Alan's 'other' blog

Isaiah 58

2011-11-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

Rewrittennotes from a message on Isaiah 58, given at Corona International ChristianFellowship on Oct. 30, 2011.

Thismay be one of those sermons or passages in Scripture that declare the Lord’scommands 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 fromdeclaring 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, correctingAND training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equippedfor EVERY good work. (2Tim 3:16-17 NIV)

Somake no mistake, if you and I say we follow Jesus and call Him the Lord of ourlives, Lord of His church, this applies toALL of us here (and those who follow Christ and are not here) today. AsIsaiah 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, verses1-5

Weare no different than the people of Isaiah’s day, who went through the visibleactions of worship, but once the Sabbath was over, once they left the place ofworship, they were no different.

Inverse 1, God, being God, sees right through all this, and instructs the prophetIsaiah:

“Shout it aloud, do nothold back.

Raise your voice like atrumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

and to the house of Jacob their sins.”

Andwhat were those sins? Self-centeredness and hypocrisy. Aren’t we like that attimes?

Maybe more than we are willing to admit? Let’s read on …

Backthen, when you read the entire Book of Isaiah, as well as the Book of Amos (hiscontemporary), you’ll see how the people followed the Law and seemed to bemaking 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 comenear them.

Theyexpected to be rewarded for such a display of piousness, for making everyeffort 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?’

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

Yetit’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:

“Yeton the day of your fasting, you do as you please

andexploit all your workers.

⁴Your fastingends in quarreling and strife,

andin striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard onhigh.

⁵Is 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 areed

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

Inother words, back then, they went through worship rituals, probably lookedpretty good doing it, and looked to thre Lord and said, “See what good peoplewe are!”

AndGod said, who are you fooling? You come to worship, but you mistreat yourworkers, using them however you please to please you, but not to do right bythem. 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? Isthis what it means to worship Me? Do you think you can do it for a day, maybean hour and think I’ll bless you for THAT, while the rest of the time you’redoing exactly OPPOSITE of My commands?

Doesn’tGod say that to us today? We say we read the Bible, go to church and Biblestudy, pray, sing God songs, listen to God radio. Oh, even this: I teach aBible study, I sing on the worship team, I help with a ministry – all on aSunday. But what happens when we are away from each other, when we are in theworkplace or at school, or with friends and family? Admit it, we will sometimes start to act like the world.

Andyet we expect God to bless us. Yet, when we are really honest with ourselvesbefore 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 andpeople, but we fail at doing actual service that really does honor God andrains down love on people.''

InNew Testament terms, Paul wrote: “⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians6:7)

Teaching Point No. 2, verses6-7, 9b-10, 13

WhatGod desires goes beyond rituals, goes beyond talking about it, goes beyond oneday. What God wants is real love as a way of life that worships Him as we loveothers – regardless of who they are, where they come from, even what theybelieve.

Let’slook at three sections out of this passage:

⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chainsof injustice

and untie the cords ofthe yoke,

to set the oppressedfree

and break every yoke?

⁷Is it not to share your foodwith the hungry

and to provide the poorwanderer 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 theyoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicioustalk,

¹⁰and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy theneeds of the oppressed …

¹³“If you keep yourfeet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on myholy day,

if you call the Sabbath adelight

and the Lord’s holyday honorable,

and if you honor itby not going your own way

and not doing as you please orspeaking idle words …

What God wants is prettyplain, 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: ⁹Going on from that place, he (Jesus) went into their synagogue, ¹⁰and 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?”¹¹He 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? ¹²How 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 ourlove 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 weare supposed to do, but our hearts are not in it, He’s not going to bless thateither.

Lookat what He says:

⁸ Thenyour 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.

⁹Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

¹¹The Lordwill guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in asun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

¹²Your 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 willfind your joy in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride on theheights of the

land and to feast on the inheritance of yourfather Jacob.”

Sowhen we share our food with the hungry, clothe the naked, provide shelter forthe poor wander, loosen the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, doaway with malicious talk, and honor the Sabbath:

God will have the light that is our salvation through Jesus that He gaveus shine, that people will see what wedo 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 wedelight 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 aprophesy for the re-gathered nation of Israel, we can look at it as rebuildingrelationships, as peace makers, as people who point to Jesus as the way back toa restored relationship with God.
We will realize more and more what joy in the Lord really means, becausewe will have done His will because we desire to honor Him and love Him as thegreat commandment says, and love others, just as the great commandment says.

Application

Make what you learnreal outside these four walls, outside your D-group Bible studies and for theleast of these. Make it part of how you live your life daily.

Someof this pretty easy to figure out:

Sharing our food with the hungry, clothing the naked and providingshelter for the poor wander, we can do that in a lot of ways. Financially, forsure. Food donations, we’ve done that. Face-to-face sharing, getting to knowthem so they might come to know Jesus … well, not so much, but we do haveopportunities with our now monthly visits to City Park.
Doing away with the pointing finger/malicious talk: If we are trulydesiring to honor the Lord and love others, there just is no room for either ofthose. If there is, then we’re just going through the rituals, and our heartsare far from Him.

Some of this is not soeasy to figure out:

· Loosening the chains/tossing off the yoke of injustice and setting theoppressed free take some thinking. But we can get involved in various ways. Forexample, poverty is an injustice.

And we can fight it in various ways. If we’realready donating to causes, that’s great. You might also consider makingpurchases with companies that give back, such as Sevenly, which gives $7 ofevery shirt it sells to a selected charity a week, or Toms shoes, which gives apair of shoes to a child who has no shoes.

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

Here’s your challenge:

With your D-Group leaders, find a way to reachout to the hungry/naked/homeless, to loosen the chains/take off the yoke ofinjustice. Not just a one-shot thing, not just a plan, not just making adonation, but something each D-group can do on a consistent, regular basis.

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

You also may be looking at me thinking that thisis way over your head, that you’re not capable or ready or have time to dosomething like this. I think God’s answer is you do.

Look what Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I cando everything through Him who gives me strength.”

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

We just need to trust Him.

13.1 + 26.2 = clean drinking water

2011-10-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

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?

How well do you know Him?

2011-10-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

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.”

— Philippians 3:8

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.

It Does All Go Back to Whom You Trust

2011-08-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

(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:

Proverbs 3:5-12

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.

Today: Revelation 3:7-13

"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)

Acts 14:27

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)

1 Corinthians 16:8-9

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)

2 Corinthians 2:12

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)

Colossians 4:3

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

Walk through the door.
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.

And in Revelation 3:3

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

trusting Him,
living a disciplined life by
honoring Him with everything that we have and
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.

John 16:33

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

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:

Philippians 4:12-13

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

"God Is Able"

Honor and Discipline: Proverbs 3:9-12

2011-08-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

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

Proverbs 3:9-12

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

Verses 9-10

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):

Revelation 4:11

“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.

Proverbs 11:24-26

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.

Proverbs 14:31

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Malachi 3:8-10

“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.

Haggai 1:4-10

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.”

Luke 14:13-14
“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

Verses 11-12

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

Hebrews 12:5-6

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.”

Job 5:17

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

Revelation 3:19

“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 …

NKJV

Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,
And teach out of Your law …

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

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.

Proverbs 6:23

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:

Proverbs 12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

1 Corinthians 11:32

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.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
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.

Hebrews 4:12-13
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.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
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)
Mark 1:35
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.

Hebrews 10:24-25
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.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:23-24
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.

"I Exalt Thee"

Jesus Culture

In Whom Do You Really Trust?

2011-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

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

Matthew 28:16-20

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

Proverbs 3:5-8
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.

In Isaiah 40: 29-31:

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:

Proverbs 28:26
He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

1 Corinthians 3:18-19
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."

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Psalm 111:10
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

Proverbs 3:19-20
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.

Psalm 104:24
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:

James 1:5-6
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).

Psalm 115:9-11
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.

Romans 12:1-2
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.

"I Surrender All"

Caedmon's Call

Corporate Worship: A Piece of Heaven on Earth (Psalm 150)

2011-07-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

(Rewritten notes from a messages on Psalm 150 shared on June 26, 2011, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

In a Christianity Today article, “Contemporary Music: The Cultural Medium and the Christian Message,” D. H. Williams, a professor of religion in patristics – the study of the writings and lives of the early Christian theologians – and historical theology at Baylor University, wrote:

Our consumerist culture has co-opted many churches, creating a mall-like environment marked by splashiness and simplistic messages. When the church becomes essentially a purveyor of religious goods and services, it reinforces the believer's own consumerist habits, allowing him to pick and choose according to taste or functionality.

He wasn’t necessarily being critical of the music, but the bigger picture: He was questioning the attitudes that drive what some call “modern worship.” While tradition for tradition’s sake can be stifling and turn people away from hearing the Gospel, too much of making a worship service resemble a concert or a multi-media event with slick production potentially can distract people from what they need to KNOW and HEAR in God’s Word.

In other words, through weekly worship services, for a variety of reasons many modern-day churches have molded themselves into the image of the community (maybe the world) they serve – rather than transforming the community (the world) they serve. If I read the article correctly, Williams seems to say that churches have been emphasizing form over the substance of the Gospel, rather than having the Gospel shape the form of the church. And honestly, during my vacation, I wondered if at times we’ve allowed that to happen here at CICF.

But God, in His ever infinite wisdom given to us in His Word, provides a way for us to get back onto the path HE wants us on.

Read the following psalm out loud (as it was meant to be):

Psalm 150

Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.

