Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Isaiah 58


Rewritten notes from a message on Isaiah 58, given at Corona International Christian Fellowship on Oct. 30, 2011.

This may be one of those sermons or passages in Scripture that declare the Lord’s commands that either we don’t want to hear, or we think it doesn’t apply to us – to other people, most certainly, but not to us. But, as Paul said in  Acts 20:27, “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the FULL counsel of God,” (ESV) and as he wrote to Timothy, “ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting AND training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for EVERY good work.  (2Tim 3:16-17 NIV)

So make no mistake, if you and I say we follow Jesus and call Him the Lord of our lives, Lord of His church, this applies to ALL of us here (and those who follow Christ and are not here) today. As Isaiah 58:14 says: “The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”


Read Isaiah 58; and I suggest ignoring the subheads since they were never part of the original Scripture.

Teaching Point No. 1, verses 1-5
We are no different than the people of Isaiah’s day, who went through the visible actions of worship, but once the Sabbath was over, once they left the place of worship, they were no different.

In verse 1, God, being God, sees right through all this, and instructs the prophet Isaiah:
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.”

And what were those sins? Self-centeredness and hypocrisy. Aren’t we like that at times?
Maybe more than we are willing to admit? Let’s read on …

Back then, when you read the entire Book of Isaiah, as well as the Book of Amos (his contemporary), you’ll see how the people followed the Law and seemed to be making a show of keeping it. Look at verse 2:
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

They expected to be rewarded for such a display of piousness, for making every effort of following the rituals to the letter.  In verse 3, they are quoted as saying
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say, or seen people post on Facebook, that they’ve “done” all the right things, that they went to church on a Sunday, or they said a prayer, or they read their Bible, or they dropped a few more dollars in the offering bag, or they listened to Christian songs on their car stereo, but God doesn’t seem to listen to them. I know I’m guilty of that at times.

Yet it’s all a façade. Just like back in Isaiah’s day, God sees through all that. Continuing in verses 3, 4 and 5, the LORD says:
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

In other words, back then, they went through worship rituals, probably looked pretty good doing it, and looked to thre Lord and said, “See what good people we are!”

And God said, who are you fooling? You come to worship, but you mistreat your workers, using them however you please to please you, but not to do right by them. You come to worship, but you guys argue, and some of you get into fights. And you expect Me to do as you asked? Is this what My laws are all about? Is this what it means to worship Me? Do you think you can do it for a day, maybe an hour and think I’ll bless you for THAT, while the rest of the time you’re doing exactly OPPOSITE of My commands?

Doesn’t God say that to us today? We say we read the Bible, go to church and Bible study, pray, sing God songs, listen to God radio. Oh, even this: I teach a Bible study, I sing on the worship team, I help with a ministry – all on a Sunday. But what happens when we are away from each other, when we are in the workplace or at school, or with friends and family? Admit it, we will sometimes start to act like the world.

And yet we expect God to bless us. Yet, when we are really honest with ourselves before the Lord, all we’re really doing is just going through the motions – that we are giving lip service to the great commandment of loving God and people, but we fail at doing actual service that really does honor God and rains down love on people.''

In New Testament terms, Paul wrote: “7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)

Teaching Point No. 2, verses 6-7, 9b-10, 13
What God desires goes beyond rituals, goes beyond talking about it, goes beyond one day. What God wants is real love as a way of life that worships Him as we love others – regardless of who they are, where they come from, even what they believe.

Let’s look at three sections out of this passage:
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10  and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed …
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words …

