"Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them." Esther 9:1
Haman, the Hitler of his day, had conspired to have the Jewish people exterminated. He succeeded in convincing the King to decree that on a certain day the Jewish people were to be wiped out. But God, who overrules in the affairs of men, had other plans. He was working behind the scenes and what appeared to be a great defeat, became one of the greatest victories for the Jewish people. By another decree of the King, the Jewish people were allowed to defend themselves against their enemies, and as a result, those who meant to do them harm, were defeated.
These events foreshadow the times of Jesus the Messiah, when He too was conspired against. His own people not only conspired against Him to have Him killed, they succeeded. However, what appeared to be the greatest defeat, was the all time greatest victory, in that on the cross and in His subsequent resurrection, He destroyed the works of the enemy, He defeated sin and death to save all who believe.
With God on our side, our worse day, can be our greatest victory. Although we live in dark days, we must prayerfully stay faithful to the mission of Jesus, because we serve a God, who is still able to turn things around.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Friday, July 22, 2016
Why are you so afraid?
"And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:37-41
Fear has so many debilitating implication in our lives. Among other things, fear can keep us from fulfilling God's plan and purpose for our lives. Fear will keep us awake at night. Fear will ruin our health. Fear will rob us of peace and joy.
Why are you so afraid? That was the question that Jesus asked his disciple, who he was in the boat with, during a windstorm. The answer to that probing question is found in the following question, "Have you still no faith?" In other words, didn't they have enough evidence of His person and power? Didn't they know that He was God in the flesh, who not only has authority over the elements, but cared for their well being?
Jesus was asleep on the ship, but He was not unaware of what was going on around them. He could sleep, in spite of the storm, because He was in control. In the same way, we can sleep and be at peace when we cast our cares on Him, who cares for us, and trust that He is ultimately in control, that all things work for good and His glory. Peace will come to our lives when we trust that the one who feeds the sparrows is the one who stands with us, when we remember that the one who created the winds is in the boat with us.
Fear has so many debilitating implication in our lives. Among other things, fear can keep us from fulfilling God's plan and purpose for our lives. Fear will keep us awake at night. Fear will ruin our health. Fear will rob us of peace and joy.
Why are you so afraid? That was the question that Jesus asked his disciple, who he was in the boat with, during a windstorm. The answer to that probing question is found in the following question, "Have you still no faith?" In other words, didn't they have enough evidence of His person and power? Didn't they know that He was God in the flesh, who not only has authority over the elements, but cared for their well being?
Jesus was asleep on the ship, but He was not unaware of what was going on around them. He could sleep, in spite of the storm, because He was in control. In the same way, we can sleep and be at peace when we cast our cares on Him, who cares for us, and trust that He is ultimately in control, that all things work for good and His glory. Peace will come to our lives when we trust that the one who feeds the sparrows is the one who stands with us, when we remember that the one who created the winds is in the boat with us.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
God uses crackpots
God shows himself faithful to the not so faithful
"And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good, 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps." Genesis 32:9-10
Sometimes I get so discouraged by my own lack of faithfulness to things I know that I need to be faithful to, like prayer, that I doubt whether I should be a Pastor. I compare myself with others who I view as faithful men, heroes of the faith, and conclude that I'm totally inadequate to do anything for God of any significance. But then I'm reminded, as I was today, that everyone falls short of the glory of God. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. I was reminded of this as I meditated on the life of Jacob. His very name points out the flaws in his character (i.e. schemer) that is really rooted in a lack of faith in God. Rather then trusting in the promises of God, like his Father's before him, he would at times take matters into his own hands. There were consequences to some of their bad decisions, but God didn't forsake them. Instead, God continued to use them and bless them.
Jacob, after receiving many blessings from God in the years he spent with Laban, was returning home. And at the time he was fearful that Esau, whom he deceived years before, and at one time wanted revenge, was still angry with him. So before meeting his brother, he prayed. In his prayer, he acknowledges that he was unworthy of the faithfulness and steadfast love of God shown to him in all the blessings from God that he had obtained (Gen. 32:9-10).
God uses crackpots. He fills them with his glory through faith in the finished work of Jesus. But the problems is that we leak. In other words, we are forgetful, we are weak and we still have a sinful nature, the old man that must be daily kept in check or it will raise it's ugly head. In addition, we have and enemy called the devil, who is a liar and we live in a corrupt world that seeks to I shape us into it's mold. Therefore we must be renewed in God day by day. We must immediately confess to God when we think wrong and act wrong and not allow our sinful flesh to get momentum in our lives. We must seek to be cleansed from the filth of this world through prayer and the word.
God uses crackpots that acknowledge that we our such and continually seek his glory in the face of Jesus Christ where we our humbled, renewed, strengthen and changed to be more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6-7). I'm glad God uses crackpots—broken and flawed people, because I know that I'm one of them.
"And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good, 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps." Genesis 32:9-10
Sometimes I get so discouraged by my own lack of faithfulness to things I know that I need to be faithful to, like prayer, that I doubt whether I should be a Pastor. I compare myself with others who I view as faithful men, heroes of the faith, and conclude that I'm totally inadequate to do anything for God of any significance. But then I'm reminded, as I was today, that everyone falls short of the glory of God. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. I was reminded of this as I meditated on the life of Jacob. His very name points out the flaws in his character (i.e. schemer) that is really rooted in a lack of faith in God. Rather then trusting in the promises of God, like his Father's before him, he would at times take matters into his own hands. There were consequences to some of their bad decisions, but God didn't forsake them. Instead, God continued to use them and bless them.
Jacob, after receiving many blessings from God in the years he spent with Laban, was returning home. And at the time he was fearful that Esau, whom he deceived years before, and at one time wanted revenge, was still angry with him. So before meeting his brother, he prayed. In his prayer, he acknowledges that he was unworthy of the faithfulness and steadfast love of God shown to him in all the blessings from God that he had obtained (Gen. 32:9-10).
God uses crackpots. He fills them with his glory through faith in the finished work of Jesus. But the problems is that we leak. In other words, we are forgetful, we are weak and we still have a sinful nature, the old man that must be daily kept in check or it will raise it's ugly head. In addition, we have and enemy called the devil, who is a liar and we live in a corrupt world that seeks to I shape us into it's mold. Therefore we must be renewed in God day by day. We must immediately confess to God when we think wrong and act wrong and not allow our sinful flesh to get momentum in our lives. We must seek to be cleansed from the filth of this world through prayer and the word.
God uses crackpots that acknowledge that we our such and continually seek his glory in the face of Jesus Christ where we our humbled, renewed, strengthen and changed to be more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6-7). I'm glad God uses crackpots—broken and flawed people, because I know that I'm one of them.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Too many Cains and not enough Esthers
"Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated...” Esther 7:3-4
It is well known among those who read their bibles that queen Esther put her life at risk to speak up on behalf of her people. She could have relied on her beauty and other schemes to try and save her own neck, and let someone else worry about the diabolical plot to annihilate her people. She was living the "good life" as a pampered queen. She could have said, as did Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper." Instead, she recognize with the help of her uncle, that God put her in the position she was in during a grave time in history, not to preserve her own life, but to save many who were being unjustly targeted for extermination.
Today we have too many Cains and not enough Esthers. We have too many people that remain silent and will not speak truth in love because they are afraid of the repercussions. This is true, not only when it comes to speaking out against the injustices in our world, but more importantly the preaching of the gospel. Only the gospel can bring eternal and lasting change in the hearts of men where every imaginable evil is birthed. If we speak up against injustice and don't preach the gospel, that's a million times worse than a doctor pointing out that a person has a treatable form of cancer, but withholds the cure.
The evils of racism, which still exist, have diminished substantially in the USA. Why? Because of the Esthers that spoke up against it at great cost to themselves over a sustained period of time. And along with the crying out against injustice, the gospel, that calls men to repentance and faith in Christ to be saved from the power of sin and death, and which above all else demonstrates the justice and unconditionally love of God for all of humanity, was proclaimed with relatively little opposition.
But today, although men still cry out against the injustices in the world, there is an increasing hostility towards gospel truth. At one time Christians in America that believed the bible and proclaimed the gospel and stood for liberty and justice for all, were respected and honored. But today they are maligned and ridiculed. They are seen as part of the problem and not the solution even though the principles of liberty and justice for all that are so valued in our society are rooted in the Christianity of the scriptures. If Christians today do not rise up, as Esther did in such a time as this, if we do not preach the gospel, and live the gospel, which includes putting our necks out on behalf of the poor and oppressed, things will not get better, they will get worse. A mind that rejects with hostility the truth of the gospel, which is what society is doing today, will not be able to discern what true Liberty and Justice for all is suppose to look like (Romans 1:18-32). It already cries out for animal rights, but approves and legalizes the killing of the unborn.