I’m going to take these points out of chronological order because the most important point to learn today is at the beginning of the psalm.

Teaching Point No. 1: Who should praise God
v. 6 Everything that has breath.

Elsewhere in God's Word (just a sampling, be a Berean, double-check me, look for other passages.)

Psalm 145: 10-12
All your works praise you, LORD;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Revelation 5:13
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Teaching Point No. 2: Why He should be praised
v. 2: For His acts of power and surpassing greatness.

Elsewhere in God's Word (just a sampling, be a Berean, double-check me, look for other passages.)

Deuteronomy 3:24
“Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? ”
(Emphasis on "have begun," because God is not yet finished showing us His greatness and strong hand.)

Jeremiah 32:17-19
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.

Revelation 15:3-4
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(Since God created the heavens and the earth, it is quite logical and possible to think that He existed BEFORE the heavens and the earth came into being, that He existed BEFORE the beginning. And isn't that a display of His power and surpassing greatness?)

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(Isn't this even a larger display of His power and surpassing greatness that He would even want to rescue a bunch of rebellious misfits like us by sacrificing His one and only Son -- who did no wrong, ever -- on a cross to die a criminal's death? How often do we think on that, how often we take that for granted, in our times of corporate worship?)

Challenge: What other verses in the Bible can you find that define God’s power and surpassing greatness? How you observed them in your life and the lives of Christians you know?

Teaching Point No. 3: How we should praise Him
v. 3-5 With instruments, voices and loudly

sounding trumpet
timbrel = hand drum
dancing = physical expression
harp and lyre = stringed instrument
pipe = flute in other translations
with cymbals = these instruments tend to be anything but quiet: v5 = crashing and ringing, constant

This is NOT making a case for loud volume for the sake of loud volume. It IS making a case that praise and worship, while at times it can be contemplative and meditative, should also be expressed in such a way that people take notice, that God’s glory is such that it CAN NOT be proclaimed quietly.

Look at it this way: Each line in verses 1-5 begin with the word praise; each line in verses 3-5 begins with the praise. Praise means to express, and in the context of this psalm, it means to express boldly and loudly, with instruments and with the body. And while singing isn’t explicitly mentioned in Psalm 150, in other psalms of praise it is. Here’s just one example (and, again, I encourage -- I challenge -- you to be Bereans and check me and find other passages where it says to praise the Lord boldly and loudly):

Psalm 98:4-6
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

Shout for joy is emphasized because when you realize God's power and surpassing greatness was used to rescue us from our own mess, that he would love us first even when we would not love Him, that it cost Him the ultimate price ... why would you express your love for Him quietly?

Teaching Point No. 4: Where we praise the Lord
v. 1 In His sanctuary and in His mighty heavens
Sanctuary = here on earth
His mighty heavens = not here on this earth, but in His throne room.

This is important, and if you were nodding off before, here is where you need to wake up … and look to the left and right of you and wake up your neighbor.

The psalmist says we should praise the Lord in His sanctuary. That’s here in this building AND outside this building, because the earth is the Lord’s sanctuary. Our praise is NOT limited to this time and this place. Our praise of God, based on all the verses that come after verse one – AND ELSEWHERE IN SCRIPTURE – should be on going and should be without boundary, without limits that we so often impose on ourselves.

Which leads to the second place where God is praised: in His mighty heavens.

Look at Psalm 148:1
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.

OK, I know we are not in heaven – yet. But also consider this in Hebrews 12:18-24. Because of the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sin, Scripture says:

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

When we come together as a body in Christ like we do this moment, like we do every Sunday, like we do even in our D-group gatherings, God invites us to a piece of heaven on earth. God invites us into his presence, in the joyful assembly of the saints – the spirits of the righteous made perfect in the blood of Jesus – and the angels. And that is going on RIGHT NOW IN HEAVEN.

Revelation 4

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits w of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
"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.”

That, according to God’s Word, is what is taking place in heaven right now. And when we assemble as followers of Jesus, made righteous by the sacrifice of His blood shed for us on the cross, we enter in the assembly of saints and angels.

Think on that – God has invited us in to a piece of heaven right now. Think on this, you who have loved ones who have gone on before you and me: God is giving us the opportunity to join with them in their worship of Him in His very throne room in this very moment.

Application of Psalm 150
Don’t take Sunday worship, don’t take your D-group gatherings, as just activities to do because you think it’s expected of you as a Christian. Do it because God is inviting you and me to praise Him in the company of the saints and angels in heaven. Don’t come here with the attitude that you are here to be served. Come here with an attitude of awe and gratitude that God – the creator of the universe, the Eternal One – invites you and me to be here.

Think of the implications of this as you allow Scripture to shape you in the image of Jesus:

No longer do worship gatherings reflect the world; instead they reflect heaven, God’s Word, and most important His glory
No longer do you approach corporate worship as a thing you do
No longer do you relegate it to just one more thing to add to your weekly calendar
No longer (I hope) do you arrive late every Sunday, or your D-group gathering
No longer to you stand or sit silently as the worship team leads you in song, and as the pastors lead you through God’s Word
No longer do you leave here unchanged. The teaching of God’s Word NOT just head knowledge; it become part of you, making you a LIVING TESTIMONY, A LIVING EXAMPLE of God’s power and surpassing greatness.

I say that last part because of this: If we are in the presence of God with the company of saints and angels, as I believe we are in this very moment, we CAN NOT leave here unchanged. Because in Isaiah 6, the prophet saw the Lord in the temple, and his sin was atoned for, and Isaiah was changed and took on the tasks the Lord laid out for him.

If you leave here the same person you were when you got here, maybe you have not yet surrendered yourself to the cross.

Maybe you've let tradition get in the way.

Maybe there is some pride involved as you let your personal preferences dictate how you worship rather than letting God's Word dictate how you worship.

Last, but certainly not least, maybe you have not yet fully committed and fully come to trust in God’s redeeming grace He offers through Jesus: that grand display of His power and surpassing greatness.

If that’s you, pray this out with us before the saints and angels in heaven and before God’s throne:

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving me that You want to reveal a piece of Your perfect throne room in our imperfect world. I am so sorry for not realizing the depth of that love, and for rejecting You and what You teach to make me right again in Your eyes. Thank You for dying on the cross for all of my sins. With Your help, I will turn away from all those things, and walk in Your path and declare Your greatness. Today, I declare my trust in You to be my Master and Savior, and I receive You into my heart. Thank You for Your forgiveness, thank You for Your mercy, thank You for Your grace and love that is Your free gift of eternal life. Thank You for that one day when I will go home to You in heaven, when I will be with the saints and angels who are worshipping You this very moment.
Amen.

While on a walk on a desert road ...

2011-06-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

(Rewritten notes from Church at the Beach message on May 29. And those of you who were at the beach ... did you share the Gospel and give that tract away?)

Acts 8:26-40

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”

So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” *verse 37 in NKJV/NASB] And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

TEACHING POINT NO. 1

Phillip. One of the seven appointed to help oversee the day-to-day workings of the church in Jerusalem – the daily ministry of assistance to the impoverished widows of the Christian community . After a rather successful time in Samaria preaching the Gospel (see Acts 8:4-7), the Holy Spirt – GOD – said to get on the road, the DESERT road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Phillip went (see Matthew 28:18-20/Acts 1:8). Further, the Holy Spirit pointed out to Phillip someone who was seeking God, yet had questions about Him (verse 29).

APPLICATION OF TEACHING POINT NO. 1

Are you listening when the Holy Spirit says “go” even when it might seem absurd to you, even if it gets you out of what you are familiar with?
And are you going out on what appears to be a desert road?

TEACHING POINT NO. 2

The Ethiopian eunuch/treasurer. He was a seeker, one who went to Jerusalem to worship, yet because he was a eunuch, according to Deuteronomy 23:1, he could not participate in the community worship, nor could he even hope to become a proselyte Jew. But still he sought to know the Lord (Ps 91:14-16, Jer. 29:13), because he likely had a longing in his heart and a innate knowledge that there was someone bigger than him, and that someone could restore or renew or make him brand new.

And think of your own life before you came to know the Lord. Wasn't it something like this?

When Phillip came to him, he was reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Note: This probably was not a random scroll the Ethiopian picked up: see Isaiah 56:3-8. And think again: the Ethiopian had a some notion that he could be renewed or made new. It can't be an accident that when Phillip came along side, the Ethiopian was reading one of the Messianic prophesies in Isaiah (ch. 53).

APPLICATION OF TEACHING POINT NO. 2

Once out on the desert road, are you paying attention to the people around you – especially to someone who might be bit lost in seeking God?

TEACHING POINT NO. 3

Phillip listened to the Ethiopian to figure out where he was spiritually. Notice that Phillip did not launch into sharing the Gospel (– the Gospel (verses 30-31, 34). He listened to the Ethiopian reading Scripture, then asked the question to find out the depth of the Ethiopian’s understanding. In other words, he waited for the invitation to share what God had given him – the Gospel – to share.

APPLICATION OF TEACHING POINT NO. 3

Do you wait until invited to share the Gospel, or do you just launch into it without understanding where the other person is at spiritually?

TEACHING POINT NO. 4

Phillip knew and used God’s Word to share the Gospel . The Ethiopian read to Phillip the passage he could not understand. And Phillip knew to begin where the Ethiopian was and use that as a way to tell the WHOLE GOSPEL and told him about Jesus (verse 35) … and the Ethiopian believed and was baptized.

