THE PARABLE OF THE BIG GREEN VAN

We had been having problems with my wife's van. We had purchased it used, and it ran good for several years. But then, things started to fall apart. It just wouldn't run good. It took several tries to crank it, and when you pulled up to a red light or stop sign, it would die and you would have to recrank it. Despite how it looked on the outside, there was a problem with the van. It was an internal problem. There was something wrong with the heart of the machine -- with the engine. Something was missing. Something was wrong.

A friend of ours said he had the answer. We just weren't getting enough fuel. We just needed more power. So he came over and changed out the fuel filter and the air filter. "This will do it," he said. "You won't have any problems now." And we didn't, at least on the way home. But the next morning, the same thing happened again. Something just wasn't right. We knew it, but just didn't know what we needed.

Our friends and I tried everything we could to fix the problem, but to no avail. The fuel filter didn't work. The air filter didn't work. Fixing the exhaust leak -- no help. Fuel additives -- still nothing. There was absolutely nothing that we could do to fix the problem. Finally, we faced the fact that there was no other option -- we went forward and found a professional to look at it.

The mechanic immediately hooked up his diagnostic computer and compared our engine to the model standard in the machine. There was a problem. We weren't firing on all cylinders. And, if we didn't do something quick, we were facing the death of our engine. "Do whatever you have to," we pleaded. "Fix our engine."

The mechanic searched out the problem and discovered what was wrong. A rock -- as amazing as it might sound -- a rock had somehow gotten kicked up from the road and lodged itself between a sparkplug and the electronic fuel system, causing the engine to misfire. With all his skill, it took him over three hours to chip away at that rock. It seemed like the engine just wouldn't let it go. Chip after agonizing chip, but three hours later, the rock was gone and a brand new, bright and shiny sparkplug and repaired boot were in place. The engine hummed and purred like new.

What was damaged had been restored. What was missing had been replaced. All it took was a little humbleness and confession on our part that we knew something was wrong and that we were incapable of fixing it. And the loving and skillful hands of a great physician (mechanic) cured our van and brought new life out of an engine that many had written off as lost for good.

THE END OF AN ERA

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has just announced that the Crusade held last June in New York was Rev. Graham's last preaching event. In the world of evangelists, Rev. Graham stands head and shoulders above the rest. His name will be remembered alongside other great heroes of the faith, including John Wesley, George Whitfield, D.L. Moody, Charles Finney, and Bill Bright.

Over the last 100 years, no single person that I can think of has done more to impact this world for Christ through evangelism than Rev. Graham. Rev. Graham has probably preached to more people in his evangelistic career than any other evangelist in history. I read his autobiography, "Just as I am," several years ago, and was amazed at how God had used Rev. Graham through out his life.

I have attended several Promise Keeper's events throughout the southeast, and I have always been amazed that 40,000 men would gather together to praise God in one place like that. But, during the early years of Rev. Graham's ministry, he preached a revival/crusade in Los Angeles to 100,000 people nightly -- for six months!!! I simply cannot fathom how that is possible. It is obvious that God chose Rev. Graham to reap a harvest here on earth that none will ever surpass.

Growing up in the 70's and 80's, we regularly saw Billy Graham Crusades on the t.v. We didn't think much of it. Sometimes we'd watch but, more than often, we'd just find something else. It saddens me to think of how much I missed over the years by not listening to Rev. Graham more than I did. God used him to touch so many lives, and I can't help but think that my life might have been richer if I had only listened to his teaching more often and applied it to my life at an earlier age.

So, as we watch the passing of an era, all we can do is say, "Thanks, Billy, for the lives that you have touched for Christ. You were an inspiration to us and heaven will be a little brighter because of the souls that were introduced to Christ through you."

WHERE IS THE OUTCRY?

My wife and I are big fans of the Fox show "24." This is the show that stars Kiefer Sutherland as a special agent of the U.S. Government serving for an agency called C.T.U. -- Counter-Terrorism Unit. The show takes its name from the premise that one season shows you what happens to Kiefer during one 24-hour day.

The show is well-written and generally revolves around the spectre of terrorism -- both domestic and imported. Recent seasons have seen Kiefer involved in thwarting drug lords bent on terrorizing the country to Muslim terrorists attacking nuclear plants and threatening U.S. cities with nuclear weapons. Sadly, in our day, the plots could be real and they highlight the violent age that we live in.

The one issue that I have with the show is that, invariable, Kiefer's character is called upon to torture suspects in order to obtain the information that our country needs to save lives. This has raised numerous discussions between my wife and myself on the issue of the morality of torture. The show displays the horror of torture and then makes the case that it is better for one to suffer -- especially if they are suspected of being a terrorist -- than for many hundred or thousands or even millions of Americans be harmed.

Now, it appears, that life is imitating art. This week we have read in the news of the White House's threats to veto the Defense Spending Bill because it contained an amendment by Senator John McCain outlawing the use of torture of suspected terrorists. Senator McCain's amendment passed the Senate with a vote of 90 to 9, indicating the overwhelming opinion of the Senate on the issue of U.S.-sanctioned torture. Senator McCain, if you remember, was a POW during Viet Nam, so he is well versed in this subject.

The general slant of the media is against the White House's overtures, but that is not surprising. The majority of the media is going to be against anything that comes out of the Bush administration. But, what is surprising, is the lack of moral outcry on this issue from the general public or from the Christian community.

Granted, I did not perform an exhaustive search, but I did check a few of the major evangelical websites to see what was being mentioned on the issue. Focus on the Family had nothing. Chuck Colson (Breakpoint) had a commentary on the issue, but seemed more concern with torture for entertainment as portrayed by the show "Fear Factor" (have to agree with Chuck on this one). Samaritan's Purse (Franklin Graham) -- nothing. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website had information on the torture of Christians around the world, but nothing on the issue at hand in the U.S.

This is not a television show. This is not going to wrap itself up nicely at the end of the hour or at the end of the season. We are talking about real men here. Maybe they are terrorists. Maybe they have conducted crimes against humanity. But what are we doing if we follow in their footsteps? What are we becoming if we follow in their footsteps?

Chuck Colson, in the article I cited above, states, "Most commentators believe that torture is something in which no civilized people should engage. That includes the torture of terrorists or kidnappers for information." I agree.

Our country was founded on the principle of freedom, primarily religious freedom, but freedom none-the-less. We are the spokesman for freedom for this world. A light shining in the darkness. Our constitution stands as one of the greatest documents ever crafted, and the protections and rights it affords men and women are still the greatest ever provided. What message are we sending to the world when we even contemplate the spectre of government-sanctioned torture? With the horrors of Abu Ghraib fresh in our collective consciousness, how can we even be debating the issue of torture?

Torture may be the best and most expedient way to gather information from enemies. But, our God calls us to a higher standard. God calls us to stand up for justice and to speak out against injustice. Torture is not justice. Torture, especially the torture of another for personal gain (even to save American lives), is injustice. The argument, "it is better for one to suffer (or die) so that others might live" was the same argument that Caiaphus used when justifying the death of Jesus (John 18:14). It is one thing to willingly accept persecution and suffering on yourself, but it is quite a different thing to inflict it upon another, no matter how deserved. The ends do not justify the means, if those means are injust and immoral.

It is time the Christian community stood together as one and spoke out against the proposed injustice of torture by our country. I urge you to first of all pray to God about this issue facing our nation, and then I urge you to speak out on this issue in your churches and to your friends and to our elected officials.

THOUGHTS ON A CHRISTIAN CONCERT

O.K. I have a confession to make. I like contemporary Christian music. In fact, since a new contemporary Christian radio station finally made it's way into south Georgia about three years ago, I have (almost) completely switched over to the genre.

I know. I've heard the critics. First there's those who say the music lacks depth, it lacks integrity, it lacks style. It is just a cheap imitation of secular pop and rock music with the lyrics changed to talk about Jesus instead of love. And I have to admit, there may be some truth in that charge, at least for a few bands. And, there are a few bands out there that seem to be in it only for the money. But, the majority of the Christian groups out there are producing their own style of music, built around the truth of the gospel, which brings up the second major complaint of the critics.

Some say that the music on the Christian stations waters down the gospel to make it palatable for secular audiences. And, if you listen to a lot of Christian radio, you would have to agree that a large majority of the bands out there do that. They seem to steer away from actually mentioning Jesus by name or by really getting the message of the gospel across to those who are listening. But then, there are some who are.

Last night I went to a Casting Crowns concert here in Valdosta. Casting Crowns is a Georgia-based band that burst on the contemporary Christian scene about 2 years ago and who have been making waves ever since. The members of the band are youth pastors or are involved in other ministries, and their songs reach out and touch our younger generations in a way that few other bands do. Their songs not only mention Jesus by name, but they are very "in-your-face" in regards to the way that we do church.

For instance, in their song "If We Are the Body," the group tells the story of a girl who comes to church but is teased by the other girls and leaves. The chorus says, "If we are the body, then why aren't His arms reaching, why aren't His hands healing, why aren't His words teaching? If we are the body, why aren't His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?" Last night in the concert, Mark Hall, the lead singer, said that this song was written about a real girl who came to his youth group one night and who was teased by other girls in the group. On their current album, they continue to raise questions that challenge us as Christians and the Church. In "Stained Glass Masquerade" they raise the question of hypocrisy and ask if the church is just full of painted plastic people hiding behind our masks, and in another song they ask if we even notice the people in the shadow of our steeples who need our help.