The only real hope for America in a time like this is for the church to prayerfully discern where there is real injustice, cry out against it, while seeking to be part of the solution not the problem. The church is to be the example to the world of racial reconciliation and loving unity in spite of class, culture and color differences. But although we've come along way, as Dr. King said years ago, 11am on Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week. Sadly, there's more unity in spite of color and class at a baseball game because of a common love for a team, than there is in the Church because of a common love for Jesus. And there in lies the real and ultimate hope of man. We cannot have unity, where godly Liberty and Justice for all exist, apart from a common love and reverence for Jesus, who demonstrated His love by freely giving his life in our place for our sin to satisfy the just demands of a holy God.
In a world where the truth of the gospel is suppressed and rejected, which leads to a moral free fall, including injustices of all sorts, if there's going to be a turn around, we need more Esthers to rise up. We cannot remain silent because of fear of the repercussions. We must cry out against injustice, but most of all we must preach and live the gospel. And we must do so across cultural, class, color, crime, and crisis lines. In times like these, the Church must like never before stay focused on our mission, which hasn't changed, namely to make disciples of all nations for the greater fame of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
It is well known among those who read their bibles that queen Esther put her life at risk to speak up on behalf of her people. She could have relied on her beauty and other schemes to try and save her own neck, and let someone else worry about the diabolical plot to annihilate her people. She was living the "good life" as a pampered queen. She could have said, as did Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper." Instead, she recognize with the help of her uncle, that God put her in the position she was in during a grave time in history, not to preserve her own life, but to save many who were being unjustly targeted for extermination.
Today we have too many Cains and not enough Esthers. We have too many people that remain silent and will not speak truth in love because they are afraid of the repercussions. This is true, not only when it comes to speaking out against the injustices in our world, but more importantly the preaching of the gospel. Only the gospel can bring eternal and lasting change in the hearts of men where every imaginable evil is birthed. If we speak up against injustice and don't preach the gospel, that's a million times worse than a doctor pointing out that a person has a treatable form of cancer, but withholds the cure.
The evils of racism, which still exist, have diminished substantially in the USA. Why? Because of the Esthers that spoke up against it at great cost to themselves over a sustained period of time. And along with the crying out against injustice, the gospel, that calls men to repentance and faith in Christ to be saved from the power of sin and death, and which above all else demonstrates the justice and unconditionally love of God for all of humanity, was proclaimed with relatively little opposition.
But today, although men still cry out against the injustices in the world, there is an increasing hostility towards gospel truth. At one time Christians in America that believed the bible and proclaimed the gospel and stood for liberty and justice for all, were respected and honored. But today they are maligned and ridiculed. They are seen as part of the problem and not the solution even though the principles of liberty and justice for all that are so valued in our society are rooted in the Christianity of the scriptures. If Christians today do not rise up, as Esther did in such a time as this, if we do not preach the gospel, and live the gospel, which includes putting our necks out on behalf of the poor and oppressed, things will not get better, they will get worse. A mind that rejects with hostility the truth of the gospel, which is what society is doing today, will not be able to discern what true Liberty and Justice for all is suppose to look like (Romans 1:18-32). It already cries out for animal rights, but approves and legalizes the killing of the unborn.
The only real hope for America in a time like this is for the church to prayerfully discern where there is real injustice, cry out against it, while seeking to be part of the solution not the problem. The church is to be the example to the world of racial reconciliation and loving unity in spite of class, culture and color differences. But although we've come along way, as Dr. King said years ago, 11am on Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week. Sadly, there's more unity in spite of color and class at a baseball game because of a common love for a team, than there is in the Church because of a common love for Jesus. And there in lies the real and ultimate hope of man. We cannot have unity, where godly Liberty and Justice for all exist, apart from a common love and reverence for Jesus, who demonstrated His love by freely giving his life in our place for our sin to satisfy the just demands of a holy God.
In a world where the truth of the gospel is suppressed and rejected, which leads to a moral free fall, including injustices of all sorts, if there's going to be a turn around, we need more Esthers to rise up. We cannot remain silent because of fear of the repercussions. We must cry out against injustice, but most of all we must preach and live the gospel. And we must do so across cultural, class, color, crime, and crisis lines. In times like these, the Church must like never before stay focused on our mission, which hasn't changed, namely to make disciples of all nations for the greater fame of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Mutual Encouragement is Needed
"For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine."
- Romans 1:11-12
Are you discouraged? Do you feel like the joy of the Lord in waning in your life? Are you drifting from a strong faith in God? If you are not where you ought to be spiritually, it could be that you need to develop healthy, close and faith building relationship with others who know Jesus. As a Pastor it's easy to become too isolated from others in that, for example, I spend lots of time in my office writing, studying and preparing messages. A Pastor also is usually pouring into others. But notice that Paul longed to be with other believers and not just to impart unto them spiritual strength, but to be "mutually encouraged" by others who knew Jesus.
As believers we need to both give and receive spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts can be words of wisdom, encouragement, and thanksgiving. Sending an occasional text message or email can be a way to be encouraged and to encourage others. Paul did that. He wrote letters to others. But we also need face time with people that is not electronic in nature. Jesus preached to others from a distance. But he also had intimate relationships with those he discipled. He spent time with them, he walked with them, and he prayed with them. He was in their homes. He ate with them. He cried with them. They washed his feet with tears and anointed him with expensive oils. May we seek to "be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine."
- Romans 1:11-12
Are you discouraged? Do you feel like the joy of the Lord in waning in your life? Are you drifting from a strong faith in God? If you are not where you ought to be spiritually, it could be that you need to develop healthy, close and faith building relationship with others who know Jesus. As a Pastor it's easy to become too isolated from others in that, for example, I spend lots of time in my office writing, studying and preparing messages. A Pastor also is usually pouring into others. But notice that Paul longed to be with other believers and not just to impart unto them spiritual strength, but to be "mutually encouraged" by others who knew Jesus.
As believers we need to both give and receive spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts can be words of wisdom, encouragement, and thanksgiving. Sending an occasional text message or email can be a way to be encouraged and to encourage others. Paul did that. He wrote letters to others. But we also need face time with people that is not electronic in nature. Jesus preached to others from a distance. But he also had intimate relationships with those he discipled. He spent time with them, he walked with them, and he prayed with them. He was in their homes. He ate with them. He cried with them. They washed his feet with tears and anointed him with expensive oils. May we seek to "be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine."
Monday, July 18, 2016
When your're angry
"And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” Esther 5:4
Esther didn't come before the King at great risk to her life to invite him to a banquet. She came to plead for her people, who were fasting and no doubt praying for her about this encounter at her request. But Esther didn't rush it. She waited before appealing to the King for an opportune time. How she knew to wait we do not know for sure, but we do know that her waiting paid off. Esther was later able to expose Haman's plot against her people, and he ended up being hung on the gallows he built to kill her uncle Mordecai. Gary Chapman said, "righteous anger is designed by God to motivate us to take constructive action in the face of wrongdoing and injustice." But it's possible for us to be rightly angry at an injustice, but react to it in a wrong manner. Therefore Gary Chapman recommends that we restrain our immediate response. James wrote. "...let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger..." (James 1:19-20). It's wise for us before responding to what appears in our eyes to be injustice, to first of all stop and pray. Ask God to search your heart. Analyze your anger. Adrain Rogers said, "The way to be angry and sin not is to be angry at sin." Are you angry at sin? Also, Avoid an immediate response. For example, don't discipline your child in the heat of anger. If you do, you will more than likely be overly excessive in your discipline and it will not be constructive to your child. Lastly, Act in the Spirit not in the flesh. Esther acted in the Spirit because she was prayed up. She had received counsel from her godly uncle. Others were fasting and no doubt praying. Furthermore, she was restrained in her response. She waited for an opportune time. You're less likely to act in the Spirit, if you are not daily seeking God's counsel in prayer and in the word. In addition, we need godly wise people speaking into our lives. We need to be in the word and under the word. May God help us all, especially in this day and age, to "be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:-19-20).