APPLICATION OF TEACHING POINT NO. 4

How much do you know of God’s Word to share?
Are you reading it for yourself?
Are you attending your D-group Bible study regularly?
Are you in church regularly to listen to the Word preached?
Are you attending the Sunday school sessions on the Bible basics of our shared faith?

We do have the tools, and you have every opportunity to obtain those tools AND to learn how to use them. The rest is up to you to be obedient to the Lord.

(*Note on verse 37, from the New American Commentary: Acts
Verse 37 is omitted from the NIV text of Acts, and for good reasons. It is not found in the early manuscripts of Acts and seems to be a later scribal addition. It is given in a footnote of the NIV and consists of a profession of faith on the part of the eunuch. Evidently a scribe felt this was lacking and so provided the missing confession of faith. He did not need to do so. Luke had summarized Philip’s sharing the gospel with the eunuch in v. 35, and one can assume it included an appeal for the eunuch to respond. The eunuch’s desire for baptism would indicate a favorable response to Philip’s appeal. The added verse, however, has considerable value. It seems to embody a very early Christian baptismal confession where the one baptizing asked the candidate if he believed in Christ with all his heart, to which the candidate would respond by confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This old confession is of real significance to the history of early Christian confessions and would be appropriate to the baptismal ceremony today. To that extent we can be grateful to the pious scribe who ascribed to the eunuch the baptismal confession of his own day.

Additional thought: Don't get caught up with the verse number and think it was omitted ... remember that when the original was written, none/zero/nada of the Bible's writers had entered chapter and verse numbers in their writing. Also, note that its omission from the NIV does not contradict anything written before or after, nor does its addition or omission change anything about the basics of Christian faith. -- Alan)

Happy Easter ... but don't let it end with today ...

2011-04-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sin washed away ... the tomb is empty ... death is beaten ... oh happy day!

It's Easter Sunday, and I'm kind of bugged this a.m. ... Don't get me wrong, I'm living a life of joy because of the empty tomb and life eternal given to us who believe, follow and trust God in Christ by His grace, mercy and love.

But a lot of us -- me, too -- will go to church today, hear the Gospel preached, sing songs of praise, say all the right things, maybe be nice to the one or two people we can't stand ... and then we go home and ... nothing has really changed. It's like we talked a good game on Easter Sunday, but when the game really starts on Monday, we got no game (pardon my grammar).

I mean, what good is it to shout God's praises if we don't live a life of justice, of letting His righteousness flow through us to help other people? To do that is really fake of us, and not at all God-honoring. (Amos 5:21-24)

And what were we saved for if we keep acting like the world does, loving what the world does, and in the process, God is shoved in the backseat, to the point that He's not even relevant in our lives -- except on Sunday, and even then, it's just window dressing? (1 Corinthians 15:1-34, especially the last 5 verses)

I don't want to let this be an Easter where I go to service thinking, "Yeah, I've heard the story before -- I've even preached it. So I'm going to mentally check out through the sermon today."

Instead, I -- we all who call ourselves followers of Jesus, we all who claim to call ourselves Christians -- should hold on fast every moment to the Gospel we have been taught ... otherwise, we believe in vain ... (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

Shout unto God with a voice of truimph ... lift His name up by the way we live daily ...

With love in Jesus ...

Alan

Hillsong United "Shout Unto God"

I Have to Tell Someone!

2011-04-19T20:00:00.001-07:00

(Rewritten notes from a message shared at Corona International Christian Fellowship shared on April 17, 2011.)

Read 2 Kings 7:3-11 (better yet, read 2 Kings chapters 6 and 7 to get the full context).

Now there were four men with leprosya at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.

Then they said to each other, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”

So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.

Teaching Point No. 1

In the midst of bad things …

Things were bad in Samaria as the Arameans’ siege of the city wore on. With no way to transport goods and food between the city and the farmers, food prices were unreachable, for what food there was in the city. So people starved. Some resorted to cannibalism. (2 Kings 6:26-31)

Still there was hope. Even as the prophet Elisha was being ridiculed by King Joram, who really wanted his head on a pole, Elisha foretold that in 24 hours, food prices would drop, there would be plenty for everyone. He didn’t say how it would happen – just that it would (2 Kings 7:1). And as an officer for the king questioned Elisha (2 Kings 7:2), expressing his deep skepticism, Elisha prophesized that officer’s demise for his unbelief.

Pick up in verse 3 of chapter 7, and it was still looking bad. So bad that four lepers – four outcasts – decided to bolt from Samaria and put themselves at the mercy of the enemy for food. For them, it was either a slow death in the city, or life – or a quick death – at the hands of the enemy.

At dusk, they set out for the camp of the Arameans, and when they got there, the tents were empty. Verses 5-6 say “not a man was there, for the LORD HAD CAUSED the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army” which frightened them and cause them to flee.

God defeated the enemy.

Application of Teaching Point No. 1

In the midst of bad things … wait on God, because He’ll cause something to happen.

It looked bad in Samaria. People ate their own. Some gave up hope in God. Some figured it would be better to be with the enemy than to keep suffering.

But God caused something to happen that delivered the city of Samaria. And it was in His timing, not Elisha’s timing, nor because King Joram wore sackcloth in repentance (2 Kings 6:30). Elisha, being a prophet of the Lord, would not have said anything unless the Lord instructed him to do so (2 Peter 1:20)

In your darkest of times, hasn’t God caused something in your life to happen? For you singles, it could have been a break up with someone you were dating; for you married couples, it could have been a really bad disagreement that left you considering a divorce; for some of you, a severe illness; for some of you, the loss of a job; an opportunity that you thought was yours, but was not; or some sort of economic hardship; for some of you, a betrayal by someone you thought to be a trusted friend.

Many of you have testimonies – good news – of how you waited on God, and He came through.

The biggest of these, though, happened nearly 2,000 years ago, when Jesus hung on a cross, and a movement that had grown and surrounded him seemed to end with His death. All but one of his trusted followers abandoned Him. Then three days later, he rose from the grave … and a band of misfits and cowards, of people most of society then looked down on, became the biggest messengers of the greatest news ever.

You who follow Jesus, who call Him Lord and Savior, also have that good news.

Teaching Point No. 2

The messenger of good news sometimes is the least likely person.

It was four lepers who were the first witnesses to the empty camp of the enemy. Think on that. It wasn’t a band of soldiers. It wasn’t the king or anyone in his court. It wasn’t the elders of the city of Samaria.

It was four lepers – outcasts of society, considered unclean and kept out of view because of their hideous appearance.

Yet God engineered it so the least likely people, the outcast, the people no one wanted to be around, would be the bearer of good news.

Fast forward to the birth of Jesus. In the gospel of Luke, who was first told and who was it that spread the good news given to them by the angels? Was it the religious elite? Was it the rich and powerful? Was it the teaching rabbis of the day?

In Luke 2:8-10, it says:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

And after seeing the Christ child (verse 20):

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The common shepherd was the bearer of the good news that the Savior of the world had come.

In the gospel of John, an unlikely person was picked by Jesus Himself to tell people about Him. We know of John chapter 4 as the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (two strikes there … Samaritans were shunned by Jews, and she wasn’t exactly a social role model either). We know this more for Jesus saying that the Father seeks those to worship Him in spirit and in truth. What we miss is that Jesus used a rather sinful person to bear the good news to her village about Him.

John 4:28-30, 39-42

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. ...

Beginning in verse 39:

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Application of Teaching Point No. 2

The messenger of good news sometimes is the least likely person … and that person is YOU.

Some people have left it all up to the pastors and the elders to tell people of the gospel. And when this church hasn’t grown, the pastors and elders got the blame.

But it is ALL our responsibility. The pastors and church leaders equip, and we also do our part. At the same time, YOU also are called to share the good news of God’s love through Jesus. The Great Commission is not for church leaders only. Read it, re-read it, and re-read it again, and tell me if I’m wrong.

God uses every believer in His Son to get the word out, regardless of intellect or educational background, regardless of your occupation, regardless of your skin color or ethnicity, regardless of your age, regardless of your gender, regardless of your (blood-washed) past, regardless of your ____________________ (you can fill in the blank).

1 Corinthians 1: 26-31

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to sham

e the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Each person who has surrendered his or her life to Jesus, who says he or she loves the Lord, should have no problem obeying His command to tell the world about Him.

Teaching Point No. 3

Keeping all the good stuff to ourselves is just wrong.

So the four lepers enjoyed the spoils of the stuff the enemy left behind. In verse 8 it says:

The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.

Don’t we sometimes as Christians get eat and drink and hoard Biblical knowledge? Don’t we take this knowledge and hide it, then come back to church and Bible study or listen to KWVE, and hide more of those Biblical gems? OK, maybe we share it with each other … and that has some benefit … It’s great that we can share with each other what God has revealed to us in His word.

But if it never leaves this building, if it never leaves our circle of friends and family here at CICF, what good is it? What good is all that information?

Seriously.

Instead, when we go out into the world, we share of how God blessed us with a job, a car, a spouse, personally), good grades, acceptance to the college we’ve always wanted to attend -- whatever it may be. And, yes, we should share such things.

This past week, God blessed Kevin, Christine, Maya, me and the rest of my family with the good news that “baby No. 2” – who is heading into 19 weeks in the womb – is a boy. That’s great! I’m happy for my daughter, son-in-law, grand-daughter and the rest of my family.

But like a praise for God because we got a car or whatever, how is that kind of news going to have a lasting impact outside of my immediate family, while I hide or hoard the real good news of a new life in Jesus?