I was very impressed with the concert last night. It was more than a concert -- it was a worship event. They discussed why their songs were written -- the stories behind the music and the events that had shaped their lives and their ministry. And, a first for me, they had an intermission where an evangelist came out and spoke to the (primarily) teen-aged crowd in the place. Several hundred people were saved last night at the altar call following the message.

So, despite what all the critics say, contemporary Christian music is touching people and God is using it to change lives. Maybe it's not for everyone. Maybe it's not for you. But let's not criticize something that God is using to reach teens for the kingdom.

THE NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
6 November 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 3 [read 3:1-8; 4:1-13]
-- have you ever come to church on a Sunday morning and left thinking, "That's it?" -- have you ever come to church on a Sunday morning and left thinking that there should just be more -- more to life -- more to God -- more of God's power
-- I have -- you know, I read in the Bibles the stories of the great heroes of the faith -- about David standing before a giant with just five stones and sling and trusting God will give him the victory -- or the story of Daniel being thrown into a lion's den for refusing to deny his faith and trusting that God will deliver him -- or the story of Elijah standing on Mount Carmel, calling down fire to light the drenched wood on the altar in the presence of the entire nation of Israel
-- and I think, "Why isn't God doing that now?"
-- I read the stories of the great heroes of the faith -- John Wesley and his part in the Great Awakening that brought revival to England and America -- Billy Graham preaching to hundreds of thousands of people and bringing revival to Los Angeles -- Charles Finney and D.L. Moody and Corrie Ten Boom and all the others who preached and prayed and watched God work through them in such powerful ways
-- and I think, "Why isn't God doing that now?"

-- and I can't help but think, "Maybe it's me" -- maybe I'm just not smart enough -- maybe my faith is not strong enough -- maybe I don't know the Bible well enough -- maybe I can't pray eloquent prayers and tell others about God like those men and women in our Bibles and those great men and women of faith that we read about -- maybe I'm the reason why we aren't seeing revival or seeing miracles happen in our midst -- maybe it's me -- I mean, what can I do? -- I'm just an ordinary man -- why should I expect God to work through me? -- why should you expect God to work through you? -- we're just ordinary folks -- we're not spiritual giants
-- but the message of the Bible is quite clear -- God doesn't wait for extraordinary men and women to be born before He accomplishes His work -- He uses ordinary men and women -- people like us -- to shake nations to their knees and to turn worlds upside down
-- David was just an ordinary shepherd boy when he stood up to Goliath with nothing more than five stones and a sling -- Daniel was just an ordinary government employee when he stood up for God in the workplace -- and James 5:17 tells us that Elijah was an ordinary man -- just like us -- when God worked mightily through him
-- in fact, you could make the case that God always chooses the ordinary to demonstrate His power -- in 1 Corinthians 1:27, Paul writes, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" -- in other words, God chooses ordinary, everyday Christians as the ones He will use to further His kingdom here on earth
-- think about the disciples that Jesus chose when He started His ministry here on earth -- they were all regular, ordinary people -- fishermen and tax collectors and blue collar workers -- when he called them, there wasn't a single spiritual giant in the bunch -- they definitely were part of the foolish and weak things of the world
-- but God did great things through them -- think about Peter and John -- this passage tells us that they were unschooled, ordinary men -- nothing special about them at all -- but one day, as they were entering the temple in Jerusalem, they saw a man standing by the gate who was crippled from birth -- and even though they were ordinary -- even though they were unschooled -- even though they didn't know the Bible very well and couldn't pray like the Pharisees -- they healed the man in the name of Jesus and immediately his feet and ankles became strong and his legs became strong and he got up and started to jump for joy

-- God's power flowed through them and resulted in a great miracle -- how was that possible? -- and why isn't it happening in our lives and in our churches today? -- why do our prayer lists stay filled with names week after week after week?
-- is it me? -- is it you? -- is it because we're just a small country church?
-- why do we leave church on Sundays wishing there was more? -- why do we go through life without seeing God's power being made manifest in our lives and in our churches and in the lives of those around us?

-- many years ago, Watchman Nee, the great Chinese evangelist, wrote a book called, "The Normal Christian Life" -- and in this book he makes the case that what we are seeing in our churches today is not the normal Christian life -- it is not normal for us to come to church on Sunday and not see God work -- it is not normal for us to pray for people on our prayer list and to not see them touched by God -- it is not normal for us to see the morals of our country continue to take a downward spiral while the church continues to decline
-- the normal Christian life should be exemplified by God's power -- by His presence in His people -- working in the world to accomplish His purposes -- Peter and John were not spiritual giants -- they were unschooled, ordinary men -- they were normal Christians living the normal Christian life -- unfortunately, most of us in our churches today are not living the normal Christian life but are living abnormal lives devoid of God's power
-- so, what is the secret to unlocking the mysteries of the normal Christian life? -- we see it right here in Acts 4:13 -- look at it again with me [read 4:13]

-- the first criteria for living the normal Christian life is to be normal -- to be everyday, ordinary folk -- just like Peter and John -- just like David -- just like Daniel -- and just like Elijah
-- this means that you don't have to know the Bible frontwards and backwards -- this means that you don't have to know the four Spiritual laws and be able to say them without fail to every person you meet -- this means that you don't have to have a prayer life where you are praying for eight hours a day -- sure, if you can do that, God can still use you -- but He prefers to use normal, ordinary folk because it more clearly demonstrates His power to a watching world
-- I like to use myself as an example in this regard -- I didn't grow up going to church and Sunday School every week -- I didn't read the Bible every day or have this great prayer life -- I certainly didn't have any plans to ever be a pastor -- I was the last person anyone would think would be a pastor -- but after I was saved, God called me into the ministry -- and if God can use me, then He can use anyone
-- so, if you are just a normal, ordinary person this morning, then you have already met the first requirement for living the normal Christian life

-- the second criteria for living the normal Christian life is to be in a relationship with Jesus -- this verse says that the priests noted nothing out of the ordinary about Peter and John except that they had been with Jesus
-- what was the one thing that was common among all the heroes of the faith I mentioned earlier? -- what was the one thing that was common among all those great men and women mentioned in the Bible? -- they knew God -- they were in a relationship with God
-- and, if you are going to live the normal Christian life, then you are going to have to be in a relationship with God, too -- this means more than just coming to church on Sunday -- this means more than just knowing the Bible inside and out -- this means more than having your name on the membership roll with the Methodist Church
-- to be in a relationship with God means, first, that you have recognized that you are a sinner and that the only way for you to be saved is by turning away from your sins and asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins by washing you in His blood which was shed for you -- by accepting through faith His death on the cross and believing in your heart that He is the Son of God and that He rose on the third day
-- but, to be in a relationship with God also means that you keep short accounts with Him -- that you are growing in your faith and that you are spending time with God on a daily basis through prayer and through His word -- that you are constantly repenting of your sins and seeking God's grace and forgiveness in your life
-- God can't work through you unless you are in a relationship with Him

-- the final criteria for living the normal Christian life is that you have courage -- this means that you have faith in Christ -- not only are you in a relationship with Him, but you are trusting Him with your life and with everything in your life
-- to have courage in Christ means that you trust that God is going to work in you and through you in power -- it took courage for Peter and John to grab the hand of the crippled man next to the gate and trust that God would heal him -- it took courage for David to stand before a giant and trust that God would give him the victory -- it took courage for Daniel to stand up to an evil decree and be cast into the lion's den, trusting that God would deliver him
-- and it will take courage for you to put aside your doubt and your fears and start trusting God to work in your life and in this church on a regular basis
-- in John 14, Jesus said that we would do what He had been doing -- in fact, He said, we would even do greater things than He had been doing
-- having courage in Christ means that you trust that what Jesus said is true and then you step forward in faith to do the things that He did
-- think for a moment about what Jesus did when He was here on earth -- He ministered to those in need -- He took care of the poor and the oppressed -- He healed the sick -- He taught the Word of God -- and He led people to salvation
-- these things characterize the life of a normal Christian -- these things characterize the life of a normal church -- when you leave here on a Sunday morning longing for more, this is what you are longing for
-- if you would, flip over to James 5 and we'll close there -- James, the brother of Jesus, was great for giving us practical examples and applications of the normal Christian life -- look with me at James 5:13 and let's see how James saw us living out the ministry of Jesus in our daily lives [read James 5:13-20]
-- in each of the examples that James gave, he told us to have courage in Christ to take care of them -- if someone is sick, then we should pray and trust that they will be healed -- if they are in need, then we should pray and take care of them and trust that God will work through us to meet their needs -- if someone is in need of the Savior, then we are to pray and to lead them to Christ, trusting that He will give us the words to say and will convict them of their sin
-- in each case -- whether it's in ministry or in worship -- James says that we are to have courage in Christ -- to trust Christ -- to work in us and through us to change the world around us