What God wants is pretty plain, and it’s not pick one or the other, but ALL of them (under line each “and” that you see):
  • Loosen the chains of injustice, untie the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free, break every yoke, satisfy the needs of the oppressed = which can range from getting involved with the effort to end human trafficking, poverty and homelessness, to helping someone out of an abusive relationship, maybe going to law school to be a public interest lawyer. Just know that it means being aware of things that are wrong and finding ways to be a part of the solution, rather than just talking about it. And don’t look to others to do it; if God is showing you and me the problem, I think it’s a pretty good indication that He’s asking you and me to get involved somehow.
  • Share food with the hungry, clothe the naked, provide shelter to anyone in need. That’s pretty self-explanatory. In a way, we did that (and I pray we will continue to do that) at City Park here in Corona. As for shelter, maybe we donate to a program that helps with that … or maybe we become advocates for a community effort to help the homeless find shelter and get them bag on their feet.
    And don’t let the words “not turn away from your own flesh and blood” narrow your focus. In the language of Isaiah’s day, “own flesh and blood” also meant one’s fellow countryman. In other words, don’t be selective about whom you help.
  • Honoring the Sabbath, the day that we draw near to the Lord and rest in Him. Remember that we were not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for us (Mark 2:27). Meaning that we’re not to be spiritual couch potatoes, sing a few God songs, crack open the Bible for the message, have a bite to eat, then go home, only to look and act like the world once we leave here.
    It means that our worship does not stay within this building, that the Bible lesson stays in the seats or in your notes. It means we look for ways to love God by loving others. Consider this passage: Matthew 12:9-12: 9     Going on from that place, he (Jesus) went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they (the Pharisees) asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
    And listen to this carefully: We should not make coming to worship as a body in Christ as if it were a chore or a burden. Verse 13 says “if you call the Sabbath a delight.” Yet, how many times have we passed up on something, say, a family activity, and we used these words: “I HAVE to go to church.” Think about that. How many of you think you have to be here? If you think you have to be here, you’re free to leave. But, as we sing every now and then, there is no other place you’d rather be, then you’re free to stay. Do you see what the difference is? To come here to worship because you feel obligated is not what God wants. That’s what he looked down on in Isaiah’s day and in our day, too, because if we think we have to be here, God knows that our hearts are far from Him.
Teaching Point No. 3, verses 8-9, 11-12, 14
God wants to bless us for showing our love for Him as we show our love for people.
That’s pretty simple Biblical logic. We know God will not bless disobedience. But what we fail to remember is that even if we look like we’re doing what we are supposed to do, but our hearts are not in it, He’s not going to bless that either.

Look at what He says:
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the
 land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

So when we share our food with the hungry, clothe the naked, provide shelter for the poor wander, loosen the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, do away with malicious talk, and honor the Sabbath:
  • God will have the light that is our salvation through Jesus that He gave us  shine, that people will see what we do because we allowed God to work through us.
  • He will guide us as we walk in His ways, and He will be with us.
  • He will answer our prayers – rather we’ll know that He has – as we delight in Him and His ways, as it says in Psalm 37:4.
  • He will satisfy our needs.
  • While the reference to rebuilding and restoration of ruins and is a prophesy for the re-gathered nation of Israel, we can look at it as rebuilding relationships, as peace makers, as people who point to Jesus as the way back to a restored relationship with God.
  • We will realize more and more what joy in the Lord really means, because we will have done His will because we desire to honor Him and love Him as the great commandment says, and love others, just as the great commandment says.
Application
Make what you learn real outside these four walls, outside your D-group Bible studies and for the least of these. Make it part of how you live your life daily.

Some of this pretty easy to figure out:
  • Sharing our food with the hungry, clothing the naked and providing shelter for the poor wander, we can do that in a lot of ways. Financially, for sure. Food donations, we’ve done that. Face-to-face sharing, getting to know them so they might come to know Jesus … well, not so much, but we do have opportunities with our now monthly visits to City Park.
  • Doing away with the pointing finger/malicious talk: If we are truly desiring to honor the Lord and love others, there just is no room for either of those. If there is, then we’re just going through the rituals, and our hearts are far from Him.

Some of this is not so easy to figure out:
·         Loosening the chains/tossing off the yoke of injustice and setting the oppressed free take some thinking. But we can get involved in various ways. For example, poverty is an injustice. 
      
      And we can fight it in various ways. If we’re already donating to causes, that’s great. You might also consider making purchases with companies that give back, such as Sevenly, which gives $7 of every shirt it sells to a selected charity a week, or Toms shoes, which gives a pair of shoes to a child who has no shoes.

·         Maybe you find time to volunteer for an organization that helps people who are going through tough times or need guidance. There are a lot that do need help these days, such as the American Cancer Society, a local hospital, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization, or maybe you offer your expertise as a tutor, or help someone learn to read.

Here’s your challenge:
With your D-Group leaders, find a way to reach out to the hungry/naked/homeless, to loosen the chains/take off the yoke of injustice. Not just a one-shot thing, not just a plan, not just making a donation, but something each D-group can do on a consistent, regular basis.