The answer is -- as wonderful as that news is -- it doesn’t. Me having a grandson has no immediate, lasting impact on the lives of people outside my family -– unless the Lord makes him a pastor (maybe).

Again, think on this:

A praise for God because we got a car or whatever … how is that kind of news going to have a lasting impact outside of our immediate family, our immediate church family, while we hide or hoard the real good news of a new life in Jesus?

I possess, YOU possess, the greatest news ever, news that will change lives – after all, if you are a follower of Jesus, it did CHANGE your life for the better, didn’t it?

What needs to happen is that conviction from the Holy Spirit. And just like in verse 9 in 2 Kings 7, we need to come to this realization:

“We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. ... ”

It’s NOT RIGHT to have the good news of salvation in Jesus and just enjoy the spoils and benefits of it all to ourselves. To do is selfish of us:

Philippians 2:4

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

To keep the good news of salvation, after Jesus said to tell people about salvation through Him, is a sin. There is no way around that:

Numbers 32:23

“But if you fail to do this (obey the Lord’s commands), you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”

Application of Teaching Point No. 3

Keeping all the good stuff to yourself is just wrong. So do right and tell people, because God has told you to, and He’s given you the tools you need to do so. Really, we have no excuses.

Matthew 28:16-20

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."

Jesus gave us His teachings in the gospels and in the letters through Paul, Peter, Jude, James and John. We have the material. And He is with us, always.

But wait, there is more …

Acts: 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

The Bible is very clear: We who believe in Jesus as Savior and call Him Lord have the gift of Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity, living in us. We have the same power that raised Jesus from the grave living IN US.

We are equipped with His word, we have the support of each other through our discipleship groups and the church community as a whole, and we have the Lord’s Spirit in us.

If we just hangout here in our comfortable little church group, and not tell anyone about the saving grace and mercy and love of God through His Son Jesus, surely we are doing wrong.

So let’s ALL bring a smile to the face of the Father, let’s make our love for Him and our love for people more than a word, more than an emotion. Let’s love people the way God loves us, by sharing His Son with those who don’t yet know Him.

Hillsong London's "The Father's Heart."

Luke 13:1-5: Why would God … ?

2011-03-22T00:46:00.001-07:00

(Rewritten sermon notes from a messaged shared at Corona International Christian Fellowship on March 20, 2011.)

WATCH THIS VIDEO:

“Religious Girl Thanks God for the Earthquake in Japan”

What did you think? Did you agree or disagree with her overall conclusion that God directly caused this tragedy, that is was a direct answer to a direct prayer to wake up atheists?
If you were a non-believer, but you had a notion that God did exist – that you were aware of the stories of the Bible, but never read them for yourself – what would you think after seeing this?

(Extra credit: also read this LA Times article:

Disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan prompt questions of faith)

Understand that while I disagree with how Biblical truth is misrepresented in the video, I don’t condemn or hate the woman for it. Rather, she, and anyone who is thinking that way, along with needing to be set right in the teaching of God’s Word, really needs prayer most of all …

People have carried this notion with them probably since the fall of man: When bad things happen, it’s God who caused it as some sort of punishment for something man did wrong.

To be sure, the Bible does tell of God directly causing disasters to happen, such as the great flood in Noah’s time, the plagues in Egypt, and yet to come as foretold in Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, part of Isaiah, Luke 21:5-36 and 17:22-37, Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13 and Revelation.

But sometimes we get a little too self-righteous in our thinking of our position versus those who don’t (yet) believe, just like in Job’s friends who tried to get into the mind of God as to why such great calamities struck him, or just as Jesus' disciples:

John 9:1-2

¹ As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

A key point to remember as we go through today’s study: The way the world is, it’s not the way God intended it to be. It’s broken. And everything that happens that does not seem right to us is because the world is broken – and we are the ones who broke it.

Genesis 3:14-19

¹⁴So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
¹⁶To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
¹⁷To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

In today’s study, Jesus takes that idea of “what sin did you do to get God mad at you in that way,” presented by others outside His inner circle, and brings it to the real issue.

This particular teaching session actually starts in Luke 11:37, after Jesus was invited to eat with a Pharisee, and that Pharisee “was surprised” that Jesus did not wash before the meal, which was followed by the “six woes” (Luke 11:37-53), then, leaving there, began teaching His disciples as a multitude of people gathered (Luke 12).

Luke 13:1-5

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.² Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? ³ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them-do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Two key words in this passage:

μετανοέω = metanoeō = repent 1) to change one's mind, i.e. to repent; 2) to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins
ἀπόλλυμι = apollymi = perish 1) to destroy, a) to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin; b) render useless; c) to kill; d) to declare that one must be put to death; e) metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell; f) to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed. 2) to destroy, to lose

Teaching Point No. 1

Because we have a preconceived notion, we ask the wrong question – and non-believers also ask the wrong question.

Let’s look at the two incidents:

1) The Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices – verse 1. If we were to look at it in modern terms, one view of this would be the government trying to restore some order. In another context, we’re we to be thinking about religious freedom, it would be “state-sponsored terrorism.”

Among the multitude that had gathered was a group – probably Pharisees or at the very least, experts in the law – who told Jesus about an incident at the temple in which some Galileans were killed by Roman soldiers.

What specifically happened at the temple? We’re not exactly sure. One commentary, “Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament,” says: “The incident is recorded nowhere else, but is in entire harmony with Pilate's record for outrages. These Galileans at a feast in Jerusalem may have been involved in some insurrection against the Roman government, the leaders of whom Pilate had slain right in the temple courts where the sacrifices were going on. Jesus comments on the incident, but not as the reporters had expected. Instead of denunciation of Pilate he turned it into a parable for their own conduct in the uncertainty of life.

If we were to look at it in modern terms, one view of this would be the government trying to restore some order. In another context, we’re we to be thinking about religious freedom, it would be “state-sponsored terrorism” where the government was trying to clamp down on what it considered to be its own rule of law.

2) The “ eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them.” This, mostly likely, could be thought of as an accident – an incident that happened without any apparent intention or reason.

There was a pool near Jerusalem, called the Pool of Siloam, (John 9:7) near, or over which, was a tower built, which fell down and killed eighteen men. In “Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament:” Few sites have been more clearly located than this. Jesus mentions this accident (only in Luke) of his own accord to illustrate still further the responsibility of his hearers. Jesus makes use of public events in both these incidents to teach spiritual lessons. He gives the "moral" to the massacre of the Galilean pilgrims and the "moral" of the catastrophe at Siloam.

Notice Jesus’ answers to each incident:

The incident at the temple, he doesn’t condemn Pilate (though probably those in the crowd likely expected Him to), nor does he condemn the Galileans who were killed.

He instead turns peoples eyes toward the issue: were they worse sinners than any other Galileans who were there that day because they suffered this way?

The incident in which the tower fell, were the people who died worse sinners than any others in Jerusalem who did not die in that tragedy?

Application of Teaching Point No. 1

Because we have preconceived notions, we ask the wrong questions – and non-believers ask the wrong questions. Instead, before offering up our own opinions as to why bad things like the Japan quake or Hurricane Katrina or 911, we need to look inward with the help of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.

The issue is not “what did they do to deserve this?” Nor is the issue were they worse sinners than those who survived. The issue is this: Were any of those people who died worse sinners than you and me?

Jesus’ answer to both incidents is the same (verses 3 and 5):

“I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Jesus repeats His statement. This means that it’s important we don’t miss the lesson.

Teaching Point No. 2

Have we truly repented? Jesus repeats that statement twice for a good reason.

The two key words in this passage:

μετανοέω = metanoeō = repent. 1) to change one's mind, i.e. to repent; 2) to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins

ἀπόλλυμι = apollymi = perish. 1) to destroy, a) to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin; b) render useless; c) to kill; d) to declare that one must be put to death; e) metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell; f) to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed. 2) to destroy, to lose

Have we truly repented? If not, we will perish. Jesus’ words are pointed, and really uncomfortable for the hearers in His day and the hearers of our day. No one likes to be called out on their flaws, their shortcomings, their failings, their sin, the true state of their being.

Yet Jesus, twice says that unless we repent, we’re going to be destroyed.

Application to Teaching Point No. 2

Have we truly repented? If not, repent! And realize it’s an ongoing process.

It not just saying a prayer one day to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. It starts there, but it does not end there.

This is not salvation by works. It is, as it says in James 1:14-20:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Turn from old ways. The Bible says men will know Jesus’ followers by their fruit.

Galatians 5:16-26

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

How do you know you’ve truly repented? If some of the things from your former life look really ugly, if you somehow do those things, and you’re really uncomfortable or have this looming notion that it really is not the right thing to do, and you have no desire to ever do it again, you are repenting.

Simple example of self control: Before I gave my life to Jesus, I used to drop f-bombs and s-bombs left and right. Now, I cringe when other people say those words, and if they escape my own lips – and they do on occasion – I really feel bad and run back to the Lord with a lot of embarrassment and heaviness in my heart for having disappointed God.

We need to constantly examine ourselves.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

What examples can you point to in your own life that you have repented? Do you still drop f-bombs? Do you still drink to get drunk? Do you sleep around with someone who is not your spouse (this covers the married and the unmarried)? Do you lose your temper easily? Do you find these things, and things like these, undesirable?

Teaching Point No. 3

Remember God’s kindness led us to repentance, and can, and does, lead others to repentance.

While it is true that God will eventually judge the righteous and the unrighteous, WE are not to do that, especially in the light of great tragedies like a natural disaster or an act of terrorism.