Closing
-- there should be passion and power in the life of a normal Christian -- we should not be satisfied with just coming to church and not seeing anything happen -- we should not be satisfied with our prayers hitting the ceiling and coming back -- we should not be satisfied with living a life devoid of the power and presence of God
-- the normal Christian life should be one of adventure -- the normal Christian life should be one where miracles are experienced daily
-- the normal Christian should be a person who knows God and who is in a relationship with God -- who expects the power of the Holy Spirit to be made manifest in their life and who won't settle for anything less than having their lives transformed through His life-changing grace
-- what does it take to experience the normal Christian life? -- first, we need to get serious about repentence from sin and seeking God's forgiveness for our sin -- and, secondly, we need to live with courage in Christ -- trusting and expecting Him to work in each and every circumstance that we are confronted with -- whether that's a person who needs healing or a person who needs to know Jesus as their Savior
-- the normal Christian life is summed up by Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -- if you are not willing to step out in faith and start living the normal Christian life with the power and presence of Christ in you -- then we need to remove that verse from our Bible and stop wasting time coming to church on Sunday morning
-- the normal Christian life trusts that we can do all things through Christ -- to believe anything else is abnormal -- which are you?
-- if God has spoken to you this morning and you feel like you need to make a committment to Him, then I would invite you to come to the altar and to get right with Him before you leave
-- let us pray

METHODIST COUNCIL FINDS AGAINST STROUD

In a somewhat surprising verdict in the on-going case of a lesbian Methodist pastor, the Judicial Council for the United Methodist Church ruled that the pastor, Beth Stroud, should be defrocked and her ordination revoked.

Articles on this case can be read here:

Reuter's "My Way News"

Official United Methodist Church Response

CHARGE CONFERENCE

This morning we completed our charge conference for the two small Methodist churches that I pastor here in south-central Georgia. At times, I have serious doubts about the future of the Methodist Church.

I look at what is going on with our denomination on a national level, and I am worried because of what I see. I see how our denomination has steadily lost members over the past forty years despite an increasing population in the nation. I watch as our leaders promote abortion and homosexuality and liberal theology. I stand by as I see concern over social issues take greater importance than leading people to Christ.

But then, there are days like today. Days when I see two small churches come together as one with a common goal and a common mission -- to share in Jesus' mission to seek and to save what was lost. Days when we join together to celebrate the ministries and the ways God has worked in our lives and in our churches over the past year. And days in which we look forward to what God is going to do in our midst in the year to come.

Our District Superintendent, Rev. Don Adams, preached a stirring message hearkening back first to the roots of Methodism. He told about the early circuit riders in this country, who desired nothing except to fulfill Wesley's command, "You have nothing to do but save souls." He spoke of their faith and their determination and their fruit. And then he encouraged us to go forward on their faith and to let God work in us and through us to reach this world for Christ.

As he preached I was reminded of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." We had homecoming at one of our churches last week, and I had the same thought. The witness of those before us -- the stories of how God worked in them and through them to effect this community in days gone past, should inspire us to trust that God will work through us as well.

Rev. Adams finished his message with the same command as Wesley, "you have nothing to do but save souls," reminding us that this is why we exist. This is why we gather together on Sunday morning. This is why we proclaim the name "Christian." This is why Christ called us.

Today was a good day. A day of hope and a day of challenge. May we all approach this day with the same focus and may we all work with Jesus to seek and save the lost above all else.

GOD'S TIMING VERSUS SATAN'S TIMING

As Christians, we are used to the phrase, "God's timing," used in relation to those times when things just don't work in the time that we expect. For instance, when we pray for someone to be healed, and it just doesn't happen for years and years, we say, "it is just not God's timing." When someone applies to participate in a Walk to Emmaus event and is not chosen for several years, despite the fact that they should have been chosen earlier, we say, "it must be God's timing for them to go now."

When we say this, I would hope that we aren't just being flippant but that we are truly recognizing God's sovereignity and that, just as His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, God's timing is not our timing. God works in His own way and in His own time to accomplish His purposes. Just because something doesn't happen in the way we expect or in the time that we expect, that doesn't mean that God is not active behind the scenes.

When God delays or when God's actions in our lives and in our prayers are not evident, these are times when our faith is challenged and stretched and grown. It is during the times when God is silent that we learn to trust in faith, to walk in blindness, even though we don't understand. But, through these times of silence, as we wait for God's timing to be made manifest, there is a sweet peace as we rest in the arms of our Lord and Savior and trust in His ways and His timing.

In contrast, I have recently become aware of a phenomenon that I call "Satan's timing." These are times of either waiting or hurry, but that are accompanied with fear and anxiety. For instance, have you ever noticed that when you go to the doctor for a check-up, the doctor's office will invariably call on a Friday afternoon and leave a message on your machine that says, "The doctor needs to talk with you." Then, by the time you get the message, it's too late to call back. So, you spend the whole weekend worrying and fretting over what might be wrong with you. Is it cancer? Is it something worse? What could it be?

Or, how about those times when you are trying to go somewhere and every little distraction in the world pops up and slows you down. You might be headed to a church meeting somewhere, and cars keep cutting you off. You hit every red light enroute to the church. You just can't seem to get there on time. And, instead of this being a time when God is working to slow you down and teach you patience, you are instead confronted with irritableness and anxiety, signs of Satan's handiwork.

God's timing versus Satan's timing. What a contrast. One leads to peace and faith and greater trust to our God and Savior. The other leads to unreasonable fear and anxiety and worry.

When things don't happen in the way and in the timing in which you expect, we need to stop and examine our response to them. Are we sensing God's presence with us, despite delays we don't understand? Or are we just worried and anxious?

In both cases, our response should be the same -- to turn to our God in prayer and to seek His presence and His understanding and help with the situation. If the delay is of God's creation, then it is designed to bring us closer to Him. The best way to do that is through prayer. If the delay is from Satan, then our response should be to seek God's help in answer to our troubles and to ask Him to remove the fear and anxiety and worry that we have.

ANOTHER METHODIST HEARING ON GAY CLERGY

Last December, Beth Stroud, an United Methodist clergy who admitted to being in a lesbian relationship was defrocked and stripped of her ordination. Following an appeal in April, that decision was overturned and is now being appealed again, this time to the Methodist Judicial Council for a final determination as to whether the UMC ban on gay clergy is legal or not. You can read more about this case here in an article from the Houston Chronicle.

DO SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS

Several years ago, Bishop Watson from the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church preached a sermon as part of an evangelistic event. He related the time a somewhat tipsy man at a baseball game found out he was a preacher and gave him $100 and told him, "Do something for the kids." About half-way through the game, the man leaned back over to Bishop Watson and said, "You are really a preacher, aren't you?" After being assured that he hadn't just given $100 away for nothing, the man breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then make sure you do something for the kids."

I don't remember anything else about that sermon, but that story stuck in my mind. According to surveys by George Barna:

"Nearly half (43 percent) of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13. Two out of three born again Christians (64 percent) accept Jesus Christ as their savior before their 18th birthday. One out of eight born again people (13 percent) made their profession of faith while 18 to 21 years old."

This tells me that we -- as Christians and as Christian communities -- should be putting the majority of our time and energy into our children and youth. However, this is not usually the case. In my experience, especially with smaller churches, we just don't do enough to reach out to the children and youth outside of Vacation Bible School. When we do talk about outreaches to children and youth, then we are usually using them as a way to get to the parents. In other words, the children and youth are not the target of our programs -- their parents are.

But, the survey by Barna and our own experiences in church show that if we do not reach our children and youth at an early age, then they may never make a commitment to Christ in their life. Our kids are under extreme anti-Christian and anti-family pressures in their lives -- at school, on the playground, on television and movies, with their peers, and in the extracurricular activities offered to them. If we want to see the kingdom of Christ advanced in this country, then we have to reach out to these kids and show them the love of Christ. We have to show them the alternative to the liberal, secularistic, and immoral society in which they find themselves.

A recent news article ("Mainline church decline caused by fertility rates")has come out announcing that the decrease in primarily liberal mainline denominations and the increase in primarily conservative evangelical denominations and churches has more to do with birth control and the number of children being born to members than anything else. But, perhaps, it has to do with which groups are reaching out to their children, loving them where they are and introducing them to the true God of the Bible.

Abraham Lincoln once said that the philosophy of the schoolyard in one generation will be the philosophy of the nation in the next. We have been reaping this philosophical change from the generations of the 60's and early 70's for several years now, and have been noting declines in our church membership, especially in the membership of people aged 18-30.

I have hope because I have seen how the Spirit of God is working through the contemporary Christian music and worship scene in our teens and college kids, and I have been blessed through participation in the Chrysalis Flight and Journey movements (the teen and college-aged version of the Walk to Emmaus). God is moving through this generation and reaching out to them where we haven't. The question before us then is "when will we start doing something for the kids?"