You may be looking at me and thinking, no, that’s for other people to do. But this message is meant for all of us, that we all are called to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Are we going to solve the problem? No, and reading this passage and others like it, it doesn’t say we have to, but only for us to act.

You also may be looking at me thinking that this is way over your head, that you’re not capable or ready or have time to do something like this. I think God’s answer is you do.
Look what Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

This is what God has called us to do. And as we obey Him, He promises to guide us always and strengthen us.

We just need to trust Him.



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Saturday, October 22, 2011

13.1 + 26.2 = clean drinking water


Training for half-marathons and marathons, I've learned the importance of staying well hydrated during long runs -- especially on warm, sunny mornings, which in Southern California is pretty much all year.

It's not a big deal for me to fill up a water bottle from my tap and go, trusting that the water will be clean and drinkable. But there are some people that don't have that -- clean, drinkable water whenever they want it -- and I dare say we may have taken it for granted. I know I have, and do.

A billion -- a BILLION! -- people in the world are living without clean water. That comes out to one in eight people. Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water; 45,000 people will die this week alone. The lucky ones won't, but still walk hours each day to get dirty water to give to their families. And unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

That's just wrong.

And we -- me, you, your family and friends -- can change that. We can be part of the solution.

Just $20 can provide one person with access to a clean water project. On average, projects cost $5,000 and can serve 250 people with clean water.

So, I'm running the 2011 Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon on Oct. 30 and the 2012 PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon on Jan. 15 to raise money toward charity: water's effort to purchase needed equipment to dig wells that will provide communities with clean drinking water.

Running and racing are individual efforts, and it's easy to fall into an "it's-all-about-me" mentality. I don't want to do that -- I want these two races to count for more than a personal record or two, or a couple of medals and T-shirts.

I want the effort to actually help someone in need.

The money you donate will go to charity: water (charitywater.org). Charity: water is a non-profit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. One hundred percent -- that's 100% -- of public donations directly fund water projects.

Oh, and, since along the way my birthday and Christmas are coming up, I'm giving those up, too. Instead of getting a card or a present for me, why not take that money and donate it to the cause?

And, yeah, I know $5,000 is a lot of money. Yet I'm not wanting to -- we should not settle for -- aiming at a lower target when we can go for the bigger one.

Please join me. Go to http://mycharitywater.org/run_alan_run to donate.

Any amount you can give will help.

Please note: Because of charity:water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to direct water projects costs, and each donation is "proved" and tracked to the village it helped when projects are complete.

So what's keeping you from helping out?

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Friday, October 14, 2011

How well do you know Him?

Came across this from Charles Spurgeon.

Morning and Evening : Daily Readings
Charles Spurgeon
Morning, October 14

“I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person’s acquaintance with him. No, I must know him myself; I must know him on my own account.

It will be an intelligent knowledge—I must know him, not as the visionary dreams of him, but as the Word reveals him. I must know his natures, divine and human. I must know his offices—his attributes—his works—his shame—his glory. I must meditate upon him until I “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.”

It will be an affectionate knowledge of him; indeed, if I know him at all, I must love him.

An ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning.

Our knowledge of him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Saviour, my mind will be full to the brim—I shall feel that I have that which my spirit panted after. “This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger.”

At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more I shall want to know. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps.

I shall want the more as I get the more. Like the miser’s treasure, my gold will make me covet more.

To conclude: This knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than “Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble”; for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever living Saviour, and gird me with the golden girdle of his eternal joy.

Come, my soul, sit at Jesus’s feet and learn of him all this day.

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.



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Monday, August 8, 2011

It Does All Go Back to Whom You Trust

(Rewritten notes from a messages on Revelation 3:7-13 shared on Aug. 7, 2011, at Corona International Christian Fellowship. For review, see also "In Whom Do You Really Trust?" and "Honor and Discipline: Proverbs 3:19-12.")

There is a common thread through the things we've been studying the last three weeks, from the passages in Proverbs to today's passage out of Revelation. And I didn't see it until I looked again at this passage.
  • It does come down to trusting God and His infinite wisdom, and not our own imperfect limited knowledge.

  • It does come down to knowing Him, of having a relationship with Him through His Word and through prayer.

  • It does come down to discipline - of being in constant training to live a life obedient to Him.

  • It does come down to honoring Him with everything He's given us, to put Him first in line in everything we do.

