Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Year...Time to Grow Up

The new year is upon us. In just a little more than two days, we will bid "so long!" to 2011, and "welcome!" to 2012. We need to make the most of the time we are given. As Christians, we need to take every opportunity to renew ourselves in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This can only happen as we look ahead, with our eyes firmly focused on the prize which is Jesus Christ and His Glorious Kingdom! Let's look at what some verses of scripture have to say on our Christian obligation to look ahead.

In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul says , "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Paul understood how to overcome his past before he even completely understood the fullness of the grace of Jesus Christ. Paul says he is forgetting what is behind (mistakes, regrets, bad decisions) and instead is STRAINING toward what is ahead. He is pressing on towards the goal which is Jesus Christ. It's hard work as is evidenced by the fact that he is straining and pressing forward. It's hard to let go, but Paul knows that he must. He is called to more. He is called to the future promises of Jesus Christ. Yesterday is done, we must move forward towards our goal.

In Luke 9:62 Jesus says this, "Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." This is a wonderful illustration our Lord uses. Think about a farmer plowing his fields. He starts at one end, looking at the other end he finds a tree or a post to use as a target, and then sets his course, making nice, even rows as he goes. In order to do this, the farmer must keep his eye forward. Could you imagine the mess the field would be in if a farmer plowed and looked behind himself rather than forward? It would result in a poorly plowed field and an utter waste of time. In this instance, the fertile field is the kingdom, the plow is the gift of Salvation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and we are the farmer. Once we take hold of the plow, once we take hold of our new image in Jesus Christ, we cannot look back. We must move forward in our knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ. Our focus must always be forward.

Lastly, in Hebrews 6:1 it says, "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,". What this is saying is "Stop saying you're sorry for what you have already been fogiven for!" Too often we apologize for the same thing over and over. We are stuck, unable to accept the forgiveness that we are given in Christ Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says it plainly, stop laying the foundation of repentance again. We are supposed to move on and grow in maturity. Not stay the same, not relive the good old days, we are supposed to leave elementary teachings behind and go on to maturity. We are supposed to grow, and we cannot grow while we are stuck in the past.

I had a friend of mine tell me once that the word DEVIL spelled backwards is LIVED, because the devil only lives in your past. 2012 is almost here, approach this year with a heart for Jesus Christ. Resolve to make this the year to forget the past, grow in spiritual maturity and press on towards the goal which is Jesus Christ. Have a happy and blessed new year and stay close to Jesus.

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Rest of the Christmas Story!

Do not weep! See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, of the root of David, has triumphed! He is able to open the scroll and it's seven seals!~ Revelation 5:5

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

There are gifts...and then there are Gifts!

I am team preaching with Scott on Christmas Day, and have been kicking around some thoughts on the message. Here is where the Spirit has led me the last several days:

The best Christmas gift I ever received? That’s a tough one… I mean in a “gift” (tangible) sense, it’s a tough one to consider. Of course, my wife and my kids would be the answer in a general sense. But a real gift…and not counting the awesome homemade gifts my kids have given me over the years, that's something to think about. Well then, there is certainly the year that the power went out in 1982 for Christmas, and everybody played the Parcheesi game I got by the light of the fireplace. And then there is the Christmas in 1978 when I was 5 and we went to Italy, and I got to sing “Nasciu u Bambineddu” (Little Baby Jesus is Born) in church. That was cool. But my favorite gift has to be my Ipod Touch that I got last year. That thing is always on me…and I love it.

But let’s get real here. These gifts pale in comparison, as do all gifts, to the greatest gift of all- Jesus Christ. The one gift, the one birth, that is the reason we celebrate this time each year (regardless of how commercialized it has become). No Jesus would mean, no Christmas. So let’s really consider what the greatest gift is.

The Apostle John tells us in the famous John 3:16 verse, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Thank you Father, thank you God for a truly wonderful gift. Could you think of a better gift? Could you imagine loving someone so much that you would give them your son or daughter? It is unimaginable. It is inconceivable. And yet, it is true. God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, as a gift to us because he loves us.
How valuable is this gift? Well, besides promising eternal life to all those who confess and believe that Jesus is Lord, we have several other indications as to how “valuable” it actually is. In Ephesians 1 it tells us that Jesus Christ blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing. Every single one! Jesus held nothing back when he blessed us; He gives us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! Why does he bless us so? Well, Paul tells us that Jesus did this, “…according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace.” (v5-6). Jesus adopted us, blessed us, and gave us an inheritance-a gift of inestimable worth-because it makes Him happy. Sounds a lot like the reason we give our children gifts at Christmas…because it makes them happy!

In the parable of the lost Coin in Luke 8, it talks about a woman that has 10 coins and loses one. Even though she still has 9 coins, she sweeps the house clean and does not rest until she finds it. And when she does find it, she celebrates with her friends and family that she found what had been lost. In the story, the lost coin represents a sinner, and Jesus is the person that finds us, saves us, and celebrates when we are found and saved. We are valuable to Jesus, because through Jesus and His gift we are worthy of salvation.

So you see, comparing the “regular” gifts we get at Christmas, or anything else that we have to the surpassing gift of Jesus Christ is really no comparison at all. Paul speaks correctly in Philippians 3:4-9 when he says the following (bold for effect by me):

“3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

You see, Paul had it all: power, prestige, education, lineage, all really good worldly stuff. And yet he considered it all garbage when viewed through the lens of the surpassing WORTH of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.