CHOSEN BY GOD

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
16 October 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Pet 2:9-12

9. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
12. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

-- meeting at Brooke's School -- glanced at playground -- started thinking about what it was like to be in elementary school -- chosen for games
-- biggest, most popular kids always were the team captains -- rest stood in a group as one by one people are chosen -- I was not very athletic or very popular -- I was always one of the last ones chosen
-- remember what that feeling was like -- make you feel unwanted and unloved -- it's not a good thing to not be chosen
-- last year on Survivor, saw the same thing -- two team captains were chosen and then they had to pick team members to be on their tribe -- you watched as people were selected one after the other -- finally, there were only two people left who were not chosen, and they were told they had to go home -- once again, I was reminded that it's not a good thing to not be chosen
-- we all want to be chosen -- we all want to be picked out and separated from the crowd and invited to participate in something -- whether that's in sports or game shows or for something else -- we all want to be picked -- we all want to be chosen
-- the good news of the Christianity is that we were all chosen -- we were all chosen by God -- and we are going to look at that this morning

II. Chosen by God
-- Look back at verse 9

9. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

-- this verse tells us that God always chooses us -- He made us just the way we are for a particular purpose and for a particular reason -- the good news of this verse is that we are not an accident -- we were formed and made and chosen by God for a reason
-- in Jeremiah 1:5, God says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." -- in other words, before God formed us -- before we were created -- before time began -- God chose us
-- in God's kingdom, all are chosen -- all are called to salvation and to work in the kingdom -- none are left standing on the sidelines or are sent home because they are unwanted -- everyone has a place and a purpose and a reason for being chosen

-- in this verse, we read "You" -- "you" -- every single one of you -- you and you and you and you -- all of you -- have been chosen by God for a specific purpose
-- maybe you have been left standing on the playground while others played the game -- maybe you've been overlooked at work or at home or in other places -- but God always chooses you first -- He sees what the world doesn't and He chooses you -- not only because He loves you -- but because He has gifted you and given you the ability to serve Him in a way that no one else can
-- maybe the world doesn't recognize your gifts and talents and your heart -- but God does -- and He chooses you because of them -- in 1 Samuel 16:7, God tells the prophet Samuel to go and anoint the next king of Israel -- Samuel goes to the house of Jesse, and as Jesse's first son passes by, he thinks, "this must be the one who God chose to be king" -- but God spoke to Samuel and said "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." -- each one of you has been chosen by God because of your heart -- He chose you and He made you for a reason
-- the verse goes on to say "you are" -- present tense -- you are chosen -- you have been chosen -- you have already been set aside and picked for the work God has called you to do for His kingdom
-- you don't need to question what you are anymore -- you are a chosen child of the King and you need to live and serve as such -- God has called you and placed you where He wants you -- and you need to be actively working and serving Him right now -- not in the future -- not after you know the Bible better -- not after you've been a member for a certain number of years -- but right now -- God chose you before time began for this moment

III. Chosen for What?
-- Which brings up the question, "Chosen for what?" -- what did God choose us to do?
-- regardless of the particular calling that God has placed on your life, there are two things that this passage tell us that all Christians are chosen for

A. Royal Priests
-- verse 9 says that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood -- that is the first thing we were chosen to be -- priests for God
-- if I had asked you this morning to raise your hand if you were a priest, probably very few of you would have done so -- we don't recognize ourself as priests -- as mediators of God's grace to others
-- we think of priests only as clergy -- as those who have been called by God to be pastors and ministers and to lead churches -- but, this passage says otherwise
-- every single one of you in here has been chosen by God to be part of the royal priesthood -- as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 -- we have all been chosen to be ministers of reconciliation -- to be ambassadors of Christ in this world in which we live
-- being chosen to be a priest of God is a high honor, and it carries with it great responsibility -- in Numbers 18, God chose Aaron to serve as the first high priest in the tabernacle -- and we can learn what our purpose and mission are from God's directions to the Old Testament priests

-- the first responsibility we have as a royal priest is to witness to others about God -- as Peter tells us here in verse 9, we have been chosen to serve as royal priests to "declare the praise of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light."
-- in other words, as royal priests, our primary responsibility is to tell others the good news of Christ and to share with them the plan of salvation -- Jesus told us the same thing in Matthew 28:19-20 when He gave us the great commission of the church: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

-- our second responsibility as a royal priest is to intercede for others in prayer -- this was one of the primary purposes of the Aaronic priesthood in the Old Testament -- to offer up prayers for the people -- not only the people of God but also for those far away from God
-- we should be praying for people to come to know God -- we should be praying for them to know God's will in their life -- and we should be praying that they would not only know God's will but take the steps to fulfill God's will in their life
-- this may mean salvation -- it may mean a lifestyle change away from sin and into God's grace -- or it may mean that Christians step into a closer relationship with their God

-- our third responsibility as a royal priest is to offer sacrifices to God -- not sacrifices of burnt lambs -- but the sacrifice of self
-- in Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice -- holy and pleasing to Him -- this means that we offer God all that we have -- our lives -- our family -- our job -- our things -- everything
-- it also means that we offer ourselves to others in service -- as royal priests, we are called to distribute God's grace to others in Jesus' name -- to be channels of God's blessings -- Hebrews 13:16 says, "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
-- anytime you serve someone else -- anytime you offer yourself or your time or your money to help someone else, you are sacrificing yourself to God
-- additionally, we are also called to offer up to God a sacrifice of praise -- we sing that in our praise songs, which is taken from the Psalms, "We bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord" -- as royal priests, we have been chosen to come before God and to offer up to Him praise and worship -- as it says in Hebrews 13:15, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name."
-- we call our Sunday morning services "worship" services -- the main reason we are coming here is not to hear the word being taught or to be entertained through the songs -- we should be coming here on Sunday mornings to praise God and to worship God
-- if you are coming to church on Sundays because you get something out of it, then you are coming for the wrong reason -- we should be coming to offer ourselves to God in praise and thanksgiving for choosing us to be part of His family

B. A Holy Nation, God's Own People
-- in addition to being chosen as royal priests, verse 9 tells us that we have been chosen to be a holy nation, God's own people -- when God tells us this in this passage, He is conferring on us a Jewish heritage -- He is making us the adopted sons of Abraham, and the history and the tradition of the Jewish people becomes our own -- we are children of the promises of God
-- In Galatians 3:7, Paul writes that "those who believe are children of Abraham." -- we are heirs to the throne through the faith of Abraham and through the blood of Christ
-- this verse makes the point that we are a holy nation -- a group of people joined together through the blood of Christ -- chosen to be one through the power of the Holy Spirit
-- this verse is talking about the church of Christ on earth -- we have been chosen and put with other believers to form the body of Christ on earth -- to be His hands and His feet in this world -- to share His grace and to tell others about Him as one people and one nation
-- God did not choose us to be lone ranger Christians -- He chose us to be part of a church -- to be part of a body of believers who would represent Him in this place and through which His power would be made manifest
-- being a holy nation and God's own people means more than just having your name on the church roll and a place in the pews -- it means that you know that you are chosen by God to serve Him and that you are actively engaged in ministry -- both within the walls of this church and outside in the dark world, bringing the light of Christ with you to all you meet

III. Live as Children of the King
-- we are chosen -- you are chosen -- to be a royal priest and to be part of God's church -- so, what does that mean for us in our day to day lives?
-- look down at verse 10

10. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
12. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

-- in these verses, Peter is telling us how to live as the chosen ones of God -- he is saying, "you were chosen, now this is what you do"
-- first, he says, remember who you are and where you came from and live accordingly -- you used to be distant from God, but now you are the chosen children of the King, so you should live as the children of the King
-- I heard Crawford Loritt's speak once at a Promise Keepers event -- Crawford serves in Atlanta as a representative for Campus Crusade for Christ -- he told the story about the time he and his wife went out for a quiet evening and left their children with a babysitter -- just before they left the house, he gathered them together and said, "don't forget that you are all Loritts -- that is your name and I expect you to live up to that name -- while we are gone, don't do anything to embarass us or to embarass the name of Loritts"
-- that is the same thing that Peter is telling us in this passage -- now that you are chosen by God to be His children -- to be His royal priests and His holy nation -- you need to live according to the name you were given
-- he tells us to abstain from sinful desires -- to live right and holy lives -- and to represent God in such a way that others might see us and be drawn to God simply through our lives

IV. Closing
-- as I close this morning, let me ask you this question, "are you living your life as a holy priest and as a holy nation? -- are you living your life and serving God as He has called you to do? -- or are you just calling yourself a Christian and doing your own thing?"
-- God has chosen us -- He has stood in the playground of life and He has picked each of us to be part of His team -- to be part of His church -- to represent Him here in this place through our lives and through our service to Him and to others around us
-- are you living like the chosen child of God? -- if not, then I would encourage you to make a committment to do so before you leave here today
-- maybe that means becoming more involved in the ministry of this church -- maybe that means promoting new and different ministries or taking over established programs
-- maybe that means joining the church and becoming active members of this holy nation
-- maybe that means giving your heart to Christ and asking God to forgive you for your sins and to save you
-- whatever it means to you, I would encourage you not to leave without first taking that step today
-- God loves you and He chose you -- before the beginning of time -- before you were formed in the womb -- to be here today and to serve Him with all your heart and your mind and your strength
-- God chose you -- now, will you choose God?
-- let us pray

SHOW AND TELL

Last night at Bible Study, the discussion came up about sharing our faith with others. As I suspect is the case with most churches and with most Christians, the vast majority of us are not actively witnessing to others or sharing our faith with them. Knowing this, I have preached sermons on why and how to witness and given classes on evangelism.