  • And when we do trust and honor Him, even when it doesn't make sense, and live a disciplined life, what He has for us in the end is greater than anything we can imagine.
Remember:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars - I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Of the seven letters in the opening of Revelation, only the church in Philadelphia and the church in Smyrna have no rebuke from Jesus. The church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) was badly persecuted and poor. The church in Philadelphia was weak and also persecuted. In both cases, the Lord sees their humbleness, their weakness, their knowledge that they are so small and wonder how they could be used by God in such overwhelming opposition to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Both Smyrna and Philadelphia have attributes that we should strive toward as people and as the people who make up the church. But here, we'll focus on Philadelphia.

We pretty much know the word Philadelphia means "brotherly love." And certainly the church must have lived that - as they loved the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, the loved each other, too … and not only that, they loved the lost, the outcasts, the sick, the broken, the hurting, the unlovable - the very people with whom Jesus spent much time.

Quick thing about Philadelphia (in what is modern-day Turkey) in its day ... and Southern California in our day…
  • Philadephia was a city on a major route from Rome to the east, and was known as a gateway to the east.

  • The Port of Los Angeles is an trade arrival point for goods from the Asia, and a gateway for shipping those goods to the east.

    Where we live, the Greater Los Angeles area, aren't we a gateway to not just the east - the port of San Pedro is an entry point for a lot of goods that make their way east from here - but also to the rest of the world? And go a few miles north on I-15 and along the 60 Freeway and I-10, and what do you see? A lot of warehouses where stuff is stored until it's moved to where its eventually sold.

  • It was also called “little Athens” because of the many temples located there.

  • Southern California has temples all over the place. After all, what do most people worship these days? Hint: Look at the tallest buildings and what names do they bear? And …

  • … it was a place prone to earthquakes.
So the Philadelphia church lived and served in an area of opportunity to share the Gospel - just like us. And Jesus opened many doors of opportunity for them to do so - just like us.

Teaching Point No. 1
There is an open door before us (verse 8, second sentence).
Jesus, who holds the key of David, the royal line of Israel, has the power to open and shut doors … and what He opens, no one can shut, and what He has shut, no one can open.
We most often think of such doors as personal opportunity - a job or a relationship, for example.
While that may be true, that's also kind of "me centered."

The bigger picture is that these are doors represent areas where the Lord wants us to serve as a church and as individuals who make up the church.

The idea of a doors as an opportunity to serve the Lord to share His Gospel comes from these passages:

(After Paul and Barnabas returned from their first mission trip recorded in Acts 13 and 14)
On arriving there [Antioch in Syria], they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
(Paul talks about upcoming ministries to which the Lord is calling him)
But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
(Paul talks about his ministry from the Lord)
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me …
(Paul seeks prayer from the Colossian church regarding his calling; and each of our prayers for one another as well)
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Application of Teaching Point No. 1
  1. Walk through the door.
  2. Once on the other side, live, breathe, speak the Gospel in gentleness, respect and love (1 Peter 3:15)
In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul wrote of how he entered and passed through the door, he worked to understand and know those he was called to shared the Gospel with.
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Basically, he sought to understand and know those he was called to shared the Gospel with. He didn't just stand on a street corner - at least he didn't make that his main method of telling people about Jesus - nor did he do it with a tract. He did the risky and frustrating thing: he wanted to make friends with people.

And when you read about the ministry of Paul in Acts and in his letters, you come to know that he was not selective about who he made friends with, about who he shared the Gospel with. He didn't go and do market research to find where the likeliest believers lived and plant a church there.

In Acts 20:21, he says that he has "declared to both Jews and Gentiles (meaning EVERYONE) that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."

On the back of your handout is a list of some really simple ideas that you can do to open doors, make friends and share the Gospel in deed and in word. (You can see that list at "Ten Ideas for Everyday Outreach," "Ten Ideas for Outreach in the Workplace" and "Ten Ideas for Summer Outreach.")

Go through the open door … see what's on the other side, and other side, live, breathe, speak the Gospel in gentleness, respect and love because Jesus IS your Lord. (1 Peter 3:15)

Teaching Point No. 2:
Our perception of our strength, and perhaps our size, should NOT be an obstacle that we make it out to be, because the reward is so much bigger than those obstacles put together.