Romans 2:1-5

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ²Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Instead, we speak the words of repentance through Jesus. That is the KINDNESS that leads us to repentance. We did not deserve such kindness, but God, in his love, mercy and grace, offers it to ALL man.

John 3:16-17 (suggest all read through to verse 21)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

And if you think Peter was putting words in God’s mouth, consider this:

Ezekiel 18:23

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” declares the Sovereign Lord. “Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

Application of Teaching Point. No. 3

1) In times of great tragedy, or in times of personal tragedy and challenges, ask non-believing family and friends, if they ask the question: “Why did God … ?” ask them if you can share God’s kindness through Jesus. Use Luke 13:1-5 as the starting point. Let them know that God wants NO ONE to perish, but to come back into His love.

2) If you have not already, do the 1-1-1 prayer challenge:

One prayer, One person, One minute, 1 o’clock EVERYDAY

This is our prayer commitment leading to Easter Sunday, April 24. One simple, one-minute prayer for one person at one o’clock everyday, that he or she will come to our Easter Sunday service. ”This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

And, one more, if you need it:

Counterpoint to the above video:

“Did an Earthquake Happen Because God Was Mad?”

Did An Earthquake Happen Because God Was Mad? from Brandon Cox on Vimeo.

Mark 13: Life Is Scary Without Jesus

2011-03-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

(Rewritten note from a message given at Corona International Christian Fellowship on March 6, 2011 ... For further study and to do the noble thing like the Bereans ((Acts 17:11)) New Testament cross references: Luke 21:5-36 and 17:22-37, Matthew 24 and 25, and all of Revelation; in the Old Testament, Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah and parts of Isaiah. The links are to the New International Version online at Biblia.com; other translations are posted there, also).

A lot of stuff has been going on that’s a little uncomfortable for many of us who profess to be Christians. Even for the world, in general, it seems there is this undercurrent of being unsettled, as if something huge is going to happen, as if the other shoe is finally going to drop, so to speak. And it’s not just this year, but it’s actually gone on for quite some time.

Ever since Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948, the frequency of people saying the end of the world is near has gradually ramped up. There was the invention of the nuclear bomb that could wipe out the entire planet; environmental disasters; economic disasters, like the one we’re in the middle of right now; on KWVE, Greg Laurie’s program was a study on Revelation, as is J. Vernon McGee.

This is a short introduction on Biblical prophesy, focused on salvation and end times judgment: It comes down to obedience and disobedience to God. Its roots are in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy, where Scripture spells out the covenant agreement the nation of Israel had with God, and, as part of that agreement, the blessings it would receive if it obeyed God, and the troubles it would experience if it disobeyed.

And that principle – the blessings and the curses – holds true today: obey the Lord, and life is relatively easier than what those in and of the world may experience. (This not to say life is problem-free, but you know by faith, with the Father at your back, Jesus in your heart and the Holy Spirit leading you – by the promise of Scripture and faith in the one true God – you will overcome whatever problem or challenge you are facing. See John 16:33.)

On the other hand, try to go off on your own understanding – in other words, disobeying God and leaning on what you think is correct – and life is really not all that good … and it’s really bad in the end if you don’t have Jesus.

A couple things I want to stress as we go through this passage in Mark:

Let’s not have the “Henny Penny/Chicken Little” mentality … you know, something hit the chickens in the head, and it went around telling people that the sky is falling, and some people panic … in the end, at least with Henny Penny’s story, those who panicked got eaten by the fox.
Let’s not make this study of Jesus’ teaching of the end of the age complicated. It’s not. As Bible scholars Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart wrote in “How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth”:

“The aim of good (Biblical) interpretation is simple: to get to the plain meaning of the text. And the most important ingredient one bring to that task is enlightened common sense.”

In other words, no Henny Penny/Chicken Little approaches in reading and understanding God’s Word.

Read Mark 13:1-37 online (NIV)

Quick background

Remember the initial context: Jesus told His disciples about these things in response their reaction to the beauty of the temple. And He tells them the building – and all of Jerusalem – will be destroyed. And then, in response to Peter, James, John and Andrew, Jesus gives them a look at what will happen to the city AND also a glimpse at the end of the age.

Teaching Point No. 1:

Terrible things will happen, but even worse things will happen as the end of the age draws nearer. Reviewing Mark 13:1-37 again:

v6: many will come in his name and deceive many
v7: you will hear of wars and rumors of wars
v8: nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom
v8: earthquakes in various places and famines
v9: you will be handed over to local councils and flogged in the synagogues
v10: the Gospel must be first preached to ALL nations
v12: brother will betray brother and father his children; children will rebel against their parents and put them to death
v13: men will hate His followers because of Him and what he stands for
v14: the abomination that causes desolation – the desecration of the new, rebuilt temple by the anti-Christ – will be the start of the worst of times ever
v22: false Christs and false prophets will appear and do signs and wonders that will deceive people

Application:

Be aware, be informed Biblically … know God’s Word and fellowship with like-minded believers, such as your discipleship group, to make sure you know what God is teaching in His Word.
Know what is true so you will be able to test whatever people tell you about Jesus, faith, salvation.
Read your Bible, every bit of it, even the parts that you may not understand right away, and especially those passages that make you uncomfortable.

Teaching Point No. 2:

We know the signs, but we don’t know the specific time.

Many people have tried – and failied – to predict Jesus’ return and/or the rapture. One group of believers once gathered in a church expecting the end to come. On the appointed day, a newspaper account said, one of them stuck his head out the door and said, “We’re still here!” One so-called pastor says we’re already in the tribulation.

No one on this side of heaven knows when ... so don't go believing anyone who says so, and don't go trying to predict it yourself.

Review, once again, Jesus' very words:

Mark 13:32-36

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

For some people, verse 30 – I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened – might create some confusion. But remember the original context, and to whom Jesus was talking: Peter, James, John and Andrew. And Jesus had said the temple in Jerusalem would fall. In fact, the abomination of desolation Jesus refers to here is the Roman sacking and destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. (The first was in about 160-167 B.C. when the Greek ruler of Syria, Antiochus IV sacrificed a pig – an unclean animal – on the temple altar. … and there is yet one more to come, in the middle of the 7-year tribulation foretold in Revelation.)

Application:

That moves into the next teaching point ...

Teaching Point No. 3:

Related to No. 2, don’t be deceived; be alert, be on guard constantly

Mark 13:5-6

“Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.” (That context is pretty obvious.)

Including verse 5, Jesus repeats this warning SIX times in this passage, with slightly different reasons why we need to be alert:

v9: You must be on your guard. (Because of our beliefs, we may be persecuted; but when that happens, be ready to speak the truth that the Holy Spirit gives you.)
v23: So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (The warning of how bad things will be at the end of the age.)
v33: Be on guard, be alert! (Because, while you have signs pointing to Jesus’ return, you really don’t know when He is coming back. So be ready.)
v35: “Therefore keep watch … ” and
v37 “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!.’” (Again because you don’t know when He is coming back. Watch your own walk -- you don't want to be doing something that Jesus would frown upon when He comes back.)

Application:

Don’t do the Henny Penny/Chicken Little thing. Don’t get so hung up that every time a big news event happens, that you go trying to analyze it and see if it’s a sign foretold in the Bible. People did that with 9-11, they did it with the Indonesian tsunami, they’re doing it now with all the stuff going on in the Arab world. In more local contexts, I’m sure they’re doing it in Australia and New Zealand, which have been hit with massive forest fires, floods and earthquakes in the past year. Be aware, be alert, yes – but don’t get to micro-analyzing every single thing that happens.

If anything, remember that we are one step closer to his return than we were an hour ago.

Which leads to …

Teaching Point No. 4:

While we wait expectantly, we go about the Father’s business.

And what business is that?

Mark 13:10
(Jesus said:) "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ... "

Matthew 28:16-20

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."

This seems to summarize points 3 and 4:

Acts 1:6-8

So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

So, again, don't get so caught up in the signs of the end, if it's around the corner. "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority," Jesus said. Instead, go about the Father's business of living and sharing the Gospel of salvation through Jesus with the power of the Spirit who lives in you.

And even if you think people will not listen to you, tell them anyway:

Ezekiel 3:17-21 (the Lord's very words given to the prophet):

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.

“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

Application:

All of the above!

To drive the point home even further, review part of last week’s study:

Colossians 1: 21-23

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation — if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

If you walk with Jesus, if you call Him Lord, if you call yourself a Christian and continue to stand firm and live in Him — you, reconciled with God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross — then you are a minister of the Gospel, one appointed to share that good news of eternal salvation through Jesus, and Jesus alone.

Then, for those things yet to come, followers of Jesus will not have to suffer through it. Revelation 3:10, in the letter to the church in Philadelphia, Jesus said:

"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."

In response to that grace, that love, our reaction, our mission, ought to be following the two greatest commandments:

Mark 12:29-31:
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

And if you truly obedient to God: that you live Him with everything that you are, and that you love people, too, just as he does, then telling them the bad and good news, and the saving good news through Jesus, should be the driving force of everything you think, everything you say and everything you do.

As a minister of the Gospel, love the Lord with your full worship of Jesus, realize He is Lord and has all authority in heaven and earth, and love others as yourself by going out to make disciples, teaching them everything He has taught us, because, while life in this world is scary without Jesus, it will be absolutely horrible in eternity without Him.

"Take Heart" by Hillsong United

Colossians 1:15-23: What Did Jesus Look Like?