Still, I am constantly told, "Well, I don't have to tell anyone about Jesus. I show them through my life." Granted. But, I have always contended that unless you don't tell them why you are living the way you are living or why you are ministering to them the way you are, they won't have any idea why you are doing it. They won't be able to tell is you're a member of a church or a secular club devoted to good works.

I constantly run into people who say things like, "I was talking to Bill the other day, and he told me he went to your church. I didn't know he was a Christian." Bill may have been living a good and holy life and touching people through acts of love and service, but if he doesn't tell them why he is doing it, how are they to know? I think the witness of Scripture is quite clear -- we must go out and tell others about Christ in addition to just giving them an example through our lives.

This morning I read an article by Rick Warren that I thought was an excellent treatise on the reasons why we need to do evangelism. You can reach the article by clicking on this link. I particularly liked this statement:

"Many people in our congregations wonder how they should go about sharing their faith. You do it two ways: you’ve got to show it and share it.

Remember "show and tell” from your school days? That’s what God wants us to do. He wants us to help others visualize it with our lives and verbalize it with our mouths."

Let's practice a little "show and tell" this week and share with others the good news of Jesus Christ.

YOU CAN COME HOME

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
9 October 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bible to Psalm 23

1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

-- several years ago, heard a preacher talk about coming home after being gone for several years -- he lamented the fact that things had changed and all that he had remembered -- all the good things that he remembered about home -- were gone -- he summed up his experience by saying, "you can never go home again"
-- now, I understand what he meant in that sermon -- but I felt like jumping up and saying, "that's not right -- you can go home again -- no matter how far away you wander, you can always find your way back home"
-- that's the heart of the gospel message -- that's what we proclaim when we sing the great hymn, "Amazing Grace" -- "I once was lost, but now am found" -- you can always come home again

-- as I was preparing this message, I thought about the life of Franklin Graham -- if there ever was anyone who believed in the fact that you can always come home again, it was Franklin Graham -- we know Franklin as the fiery preacher following in the footsteps of his father, Billy Graham -- we know him as the president of Samaritan's Purse -- but, before all that, Franklin was a prodigal son
-- during his teenaged years, Franklin rebelled against church and against God and against his family -- in his book, "Rebel with a Cause," Franklin tells how he spent his teen years drinking and partying and wandering in far-away lands -- just like the son in the parable of the prodigal son
-- Franklin left home physically and spiritually because he resented his father's ministry and he felt like God had taken his father from him -- for years, Franklin wandered about far from home -- but finally, just like the prodigal son, he found himself hitting bottom -- he was in a hotel room and found a Bible and turned it to the gospel of John -- reading the good news that night at the age of 22, Franklin made a decision -- he turned around and headed home -- and he found that both God and his family were ready to take him back again - you can always come home again
-- while we don't usually think of it in this way, the 23rd Psalm is a message of hope for those who are wandering in far off lands and it is a message of hope for those who love them -- in this Psalm, God promises restoration to those who wander -- to those who turn from their ways and head back home to their God once again
-- let's take a few moments and look at this Psalm together and let's revisit the message in this familiar passage

II. The Lord is Our Shepherd
-- verse 1

1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

-- in these first two verses, we are introduced to Yahweh Roeh -- Jehovah my Shepherd -- in this passage, David is representing the relationship between God and the nation of Israel to that of a shepherd and his sheep
-- now, we're pretty familiar with the concept of shepherds -- a shepherd is defined as a person who tends sheep -- someone who raises sheep and looks after them and keeps them from harm -- but the concept of shepherds in our day is entirely different from the concept of shepherds during the time this Psalm was written
-- during this period, shepherds weren't merely someone who looked after sheep and kept them from harm -- being a shepherd meant a lot more -- shepherds identified with their flock -- they lived with their flock -- they spent every moment of every day with their flock
-- for the shepherds in ancient Israel, their flock became their family -- and every individual was important -- the loss of a single sheep from the flock might be the difference between the shepherd making it through another year
-- in our day, sheep are kept in fenced pastures, and shepherds don't spend all day with them -- they just check on them throughout the day -- but, during the time when this Psalm was written, there were no fences to keep sheep in -- if you weren't careful, the sheep would just start feeding and wander away -- before long, they could get lost or get in danger -- either from physical hazards, such as rushing water or rocky slopes, or from predators who were seeking to eat them
-- so, the shepherds lived with the flock when they were moving around from feeding ground to feeding ground and they were responsible for taking care of them -- the sheep trusted that the shepherd would take care of all their needs -- giving them green pastures to eat in -- leading them beside still and quiet waters, where they could drink without worrying about predators sneaking up on them or about drowning in raging rivers
-- in the same way, David tells us here that God is our shepherd -- He takes care of us just like a shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep -- providing for our needs and protecting us and giving us the peace that comes from knowing that He is in charge and that nothing will happen to us without His knowledge

III. The Lost Sheep
-- if the shepherd noticed that one of the sheep was starting to feed off too far or was starting to wander away, then he would just speak up and the sheep would hear his voice and rejoin the flock -- as Jesus pointed out in John 10:27, His sheep hear His voice and follow Him
-- but, occasionally, sheep did wander away and get lost -- who knows why? -- maybe they just kept straying so far away that they couldn't hear the shepherd's voice and didn't notice they were separated from the flock -- maybe they just had a rebellious streak and chose to ignore the shepherd and wandered away on their own -- or maybe they just thought they knew better than the shepherd and thought that their path would lead to even greener pastures and even better places to drink
-- regardless, sheep sometimes strayed and wandered away and became lost -- when this happened, the shepherd would go and search for the lost sheep and try to bring it home again -- in Matthew 18:12, Jesus said, "If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?"
-- it is not the will of the shepherd that any of the sheep should be lost -- he goes out and tries to find the lost sheep -- he wanders through the wilderness and calls out to the wayward sheep -- in the same way, God calls out to us when we stray away from Him
-- through prevenient grace -- the grace that goes before us -- calling us to God -- wooing us back home with Him -- God calls to us
-- we typically think of prevenient grace as the grace that drew us to God before we were saved -- but prevenient grace doesn't stop at that point -- the Holy Spirit is constantly calling to us and keeping us from straying too far away from the flock -- and when we do stray too far away, it is the prevenient grace of God that calls out to us and knocks on the door of our heart and calls us home once again -- it was God's prevenient grace in that hotel room with Franklin Graham that led him back home after he had wandered away -- and it is God's prevenient grace that works in the lives of all of us who have slipped and wandered away
-- no matter how far we stray -- no matter how far we may wander away from God -- we can always come home again -- if we just respond to His voice and turn from our ways and turn back to Him, then He will gather us back into His flock once again

-- look at verse 3

3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

-- God restores my soul -- He brings me back to the place of righteousness -- the place of right relationship with Him -- to the safety and security of the flock -- He restores me when I wander
-- through prevenient grace He guides us back from the far off country -- from the wilderness of life -- and back onto the path of righteousness -- if we listen to His voice, He will lead us back home again
-- I was watching Survivor a couple of weeks ago, and I thought about this as I was watching one of the challenges -- everyone was blindfolded except one person, who called out directions to them during this challenge -- the only way they could find their way to him with all the things they needed to compete in the challenge was by listening for his voice and following his direction -- his voice guided them down the path they should follow
-- in the same way, the voice of our shepherd guides us down the path of righteousness if we will just listen and respond to his directions

-- verse 4

4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

-- these verses speak of a person who is on the path of righteousness and headed back home -- they are walking through the valley of the shadow of death -- now, that's a curious phrase, isn't it? -- the valley of the shadow of death
-- note that death is not a threat to them -- the only thing in the valley is the shadow of death -- if you are a Christian -- if you have been saved by Christ and have responded to His call and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, then death has no power over you -- the shadow of death will still fall over your life -- you will still die a physical death -- but, you won't fear death because you know that death is just the door to home -- to eternity with Christ -- in 1 Cor 15:55, Paul says, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
-- for a Christian, there is no fear of death or evil or the evil one, because Christ has overcome death and sin and Satan through the power of the cross -- note also that this verse says that we pass "through" the valley -- we're not called to stay in the valley but we are enroute to our heavenly home -- we are assured that we will go home because the shepherd is with us all the way

-- these verses go on to say that the Christian is comforted by the rod and the staff of Christ -- the rod alludes to the shepherd's crook -- the shepherd uses this to guide the sheep as they feed in green pastures -- as they pass by, he uses it to count them to make sure none are missing -- the rod is security for the sheep
-- some scholars suggest that the word "rod" in this context may refer directly to the word of God or the gospel message -- Solomon used the same word when he wrote, "spare the rod and spoil the child" -- in both instances, we could take this to mean that staying close to God's word -- living life in close proximity to the Word of God -- will keep us from wandering away and will restore us when we do stray
-- the staff refers to the protection of the shepherd -- the staff was used to fight off wild dogs and other predators that might harass the sheep -- if we remain in the protection of the good Shepherd, then we have nothing to fear, because His staff will keep us safe