In commending the Philadelphia church, the Lord notes verse 8 that it has "little strength." Yet, despite that, and despite being in an area where the church was being attacked, looked down upon, outnumbered, Jesus said, "yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

And here are the great reward for following and obeying and standing firm in the truth despite all the opposition and despite their own weakness:

In verse 9, Jesus says that those who oppose His people, He will personally vanquish them and make them fall at our feet at MAKE THEM ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS LOVES US …

in verses 10-11, Jesus tells them:
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Believers and non-believers alike will often say the idea of the rapture is not in Revelation. (Review the rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:50-52.)

Is the rapture mentioned in Revelation? The answer, not specifically, but there is evidence sprinkled throughout … and this, verse 10, is the strongest among them that Jesus will not have His believers going through the great tribulation written about in Revelation. And if you are familiar with those passages, THAT is a huge blessing, and a HUGE reason to faithfully follow the Lord and patently endure whatever the world throws at us as we live and share the Gospel.

And not only that, believers - I pray that is all of us here, too - who patiently endure are honored by the Lord as pillars in His temple, and God will not leave them, and the name of God and Jesus "new name" will be written upon them as well.

But here's the reality, which the Bible also teaches. We don't know when that's going to happen (Revelation 3:3). We don't know when the Lord is going to give those who overcome for His namesake the reward of heaven.

What we do know is this: we need to endure patiently, we need to meet the challenges of what it means to be a true follower of Christ in this world by picking up the cross of the Gospel.

Application of Teaching Point No. 2
Forget our size, and overcome our weakness. Jesus says we should hold on to what we have - His Word - and - I don't know that I can say this enough -- to go through those doors (maybe tear down a wall or two) to share His good news, not just in word, but by the very way we live our lives that reflects His great love.

Yes, this is also the application from the first teaching point. I think the Lord in His Word is wanting us to realize that we really have no excuses in
  1. trusting Him,
  2. living a disciplined life by
  3. honoring Him with everything that we have and
  4. going through the door He's opened to share His love with others, especially the lost.
Jesus said in John 14:23-24:
"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."
Simple in word, but not in deed. As I said a couple weeks ago, maybe we have trust issues. We say we trust in the Lord with all our heart, but the evidence seems to be lacking. Maybe because the things that Jesus asks us to do, like love our enemies, or to give out of our poverty, just don't make sense.

But Jesus said to trust Him, and He gave us numerous reason why we should, including the night before he went to die a criminal's death on a cross when He had never committed a crime deserving of that.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
When you do take the time to reflect on the total Gospel message instead of focusing on a verse or two, following Jesus, doing what the Lord asks us to do in His Word does make sense. And the fact that He is God, the creator of creation, as we get to know Him, trusting Him, even in the bleakest of times, in our weakest of times, makes sense as well.

Remember this verse, and remember it in the proper context. That as we are called to do His work - when we are called to walk through the door to the other side -- in the face of physical, emotional, spiritual, mental weakness:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
The Lord knows that we have little strength on our own to endure, let alone to endure with patience. Think of the times of challenges in your life when you went out to meet that challenge, but you did so without prayer, without being in God's Word, without falling back on Him for strength. It probably didn't work out so well … if the problem seemed to be solved initially, you probably also learned that solution was only temporary.

It goes back to the last two messages in Proverbs 3:5-12, of trusting - fully trusting - in the Lord's wisdom, and not so much our human understanding. It comes down to trust, to honoring the Lord by living a disciplined life according to His Word. And you know what the payoff is: a straightened path that we can see the eternal city on our journey heavenward, and that God does bless us along the way as we overcome the challenges on the path.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
What doors is the Lord opening for you to serve and share His Gospel? Are you going through them, or are you paralyzed because of your own weaknesses?

Hillsong Live


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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Honor and Discipline: Proverbs 3:9-12

(Rewritten notes from a messages on Proverbs 3:19-12 shared on July 31, 2011, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
Teaching Point No. 1
Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
What does it mean to honor the Lord with Your wealth, with your first fruits?

Let’s start with honor. In one sense, according to Merriam-Webster, out of 10 possible definitions, it means
1 a : good name or public esteem : REPUTATION
b : a showing of usually merited respect : RECOGNITION
In other words, because of the Lord’s good status, and reputation of being supreme and perfect and so far above us, we are to show him the respect He deserves. Another idea: fear the Lord.