Esther didn't come before the King at great risk to her life to invite him to a banquet. She came to plead for her people, who were fasting and no doubt praying for her about this encounter at her request. But Esther didn't rush it. She waited before appealing to the King for an opportune time. How she knew to wait we do not know for sure, but we do know that her waiting paid off. Esther was later able to expose Haman's plot against her people, and he ended up being hung on the gallows he built to kill her uncle Mordecai. Gary Chapman said, "righteous anger is designed by God to motivate us to take constructive action in the face of wrongdoing and injustice." But it's possible for us to be rightly angry at an injustice, but react to it in a wrong manner. Therefore Gary Chapman recommends that we restrain our immediate response. James wrote. "...let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger..." (James 1:19-20). It's wise for us before responding to what appears in our eyes to be injustice, to first of all stop and pray. Ask God to search your heart. Analyze your anger. Adrain Rogers said, "The way to be angry and sin not is to be angry at sin." Are you angry at sin? Also, Avoid an immediate response. For example, don't discipline your child in the heat of anger. If you do, you will more than likely be overly excessive in your discipline and it will not be constructive to your child. Lastly, Act in the Spirit not in the flesh. Esther acted in the Spirit because she was prayed up. She had received counsel from her godly uncle. Others were fasting and no doubt praying. Furthermore, she was restrained in her response. She waited for an opportune time. You're less likely to act in the Spirit, if you are not daily seeking God's counsel in prayer and in the word. In addition, we need godly wise people speaking into our lives. We need to be in the word and under the word. May God help us all, especially in this day and age, to "be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:-19-20).
Friday, July 15, 2016
Dealing with Lawlessness
“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
We all know that without the rule of law, chaos will ensue. In order for a society to function there must be order. Therefore, God ordained government to keep the peace. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2). In cities like Chicago, Law Enforcement Officers are on the front lines to maintain law and order. While we are sleeping peacefully at night, Law Enforcement Officers are patrolling the streets, responding to calls of crimes that are in progress, and often putting their very lives at risk.
Now because of the vital role that Law Enforcement Officers have to keep the peace, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy chapter two, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:1-4).
As of first importance, Paul, with a sense of urgency, exhorted believers to pray for all people, and more specifically, those in positions of authority so that we, among others things, may live in a peaceful society. This is vital because where there is an absence of peace, due to lawlessness, Jesus said, "the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Why does lawlessness lead to lovelessness and coldness? Obviously people who have a disregard for the rule of law also have a disregard for the rights and property of others. And disregarding others for your own self interest and selfish ambition is the opposite of love and leads to "disorder and every vile practice" (James 3:16).
Lawlessness also breeds fearfulness. When people experience fear, real or imagined, the human instinct is to protect oneself, to put ones guards up, and to put distance between oneself and the object of one's fear. Jesus said that in the last days lawlessness will increase (Matt. 24:12) and men's hearts will faint because of fear (Luke 21:26).
Today in our world there is certainly and without a doubt both lawlessness and fearfulness. And unless this lawlessness is restrained, and the fearfulness is calmed, coldness and lovelessness will sweep over our society. And if this happens, there will be utter disorder and every vile practice.
So what do we do as Christians and citizens to respond to the lawlessness and fearfulness that we see in our society? Do we throw up our hands and declare every man for himself? Do we take up arms? No! We first of all, turn to God in prayer and cry out to him for all people and those who are in authority. We pray for peace. We pray for Law Enforcement who are on the front lines to restrain evil in a just manner. We peacefully demand that those who abuse their authority be held accountable.
We also need to acknowledge with great sensitivity that some in our society, especially in the black community, fear that there is systematic racism in Law Enforcement that leads to blacks being imprisoned unjustly and even killed. In an interview with The Gospel Coalition, Brandon Murphy, a pastor and deputy sherriff in a large Southern city said, "Our justice system isn’t perfect. And sometimes police make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are purposeful since they have hatred in their hearts because of sin. But I believe those occasions are rare. Historically speaking, policing in America has been a tragic profession. We will always be trying to undo what our grandparents did. We must be diligent to give people an area for healthy dialogue involving available facts and validated feelings. Whites need to recognize that millions of people in this country have not benefited from the same background and privilege that they have. And blacks need to recognize that not all police officers are bad."
As a former Police officer, I don't believe that there is an assault on blacks by the Police. Recently, I read in a FaceBook post someone suggesting that Police Officers need to stop patrolling certain neighborhoods like they're in a war zone. In response, someone else wrote, "There have been over 2000 shootings in Chicago through June, and the overwhelming majority happened in a small handful of neighborhoods. More people are shot in those neighborhoods than in Baghdad or Kabul, which are in active war zones. Police are humans, they are going to be on edge in those neighborhoods. Anyone would be, you can't train that out of people and probably shouldn't if you could. Take the inherent danger away, and that edge will go away with it. It's a myth that it begins with the police. All things good and bad start with the community itself, and all communities start with the family. It doesn't
matter what color people are. Show me any community where the majority of households are strong family households, and I'll show you a community that is safe and without so called police overreach no matter what color the residents happen to be."
I believe that there is much truth to officers being on edge in high crimes areas and that change does not all fall on the Police. As was suggested in the Facebook post, it starts with the family. But what about children that are not being raised in stable homes? The church for one needs to get out of their comfortable buildings and seek to minister to these children with the hope and love of the gospel. Children and their parents coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus and being discipled (mentored) is the greatest hope for all communities.
As a Pastor, I recently received an e-mail from a Christian organization called Grip that is looking for churches to partner with them in mentoring children in neighborhoods where there's a breakdown in the family. GRIP Outreach for Youth exists to break the fatherless cycle in our city through Christ-centered Life-on-Life relationships. More churches need to get involved with ministries like this (www.gripyouth.com).
Now suggesting that change starts with the family doesn't mean that officers that cross the line should not be held accountable. They must be held accountable. I appreciate what I heard Pastor James Ford say recently, "If a person will not be accountable to nobody, they will not be responsible to anybody." He was speaking about husbands when he shared those words, but they apply to all who have positions of authority. There must be accountability or there will irresponsibility. And irresponsibility can lead to brutality. Responsible people who have nothing to hide welcome accountability.
Let me add that those in charge of holding others accountable must be responsible too. For example, videos of Officer's using force to effect an arrest can be a tool for accountability, but they don't always tell the whole story. In addition, they can be taken out of context. Furthermore, as human beings, we are often biased one way or the other and sometimes fail to judge things objectively. Those holding others accountable, and that includes the average citizen, must be responsible. This involves being informed and not rushing to judgement.
But what about those officers who are on edge in crime ridden neighborhoods? Can something be done, or should something be done to take the edge off? Having policing experience, I can tell you
that not being on edge can get an officer killed, if by being on edge we mean hyper vigilant, alert, and even fearful of potential danger.
Are there times when an officer's fears may be unwarranted? Yes. Sometimes these unwarranted fears that may lead to deadly force can be reasonable or unreasonable. It may be reasonable for an Officer to think that someone was pointing a gun at them and responds with deadly force, but was mistaken. Are there Officers who possess unwarranted fears that are based on the color of someone else's skin that can lead to an unjust and unreasonable use of force? I don't believe this is common, but I do believe it exists. And when it is determined that an Officer acted in such a way, he must be justly held accountable.
So in addition to praying for peace, we must acknowledge the real fears that exist in both the community and Law Enforcement. To deal with these fears, the community and the police department need to come together to acknowledge and talk about these fears and seek to understand one another. Face to face respectful communication and building relationships can build trust and create understanding that can lower fears on both sides.
In addition, there needs to be mutual respect. Officers in high crime areas can do a better job communicating with citizens that they daily interact with in a more respectful and professional manner. And when an officer is performing their duties, citizens should carefully respond to a Police Officer's reasonable commands even when they appear on edge. This will go a long way at calming any unwarranted fears that can lead to an unnecessary escalation of force.
We must point out and cry out against injustice when we see it. But God help us to do more than just point out the problems. As Christian, may we seek to be the ministers of reconciliation we are called to be. As children of God, let's lead the way in doing everything we can to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:8). In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that." Let's be the light and by God's grace we will not be "overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21).
We all know that without the rule of law, chaos will ensue. In order for a society to function there must be order. Therefore, God ordained government to keep the peace. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2). In cities like Chicago, Law Enforcement Officers are on the front lines to maintain law and order. While we are sleeping peacefully at night, Law Enforcement Officers are patrolling the streets, responding to calls of crimes that are in progress, and often putting their very lives at risk.
Now because of the vital role that Law Enforcement Officers have to keep the peace, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy chapter two, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:1-4).
As of first importance, Paul, with a sense of urgency, exhorted believers to pray for all people, and more specifically, those in positions of authority so that we, among others things, may live in a peaceful society. This is vital because where there is an absence of peace, due to lawlessness, Jesus said, "the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Why does lawlessness lead to lovelessness and coldness? Obviously people who have a disregard for the rule of law also have a disregard for the rights and property of others. And disregarding others for your own self interest and selfish ambition is the opposite of love and leads to "disorder and every vile practice" (James 3:16).