-- verse 5

5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

-- here we see a picture of a sheep rescued from the wilderness and living under the protection of the Shepherd -- even though enemies may encamp all around us -- even though we may be walking through the valley of the shadow of death -- God is with us -- protecting us and providing for us
-- even here in this world, He prepare a table for us and anoints us with oil -- our cup overflows from His goodness and His mercy and His grace -- this overflowing cup points out to us that we have grace to offer to others -- we have more than enough for us and we need to share the good news of the gospel with those around us -- with other sheep who have wandered away and who need to find their way back home again

IV. Closing: Home at Last
-- verse 6

6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

-- and here we find ourselves back where we started -- God promises us that we will one day be at home with Him forever
-- if you come to Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- if you trust Him not only to save you but also to take care of you and to provide for all your needs -- then you will find yourself at home with Him in heaven
-- maybe some of you have strayed -- maybe some of you have wandered away from where you should be in your life with Christ -- maybe you've drifted far away and don't know if you can come back
-- His message in this Psalm is quite clear -- you can come home again -- His grace and His voice is calling out to you this morning -- and if you just reach out and take hold of His hand, He will lead you back down the paths of righteousness and back into His fold once again
-- if you hear His voice this morning, don't turn away from Him but come home
-- maybe God has been speaking to you in a different way -- maybe you know someone who has wandered and who is lost -- maybe God is calling for you to intercede for that person this morning -- maybe He is calling for you to go out and bring them back in -- to witness to them and share with them the good news of Christ, "you can always come home again"
-- regardless of what God is saying to you this morning, I would invite you to respond to His word as you feel led
-- let us pray

RECONCILING LIONS

As I noted earlier, I have just finished reading the Chronicles of Narnia in preparation for the Disney movie coming out in December based on "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." Apparently, several others in my church have been reading it, too, and we've had a lot of great discussions on the Christian themes and symbolism in the series.

As we were discussing it, the question of Aslan the Lion and his similarity to Jesus Christ came up. One person asked how Aslan the Lion could represent Christ when Peter said that Satan was a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8 -- "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour). Good question!

I then pointed out that Christ was called "the Lion of Judah" in the Bible:

Hosea 5:14 -- "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah"

Rev. 5:5 -- "Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.").

So, how do we reconcile this? It finally came to us through the terms that Peter used. Peter tells us that Satan goes about LIKE a roaring lion while the other two passages tell us that Jesus IS the Lion of Judah. In other words, Satan is a pretend lion, someone who pretends to be something he is not. He is an imitator of the real Lion, the Lion of Judah, Christ Jesus our King.

THE DANGER OF COMPLACENCY

Last Friday, I was reminded how dangerous complacency can be in our lives. It can cause you to become comfortable with what you are doing and it can cause you to make mistakes because you assume everything is going to turn out right without any effort on your part.

On Friday, we were having to remove and relocate a nuisance alligator, which has turned out to be a regular practice for this year. We quickly put a snare on the alligator, and pulled it onto the dock. At this point, my complacency got the best of me. Rather than overseeing the process, I turned it over to the students in my office. "It's not big deal -- let them get the experience of restraining the alligator." I gathered up the equipment as they proceeded to tape the alligator's mouth and tape his legs up over his back.

Once they had it secure, we each grabbed a leg and someone grabbed the tail and we headed down the dock to put the alligator in the truck for transport. As we neared the truck, the unthinkable happened. The alligator made one twist and promptly broke the duct tape holding his legs immobile over his back. At the same time, he attempted to open his mouth, and while the tape held, it did stretch to the point where he could open his mouth enough to snap. Because of my complacency, we found ourselves holding an unrestrained alligator and I had put myself and several students into a very dangerous situation.

Yesterday, I had lunch with a fellow local pastor, and as I listened to him express concern over the spiritual state of his church, over the problems that he was facing in his second year of ministry in this location, I found myself thinking, "Wow! I'm doing pretty good. We don't have any problems. Everything's going good."

And then, I heard that sound. Duct tape ripping and legs coming free. A dangerous beast freed to rampage and pillage. The sound of a roaring lion. I had become complacent -- contented and comfortable in my ministry in the two churches that I pastor. When had I ceased to be so concerned over the growth of the church, over the discipleship of those in my care? When had I ceased to stop pouring out my prayers to God on their behalf? When did I quit trying to challenge others in their Christian walk and just sit back and let things continue the way they were going?

I was reminded this week that God is not a God of complacency. He doesn't want us to get comfortable in what we are doing, in how we are serving Him. He wants us to constantly be growing in our walk with Him. He wants us to be challenged in our personal lives so that we depend more and more on Him and so we serve Him more and more. God doesn't want us sitting in the living room, reclined in a chair and taking life easy. He wants us on the edge, living and serving in wild places, with danger on our left and our right.

When we get complacent about our Christian walk and about our Christian service, we turn God into an idol of our own making, an idol that is predictable and familiar. God is none of that. As C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan, who symbolized Christ in the Chronicles of Narnia, "He is not a tame lion." In the same way, God is not a tame God. But, we do everything in our power to make Him tame.

Our challenge, then, is not to accept the same old-same old. Our challenge then is not to become comfortable in our Christian lives, our Christian walk, or in the ministries and programs in our churches. Our challenge is to step forward in faith in God and into the unknown. To get up from our easy chairs and to get into the battle. God did not call us to sit on the sidelines and to watch the game, but to get into the action.

When was the last time that you attempted something for God that was bigger than yourself? When was the last time your church attempted something for God that could not possibly be done with our own strength? It's time for us to move from complacency and into the Christian life that God called us to. May God's Spirit inspire your life and challenge you today to do something for Him today.

FLORIDA CONTROVERSY OVER THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE

[As reported by Focus on the Family in The Pastor's Weekly Briefing]

Gov. Jeb Bush is encouraging Florida school children to read C.S. Lewis' classic book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — the second book in "Just Read, Florida," the state's reading-related contest series for kids. But Barry Lynn and his Americans United for Separation of Church and State are unhappy with the governor's choice this time. "This whole contest is just totally inappropriate because of the themes of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," said Lynn. "It is simply a retelling of the story of Christ."

The last book chosen by "Just Read, Florida" was Carl Hiaasen's Hoot.

Three sets of winners from this reading contest — set to coincide with the Dec. 9 release of the $150 million film version — will get a private screening in Orlando, two nights at a Disney resort, dinner at Medieval Times and a copy of the C.S. Lewis children's novel signed by Jeb and Columba Bush.

ASLAN THE KING

Since the Disney production of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was set to come out in December of this year, I decided to read the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis in order to familiarize myself with the series. I had never read the series as a child, but I was completely blown away by these books. Although, as Lewis always stated, these books were not allegories of Christianity, the Christian themes and the Christian world-view was very obvious throughout the series.

Surprisingly, one thing that happened to me during the reading of these fiction books was that I was given a new awareness of the Kingship of Christ. In these books, Aslan the Lion symbolizes Christ [as Lewis states it, "what Christ might appear as if He chose to create a new world with talking animals" -- not a one-to-One comparison).

I have always proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior. I sing with the others they hymns that proclaim Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But, I guess because I grew up in a country without a king, I have never fully appreciated what royalty means in the life of a citizen of a kingdom.

But, as I read and immersed myself in the fantasy world of Narnia, I came to see how Aslan, as king of kings in that realm, ruled through guiding and directing the human kings -- never being too heavy-handed in his dealings with them, always encouraging them and disciplining them when needed, and providing for them when things were at their darkest. The always present king, the all powerful king, who all in the land of Narnia ultimately depended on for survival.

This book helped me see how Christ is King of Kings while we still have human authorities over us, whether these are kings or presidents or just our bosses in our work places. For me, this book opened my eyes to the Kingship of Christ, and I will never be the same again.

I know that with the movie coming out this year, there are going to be many, many critics of the series by C.S. Lewis: "Too pagan." "Not really Christian." "Too many myths." "Christ never did that." But, if you approach these books as Lewis intended, as children's fiction/fantasy books with a heavy influence of Christian thought and world-view, you can glean great spiritual truths from them, just as I did. I would whole-heartedly encourage you to read the Chronicles of Narnia. If you read them as a child, re-read them now, because they will mean something entirely different to you because of your greater understanding of Christ and His ministry to us. And, if you've never read them, read them. Immerse yourself in Narnia. And wonder at the glory of Christ our Lord and King.