We have this awesome fear because of this (and there are other verses in Scripture that point this way):

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Wealth
What is meant by wealth in the proverb? And firstfruits? If you attend a lot of Bible studies, or are listening to the worship in giving devotionals, you hear “firstfruits” a lot. Does that mean we give to the Lord, say, a couple apples or oranges from the supermarket before we have our own?
Wealth is an abundance, usually of money or material goods, expressed in some understood unit, such as money. It is virtually synonymous with riches, and both may refer to family, friends, or even moral qualities.
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
So wealth is not material only.

Firstfruits

In the Bible, firstfruits is used in this context:
1 first, beginning, best, chief.
1a beginning.
1b first.
1c chief
1d choice part.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
Firstborn child or animal or first parts of any crop that, in Hebrew thought, were considered as holy and therefore belonged to the Lord. The firstfruits, as a foretaste of more to come, were offered to God in thanksgiving for his goodness in providing them.
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Only in the Bible, however, do we gain a true perspective on honor: the giving of honor to God, who worthily merits our devoted obedience. And Proverbs 3:9 presents the law’s requirement that one should honor the Lord with his gifts and with the firstfruits of his entire harvest.

So … putting it all together, it essentially means this:

Application of Teaching Point No. 1:

Honoring God with our wealth and firstfruits, then, 1) a commandment and 2) is expressed in the commitment of both life and possessions to the Lord’s service (Tyndale Bible Dictionary). Or, to put it in far simpler, yet Biblical terms, love God with EVERYTHING that He gives you and EVERYTHING that you are, AND love people, too (Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-37).

Some cross reference verses (and there are more, like the three above) … note that while we honor God, Scripture also makes it clear that when we don’t honor Him, there are consequences.
One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house [the temple] remains a ruin?”
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.”
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Teaching Point No. 2
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
Let’s first understand what disciple really is. There are two thoughts that pop into mind.
The first is correction, or punishment. We think of it in negatives terms.

DISCIPLINE
1 discipline, chastening, correction.
1a discipline, correction.
1b chastening.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
“Blessed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”

But the larger picture from which the idea of correction/punishment comes is the MOLDING of character that enforces and encourages good behavior (Tyndale Bible Dictionary). In a word, discipline is TRAINING. A bigger picture: It’s LIFELONG instruction. It’s the way of life God desires us to live so that we can be MOLDED in to the character – the image – of Jesus. Sometimes the training does involve correction/punishment when we don’t train, or when we are not practicing discipline.

Psalm 92:12 (NIV and NKJV)
NIV
Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,
the man you teach from your law …

Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,
And teach out of Your law …
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training [discipline]. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
For these commands are a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and the corrections of discipline
are the way to life …
Here’s why it’s scary to not have the Lord discipline (chasten, punish) you:

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Hebrews 12:5-8 , especially verse 8
And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
Application of Teaching Point No. 2:

Be disciplined about how you live a life that honors God, and be ready to be corrected when you fall away from being trained by Him.

Some ideas on what it looks like:
  • Be disciplined about being in Scripture often.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
  • Be disciplined about prayer, and talk to God constantly.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(Jesus Himself was disciplined about prayer)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
  • Be disciplined about attending your Discipleship group/youth-young adult Bible study and Sunday worship. Note: Think on this -- CICF only asks that out of all the hours in a seven-day week that you devote yourself to a Friday or Saturday night D-group Bible study, and a couple hours each Sunday. That's really not a lot that God is asking for.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
  • And finally, be disciplined about taking that God-honoring worship out the church building and into the world wherever you go.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Finally, there is this:

If your spiritual life, or life in general, is stagnant, if you feel like you are stuck in a rut, if you don’t feel like you are being fruitful, maybe you haven’t been honoring God with what He’s given you, whether it’s material or physical or intellectually or spiritually. Maybe you’re out of training, and that stagnation in your life is a form of his chastening, a way of getting your attention for you to get back on the right track.

So be honor God with everything that you are, with everything that you have, and be disciplined about it. That is, do it constantly. It isn't so much that God "says so" but more of the Creator of the universe, the One who existed before time, who invented time, the perfect One, is interested in our worship of Him. And in His perfection, He really does love us enough to want to spend time with us really imperfect people.

And that's more than enough reason to want to honor Him.

Jesus Culture

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Monday, July 25, 2011

In Whom Do You Really Trust?

(Rewritten notes from a messages on Proverbs 3:5-8 shared on July 24, 2011, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”
Do you trust God?

I mean do you trust God 100 percent?