2011-03-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

(Rewritten notes from a message given at Corona International Christian Fellowship on Feb. 27, 2011. There was a PowerPoint of various images of Jesus Christ -- at least, how man imagined Him to be. Needless to say, we have absolutely no idea of what He may have looked like, and in the end, it's really not important. See Isaiah 53:2-3.)

Colossians 1:15-23 (New International Version)

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

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation -- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Quick background/summary No.1, The occasion of the letter to the Colossians:

Paul is writing to encourage the church in Colossae and Laodicea to be united in love and in the understanding and knowledge of what God did for them through Christ (v 2:2-3). He also wants remind them so that "no one may deceive you with plausible arguments (v. 2:4-23)." In his final greetings (v. 4:7-9), he mentions the carrier of the letter, Tychicus, is going to Colossea with Onesimus, who is the topic of in the letter to Philemon.

-- The New Bible Dictionary says the occasion of the letter as the return of the slave Onesimus to his master, Philemon, and that this was apparently also in response to some news brought by a church leader, Epaphras (v1:7, 4:12), that encouraging about the fellowship, but also was disquieting in reference to false teachings that threatened to lead believers away from Christ. One commentator's educated guess was that Epaphras apparently could not cope with the spreading of false teachings, and sought greater wisdom from Paul.

Characteristics of the Messiah, the Son of God, listed by Paul in this passage (go back and review):

1. V15 the physical image of the invisible God
2. V15 firstborn (as in rank, not birth order) over all creation (that is, pre-eminient, No.1, the top, the superior) --- more on that later
3. V16 creator of all things, seen and unseen
4. V17 the ETERNAL ONE
5. V17 the sustainer of all things (he keeps them going)
6. V18 the beginning
7. V18 the head of the body = the chief of the church
8. V18 the pre-eminent over those who were risen from the dead
9. V19 the fullness of God dwells within Him = He is God
10. V20 through Him all things were reconciled by his sacrifice on the cross = all things made right again in Godís sight
11. V20 the one perfect sacrifice (also v22)
12. V22 in Him we are presented holy in the sight of God

Briefly, what are some weird things -- non Biblical -- that you may have heard about Jesus?

Quick summary No. 2

Paul, later in this letter, talks about wanting the church to stand firm on the truth of the Gospel and not be swayed by things that make sense, but are really false. So ... some key points in this passage:

Two things to focus on: Jesus Christ's superiority and reconciliation with God through Him.

Paul is writing about the diety of Christ, and how through Him, we were reconciled with God. He actually starts writing about it in verses 13-14, when Christ is referred to as "His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption." Paul clearly sets out to make the case for the superiority of Christ with his descriptions of him in verses 15-18.

A major one is in verse 15: the image of the invisible God and firstborn of all creation; also, firstborn from the dead (resurrected) in verse 18. If there is any doubt brought on by the reports of false teaching Paul received, he writes here to refute those teachings, presenting a strong case for Christís superiority.

The use of the word ìfirstborn,î or prototokos in the original Greek of Paulís letter, drives that point home.

Teaching point No. 1

Firstborn, prototokos -- Strong's No. 4416, occurs eight times in the NT, twice in this passage (v. 15 and 18; also Luke 2:7, Romans 8:29, Hebrews 1:6, 11:28 and 12:23 and Revelation 1:5). Hebrews 11:28, the reference is to the firstborn males of the Israelites and the Egyptians as referred to in the OT narrative on the first Passover; Hebrews 12:23 refers to an assembly of the firstborn in heaven, referring to Christ's church. All other references appear to be to Christ.

-- The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says: "The examples stress the great importance of the firstborn. God has a claim to the firstborn of humans and animals (as well as firstfruits)." Also refering to Colossians 1:15, "What is stated is Christ's supremacy over creation as its mediator. The term prototokos is used, then, because of its importance as a word for rank. ... As the mediator of the first creation, Christ is also the mediator of the new creation with his resurrection from the dead (v. 18)."

So Jesus Chirstís superiority -- His authority --over all is based on His position as firstborn. Go back to that recurring verse in Matthew:

Matthew 28:18-20 :
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."

And through that status of being firstborn, of being superior over all, Colossians 1, verses 19 and 20 says:

19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Teaching point No. 2

Reconciled, apokatallasso -- Strong's No. 604, occurs three times in the NT as "I reconcile thoroughly." Aside from the two uses in Colossians (v. 20 and 22), it also appears in Ephesians 2:16. All three uses relate to God reconciling with man, although Colossians 1:20 also references reconciliation to ALL things.

-- In the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, it is related to the Greek word katallasso - Strong's No. 2644, also meaning reconciliation (occurs four times in the NT).

Two points:

a) In the NT it is only Paul who uses the word of the relation between God and man, and
b) both have been begun in the cross of Christ, and both are in course of fulfillment.

So, in Christ Jesus, the Annointed One, is where God dwelled, making Him fully man and fully God. And through his sacrifice everything in heaven and earth (all creation = all men) has the opportunity to be reconciled, or reunited, with God. As Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says, "Both have been begun in the cross of Christ, and both are in course of fulfillment."

As badly as man was separated from God, being in hostile mind and doing evil things -- doing self-centered, me-first things -- through Christ's death, man was reunited with God, made blameless in God's sight.

Because of that, then ...

Paul then urges the Colossians and Laodiceans to stay faithful to that truth, to remain steadfast and united in what the gospel teaches.

The implication is if they (and us by extension) are truly faithful to the gospel's ultimate truth, they will be steadfast. Since everything in creation was reconciled to God through Christ, then, Paul says, so the truth of the gospel is being proclaimed ìto every creature under heaven. And as Paul is a servant of the gospel, there is an implicit urging that, they, too, be servants of the gospel when seen in the context of all of verse 23.

Application

The questions is not so much "what did Jesus look like" but "what IS Jesus like?" Those images earlier -- get them out of your head, because those are not important.

What is important is being grounded on the truth of who Jesus is as described in His Word, the Bible.

Paul spells out the application in this letter to the Colossians.

Colossians 2:6-15

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

And to the church in Philippi, Paul wrote this:

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

During the week, watch yourself, examine yourself, check yourself against God's Word (and not your own standard or anyone else's standard) -- how are you continuing to live in Him?

If you are reconciled with God by the superior sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, are you standing firm in the truth of the Gospel?

Are you:

Thinking of the noble
Doing what is right
Being motivated by pure intentions and thoughts
Are such thoughts lovely in the sight of God
Are these things that God would admire

Call on your discipleship group members ... pray for your d-group members. If you're not plugged into a discipleship group, get into one that is already established; your church leaders will make sure you're in one.

If your discipleship group has not met, get to meeting, like, yesterday.

And remember this: As badly as we fail, as badly as we miss the mark in our efforts, even in our sinfulness, as bad as it may be or have been, we are reconciled to God through Christ. As a result, we are made blameless before the Father.

And look one more time at verses 21-23:

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation -- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

That is the Christian hope of the gospel. And you, who have accepted the forgiveness of God through Christ and are saved by His sacrifice on the cross, are a minister of the gospel, just like Paul was. You carry that hope within you as you continue to grow and mature in your walk with Him. And that hope is available to all.

That is why it needs to be proclaimed. We need to be steadfast in remaining in the faith, reminded as we study Scripture and live it out. That's how we proclaim it.

"Great God" Desperation Band

Psalm 71: The Song of the Redeemed

2011-02-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

(Rewritten notes from a message at Corona International Christian Fellowship on Feb. 20, 2011)

Psalm 71

¹ In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

² Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;

turn your ear to me and save me.

³ Be my rock of refuge,

to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

⁵ For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord,

my confidence since my youth.

⁶ From birth I have relied on you;

you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.

I will ever praise you.

⁷ I have become like a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise,

declaring your splendor all day long.

⁹ Do not cast me away when I am old;

do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;

those who wait to kill me conspire together.

¹¹ They say, “God has forsaken him;

pursue him and seize him,

for no one will rescue him.”

¹² Be not far from me, O God;

come quickly, O my God, to help me.

¹³ May my accusers perish in shame;

may those who want to harm me

be covered with scorn and disgrace.

¹⁴ But as for me, I will always have hope;

I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness,

of your salvation all day long,

though I know not its measure.

¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord;

I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,

and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, O God,

till I declare your power to the next generation,

your might to all who are to come.

¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,

you who have done great things.

Who, O God, is like you?

²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,

you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth

you will again bring me up.

²¹ You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.

²² I will praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praise to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

²³ My lips will shout for joy

when I sing praise to you—

I, whom you have redeemed.

²⁴ My tongue will tell of your righteous acts

all day long,

for those who wanted to harm me

have been put to shame and confusion.

The quick overview

Who wrote this? Probably David, but then it could have been Asaph, who wrote other psalms in this book of prayers. Apparently, the psalmist must have lived many years, judging from verses 9 and 18, and has experienced much, especially being constantly attacked for whatever reason, which, if you read of David’s life closely, even in his later years, it wasn’t exactly retirement as many of us envision the golden years to be.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter if we know who the specific author is, because what is described in Psalm 71 is a universal experience for those who follow the Lord. And it doesn’t matter what your chronological age is – if you walk with Him, if you chase after Him, if you love Him with everything that you are, those who do not aren’t exactly going to be your best and closest friends.

When all is said and done, the psalmist concludes that it is not man in whom one should trust fully, but God, who rescues, who saves, who redeems. And because this is such a mighty work not done by a mere man, the psalmist realizes that he can’t keep this good news to himself, but has to tell everyone, and to testify to it constantly and consistently.