THE LORD'S PRAYER: DOXOLOGY

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
2 October 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6 [read vs. 9-13 in KJV]
-- the other day I was in the grocery store with Kim when I glanced over at the magazine rack by the register
-- there, to my surprise, was a bright bold headline shouting out to the world, "Jesus is on earth!" -- I immediately left my place in line and grabbed the magazine and flipped over to the article -- now, this is not the most reliable news magazine in the world, but that headline grabbed my attention
-- I threw it up on the grocery store conveyor belt and Kim said, "Don't tell me you are going to buy that" -- but, I was captivated by that headline -- whether they knew it or not, this magazine had gotten something right -- perhaps the most important truth of all time -- Jesus IS here on earth with us right now -- and everytime you recite the Lord's Prayer and close with the doxology, you are testifying to that fact -- I hope you see what I mean as we finish our series on the Lord's Prayer by looking at the doxology this morning

II. The Doxology
-- the doxology is found at the end of the prayer -- but, depending on the translation of the Bible you use, this doxology may or may not be in there
-- it is found in the King James Version, and, because most of us learned the Lord's Prayer out of the King James Version, we are fairly familiar with the doxology -- but most modern translations do not include this second part of verse 13 because it is not found in the earliest and most reliable copies of the New Testament
-- apparently, the doxology was added at a later time by believers -- possibly to give this prayer a closing worthy of our Lord and Savior -- the doxology only occurs in Matthew's version of the prayer -- it is not included as part of Luke's gospel
-- I think it's important to recognize that these words were added later -- but they should not detract from our using them in praying to God
-- remember that I pointed out in the start of this series that this is a model prayer that Jesus gave us -- He did not intend for us to pray it word for word every single time like we generally do in our services -- as a model prayer, then, it is perfectly acceptable for us to modify it and to pray with greater fervency in those areas where we feel a particular need -- whether that is in seeking God's help for our daily sustenance or with a temptation in our life -- or whether it is merely a time we need to praise and thank God for who He is and what He has done in our lives
-- the doxology that has been handed down through the centuries and that has been added to the King James version of the Bible is an excellent summary of praise and thanksgiving to our God -- and, as I said earlier, everytime we recite the doxology at the end of this prayer, we are telling the world that Jesus is here on earth today

III. How is Jesus here?
-- so, how is Jesus here? -- the doxology gives us the answer by giving us three glimpses into Jesus' ministry on earth, both now and in the future

A. Thine is the Kingdom
-- the first glimpse of Jesus' ministry on earth is contained in the opening phrase of the doxology, "for thine is the kingdom" -- as we have learned in our study of the Lord's Prayer, the kingdom of God means both the heavenly kingdom where Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father and the spiritual kingdom present in the world today
-- we all recognize that the kingdom of God is present where ever Jesus is -- Jesus told us in Matthew 18:20 that whenever two or three believers came together in His name, that He was there with them -- that means that Jesus is here on earth today -- He is in this sanctuary with us this morning
-- that is why I put that chair in front of the altar -- to remind you that Jesus is in our midst -- we may not be able to see Him, but He is here with us -- and when we pray this prayer -- when we say, "for Thine is the Kingdom" -- we are testifying to the fact that Jesus and the kingdom of God is present on earth today -- and that all of us who believe in Him and trust in Him as Lord and Savior are members of this kingdom
-- the Bible also points out that not only is Jesus present with us when the church gathers together, but God is present and living within each of His believers in the person of the Holy Spirit
-- 1 John 4:15 says that if anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, then God lives in Him and he in God -- and 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
-- this truth -- captured in this magazine headline by accident -- is one of the unique things about the Christian faith -- when we pray, we are not praying to a distant God living in a heaven located somewhere in the cosmos -- but we are praying to a living God who is with us and in our midst and working in the world today
-- how do I know that Jesus is here on earth today? -- because He lives in me and I can see His kingdom being made visible through the presence and the work of the church -- the body of Christ -- in the world today
-- I am currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis -- in one of the books in the series, "The Dawn Treader," Queen Lucy is given the task of helping some people who have been enchanted and turned invisible become visible again -- so she goes into the room of the magician in the story and finds his spell book and says a spell that makes invisible things visible
-- as soon as she says the spell, Aslan the lion, who is symbolic of the Lord Jesus, appears to her -- she cries out in joy and says, "I am so glad to see you here" and he replies, "I have been here all the time, but you have just made me visible"
-- in the same way, the church of Christ -- the believers who gather in His name and who have the living presence of God within them -- make Jesus visible to a watching world today

B. The Power of God

-- the second glimpse of Jesus' ministry on earth is in the second part of the doxology -- it reads, "for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power" -- when the church of Christ makes Jesus visible to a watching world, what they see is the power of God made manifest through us
-- I had a discussion with a coworker this week about karma and grace -- she said that she believed in karma and tried to live it out in her life -- you know, if you do good things, then good things will happen to you -- but if you do bad things, then bad things will happen -- now I know this is an oversimplification of karma, but this is what she said she was practicing in her life
-- so I countered back that I would rather trust in grace over karma any day -- I pointed out to her that karma will never work because we -- as humans born in sin -- can never be good enough -- but that grace works because it is the free gift of God and it doesn't matter how good we are -- we can't get more grace by being good or by doing good works
-- she said that grace was only for the future -- for after death -- for salvation -- and so I pointed out to her how the grace of God and the power of God working in our lives is demonstrated in the world every single day
-- we know that Jesus is here on earth today because we can see the results of His presence and His power made manifest through His grace
-- the world can't understand this, because they can't see Jesus -- they can't see the physical Jesus standing before them, so they don't believe He can be here on earth and they don't believe that He can be working today
-- it's kind of like the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus in John chapter 3 -- Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and starts asking Him about spiritual things -- Jesus tries to help Nicodemus see past the material world and to the spiritual around him -- in verse 8 He says, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.""
-- what Jesus is trying to get Nicodemus to recognize is that the Spirit is always at work around us, even if we can't see Him -- we can't see the wind -- but we know it's there, because we hear it's sound and we see it's effects
-- in the same way, even though we can't physically see Jesus in the world today, we know He is here because we can see the effects of His power on the world around us in the form of changed hearts and changed lives
-- just look at the recent outpouring of God's grace through His church in response to the needs of those affected by Katrina and Rita -- man could not respond in this way -- man didn't respond in this way -- that is why there is such an outcry in the media about the lack of effective response by the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana and the federal government
-- but, while the media was going on about how man had failed to respond in an effective way, the power of God was being made manifest as churches and Christians poured out their hearts and their lives -- spiritually, financially, physically -- to reach out and take care of their brothers and sisters who were hurting as a result of these natural disasters
-- and this same story -- this same outpouring of God's power and grace -- occurs every single moment of every single day all around this world -- maybe not as visible as the outpouring of God's power has been in the wake of Katrina and Rita -- but present none-the-less
-- we know that Jesus is here on earth today because we can see His fingerprints in the lives that He touches every day

C. The Glory of God

-- the final glimpse of Jesus' ministry on earth is in the end of the doxology -- it reads, "for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory" -- when I think about the glory of God as it relates to the ministry of Christ -- I am immediately led to the moment when -- as the hymn writer says in "It is Well with My Soul" -- "my faith becomes sight"
-- when all that I have hoped for and longed for and trusted in occurs -- when Christ comes back to earth and restores all of creation and reigns from the City of Jerusalem
-- when I think of the glory of Christ, I am immediately led to the passages on the second coming of Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and in Revelation 21:1-5 -- listen as I read these passages

1 Thes 4: 16-18: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. -- After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. -- Therefore encourage each other with these words."

Rev. 21:1-5: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. -- I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. -- And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. -- He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." -- He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.""

III. Closing
-- when we pray in the Lord's prayer, "for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory" -- this is what I see in my mind -- when I read the headline in this magazine that said, "Jesus is on the earth" -- this is what I longed for
-- Paul tells us in Romans 8 that all of creation has been groaning as it waited for restoration at the second coming of Christ -- I think that is true for all of us -- whether Christian or not -- we all long for a better place -- for a place where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain or war or violence or crime -- a place where things are good and where people are good and where life is better -- I think that's why this article grabbed my attention so much
-- even though the world may deny the presence of Christ today -- even though the world may deny that Christ is coming again to set up His kingdom and to restore creation -- secretly, in their heart of hearts, the world hopes that it will come to pass
-- that is why the closing of this prayer is so important -- not only to us but to the world as well -- you see, when we pray this prayer -- when we cry out to God, "for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory" -- we are telling a world without hope that there is hope -- we are telling a world awash in sin and evil that there is a better way -- we are telling a world that there is life available through our Redeemer and our Savior and our God
-- when we pray this prayer and when we allow God to work through us and in us -- then the world will come to see the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory of God -- and their lives and their hearts will be changed forever and they will be able to exclaim with us, "Jesus is on earth today!"
-- as I close, I would invite you to join with me in prayer for the world around us and pray that they might see God's presence through us as we minister to them in Christ's name -- maybe God is calling you this morning to make a committment to serve Him more in the world -- to carry His light and His truth to a people seeking salvation -- maybe He put on your heart someone you need to talk to about God -- or maybe He is calling you to become involved in missions or to become more involved in the ministry of this church -- whatever it is, if you have heard God speak to you this morning, please do not turn away from His call
-- let us pray