Do you REALLY trust God 100 percent that you trust that He is speaking through me right now?

Are you sure? I mean, 100 percent sure that you trust God 100 percent, and that He is speaking through me right now?

OK. Here’s what he told me to tell you, and it’s Biblical: Matthew 28:16-20. He’s told me to tell you that today, before I start this message, that He wants you to fulfill the Great Commission by going out and bringing back one person, either a stranger or a friend, to this church to listen to His Word today, and to do it in the next 30 minutes.

You ready? Go!
(Let the record show that on that day this message was given, two people immediately went for the door. The rest either just looked at me funny or just absolutely looked, well, scared.)

Wait … before you leave, how many of you are really going home thinking that I’m nuts, and, maybe, just maybe, you think God is nuts, too?

I mean, what I relayed to you is Biblical, direct from God’s Word: That as we gathered here, we in a sense felt the presence of the Lord in our worship, and as part of that worship, just like in Isaiah 6, God said. “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”

What part of that did you not put 100 percent trust in God and in His Word that this is what He wants you and me to do?

Truth is, I’m not going to have you do that, and I believe God is not going to have you do that … at least not right now. But hang on to that thought and turn to

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body

Let’s work backwards to see God’s idea of what real trust is.

Teaching Point No. 1
God wants to make our paths straight (verse 6) AND give us the strength to journey along that path (verse 8).

Note that it does not say “make our paths easy.” It says straight. (NKJV/KJV say “direct your paths” but all other major translations say “make your paths straight.”)

So, what’s the point? I’ve been reading a modern translation John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progess,” which was originally written back in the 1600s. It’s about the Christian’s walk toward heaven. And at one point in the journey, the Christian can see the eternal city, and can see the path leading to it … but it’s not smooth, it’s hilly and twisty. It’s that path that God wants to make straight.

The other point is that God KNOWS it’s a difficult journey. In John 16:33, Jesus, God the Son, said, “In this world you will have trouble.”

But here’s what it meant by God bringing us health to the body and nourishment to the bones during our journey in this life.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
He doesn’t just save us to put us on a difficult path to heaven. He wants to make us strong for the journey. The key here is in verse 31: “those who hope in the Lord … ” Another way of looking at that is those who TRUST in the Lord … but more on that later …

Teaching Point No. 2
We shouldn’t rely on our human, or wordly, wisdom alone (verses 5 and 7), but on the Lord’s wisdom.

Let’s make sure first, to understand what this DOES NOT MEAN:
Although this passage certainly condemns any academic arrogance, it does not indulge in anti-intellectualism. The commitment of the heart to God means that all the beliefs and decisions of life are to be submitted to Yahweh. Even very practical decisions are in view here, and not just matters of academic pursuit. But the text is no more opposed to academic research per se than to any normal activity of life. Also, “understanding” implies not just intellectual capacity but one’s own moral standards. One’s private vision of right and wrong must be submitted to God.
--The New American Commentary, Vol. 14: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
In other words, God does not say for us check our brain at the door. He does say we ought to use it, but to use it wisely. There is reason why He gave us a level of intellect. The very fact that in Isaiah 1:18, he says, “Come, let us REASON together,” leads me to believe that.

Now, let first define what wisdom is …

WISDOM
The ability to direct one’s mind toward a full understanding of human life and toward its moral fulfillment. Wisdom is thus a special capacity, necessary for full human living; it can be acquired through education and the application of the mind.
--Tyndale Bible Dictionary
And this is why we should not rely on our own knowledge – things we’ve learned on earth by worldly wisdom – by itself:
He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.
Which leads to …

Teaching Point No. 3
Verse 7 says “fear the Lord and shun evil” and the way we can do that is, according to verse 6, to acknowledge Him in everything, which basically means to KNOW Him and what He desires of us.

What it means to "fear the Lord."
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
We need to have that fear of the Lord = an awe-inspiring reverence that has us offering constant praise because of His divine wisdom – and because of WHO He is.

