louder than he had before -- the men turned their eyes from one another and pretended not to hear the donkey's pleadings -- as more and more dirt fell into the hole, the donkey began to understand the hopelessness of its situation -- it began to give up
-- then it happened -- the donkey realized that the dirt was a gift -- with each scoop of dirt that fell into the well, the donkey shook the dirt off it's back and took a step up onto the top of the pile of dirt forming at the bottom of the well -- more dirt, another shake, and then another step up
-- the men kept shoveling, certain that they were burying the donkey -- after much shoveling, the men were quite surprised to see the donkey at eye level -- it was standing on top of all that dirt that had been dropped on it -- it calmly shook itself clean and walked out of the filled-in well
-- how many of you have ever felt like a donkey in the bottom of a well? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one cared that you were lost and alone and afraid and being covered with dirt? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one knew what you were going through and that no one could help?
-- I think we can all identify with the donkey in this story -- because we live in a fallen world, filled with trials and tribulations and sorrows, we can sometimes find ourself in the bottom of a well with no obvious way out
-- it seems like life just keeps throwing dirt on us -- and things just don't go our way -- we understand what it means when people say, "when it rains, it pours" -- we understand that old joke, "someone told me to cheer up, things could get worse -- so I cheered up and sure enough, things got worse"
-- we look at our lives and we feel like Job -- in one moment, Job lost his children, his home, his job, his income, his health, and all his wealth -- he was doing everything he could to live right and to do right but then one day he looked up and realized that he was sitting in the bottom of a well, alone and abandoned, and the world and his friends just kept throwing dirt on him
-- in Job 3:24-26, Job sums up just how he thinks his life is going: 24. For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water. 25. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. 26. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."
-- Job was having a bad day -- a bad life -- and it seemed like no one cared and no one understood and no one could do anything about it
-- can you relate to Job? -- can you understand what he was going through? -- have you ever had similar emotions in your own life? -- I think we all have at some point or the other
-- so, that brings us to the questions that Job struggled with throughout this book -- why is this happening? -- what can we do about it? -- who can we turn to for help? -- who knows what we are going through? -- who can minister to us?
-- the answers to those questions can only be found through Christ
II. Scripture Lesson
-- if you would, please turn over to Hebrews 2 -- one of the books I am currently reading is "Next Door Savior" by Max Lucado -- and in this book, he speaks to people who are going through situations similar to Job's -- to people who are hurting and feeling like no one understands and no one cares and no one can do anything
-- and Lucado points out a concept in this book about Christ that I want us to consider this morning by looking at this passage in Hebrews
A. Jesus has been there
-- Hebrews 2, verse 1-4
1. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
2. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
3. how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
-- when you look around and find yourself in the bottom of a well -- when you're going through life in a valley of despair -- it's hard -- it's difficult -- and when you are going through times like this, it could cause you to drift in your faith -- to doubt God and His promises -- and to turn away from Him -- the only One who can truly help
-- in these verses, the writer of Hebrews warns us to not let our faith drift when we are confronted with difficult times in our lives -- but to stand fast by holding firm to the evidences of our faith through Jesus
-- when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God had each of the 12 tribes take one stone from the middle of the river to use in making an altar -- these stones were to be physical reminders of the presence and work of God in their lives
-- one way to keep your faith from drifting during times of trial and trouble is by storing up stones of remembrance -- spiritual stones -- that remind you of the times that God has helped in the past and to encourage you that He will always be with you and take care of you in the future
-- verse 5
5. It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6. But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7. You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8. and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
-- in these verses, the writer reminds us of His promises to us -- of the kingdom to come -- the writer reminds us that it hasn't been prepared for the created angels to rule but that Christ will be the ruler -- the King of Kings -- the Lord of Lords -- the Alpha and the Omega -- because through His death and resurrection, He was crowned with glory and honor and placed above all names and above all thrones -- all of creation -- even the angels -- will be subject to Christ our King
-- this means that even though we may be living in a fallen world now, it won't always be that way -- even though things may look bad right now, they won't always be that way -- God's kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth and is heaven -- there will be a time where there is restoration and an end to tears -- even though it may not look like it right now, there is always hope
-- Job experienced the restoration of God at the end of the book, when all was restored to him, including wealth and health and family -- and you will experience restoration as well, no matter what you are going through right now
-- verse 10
10. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
12. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."
13. And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
14. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--
15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
16. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.