So just how did the psalmist get there?

Teaching point No. 1: List man’s needs from this psalm

v1 in need of help
v2 in need of a rescue and deliverance
v4 apparently a victim of wicked people
v5 in need of hope
v6 in need of someone to rely on
v7 a portent to many … eh? What's that? From Merriam-Webster, a portent is:

1: something that foreshadows a coming event : omen, sign
2: prophetic indication or significance
3: marvel, prodigy
Here, in the context of the psalm definitions 1 and 2: a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen … the world looks at it as “a portent of evil,” and maybe to the ones who don’t know the Lord, we certainly look that way to them.
v9 fears being separated from God
v10-11 being scorned by his enemies, who say God won’t be there when he needs Him
v12 needs to be near God and needs His help – both very quickly and, it seems, frequently
v20 he’s seen a lot of bad stuff, gone through a lot of hardship, and this was something that the Lord brought him to, has shown him … (maybe there is a parallel to Job’s trails, as well as those of Paul in the NT)

So, what are your needs? Are they anything like these? List them out.

Teaching point No.2: List God’s character as described in this psalm

v3 rock of refuge, rock and fortress
v5 hope, confidence
v7 strong refuge
v6 the Creator
v8 splendor (or glorious)
v14 gives hope, is the source of constant hope
v15 righteous and saving
v16 does mighty acts and is righteous; He is the sovereign Lord
v17 does marvelous deed
v18 powerful and mighty
v19 righteous and does great things
v20 one who teaches and restores
v21 rewards and comforts
v22 faithful
v23 redeemer
v24 does righteous acts and judges the wicked

Based on Scripture only (the ONLY authority from which we should learn of God), are there other characteristics of God not listed here? If there are, list them, and cite book/chapter/verse.

Teaching point No. 3: List man’s response as described in this psalm

v6 knowing God created him, he will EVER praise God
v8 his mouth is filled with praise, and not just on a Sunday, and not just at a worship “service”
v14 his praise increases
v15 he talks and testifies of God’s saving grace ALL DAY
v16 he proclaims the Sovereign Lord’s mighty acts, of the things that only He can do, and of His righteousness -- and no one else’s.
v17 he declares God’s marvelous deeds, not just the recent ones, but what the Lord has taught him life long
v18 he’s not just telling his friends, but the next generation – and I have to think, because he speaks of the next generation, he’s writing down what the Lord has done
v19 he praises God for His unlimited, unfathomable righteousness, and acknowledges that there is no one who even comes close to who He is
v20 he acknowledges that the things that he’s experienced, God allowed, and even so, God restored him
v21 if he was dishonored by the wicked, God restored his honor, and was also comforted in his affliction – and not just one time (“once again”).
v22 he praises God with music for His faithfulness
v24 he praises God for His holiness and perfection
v23 knowing that he has been redeemed by the Almighty God, that he has been saved, he sings praises TO the Lord
v24 he tells of God’s righteous acts ALL DAY, that God acts in perfect judgment

In light of God’s character (again, the only revelation of Him with real authority is Scripture) revealed to you, what has been your response? Describe it. How does it compare to the psalmist’s experience in Psalm 71?

Now that you know all this, what do you do with it? (Application)

What it seems to me that the psalmist is getting at are active acts of worship – how our lips and actions praise God all day, more and more. And notice there is NO mention of being in a temple, there is no mention of offering up burnt offerings or other sacrifices. There is no “organized” ritual of worship.

Instead, he seems to be leading to a life that praises God – increasingly and constantly.

How can we do that in practical terms?

Give Him praise: The obvious one, and many of you do this, is to give the Lord praise. I know you do it here, during the praise reports, and I’m guessing you do it with your family, your D-groups and with other followers of Jesus. But I wonder, are we telling others outside that circle? Are we even telling those who may be “enemies” in the sense of this psalm, those who make fun of use because we desire to have hearts that go after God?

How do you, in a practical, every day way, give Him praise?

Give Him praise more and more (verse 14): And not just the Sunday school answer that “God is good.” There is truth to that, of course, and to you and me it makes sense. But to those outside of this room, and to those who are going through a hardship, and to those who just are very young in their faith, it starts to sound like something you say when you have nothing else to say.

God does new things in our lives. Do our praises reflect that? If not, why is that? Are we paying attention to what He is doing in us and through us and around us? Are we in His Word consistently to see what He’s done in the past for others, and how that has played out in our own lives? (Isaiah 43:18-19, of not dwelling in the past failures, but looking ahead to new things He is doing NOW.)

And don’t get hung up on technique or “proper theological” principles. Those are important to know, BUT don’t worry about the specific words to say or when to say it … yield yourself to the Holy Spirit – God in you – to let you know when and with what words. (Example, Stephen in Acts 6 and 7.)

Do you constantly praise God, or only when it’s a) convenient (like at church on Sunday) or b) when things are going good? What about other times? Why is constant praise of God a good thing?

Tell people all day: OK, this is a tough one, because you don’t want to come across as the person who says “praise the Lord” as if it were a comma in a sentence. And, honestly, I tend not to listen when people do that. (I think that can be another way of taking the name of the Lord in vain, but that’s a whole different Bible study.)

But I have to think that this follows what Peter wrote:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
– 1 Peter 3:15-16

In other words, with the grace that God has showed you, and continues to show you, share that with others, especially those who want to know of the hope in Him that you have. And not only that, Peter says to do it in such a way – to live out that grace – that even if they slam you for your faith, in the end, they’ll be ashamed of doing so … Psalm 71:24 of the psalm says that more poetically:

My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.

Verse 17 of the Psalm 71 says, “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.”

You who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, you who are redeemed by His resurrection three days later, you who have His Spirit living within you – you have a testimony. And just like the psalmist, it’s not good news that just happened. It was good news that came out of hardship.

Think on that for a second. Good stuff just doesn’t just happen. A challenge, a hardship, a trial happens first before the good news happens. That’s your testimony: How God led you through a hardship, and how it was Him who showed the way because you TRUSTED in Him through His promises in His Word.

And while specific circumstances of problems are unique to people, problems are not:

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.
-- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Do you tell people? What keeps you from doing so? What allows you to do so? Reflect on your own walk and see how God has led you… and as He leads, tell people.

Sing it out: This can be a sticky one. I know some of you aren’t necessarily liking the style of music we do at CICF. That’s OK. We’re not asking you to like it. What we are asking you to do, though, is sing it. Sing the new songs the Lord is giving us. Better yet, and more important, sing the truths that He’s giving us through the Scripture the songs reflect, and through the Scripture as we worship in the Word.

When you leave here, sing the new songs the Lord is giving you.

Some of you may say that you don’t have a good singing voice.

Sing anyway.

Sing this way: At the end of his book, “Blue Like Jazz,” a book that is essentially his and his friends testimony of their relationship with Jesus and how that relationship is made real in their lives and the people around them, Don Miller wrote that their testimony, their very lives was a song about and to Jesus. That's how they desired to live, even in the challenges and hardships, they want their lives to be a song of praise to the One who redeemed their souls.

The Bible says it this way in the Old Testament:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
-- Micah 6:8

Sing it like that ...

And the Bible says this in the New Testament (using The Message paraphrase –again):

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
-- James 2:14-17, The Message paraphrase Bible by Eugene Patterson

Sing it like that ...

We who are redeemed, we who are saved by God, have a song to sing, have praises to shout, have praises to share with the world more and more. If you do have real trust in Him, your faith goes far beyond words – it resonates in the very way you live.

Your very life is an ongoing song of praises to Him.

What practical ways (non-musical, especially) is your life an ongoing song to God? List them.

Let’s let God lead us by His Spirit to testify what a redeemed life is in Jesus.

Let’s be the people who use what God has done in us, and still doing in us, to make disciples to add to His kingdom.

“We the Redeemed” by Hillsong

Facebook note link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh31IZh_dS4

Go and Do Likewise

2011-01-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

(Rewritten notes from a message at Corona International Christian Fellowship on Jan. 23, 2011.)

The phrase the “good Samaritan” is part of the English language’s many expressions. The idea is that someone does something good to aid a stranger. Hospitals are named as such; a person who comes to the aid of someone in need, usually an accident, is often referred to as one.

But what to do we really KNOW about the parable of the good Samaritan? And more important, how much do we really follow the lesson Jesus taught by it?

Let’s have the Lord teach us once again …

Luke 10:25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

So who were these people? What was their background? With whom do we – that is you and I – truly identify with (and you have to identify with a least one)?

Samaritan

Samaritans came from the region called Samaria, located between Galilee and Jerusalem. Before the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians in 721 B.C. the region was occupied by the tribes of Ephraim and the western portion of the tribe of Manasseh. After the fall of the capital city of Samaria, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser deported the Israelites and replaced them with foreign colonists (2 Kings 17:24-40). These new comers intermarried with a remnant of Israelites who remained in Samaria. The then took the name “Samaritans” and, as it says in 2 Kings 17:25, “they did not fear the Lord, and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.” The Assyrian king sent back one of the Israelite priests to teach the Samaritans “what the God of the land requires (2 Kings 17:27).” So they learned the ways of the people of Israel, yet they also practiced idolatry, worshiping pagan god imported from elsewhere.