Lawlessness also breeds fearfulness. When people experience fear, real or imagined, the human instinct is to protect oneself, to put ones guards up, and to put distance between oneself and the object of one's fear. Jesus said that in the last days lawlessness will increase (Matt. 24:12) and men's hearts will faint because of fear (Luke 21:26).
Today in our world there is certainly and without a doubt both lawlessness and fearfulness. And unless this lawlessness is restrained, and the fearfulness is calmed, coldness and lovelessness will sweep over our society. And if this happens, there will be utter disorder and every vile practice.
So what do we do as Christians and citizens to respond to the lawlessness and fearfulness that we see in our society? Do we throw up our hands and declare every man for himself? Do we take up arms? No! We first of all, turn to God in prayer and cry out to him for all people and those who are in authority. We pray for peace. We pray for Law Enforcement who are on the front lines to restrain evil in a just manner. We peacefully demand that those who abuse their authority be held accountable.
We also need to acknowledge with great sensitivity that some in our society, especially in the black community, fear that there is systematic racism in Law Enforcement that leads to blacks being imprisoned unjustly and even killed. In an interview with The Gospel Coalition, Brandon Murphy, a pastor and deputy sherriff in a large Southern city said, "Our justice system isn’t perfect. And sometimes police make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are purposeful since they have hatred in their hearts because of sin. But I believe those occasions are rare. Historically speaking, policing in America has been a tragic profession. We will always be trying to undo what our grandparents did. We must be diligent to give people an area for healthy dialogue involving available facts and validated feelings. Whites need to recognize that millions of people in this country have not benefited from the same background and privilege that they have. And blacks need to recognize that not all police officers are bad."
As a former Police officer, I don't believe that there is an assault on blacks by the Police. Recently, I read in a FaceBook post someone suggesting that Police Officers need to stop patrolling certain neighborhoods like they're in a war zone. In response, someone else wrote, "There have been over 2000 shootings in Chicago through June, and the overwhelming majority happened in a small handful of neighborhoods. More people are shot in those neighborhoods than in Baghdad or Kabul, which are in active war zones. Police are humans, they are going to be on edge in those neighborhoods. Anyone would be, you can't train that out of people and probably shouldn't if you could. Take the inherent danger away, and that edge will go away with it. It's a myth that it begins with the police. All things good and bad start with the community itself, and all communities start with the family. It doesn't
matter what color people are. Show me any community where the majority of households are strong family households, and I'll show you a community that is safe and without so called police overreach no matter what color the residents happen to be."
I believe that there is much truth to officers being on edge in high crimes areas and that change does not all fall on the Police. As was suggested in the Facebook post, it starts with the family. But what about children that are not being raised in stable homes? The church for one needs to get out of their comfortable buildings and seek to minister to these children with the hope and love of the gospel. Children and their parents coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus and being discipled (mentored) is the greatest hope for all communities.
As a Pastor, I recently received an e-mail from a Christian organization called Grip that is looking for churches to partner with them in mentoring children in neighborhoods where there's a breakdown in the family. GRIP Outreach for Youth exists to break the fatherless cycle in our city through Christ-centered Life-on-Life relationships. More churches need to get involved with ministries like this (www.gripyouth.com).
Now suggesting that change starts with the family doesn't mean that officers that cross the line should not be held accountable. They must be held accountable. I appreciate what I heard Pastor James Ford say recently, "If a person will not be accountable to nobody, they will not be responsible to anybody." He was speaking about husbands when he shared those words, but they apply to all who have positions of authority. There must be accountability or there will irresponsibility. And irresponsibility can lead to brutality. Responsible people who have nothing to hide welcome accountability.
Let me add that those in charge of holding others accountable must be responsible too. For example, videos of Officer's using force to effect an arrest can be a tool for accountability, but they don't always tell the whole story. In addition, they can be taken out of context. Furthermore, as human beings, we are often biased one way or the other and sometimes fail to judge things objectively. Those holding others accountable, and that includes the average citizen, must be responsible. This involves being informed and not rushing to judgement.
But what about those officers who are on edge in crime ridden neighborhoods? Can something be done, or should something be done to take the edge off? Having policing experience, I can tell you
that not being on edge can get an officer killed, if by being on edge we mean hyper vigilant, alert, and even fearful of potential danger.
Are there times when an officer's fears may be unwarranted? Yes. Sometimes these unwarranted fears that may lead to deadly force can be reasonable or unreasonable. It may be reasonable for an Officer to think that someone was pointing a gun at them and responds with deadly force, but was mistaken. Are there Officers who possess unwarranted fears that are based on the color of someone else's skin that can lead to an unjust and unreasonable use of force? I don't believe this is common, but I do believe it exists. And when it is determined that an Officer acted in such a way, he must be justly held accountable.
So in addition to praying for peace, we must acknowledge the real fears that exist in both the community and Law Enforcement. To deal with these fears, the community and the police department need to come together to acknowledge and talk about these fears and seek to understand one another. Face to face respectful communication and building relationships can build trust and create understanding that can lower fears on both sides.
In addition, there needs to be mutual respect. Officers in high crime areas can do a better job communicating with citizens that they daily interact with in a more respectful and professional manner. And when an officer is performing their duties, citizens should carefully respond to a Police Officer's reasonable commands even when they appear on edge. This will go a long way at calming any unwarranted fears that can lead to an unnecessary escalation of force.
We must point out and cry out against injustice when we see it. But God help us to do more than just point out the problems. As Christian, may we seek to be the ministers of reconciliation we are called to be. As children of God, let's lead the way in doing everything we can to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:8). In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that." Let's be the light and by God's grace we will not be "overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21).
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Take Courage
"The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Acts 23:11
This account in the life of Paul demonstrates the power of God in how He can use the evil conspiracies of man to accomplish His purposes. The religious Jews were falsely accusing Paul before the Roman authorities, while at the same time, forty men had committed themselves to assassinating him. But God had other plans, namely for Paul to preach the gospel in Rome. And because evil plots were uncovered, and trials ensued, He was eventually taken to Rome with a Roman security escort and all expenses paid by tax payer's dollars.
But although God was working behind the scenes, early on it appears that Paul may have been losing heart. However, the Lord stood by him at night to encourage him and reveal to him that He was at work amidst all the craziness going on in his life. Are you fearful because of circumstances beyond your control or because of what others may be conspiring to do against you? Take courage today in knowing that where man rules, God overrules. And let the light of Jesus shine brightly in your life. He is standing with you.
This account in the life of Paul demonstrates the power of God in how He can use the evil conspiracies of man to accomplish His purposes. The religious Jews were falsely accusing Paul before the Roman authorities, while at the same time, forty men had committed themselves to assassinating him. But God had other plans, namely for Paul to preach the gospel in Rome. And because evil plots were uncovered, and trials ensued, He was eventually taken to Rome with a Roman security escort and all expenses paid by tax payer's dollars.
But although God was working behind the scenes, early on it appears that Paul may have been losing heart. However, the Lord stood by him at night to encourage him and reveal to him that He was at work amidst all the craziness going on in his life. Are you fearful because of circumstances beyond your control or because of what others may be conspiring to do against you? Take courage today in knowing that where man rules, God overrules. And let the light of Jesus shine brightly in your life. He is standing with you.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Considered Reliable
"And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers."
- Nehemiah 13:13
When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after taking care of some business with the Babylonian King, he found that the work of the Lord was being neglected. It started when one of the leaders in charge of the chambers in the house of God had neglected to fulfill his responsibilities. In fact, he allowed one of his godless relatives to move into one of the chambers, where some of the treasury was kept. As a result, it appears that this contributed to the priests, who were supported through the treasury, being neglected. And because they were neglected, they returned to their fields in order to provide for themselves and their families. Now, if the priests where in the fields, who was taking care of the business of the temple, namely worshiping God and providing for the spiritual needs of God's people? Nobody!
Today there's a similar neglect taking place in the house of God that is the church. Leaders are to busy catering to the needs of the consumer driven Christian. And as a result, have turned the house of God, where God is to be worshipped, and disciples are to be made, into a house of entertainment, a house of programs for the whole family, a house of activities, a house that promotes political parties, and in some cases even a haunted house for Halloween.
There are believers, who are not consumer driven Christians, trying to do the work of the Lord, but far to often they are doing so many things, that they can't doing anything as well as they could. Why? Because let's be honest, we have too many other believers that come to church to be served, but have no real interest in becoming disciple makers. And we wonder why the church is becoming more and more irrelevant in our society. The average Christian is a consumer not a disciple maker looking to be used of God to bring change in the world.