My prayer for all of you is that you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, that you accept the gift that is freely given, and let your heart unwrap the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ.
I pray blessings on all of you this Christmas. May the Lord bless you all richly and may you enjoy the time you have with your family and friends.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

12 days of Christmas...What do they mean?

Ever wonder where some Christmas songs come from and what they mean. For instance, what in the world do milking maids, leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and gold rings have to do with Christmas?

Today, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly due to the tension with the Anglican Church of England. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. Sounds silly since the two “religions” share almost everything in common. But hey, this does give us a great Christmas carol and a very cool story!!

Meaning as follows:

The PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE was Jesus Christ.

TWO TURTLE DOVES were the Old and New Testaments.

THREE FRENCH HENS stood for faith, hope and love.

The FOUR CALLING BIRDS were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The FIVE GOLDEN RINGS recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The SIX GEESE A-LAYING stood for the six days of creation.

SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The EIGHT MAIDS A-MILKING were the eight beatitudes.

NINE LADIES DANCING were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The TEN LORDS A-LEAPING were the ten commandments.

The ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

What drives you?

Psalm 25: 14 “the Lord confides in those who fear Him, He makes His secrets known to them.”

What does it mean to have Fear of the Lord? This passage tells us that the Lord shared His secrets with those who fear him.

The truth is, whatever it is that you fear the most will dictate how you will live your life.

I’d like to give you an example from an illustration I once heard. What if you were lost out in the middle of the ocean without a life jacket? Your chief fear is drowning. So that fear dictates how you live your life. You do everything in your power to stay afloat. Now suppose with me that just a week ago you had been watching the Discovery Channel and they had a special about this 18 inch marine cockroach that swam in the ocean and ate people’s faces (of course there is really no such animal). If you saw this creature swimming toward you then your chief fear would go from drowning to being eaten by a cockroach. You would now have a new fear to dictate your living. What if in the midst of all of this you heard that eerie music and a dorsal fin of a 24 foot great white shark pierced the surface of the water. Suddenly drowning and being eaten by a cockroach have taken backseats to being mauled by this massive shark. Now here you have an even greater fear that will dictate how you live your life.

So then I contend that as long as our greatest fear is how we will meet the bills next month or when we will be married, or if we have enough groceries for tomorrow, or if we are popular, or how we look, or when the next time I can participate in my hobby is, then those things will dictate how we live our lives. It is not until our chief fear is the Fear of the LORD that we will live our lives fully for God.

Some people think that to fear God simply means to respect Him but it is clear through scripture that this idea of respecting God undermines the true meaning and depth of what it means to fear God.

Consider Exodus 20:18-21 18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."
20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
The people believe that if they go near the mountain of God they will die, this is not simply respect. It is rather a Holy Fear.

This is much the same in our spiritual life. So often we are content to just respect God. Just like a mosquito bite, we may have signs that show we have encountered God, but we really very seldom fear God anymore. Every time someone in the Bible saw God their response was fear that they might die. If not that then at least they fell down in worship of Mighty God. This is the God we are to fear. And we must fear Him if we expect Him to share with us His secrets, His very covenants.

Isaiah 33: 6 speaks of the fear of the Lord being a treasure, 6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. [a]
In Matthew 6:21 Jesus says that where your treasure is there your heart will be also. So you see that the thing you fear the most will dictate how you live your life. If God is what you fear most, then your life’s service will reflect that.
Don’t think that I am saying we must remain petrified by the thought of God. Rather, as we learn to Fear God we will be driven to Him. He will be our treasure and our very great reward. Our Holy Fear of God brings us so relationally close to God that we are enveloped by Him. Not unlike the family dog that is attracted to, and seeks the affection of the “alpha” person in the household.

What does it look like to fear the LORD? I came across this cool acronym to remind us. If you can remember this acronym I believe you can remember what it means to fear God. S.O.A.P.= STUDY OBSERVE and PRAISE.
1. STUDY:
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.


2. OBSERVE:
Deuteronomy 31:12,13 “assemble the people… that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.”
3. PRAISE:
Psalm 22:23 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
Psalm 118:4 4 Let those who fear the LORD say:
"His love endures forever."
Psalm 135:20 20 O house of Levi, praise the LORD;
you who fear him, praise the LORD.

This is a perpetual motion, a circular pattern for if you come through step three you will find yourself again at step one.
STUDY-> OBSERVE-> PRAISE-> STUDY-> OBSERVE-> PRAISE-> STUDY

Old Testament, New Testament, it does not matter! As you study the things of God you realize His promises and His commands, thus you are compelled by the Spirit to put these things that you have learned into practice. As you observe these things of God you see Him as faithful to His word and always a true and righteous God, thus prompting your praise of Him. As you praise God you enter into a deeper relationship with Him and find yourself desiring more of Him thus thrusting yourself into a more arduous pursuit of Him in your study and so the cycle goes on and on.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sign of the times!

I know I am not "cutting edge" when it comes to technology, so you can imagine how pumped I am having found the Blogger App for my IPod! I'm sure this will make it much easier for me to Blog. Sweet!!