For scripture, Samaritans recognized the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as authoritative, but no other writings, and they kept the major feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

A lot of animosity built up over the years between the Samaritans and the Jews. When the Jews enjoyed prosperity, the Samaritans were quick to acknowledge their blood relations. When things went bad for the Jews, they claimed no relationship. Neither side wanted anything to do with the other. In Luke 9:51-56, as Jesus and His disciples made their way from Galilee to Jerusalem, a Samaritan village did not welcome them because they were going the Jerusalem. James and John wanted to call down “fire from heaven” to destroy them, but Jesus rebuked them. Not long after, Jesus told the teacher of the law and His disciples the parable of the good Samaritan.

Levite

The Levites were descendants of Levi, who served as assistants to the priests in the worship system of the nation of Israel. As Levites, Aaron (Moses brother) and his sons were charged with the responsibility of the priesthood — offering the burnt offerings and leading people in worship and confession. But the Levites who were not direct descendants of Aaron were to serve as priestly assistants, taking care of the tabernacle and the temple, along with other duties behind the scenes.

Priest

A member of the priesthood was an official minister or worship leader in the nation of Israel who represented the people before the Lord and conducted various rituals and ceremonies to atone for their sins. The priesthood was formally established when the Lord appointed Aaron (Moses’ brother) as high priest. And from Aaron’s line came the priesthood and the high priest, a special class of men who were devoted to God’s service.

Expert of the law (or lawyer)

One who knew AND practiced Mosiac law. In the New Testament, the only place in the Bible that makes reference to them, the Law from the first five books of the Bible had been expanded by the religious leaders – the intent being to give the people adequate interpretation and application of the divine law to every aspect of life. That resulted in a vast set of writings of explanation, interpretation, commentary and application that somehow took on the rule of law that were just as binding as the law of Moses. So a class of lawyers emerged out of all this. In some Bible translations, the term lawyer, teacher of the law, expert of the law and scribe referred to this occupation. In the NT, these lawyers generally opposed John the Baptist (Luke 7:30) and Jesus (Luke 14:3), and tried to discredit Jesus.

(All from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

Out of every one mentioned in this passage, who do we remember most? And, again, honestly, before God, with whom do we identify?

Do we remember the "expert in the law" who asked the question of Jesus? And do we remember Jesus response outside of the parable? This expert, this teacher, knew the law -- just like the priest and the Levite -- summing up the teaching of the Ten Commandments, to love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, and to love one's neighbor as himself (because what right-minded, rational person hates himself?).

Jesus tells him the first time, good, you understand, now go do it.

And the teacher, as Luke records it, asks who his neighbor is, probably because he was intellectually full of himself, and Jesus hits him with the parable in which one of the lowliest of people, in the mind of the Jewish religious leaders of the day, helps the person in need. Not the priest (you would think, yes?), not the Levite (you would think, yes?).

Jesus hits the teacher again with "Who was the neighbor of the victim?" The teacher says, "The one who had mercy on him." I find it interesting the teacher didn't say "the Samaritan."

And Jesus says, "Go and do likewise."

My point

Don't miss out on the expert in the law, who like the priest and the Levite, knows the Scripture, can recite the Scripture with no problem, but when asked to follow the teachings of the Bible -- especially those passages about sharing compassion and love (not just with our wallets) -- with "the least of these" and the lost, tries to qualify it with, "Yeah, but who is my neighbor?"

Application(s)

“Go and do likewise.” What does that mean? What does that look like for a follower of Christ?

For the world, it looks like this:

•Edge Shaving Gel’s “random acts of kindness” Twitter campaign

Edge Shaving Gel's #soirritating Twitter campaign spreads the word about its anti-irritation gel through random acts of kindness. People tweet to the campaign about something that irritates them, and, a couple people monitoring the campaign do something to the un-irritate the person, from ending them a link to a YouTube video of a dancing panda to sending people supply of cereal or a Spanish-English dictionary.

•Liberty Mutual Insurance’s “pay it forward” commercials

Someone does something nice for someone, another person witnesses the act, then the next opportunity, he or she does something nice for someone else, and on it goes.

•Coke’s “be nice and share a Coke and kindness” commercials.

What’s the common ground here? These are all for-profit companies. Not criticizing them. They “get it.” Kudos for them.

My question is, where is are the followers of Christ? Where is the church? Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do?

These companies are promoting the second greatest commandment, to love our neighbors. Again, I ask, where are the followers of Jesus? Where is the church?

Jesus said: “Go and do likewise.”

Have we?

Are we?

Micah 6:6-8

6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Jesus said: “Go and do likewise.”

Have we?

Are we?

A starting list of things you can do to “go and do likewise.”

1. Pay attention to the people around you, to what’s going on around you.

-- Does someone need a little help with job-related task, or an assignment at school? Can you help him or her?

-- Does someone look a little down? Is there some encouragement you can offer, maybe even be so bold to go up to that person and pray for and with that person?

-- Does someone need any kind of assistance at all? Is it something you can help that person with, or at least point them in the right direction to get that help?

2. Know of a service in the community that is in need of volunteers? Can you MAKE time to help out?

3. Know of anyone sick or ill or hasn’t been to church in a while? Can you MAKE time to call and check on that person and offer a helping hand if one is needed?

4. Know of anyone who needs to know of the mercy, grace and love of God through Jesus? Can you MAKE time to share the Gospel with that person in deed and in word?

Don’t be like the priest, the Levite or the expert in the law, who knew Scripture and what God desired them to do, then when God put them in a situation to carry out His law, they crossed to the other side of the road, ignoring it as if it didn’t exist.

We, who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus because of God’s great mercy and grace, need to be the Samaritans to a lost and broken world. We’re redeemed because we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and saved not by what we could ever do, but because of what He did on the cross. So now it’s not about working for salvation, but loving God so much that we love people as He loves them, and we share His mercy and grace and love with them – especially the lost.

The Message paraphrase of James 2:14-17 says it best:

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

(NIV translation here)

Jesus said: “Go and do likewise.”

Have we?

Are we?

It's Christmas time ... and we've forgotten the story ...

2010-12-17T22:37:00.000-08:00

So it’s Friday night, and with a lot of other activities going on for other folks, there is no ministry work at church … but there is still ministry to be done (who said you can punch in and out of your calling?) …

Anyway, I’m watching “Be the Change, Save a Life” on ABC TV. And, along with my senior pastor, Ed Dacio, we spent four weeks going through the “Advent Conspiracy,” leading, we hope, the church to take back the Christmas narrative from the western world’s hyper-consumerism of the season (admit it, you’re spending money you don’t have and stressing over your gift list, right?).

So it all comes together on a Friday night at home, during Advent, during the Christmas season when we (theoretically, at least) remember the birth of the baby who became a man, who was fully God all along, who came to save us from the mess we made of our world and our lives (see John 3:16-17).

And, as a result of that, our role, the way we live our lives for those of us who call ourselves followers of this fully man/fully God named Jesus, has to be one of worshipping Him fully by spending less time being self-centered, giving more of our wealth and our time to others, and loving them all (see Philippians 2:1-11).

And, finally, why does it have to be a TV news special to serve as the inspiration for people to be agents for change for the better? Isn't that the the mission of those of us who follow Jesus?

Shouldn't we be carrying that banner and leading the way?

So rather than re-invent the wheel, see this entry, originally posted on Sept. 17, 2009, and look for the Christmas narrative (worship fully/spend less/give more/love all).

And, if you are so moved by the Spirit or your heart, please visit http://mycharitywater.org/alan_llavore, make a contribution, and help save a life.

'Go and do likewise ... '

(Originally posted on Sept. 17, 2009)

A lot of times we'll read the Bible and say, "Awww. Nice story!" And that's OK ... kind of. Because usually if we look at Scripture that way, it usually means we've missed (or worse, ignored) a key point. You know, like when we read about how Noah got the animals on the ark two-by-two ("Awww. Cute!") but miss or ignore the part about the people in the world drowning from the great flood. ("Whoa! That was in there, too?!")

Another one of those passages is the parable of the good Samaritan. Most of you know the story, but just in case:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Luke 10:25-37

So we know of the priest (meanie!) and the Levite (meanie!) who passed by the man who was beaten by robbers. We know of the good Samaritan (yea!) for whom hospitals have been named. Good. We should know of them.

But, do we remember the "expert in the law" who asked the question of Jesus? And do we remember Jesus response outside of the parable? This expert, this teacher, knew the law, summing up the teaching of the Ten Commandments, to love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, and to love one's neighbor as himself (because what right-minded, rational person hates himself?).

Jesus tells him the first time, good, you understand, now go it.

And the teacher, as Luke records it, asks who his neighbor is, probably because he was intellectually full of himself, and Jesus hits him with the parable in which one of the lowliest of people, in the mind of the Jewish religious leaders of the day, helps the person in need. Not the priest (you would think, yes?), not the Levite (you would think, yes?).

Jesus hits the teacher again with "Who was the neighbor of the victim?" The teacher says, "The one who had mercy on him." I find it interesting the teacher didn't say "the Samaritan."

And Jesus says, "Go and do likewise."

My point: Don't miss out on the expert in the law, who knows the Bible, can recite the Bible with no problem, but when asked to follow the teachings of the Bible -- especially those passages about sharing compassion and love (not just with our wallets) -- with "the least of these" and the lost, tries to qualify it with,"Yeah, but who is my neighbor?"

Then ask yourself (yes, me, too): "Am I like that expert in the law, who knows all this stuff that I'm supposed to know, but when asked to go and actually do it, when asked to live a life that reflects my faith, when asked to walk as Jesus did, do I hem and haw and try to justify my complacency?"

Thankful for the blessing of clean drinking water?

Want to share that blessing? Go to:

http://mycharitywater.org/alan_llavore