-- the author reminds us here that Jesus became one of us -- He came to earth clothed in flesh -- remaining fully God while becoming fully human -- He shared in our humanity -- He shared in our lives -- and He shared in our suffering -- as Lucado points out "Jesus has been there"
-- Lucado says the phrase, "I've been there, too" is in the chorus of Jesus' theme song -- what are you going through today? -- Jesus has been there, too -- the Bible tells us that He suffered every temptation -- that He endured all the same pain and trials that make up our lives -- so that He could bear them for us on the cross and intercede for us as our High Priest at the right hand of God
-- Lucado writes, "Are your looks run-of-the-mill and your ways simple? So were His. He's been there. -- questionable pedigree -- raised in an overlooked nation among oppressed people in an obscure village -- simple home -- single mom -- an ordinary laborer with orginary looks" -- however you live -- wherever you are -- He's been there
-- "ever feel as if you need to get away? -- so did Jesus -- ever had so many demands that you can't stop for lunch? -- He can relate -- Do you have too much e-mail to fit in a screen or too many calls to make in a day? -- Christ has been there too" as the crowds came to Him and pressed on His time
-- how about family tension? -- Jesus' family tried to take Him home because they said He was out of His mind -- have you been falsely accused? -- Jesus was too -- do your friends ever let you down? -- "When Christ needed help, His friends dozed off."
-- "unsure of the future? -- Jesus was" -- He pointed out that even He did not know when the day of His coming would be, but only the Father in Heaven -- "knowing that you would face the unknown, he chose to face the same"
-- "Jesus has been there -- He experienced all the pain, all the testing -- He was hungry enough to eat raw grain -- distraught enough to weep in public -- fun loving enough to be called a drunkard -- winsome enough to attract kids -- weary enough to sleep in a storm-bounced boat -- poor enough to sleep on dirt and borrow a coin for a sermon illustration -- radical enough to get kicked out of town -- responsible enough to care for his mother -- tempted enough to know the smell of satan and fearful enough to sweat blood"
--" whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel -- He's been there"
-- what Lucado points out in his striking way is exactly what the write of Hebrews is telling us here -- Jesus became one of us so He could experience everything that we experience -- not only our joys and our hopes and the good times -- but also the temptation and the trials and the tribulations and the troubles -- and, because He was sinless, the Bible tells us that God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us on the cross
-- what ever you are going through today, you can be sure of one thing -- Jesus understands because He's been there too
B. What does this mean for us?
-- so, what does this mean for us? -- two things
-- look at verse Hebrews 2:17-18
17. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
18. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
-- first, realize that Jesus can minister to us because He's been there -- He can show mercy, because He understands what we go through on a daily basis -- and because He understands -- because He Himself suffered and was tempted -- He was not satisfied with leaving us in our condition without hope -- He took upon Himself our sufferings and our sins so that He might make atonement for us -- so that He might bear them for us on the cross and give us hope and a future with Him
-- the focus of this chapter is to restore faith in those of us in pain -- to keep us from drifting away from our faith in the midst of trials and tribulations -- in answer to our questions -- what can we do about it? -- who can we turn to for help? -- who knows what we are going through? -- who can minister to us?
-- the writer tells us to look to Christ -- to trust in His promise of eternal life and salvation through Him -- there is someone who understands -- there is someone who knows what we are going through -- and because of that, He can minister to us and take care of us as no one else can
-- if you are going through a trial in your life right now, don't turn away from God, but turn to Him and trust in His providence and restoration
-- secondly, minister to others through our struggles and through our experiences -- the best ministers -- the best friends -- are those who have been there and who understand what the other person is going through
-- someone who has lost a parent is the best minister for someone grieving the loss of a father -- someone who has lost a child is the best minister for someone going through the same situation -- someone who has experienced the pains of addiction can better minister to someone struggling in that same area
-- couple of quick examples -- friend Rivers passed away this week -- rough life -- he was a member of a motorcycle gang -- problems with drugs and alcohol -- but after he was saved, he was able to reach out to those going through similar issues because he knew what they felt -- he understood because he had been in their shoes
-- helping out friend who has just gotten appointed to a charge in this district -- I had been there -- I knew the issues -- I knew the paperwork -- I knew how to fill things out -- I could help him because I had walked that way before
-- Jesus can work through you as you seek to help others through their issues
III. Closing and Application
-- what are you going through today? -- Jesus has been there -- He can help you through it -- He understands and He is interceding for you at the right hand of God -- trust in Him and in His promises, and hold fast to your faith -- and let others minister to you as they share how God worked through them in similar situations
-- and think for a minute about who can you help today? -- who do you know is suffering through trials or tribulations that you might minister to today? -- who do you know that doesn't know the Lord and doesn't have His promise of eternal life with Him? -- who can you reach out to today?
-- as I close, let me share with you one ministry that exemplifies this concept -- Stephen Ministries was formed to train church members to provide one-to-one Christian care to those who are bereaved, in the hospital, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, or facing some other crisis or life challenge -- if God has spoken to you through this message this morning, He may be leading you to become involved in Stephen Ministries or some other similar ministry
-- regardless of where you are this morning -- whether you are in the middle of trials and sufferings in your life or whether you have experiences to offer others -- if you have been touched by God, I would invite you to respond to His word as He leads you
-- let's pray
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