When Nehemiah got back to Jerusalem and saw all the neglect in the house of God, he became angry. Tobiah, who was allowed to set up a cozy apartment in the house of God, was evicted and his furniture was put on the street. Afterward, Nehemiah had the house of God cleansed. In addition, the bible says that he confronted the neglectful leaders, and appointed other leaders, who were considered reliable, to be responsible for distributing to the needs of the priests that served the Lord in His house.
Similarly, if the church is going to make a difference in this world, we need to get back to focusing on the right things (disciple making not catering to the consumer, prayer and the word) for the right reason, (spreading the fame of Jesus), with the right leaders (those considered reliable and are looking out for the spiritual well being of others not their own selfish interests and egos). Does God see you as one of the reliable ones?
Friday, June 10, 2016
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face...and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?" (Josh 5:13-15).
During the above event in the life of Joshua, the children of Israel had just crossed over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan. As they prepared to do battle with the inhabitants of the land, Joshua had an encounter with what some theologians referred to as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. In this encounter, Joshua was no doubt greatly encouraged as he was reminded that the captain of the Lord's armies was with him and his people. But before he realized who the man standing in front of him was, Joshua asked, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:14). In other words, Joshua was asking, "whose side are you on, our enemies or us?" The man with the sword drawn in his hand responded, "Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come." One preacher said of this response: "The captain of the armies of the Lord didn't come to take sides, He came to take over." When Joshua realized who he was talking to, he fell on his face in worship and said, “What saith my Lord unto his servant?” Jesus is the captain. Don't try to get him on your side. Make sure you're on his side. Don't try to get God to take up your cause; make sure you're fighting for his cause.
During the above event in the life of Joshua, the children of Israel had just crossed over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan. As they prepared to do battle with the inhabitants of the land, Joshua had an encounter with what some theologians referred to as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. In this encounter, Joshua was no doubt greatly encouraged as he was reminded that the captain of the Lord's armies was with him and his people. But before he realized who the man standing in front of him was, Joshua asked, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:14). In other words, Joshua was asking, "whose side are you on, our enemies or us?" The man with the sword drawn in his hand responded, "Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come." One preacher said of this response: "The captain of the armies of the Lord didn't come to take sides, He came to take over." When Joshua realized who he was talking to, he fell on his face in worship and said, “What saith my Lord unto his servant?” Jesus is the captain. Don't try to get him on your side. Make sure you're on his side. Don't try to get God to take up your cause; make sure you're fighting for his cause.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
God is not impressed
“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”
Psalms 147:10-11
God is not impressed with the size of our church buildings or the sound and lighting system. Is it wrong to have lights and amplified sound? No! However what we need most is what only God can do. What we need is for the Spirit of God to open blind eyes, convict distracted husbands, and restore broken families. What we need is for the saints to be grieved over the spiritual ruin in our world and be moved to action. But the truth is that we have learned how to attract a crowd on Sunday morning with our programming and activities. We've learned how to entertain the crowd and keep them for a little while. We know how to put on a show. But all along God is looking down and saying, "looks like they got it all figured out. They don't need me. Yes, the church prays, but its not a praying church. They are not looking to me for my guidance, wisdom and power to fulfill my mission to make disciples of all nations." When we try to find in something or somebody what we can only find in Jesus we are practicing idolatry. In his new book, Old Paths New Power, Daniel Henderson writes, "We are beyond carved idols, but we have varieties of mechanisms in our promotional repertoire that compete with the glory of God. In our local churches, many components of our worship experiences come close to a modern carved idol. They are not chiseled with wood but technologically mind-blowing products sold in Silicon Valley, designed by Sony, manufactured by Microsoft, or promoted by way of high-tech projection. While none of these modern worship supplements are wrong, I doubt the Lord is going to bring revival in such a way that our gadgets get the glory." If we would seek in prayer the glory of God in the face of Jesus, we will find that God's manifest presence will do more in a moment than the latest gadget could ever do in a life time. The glory of God will not only transform us into the image of Christ, it will change our hearts to grieve over the things that God grieves over.
But sadly, although lives all around us are on a wide road that leads to destruction, including some of our own children, we don't weep before God in prayer. We are in a spiritual coma. We sit on our couches and watch television all day or zone out on our smart phones watching YouTube videos or playing silly games. The condition of the church today is not one that will move God to send revival; rather the the condition of the church is one that necessitates for God to send a wake up call. In fact, the alarm is already sounding in the spiritual decline we see in our nation, in the changing laws that threaten our religious freedoms, and the increasing violence in our cities. Do we hear the alarm? Will we not fall to our knees and repent of our complacency? "...the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalms 147:10-11
Psalms 147:10-11
God is not impressed with the size of our church buildings or the sound and lighting system. Is it wrong to have lights and amplified sound? No! However what we need most is what only God can do. What we need is for the Spirit of God to open blind eyes, convict distracted husbands, and restore broken families. What we need is for the saints to be grieved over the spiritual ruin in our world and be moved to action. But the truth is that we have learned how to attract a crowd on Sunday morning with our programming and activities. We've learned how to entertain the crowd and keep them for a little while. We know how to put on a show. But all along God is looking down and saying, "looks like they got it all figured out. They don't need me. Yes, the church prays, but its not a praying church. They are not looking to me for my guidance, wisdom and power to fulfill my mission to make disciples of all nations." When we try to find in something or somebody what we can only find in Jesus we are practicing idolatry. In his new book, Old Paths New Power, Daniel Henderson writes, "We are beyond carved idols, but we have varieties of mechanisms in our promotional repertoire that compete with the glory of God. In our local churches, many components of our worship experiences come close to a modern carved idol. They are not chiseled with wood but technologically mind-blowing products sold in Silicon Valley, designed by Sony, manufactured by Microsoft, or promoted by way of high-tech projection. While none of these modern worship supplements are wrong, I doubt the Lord is going to bring revival in such a way that our gadgets get the glory." If we would seek in prayer the glory of God in the face of Jesus, we will find that God's manifest presence will do more in a moment than the latest gadget could ever do in a life time. The glory of God will not only transform us into the image of Christ, it will change our hearts to grieve over the things that God grieves over.
But sadly, although lives all around us are on a wide road that leads to destruction, including some of our own children, we don't weep before God in prayer. We are in a spiritual coma. We sit on our couches and watch television all day or zone out on our smart phones watching YouTube videos or playing silly games. The condition of the church today is not one that will move God to send revival; rather the the condition of the church is one that necessitates for God to send a wake up call. In fact, the alarm is already sounding in the spiritual decline we see in our nation, in the changing laws that threaten our religious freedoms, and the increasing violence in our cities. Do we hear the alarm? Will we not fall to our knees and repent of our complacency? "...the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalms 147:10-11
Monday, June 6, 2016
Revival
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 57:15
After being given a tour of Bellevue Baptist Church, the late Pastor Adrian Rogers was asked by a group of pastors, "When did you get a vision for this great church and all of its worldwide ministries?" Pastor Adrian Rogers responded, “God never gave me a vision for this. He gave me a vision of Himself and this is the result.”
Isaiah 57:15
After being given a tour of Bellevue Baptist Church, the late Pastor Adrian Rogers was asked by a group of pastors, "When did you get a vision for this great church and all of its worldwide ministries?" Pastor Adrian Rogers responded, “God never gave me a vision for this. He gave me a vision of Himself and this is the result.”
Anyone who ever accomplished anything for God of eternal value did so because they saw God as He is, high and lifted up. When we see God as He is, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty,’ we will fall down before Him. We repent of the sin in our lives that becomes exceedingly sinful in view of His glory and grace. When we see both the satisfaction of His wrath for sin and demonstration of His love in the cross of Jesus, we sing, ‘Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.’ When we hear the voice of our risen Savior, seated at the right hand of God ,saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” We respond, “Here I am! Send me.” We make disciples! When we see our spiritual poverty in light of the LORD's sovereign power, we pray without ceasing, knowing that apart from Christ we can do nothing. This is what true revival looks like, and it happens when we are rocked to the core of being before the presence of God. "We must remember that there is a difference between seeking revival from God vs. seeking God for revival (Daniel Henderson). We need a high view of God, and the rest will follow. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Humility of Mind
Fresh Encounter
Humility of Mind
1 Peter 3:8-12
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9)
The late Steve Currington, who founded Reformers Unanimous addictions recovery program, use to say, "God doesn’t promise to bless bible readers. He promises to bless bible meditators" (Psalm 1).
I mention this to say that one way to meditate of scriptures is to prayerfully ask questions of the text. This practice has abundantly blessed me in my personal life, but also as I prepare sermons and seek to be a blessing to others.