THE LORD'S PRAYER: TEMPTATION

Preached By Gregory W. Lee
25 September 2005

I. Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6 [read vs. 9-13]
-- one of the current fads right now in America is text messenging with cell phones -- everywhere you look, you see people sending short messages to each other -- my two nieces both have cellphones, and it seems like all they ever do with them is text message their friends -- you even see it on tv -- there are commercials telling you to text message to this number to get entered into a contest -- and if you watch American Idol, they tell you to vote for your choice by text messaging them
-- it appears pretty easy to use, but from what I've heard, you've got to be careful when you send your message, because if you make a mistake typing it in, you might just send your message to the wrong person
-- reminds me of a story I heard about this couple from the midwest who were going to take a vacation down in Florida last winter -- well, things happened and the wife got called away on business, so the husband went on down to Florida and arranged for his wife to meet him down there the next day
-- when he landed in Miami, he was rushing through the airport and trying to get his luggage, so he punched in a short text message to his wife and hit send and went on to the hotel -- but, when he entered her number, he entered it wrong and it got delivered by mistake to a pastor's widow whose husband had just passed away the day before
-- this pastor's widow was sitting in the church after the funeral, when her cellphone beeped and she saw that someone had sent a text message -- she took one look at the message, screamed and fainted dead away -- everyone rushed over and someone picked up the cell phone and this is what the message said:
-- "Wife -- just wanted to let you know that I have arrived safely -- everyone is looking foward to your arrival...tomorrow -- p.s. it sure is hot down here!"
-- you can understand why she fainted dead away -- but it does make us aware that we need to be careful when we're communicating with others -- especially if we use these modern devices -- because if we're not careful, our message might get garbled or misunderstood or sent to the wrong person

-- it's kind of like that old children's game, "Telephone" -- remember that? -- when you used to have a phrase written on a piece of paper and you'd whisper it to the first child and then they'd repeat it to the next and so on all the way around the circle -- when you got to the end and the last child said the message out loud, it was a lot different from the original message

-- another way we can have problems in communication is when we either don't listen or don't pay attention to what we are reading or saying -- I see this in church a lot -- when we start to sing, we stand up, turn to the right page in the hymnal and sing the words that are printed on there
-- a lot of the times, we aren't even paying attention to what we are saying -- we're merely singing the words as we read them -- we do that in the Apostle's Creed and in the doxology and in the Lord's Prayer as well -- we just recite them back without giving any thought to what we are actually saying
-- that is one reason why I started this series on the Lord's Prayer -- I wanted you to take a fresh look at the Lord's Prayer and to start to consider again the importance of what we are saying when we pray this prayer every Sunday or when we pray it on other occasions -- we have a tendency to just pray this prayer and to not even think about what we are saying when we pray it

II. Lead me not into temptation
-- let me show you what I mean as we look at our final petition in the Lord's Prayer -- in this petition, Jesus tells us to pray "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil" or "from the evil one" depending on your translation
--now, we've been going over this prayer now for several weeks, but have you really considered what you are saying in this line -- think about that phrase, "Lead me not into temptation" -- what exactly are we are saying when we pray this line? -- are we are saying that it is God who leads us into temptation? -- are we actually saying that God is the author of temptation? -- are we really saying that a loving, holy God would consider leading us into a situation where we will be enticed to sin?
-- that's sure what it sounds like, isn't it? -- that's the way Tertullian, the great theologian from the second century, understood it -- in his writing on this prayer he refuted this concept when he said, "Far be the thought that the Lord should seem to tempt, as if He were either ignorant of the limits of someone's faith or else eager to overthrow that faith"
-- of course, Tertullian was merely echoing what James wrote in his epistle on this subject -- flip over to James 1 -- if you were at the revival at Naylor this week, you know from Louis Chester's message that James was the half-brother of Jesus -- half-brother because he was the true son of Joseph while Jesus was the Son of God -- James wrote this passage to the Jews who were scattered throughout the land -- look with me at verse 13

13. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14. but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

-- James tells us quite clearly in this passage that God cannot be tempted and that He does not tempt anyone -- but Jesus told us in Matthew 6 to pray, "God, lead me not into temptation" -- I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot like they're saying different things here, doesn't it? -- Jesus is saying that God can lead us into temptation but James is saying that God cannot tempt -- is this one of those contradictions that we hear about in the Bible all the time?
-- are James and Jesus at odds with each other? -- or are they saying the same thing?

III. What is Temptation?
-- in order to get a better idea of what is meant in this passage, we need to understand that the Greek word for temptation in James 1:13-14 is the verb form of peirasmos -- and it can be translated in one of two ways, depending on the context of the passage
-- in verses 13-14, James intended for his readers to read the term peirasmos as "temptation" -- meaning, "to be enticed into sin" -- this is what we usually think of when we read the word "temptation" in the Bible
-- but, the Greek word peirasmos can also be translated as "trial" -- look over at verses 2-4

2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything

-- James uses the same word here, but we know that it has a different meaning because of the context -- here, we read, "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you face peirasmos -- when you face trials of many kinds" -- in this case, James is telling us that peirasmos is a good thing -- just like Louis told us during the revival, because God uses these trials to test our faith, to develop our perseverance and our character so that we may become whole and complete and mature in Christ
-- so, looking back at the Lord's Prayer and Jesus' words here -- when He tells us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation" -- "Lead us not into peirasmos" -- which form of the word does He mean?
-- well, based on James, I think it's pretty obvious that Jesus is not telling us to pray to be kept from trials -- it would be against God's will for us to pray to avoid these trials -- to pray to God to not lead us into trials -- even though we may not like them -- even though they may be painful to go through -- trials are allowed into our lives because God uses these trials to mold us and shape us and form us into the person He has called us to be -- without these trials, we cannot become mature Christians
-- look back at Matthew 6:13 again -- it says "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" -- it links the word "peirasmos" with evil -- with the evil one, who is Satan
-- that would seem to be a strong indication that the translators got it right -- Jesus is intending for us to pray to God, "Lead us not into temptation" -- when Jesus gives us the term "temptation" in this passage, He means being enticed into sin -- being swayed by evil desires
-- so, that brings us back to the question, "what exactly is Jesus telling us to pray in this passage?"

IV. What Does This Petition Mean?
-- when I started this series, I pointed out that the Lord's Prayer was given to us by Jesus as a model prayer -- it was not intended to be prayed word-for-word as we usually do in church -- it was to be a guide for us -- and as we look through scripture, we can find other model prayers throughout the Old and New Testament
-- there are also model prayers that have been developed by men and women of God through the years -- one of the popular models that we see is the ACTS prayer -- A: Adoration -- praising God for who He is -- C: Confession -- confessing our weakness and our dependence on God -- T: Thanksgiving -- thanking God for all that He has done in our lives -- and S: Supplication -- presenting our needs to God and asking Him to meet our needs and the needs of others -- A-C-T-S
-- now, as we have studied the Lord's Prayer over the past several weeks, I assume that you can readily pick out the Adoration portions and the Thanksgiving portions and the Supplication portions -- but let me ask you, where is Confession in this prayer?
-- and there's the key to understanding this last petition from Christ -- this last petition is our cry of confession to God -- when we pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" -- we are literally saying, "God, you are omnipotent -- all powerful -- all knowing -- ever present -- there is nothing going on in our lives that you haven't allowed to happen and that you don't control
-- Lord God, since we are powerless on our own -- since we do not have the strength to stand apart from you -- we are asking you to lead us not into a place where we might be tempted and enticed to sin against You but to lead us away from that place"
-- the petition goes on to say, "deliver us from the evil one" -- this literally means to rescue us from the clutches of evil desires -- it calls to mind a person who falls overboard into the ocean -- he is drowning in the waves and needs to be rescued -- to be delivered -- to be brought out of the place of temptation and into the place of security
-- when we pray this prayer, we are asking God to be our strength and our shield and to keep us from the place of evil desires that lead to temptation and to sin

V. Closing
-- therefore, when we pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" -- we are praying that God would lead us away from the three sources of temptation
-- the first source of temptation is ourself -- our flesh -- James says that temptation comes about because of our evil desires -- we can be our own worst enemy at times
-- the second source of temptation is the world -- the world is against God and will do everything in it's power to entice us to sin
-- a good way to remember these two sources is to think about taking a trip on the interstate -- let's say it's about 12:00 pm and you haven't had anything to eat since breakfast and you start to get hungry -- that is your flesh telling you that you're hungry
-- now, let's say that you just ate and you're driving down the highway and you see a huge billboard with a picture of a pecan pie on it and you start getting hungry and want a piece of that pie -- that would be the world giving you a desire
-- desires from within are from the flesh -- desires from without are from the world -- now, keep in mind that temptations are nothing but God-given desires that have been corrupted by our flesh, or the world, or Satan -- there's nothing wrong with eating when you're hungry -- but gluttony is a sin -- it is taking a God-given desire to eat and twisting it into something God didn't intend
-- the third source of temptation is Satan -- Satan and his demons work like the world, only in less obvious ways -- they whisper temptations and ideas and suggestions to you to entice you to sin
-- but, the good news is that when we pray this prayer -- when we pray "lead us not into temptation" -- God gives us His strength and His power to turn away from the temptation that is before us -- He doesn't allow us to be led into temptation but leads us away from temptation -- as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. "
-- if you pray this prayer and trust in God's power to take care of you, He will deliver you from temptation in your life and will deliver you from any evil that may come your way
-- may this prayer encourage you as you seek to do His will in the days to come
-- let us pray