Divine Wisdom
Although the term “wisdom” is used primarily in the OT with reference to human beings, all wisdom is ultimately rooted and grounded in God. Wisdom forms a central part of the nature of God. In wisdom God created the universe (Prv 3:19) and human beings (Ps 104:24). Thus wisdom, in its positive connotations, is something inherent in God, reflected in creation, and a part of the reason for human existence. Wisdom in creation is reflected in the form and order that emerged out of primeval chaos. The wisdom of God expressed in the creation of humanity means that human life may also be marked by form and order, and that meaning in life may be found in the created world, which contains marks of divine wisdom.
--Tyndale Bible Dictionary
By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104 describes how the order of how creation works – not in a scientific/worldy wisdom way, but showing us through His eyes just by looking at things . And when you read the entire psalm, you do start to realize that human wisdom could not have engineered creation that way. As a matter of fact, human wisdom is still trying to figure it out. But the wisdom of God simply tells us that it’s Him, that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

But what’s even more awe-inspiring, what should make us fear Him even more is this:
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Which leads to …

Teaching point No. 4
In Proverbs 3, verse 5, it says to trust in the Lord with all our heart. God wants us to trust Him, to have full faith in Him, with everything that we are.

Trust, as a verb, as an action, means to believe in the reliability, truth, or ability of, or to have the confidence in someone.

In Harpers’ Bible Dictionary, under trust, it says “see faith.”
Under faith, it says:
faith, in the Bible trust in, or reliance on, God who is himself trustworthy.
Harper's Bible dictionary

In other words, we can rely on, we can count on as true, God’s wisdom because it has PROVEN TO BE TRUSTWORTHY.

The nation of Israel knew this based on its history of being delivered and rescued by God from its enemies (but as the Old Testament records, they didn’t always ACT as they believed it).
O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.

You who fear him, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
And when you read about the whole plan of redemption in the Bible, and when you consider all the prophecies of the Old Testament and ALL those concerning Jesus’ first coming some 2,000 years ago were fulfilled, you do come to know, with the divine help of the Holy Spirit, that God is 100 percent trustworthy.

And you can read a verse like Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
And know by faith that you can trust, that you can rely on what He promises to you in His Word 100 percent.

Application:
Now that you know all this, how do you, in a very practical, everyday sense, avoid making worldly wisdom you standard, but instead trust God with everything that you are?

Here are some starters for you, how you will feed yourself spiritually, your challenge between now and when you meet in your D-groups, here is what you hold each other accountable to during the week:

Surrender to Him. Don’t just sing it, but surrender to Him, in body and in mind.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Acknowledge Him. That doesn’t just mean to say God is there, that He exists. The demons can do that. But as we learned today, that means to KNOW Him through His Word. That, the demons won’t do.

In Matthew 11:29, Jesus, God the Son, said:
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
He invites us constantly to learn from Him, about Him, through His Word.

And when you learn more of Him, more about Him, you learn that He is so much bigger than anything you can imagine – bigger than your successes, bigger than the problems of this world, bigger than your problems – that how He reveals Himself in His Word barely scratches the surface because if He did reveal Himself to us in His infinite total glory, it would be like Moses being shoved in a crease in the rocks by the hand of God – we couldn’t handle it.

A pastor named Toby Slough put it this way, using Isaiah 55:8-9
I want to serve a God who is bigger than I, one whom I can't fully comprehend or understand. I don't want a god you can put in a box. I don't want a god that runs with programs and formulas. Even now, when I wonder why God didn't answer a prayer the way I wanted him to or allowed something to happen to me that I can't understand, I can almost hear him whispering, "My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts."
Pick up your Bible and consistently, constantly, prayerfully read and seek Him.
As Pastor Ed said last week, the daily tragedy is that after today, many Christians, including some of YOU, will not pick up your Bible between now and next Sunday. And listen carefully – listening to KWAVE or a podcast from another Biblical pastor, while that’s a good thing to do, IT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR TIME WITH GOD.

Then fully trusting in Him, obey Him, know that He is with you, and tell people about Jesus. (Matthew 28:16-20)

What happens if you don’t start with acknowledging the Lord and knowing Him through His Word? As it says in Psalm 115, you start to worship and trust in something you made up. Your view of God becomes based on YOUR OWN understanding, not His. Your view of God become so much smaller than He is. And it follows that your trust in Him, especially in times of crisis, is almost non-existent. And what you have left to fall back on? The things you know, which are build on human wisdom that pales in comparison to God’s wisdom that He freely wants to give you.

What happens when you diligently, with discipline – like the disciples of Jesus that we ought to be – pursue consistently, constantly, God’s wisdom in His Word?

As we learned to day, when we do those things, the Lord will make our paths straight and give us the strength we need in this journey.

Caedmon's Call

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