I find that when I ask questions of the text, God begins to open my understanding and speak into my life. This is what happened as I meditated on 1 Peter 3:8-9, which has led me to bring this message to us.
Notice that Paul exhorts believers to have, among other things, a humble mind. When I read and began to mediate on this passage, I asked questions like, What does humility of mind look like? Where does it come from? What does it mean to have a humble mind? Why is it important?
Now, one vital conclusion that I came to as I studied the scriptures is this: Although humility of mind is not something that we need to have to earn God’s grace, it does put us in a position to receive the much more of God’s grace.
In other words, God wants to provide more grace, but a prideful person for example doesn’t see his need and will not avail himself of the channels of grace like prayer and the word that lays hold of the much more of God’s grace (Luke 11:13; Hebrews 9:14; Eph. 3:20; James 4:6).
In fact, humility of mind, far from being something that earns grace, is actually a work of grace itself.
"Grace is not only God’s disposition to do good for us when we don’t deserve it. It is an actual power from God that acts and makes good things happen in us and for us." John Piper
Now, in addition to laying hold of the much more of God’s grace, humility of mind is vital in that it enables us to glorify God in the way we as believers are to lovingly relate to one another and the world.
Notice that in 1 Peter 3:8-9, Peter gives several exhortations concerning how believers in the body of Christ are to relate to each other. He writes that they are to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, and a tender heart. In addition, they are not to repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, “but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
Now I set aside "a humble of mind" as I reviewed Peter exhortations because it’s clear from scriptures that all the other exhortations are really the fruit of a humble mind.
A proud person for example will not have unity of mind with others. One reason is that a proud person insists on their own way. And a person who always insists on getting their way is difficult to get along with especially when it comes to the work of God’s kingdom.
Also a person that is prideful will have a hard time sympathizing with others. Like Job's friends, they are so quick to find fault and to want to correct others who are hurting, that they don’t realize that sometimes what a person needs is for someone to just listen—to be present—to weep with them—to encourage them in the Lord.
In fact, a proud person may even find pleasure in the demise of another in that it may make them feel better about themselves.
Also a person who is prideful will not genuinely demonstrate brotherly love, and a tender heart toward others. They are so self-absorbed that they may only do something for someone else when there is something in it for them.
A person who is prideful doesn’t find satisfaction in serving others. They are not moved with compassion to meet the needs of others. They say things like, “They brought that upon themselves. I can’t help people like that.” To serve others is beneath them. They want to be served.
And if someone does them wrong, forget about it. Their attitude would be, “It’s payback time.” Overcoming evil with good, as Peter suggest, is crazy talk. That's foolishness in their minds.
But someone with humility of mind, when they see a need, is moved to compassion. They sacrificially seek to meet the needs of others. They are able to do good unto others who may have wronged them. Humble people are blessed and happy to be a blessing.
Proud people won’t be happy unless they are the ones receiving blessings from others. They are envious of others who are blessed. They have a hard time rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep.
We see this in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16 (Check out my sermon on the passage online: http://midwestbiblechurch.org/sermons/series/the-last-will-be-first/).
They grumbled when others were blessed. When the 11th hour workers received a day’s pay for only working an hour they were not happy for them. All they could think about was how much more they should have received based on their sense of justice and fairness.
Their own sense of justice told them that although they agreed to earn a day’s pay for a full days work, they should have received more based on what others were receiving because of the generosity of the vineyard owner.
But remember that the 11th hour workers, who graciously received a whole days pay for one hour of work, didn’t have an agreement on pay. They trusted the vineyard owner, who said, he would give them what was right.
From this we learn an important kingdom principle for living a life of purpose with joy and gratitude:
Trusting in what the hand of a loving God gives you, rather than seeking what your own sense of justice tells you that you deserve, is the key to living a life of purpose with joy and gratitude.
How many of you know that it takes humility of mind to trust God in this way? And that humility of mind for a believer comes from realizing that no matter where you are in life, you are an 11th hour worker. You have freely received in Christ and continue to receive the much more of God’s grace that you have not earned and do not deserve. In fact, someone with humility of mind, which is a work of grace, recognizes that if they got what they deserved, they would be bound for Hell.
Whenever pride begins to raise its ugly head and one starts to feel in anger, envy or bitterness like God or even others owe them something, a person with humility of mind realizes that they got their eyes in the wrong place.
They stop comparing themselves with those around them that leads them to feel that life owes them something. And instead they look to the cross where they are reminded that they’ve already received heavens best. They look to the cross and are overwhelmed with gratefulness that Jesus paid the sin debt that they owed on their behalf.
Brothers and sister, whenever I have humble myself and trusted that what God gives is right, rather than what I think I deserved, God has richly blessed me to be a blessing in ways that I could not have imagined.
God is still blessing me today for decisions I made years ago to take the high and humble road, rather than trying to exalt myself by tearing someone else down.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Conclusion
When that prideful attitude creeps in that robs us of the joy of the Lord, and we begin to feel bitterly that life’s unfair—that God owes me, may we with humility of mind remember to get our eyes back on Jesus and praise Him for His abundant grace and mercy.
May we acknowledge and thank God in humility that we don’t need to receive what we think we deserve. If He spared not His own son, we can trust that whatever He gives is right. Praise God for all that He graciously has provided for us in Christ.
Humility of Mind
1 Peter 3:8-12
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9)
The late Steve Currington, who founded Reformers Unanimous addictions recovery program, use to say, "God doesn’t promise to bless bible readers. He promises to bless bible meditators" (Psalm 1).
I mention this to say that one way to meditate of scriptures is to prayerfully ask questions of the text. This practice has abundantly blessed me in my personal life, but also as I prepare sermons and seek to be a blessing to others.
I find that when I ask questions of the text, God begins to open my understanding and speak into my life. This is what happened as I meditated on 1 Peter 3:8-9, which has led me to bring this message to us.
Notice that Paul exhorts believers to have, among other things, a humble mind. When I read and began to mediate on this passage, I asked questions like, What does humility of mind look like? Where does it come from? What does it mean to have a humble mind? Why is it important?
Now, one vital conclusion that I came to as I studied the scriptures is this: Although humility of mind is not something that we need to have to earn God’s grace, it does put us in a position to receive the much more of God’s grace.
In other words, God wants to provide more grace, but a prideful person for example doesn’t see his need and will not avail himself of the channels of grace like prayer and the word that lays hold of the much more of God’s grace (Luke 11:13; Hebrews 9:14; Eph. 3:20; James 4:6).
In fact, humility of mind, far from being something that earns grace, is actually a work of grace itself.
"Grace is not only God’s disposition to do good for us when we don’t deserve it. It is an actual power from God that acts and makes good things happen in us and for us." John Piper
Now, in addition to laying hold of the much more of God’s grace, humility of mind is vital in that it enables us to glorify God in the way we as believers are to lovingly relate to one another and the world.
Notice that in 1 Peter 3:8-9, Peter gives several exhortations concerning how believers in the body of Christ are to relate to each other. He writes that they are to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, and a tender heart. In addition, they are not to repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, “but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
Now I set aside "a humble of mind" as I reviewed Peter exhortations because it’s clear from scriptures that all the other exhortations are really the fruit of a humble mind.
A proud person for example will not have unity of mind with others. One reason is that a proud person insists on their own way. And a person who always insists on getting their way is difficult to get along with especially when it comes to the work of God’s kingdom.
Also a person that is prideful will have a hard time sympathizing with others. Like Job's friends, they are so quick to find fault and to want to correct others who are hurting, that they don’t realize that sometimes what a person needs is for someone to just listen—to be present—to weep with them—to encourage them in the Lord.
In fact, a proud person may even find pleasure in the demise of another in that it may make them feel better about themselves.
Also a person who is prideful will not genuinely demonstrate brotherly love, and a tender heart toward others. They are so self-absorbed that they may only do something for someone else when there is something in it for them.
A person who is prideful doesn’t find satisfaction in serving others. They are not moved with compassion to meet the needs of others. They say things like, “They brought that upon themselves. I can’t help people like that.” To serve others is beneath them. They want to be served.
And if someone does them wrong, forget about it. Their attitude would be, “It’s payback time.” Overcoming evil with good, as Peter suggest, is crazy talk. That's foolishness in their minds.
But someone with humility of mind, when they see a need, is moved to compassion. They sacrificially seek to meet the needs of others. They are able to do good unto others who may have wronged them. Humble people are blessed and happy to be a blessing.
Proud people won’t be happy unless they are the ones receiving blessings from others. They are envious of others who are blessed. They have a hard time rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep.
We see this in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16 (Check out my sermon on the passage online: http://midwestbiblechurch.org/sermons/series/the-last-will-be-first/).
They grumbled when others were blessed. When the 11th hour workers received a day’s pay for only working an hour they were not happy for them. All they could think about was how much more they should have received based on their sense of justice and fairness.
Their own sense of justice told them that although they agreed to earn a day’s pay for a full days work, they should have received more based on what others were receiving because of the generosity of the vineyard owner.
But remember that the 11th hour workers, who graciously received a whole days pay for one hour of work, didn’t have an agreement on pay. They trusted the vineyard owner, who said, he would give them what was right.
From this we learn an important kingdom principle for living a life of purpose with joy and gratitude:
Trusting in what the hand of a loving God gives you, rather than seeking what your own sense of justice tells you that you deserve, is the key to living a life of purpose with joy and gratitude.
How many of you know that it takes humility of mind to trust God in this way? And that humility of mind for a believer comes from realizing that no matter where you are in life, you are an 11th hour worker. You have freely received in Christ and continue to receive the much more of God’s grace that you have not earned and do not deserve. In fact, someone with humility of mind, which is a work of grace, recognizes that if they got what they deserved, they would be bound for Hell.
Whenever pride begins to raise its ugly head and one starts to feel in anger, envy or bitterness like God or even others owe them something, a person with humility of mind realizes that they got their eyes in the wrong place.
They stop comparing themselves with those around them that leads them to feel that life owes them something. And instead they look to the cross where they are reminded that they’ve already received heavens best. They look to the cross and are overwhelmed with gratefulness that Jesus paid the sin debt that they owed on their behalf.
Brothers and sister, whenever I have humble myself and trusted that what God gives is right, rather than what I think I deserved, God has richly blessed me to be a blessing in ways that I could not have imagined.
God is still blessing me today for decisions I made years ago to take the high and humble road, rather than trying to exalt myself by tearing someone else down.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Conclusion
When that prideful attitude creeps in that robs us of the joy of the Lord, and we begin to feel bitterly that life’s unfair—that God owes me, may we with humility of mind remember to get our eyes back on Jesus and praise Him for His abundant grace and mercy.
May we acknowledge and thank God in humility that we don’t need to receive what we think we deserve. If He spared not His own son, we can trust that whatever He gives is right. Praise God for all that He graciously has provided for us in Christ.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Does your life feel like a roller coaster ride?
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet
trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the
testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let
steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
In his devotion last night, Ovi also highlighted the little word "let" in James 1:4 where James wrote, "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing". According to the dictionary the word let means to, "Not prevent or forbid; allow." This seemingly insignificant word teaches us that when trials come we must be careful not to resist the work that God wants to do in our lives through them by believing the lies of the enemy like, "God has abandoned you or doesn't love you. Instead, we must believe that our loving God is just as present when we are down in the valley as He is when we are up on the mountain. "The God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God in the night." In light of these truths and in the midst of our trials "let" us rejoice and trust that our God is up to great things—that He is preparing us for the heavenly thrill ride of our lives.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Is God pleased with our church gatherings?
Is God pleased with our church gatherings?
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Amos 5:21-24
Amos was called by God as a prophet to expose, among other things, Israel's oppression of the poor, empty religious practices, and pride. God was not impressed with their religious gatherings and observances. He was not impressed because their outward form of religion was absent of an inward heart that truly worshiped the Lord in word and deed. They were not living holy lives and neither were they working to bring justice to those being oppressed.
Alarmingly, this is true of the church today. For example, calling a solemn assembly (or getting believers to gather together) seems to only work if the gathering is centered on man and not Christ. In other words, church services are geared towards meeting the felt needs, desires and preferences of people not the person, work and mission of Christ. More and more, churchgoers come to church to be catered to and entertained by those in ministry that are more than happy to oblige. Consequently, the church going consumer may feel good for the moment, but there is no real and lasting change. And when a believer is unchanged, not only will they not effect changed in the world but they will end up being conformed to the world.
Daniel Henderson, in a devotional title, "If I were the devil", writes in ones of his points: Promote "Success" in the Ministry - Crazy as it sounds, I might even promote church growth as a replacement for real revival. I would encourage an interest in numbers, activities, strategies, and events. This would keep them away from brokenness, repentance, and passion for God's transforming presence. This would distract them from a real pursuit of the awakenings that have undermined my malevolent work. Knowing that I could not keep people from eternal life because of the power of the Gospel, I would at least try to keep them from eternal reward by getting them to rely on their own flesh rather than the Spirit of God in their ministry efforts. Yes, if I were the devil, this strategy would be one of my most important. I would amass all of my most subtle and deceptive troops and tools to prevent spiritual awakening at all costs. As long as Christians were sincere but isolated - active but powerless - entertained but shallow - I would win. And I would love it so."
Alarmingly, I believe that what Daniel Henderson wrote describes the state of many churches today, namely that they're man centered rather than Christ centered. And if this is true, the reality is that some church gatherings are more pleasing to the devil than they are to Jesus who gave His blood to sanctify the church.
Now, I'm not implying that we should give up on the church. My point is that the church needs to turn back to God. You see, although the Lord was not please with the solemn assemblies in Amos' day, it wasn't so much the gathering itself, but the hearts of the people. In fact, in Joel we read, “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.” (Joel 2:12-16 ESV) Commenting on this passage in a sermon, Pastor Eddie Leon stated, "If our hearts wander from God, he will fight against us to bring us to repentance. If we become proud and self-confident and prayer starts to feel unnecessary, God blocks our way."
If churches today are going to experience God's real power and presence, it must turn back to God and the simplicity of the gospel. We must trust that the gospel not man is the power of God unto salvation. We must give God more than songs that we sing with our lips. We must give Him true worship that comes from a heart that is truly consecrated to Him.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Ministering from the overflow
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
All Christian should know that this side of heaven we will never reach a point in our walk with God where we have arrived. There’s always more of God to know and experience and there is always more room for spiritual growth. And when it comes to serving the kingdom of God, we can’t fake it till we make it. Instead the scriptures teach that believers are to abound in the grace and love of God. For example, Paul wrote, “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:14
The greatest impact we can make for Christ will be from the overflow of our dynamic love relationship with Him. I didn’t say, an overflow of knowledge, but serving from the outflow of our intimacy. When we don’t minister from the overflow there will be little fruit and we will burnout. What I mean by ministering out of the overflow is that there must be a steady inflow of the grace and love of God by which we are transformed and enabled to serve others to the glory of Christ. For this reason Paul prayed for others and no doubt for himself, “...may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). And again in Philippians we read, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,” (Philp. 1:9)
Now, the reason we can abound in Love is because God is abounding in love toward us. The Psalmist for example wrote, “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5)
We were saved, while we were yet sinners, because of His abounding love. And towards us who are children God that sometimes stray from the Lord, He is good, He is patient, He is forgiving and He is waiting to pour out His abounding love to us when we turn back to Him and call upon His name. In Joel we read: “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12).
What does it mean for the believer that God is abounding in love towards us?
•God will never tire of loving us
•His love is like a deep ocean that we can explore and experience, but never exhaust the discovering of new realities of the beauties of His love
•His love will never give up on us
•His love will never abandon us
•Nothing can separate us from His love
•His love will relentlessly pursue us even when we stray.
Once again, we can abound in love because God is abounding in love towards us. But its vital that we also understand that we will not abound in love if we are grieving the Spirit that pours God's love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). But because God is so good, even if we have strayed from Him, He calls us to, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love..." Joel 2:12
May we seek God continually to make us increase and abound in love so that we would bring glory to His name and supply what is lacking in the faith of others (1 Thess. 3:12).
All Christian should know that this side of heaven we will never reach a point in our walk with God where we have arrived. There’s always more of God to know and experience and there is always more room for spiritual growth. And when it comes to serving the kingdom of God, we can’t fake it till we make it. Instead the scriptures teach that believers are to abound in the grace and love of God. For example, Paul wrote, “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:14
The greatest impact we can make for Christ will be from the overflow of our dynamic love relationship with Him. I didn’t say, an overflow of knowledge, but serving from the outflow of our intimacy. When we don’t minister from the overflow there will be little fruit and we will burnout. What I mean by ministering out of the overflow is that there must be a steady inflow of the grace and love of God by which we are transformed and enabled to serve others to the glory of Christ. For this reason Paul prayed for others and no doubt for himself, “...may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). And again in Philippians we read, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,” (Philp. 1:9)
Now, the reason we can abound in Love is because God is abounding in love toward us. The Psalmist for example wrote, “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5)
We were saved, while we were yet sinners, because of His abounding love. And towards us who are children God that sometimes stray from the Lord, He is good, He is patient, He is forgiving and He is waiting to pour out His abounding love to us when we turn back to Him and call upon His name. In Joel we read: “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12).
What does it mean for the believer that God is abounding in love towards us?
•God will never tire of loving us
•His love is like a deep ocean that we can explore and experience, but never exhaust the discovering of new realities of the beauties of His love
•His love will never give up on us
•His love will never abandon us
•Nothing can separate us from His love
•His love will relentlessly pursue us even when we stray.
Once again, we can abound in love because God is abounding in love towards us. But its vital that we also understand that we will not abound in love if we are grieving the Spirit that pours God's love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). But because God is so good, even if we have strayed from Him, He calls us to, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love..." Joel 2:12
May we seek God continually to make us increase and abound in love so that we would bring glory to His name and supply what is lacking in the faith of others (1 Thess. 3:12).
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
“What Paul learned through Pain and Prayer”
2 Cor. 12:1-10
A few weeks ago I experienced some pain in my abdomen. It occurred in the evening for a few minutes. And then in the middle of the night it came back and continued throughout the night. I was up all night and in the morning I decided to go see a doctor. I ended up in the emergency room.
Well as some of you may know sometimes you wait a long time in an emergency room and I was no exception. After about 3 hours of waiting, I said to my wife, “My love, the pain has subsided. I feel better. Let’s get out of here.” She said, “O no, we are waiting here until you see a doctor.” I’m glad I did.
When I finally got to see the doctor and after running some test, which included a CT scan, the doctor said that they found what looked like an infection and inflammation in my intestines. She gave me some antibiotics and pain meds and referred me to a specialist who could do a colonoscopy to determine what may be causing this infection.
This past Tuesday I had the colonoscopy, which revealed that I have a large mass the size of a grapefruit in my intestines that was later confirmed to be cancerous. It looks like, because it was detected early enough, that it hasn’t spread anywhere else. Doctor said she believes that this is 100% treatable and that after surgery to remove the mass and chemo therapy, I should make a full recovery.
I thanked the doctor and the Lord knowing in my heart that he’s in control. Although this was somewhat of a shocked to me, it wasn’t a shock to God.
Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God? I believe with all my heart that God is up to something great in my life and in the life of our church and that through the prayers of many we are going to see God's grace and power like never before.
I believe that God doesn’t want me to waist my cancer, rather He wants me (us), my family and my beloved church family to learn some life transforming lessons that will bring us into deeper experiences of God’s presence and power in our lives. Can you all believe with me that God is up to something great?
I thank God for the pain that I experienced a couple of weeks ago. If I had not experienced that pain and waited it out in the ER, I wouldn’t have known that there was something much more serious going on inside of me that needed the outside care and attention of a skilled Physician.
Greater still, I believe that there are some spiritual lessons and blessings that God wants to reveal to not only me, but to all of us because first and foremost we are in this together. And secondly, because the bible and life teaches us that we often learn and experience more of the deeper blessings of God through pain not apart from it. This is why Paul wrote in his dark hour, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9b).
Main idea: The more we understand our weakness the more grace will be available to meet our deepest needs.
This morning we are going to examine briefly 7 lessons that Paul learned through pain and prayer.
1. Keep praying until God answers
First lesson we see that Paul learned through pain and prayer was to keep praying until God answers. Beginning in verse 7 we read: “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me” (2 Cor. 12:7-8).
During a time of deep pain, physical, emotional or both—we don’t know for sure, Paul went to the Lord in prayer about it. I have spent time studying what this thorn in the flesh may have been. Based upon what I read in scriptures I thought that it could have been poor eyes sight.
Some commentators have suggested that it could have been a person or persons influenced by Satan that constantly criticized and opposed Paul's gospel ministry. Others have suggested other types of serious physical and emotional pain.
But I don’t think we can really say for sure. And as I have said in the past, the fact that we don’t know for sure may be on purpose. Perhaps the Lord doesn’t want us to focus on the specifics as much as how Paul responded to what he was dealing with.
Before we get into how Paul responded, we do know for sure that whatever this thorn in the flesh was, Satan had a part in it. Why? Because Paul ticked the devil off. It's been said, if you never collide with Satan its probably because you’re going in the same direction.
Two Wednesdays ago at our prayer meeting I said, (quoting Daniel Henderson) “When a church gets serious about prayer we pick a fight with the devil at a whole new level.”
But let me say also that Satan is not behind every problem or sickness that we have. We already saw a couple of weeks ago when I preached on the rival to the throne of our hearts, that our biggest problem is not Satan, but self. You better have self in check before you try putting the devil in check through prayer.
In addition, although the enemy is at work to keep us from living an abundant Christian life, he is under God’s sovereign control.
When we are living under God’s authority what the devil means for evil, God works it for our good and His glory. He doesn’t want to be used by God, but he has no choice. What he tries to do to make us bitter, God will use it to makes us better.
It’s important that we see also from our text that when God is allowing something difficult to take place in our lives for His sovereign purpose, we can rebuke the cancer and bind the enemy all day long, if God’s wills it, the thorn will remain.
In Christ, we have power and authority over sin and Satan, but that power is not independent of God. In the mighty name of Jesus we are to pray confidently and boldly for God to deliver us from difficulties. We are to believe God for great things because he has and will do great things in answer to prayer. But the power that we have in and through Christ is totally contingent on us being in agreement with God’s will and it’s given ultimately for the exalting of His glory.
It brings me great comfort to know that the enemy is not ultimately in control of my circumstances. God, who loves me with an everlasting love, is in control. And he uses the devil like an instrument in the hand of a skilled surgeon, who although he may have to wound me, he does so to heal me.
Once again, the important thing about our text is not what Paul was dealing with, but what he did, namely that he pleaded with God in prayer about it. How many of you know there’s nothing too hard for God?
I heard someone say rightly that sometimes people struggle with bringing what they call little things to God. But with God everything is little. There's is no such thing as a big thing to God. And besides that, God cares about the details of our lives. He cares about what we consider the big things and the little details.
Knowing this, when faced with what to Paul was a major crisis, he took it to God in prayer. And he didn’t just pray once. He kept praying until God answered. Paul prayed persistently.
Persistent prayer, as some have imagined, is not a sign of a lack of faith, but of great faith. We pray persistently not because we think that God didn’t hear us the first time or because we have to nag God to receive what we are asking him for.
• We pray persistently because we are taking God at his word who promises that when we call on him he will answer us—that he will do great and mighty things that we never thought possible.
• We pray persistently because we understand that his delays and not his denials.
• We pray persistently because he is in control and his timing is always perfect.
• More importantly, we pray persistently because we believe that the greatest value of continually coming before God’s presence is not in getting what we want from God, but in coming to know what he wants from us.
This leads us to the second lesson that Paul learned through pain and prayer.
2. What God has to say to us is more important than what we have to say to God
Paul learned that what God has to say to us is more important than what we have to say to God. Notice that in verse 8 Paul wrote, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
We know from this passage and others that Paul was a man of persistent prayer. Someone ask me recently, Pastor Marco, should we ever stop praying about certain things? I believe the best answer to that question is, "We stop praying when God answers."
In Paul’s case, how did God answer his persistent prayer? In Paul’s case, God’s answer came through His word.
Ovi, in his message on Wednesday night, shared this quote with us, “The value of persistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we finally hear Him.”
We will miss God’s best if when we pray we seek only to see God do what we want and not what he wants to do in us and through us during times of hardship and difficulties. This is why the name it and claim it crowd has it so wrong.
When you know God and trust Him—when you know what he has to say is more important than what you have to say, you will not ultimately claim or rebuke anything that God hasn’t first clearly named or willed for your life.
If you’re going through a difficult season, you don’t have to be in denial about it out of fear that if you name it you will be claiming it. Neither Satan, sickness of self has sovereign control over your life. God is in control.
Knowing this, Paul pleaded with God to remove his thorn. He wasn’t in denial about it. He knew that God had the final word—he knew that it’s God’s word that matters not our words—not our positive or negative confessions of faith.
And it was God’s words of assurance and resting in them that made all the difference in Paul’s life and that will make all the difference in our lives.
Let me add that the more that God’s word is richly dwelling in our hearts, the more confidently, fervently and effectively we will pray. And when this is the case—when we are taking the time to hide God’s word in our hearts and pray them back to God, our prayers will not only be in tune with God’s purposes, but we will find that the greatest blessings of prayer is that they cause the promises of his word to explode in our hearts.
Brothers and sisters, when you have God’s word of assurance, you will be able to face even the greatest of difficulties with the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.
3. Sometimes our greatest need is a need
Thirdly, we learned from our text that Paul learned through pain that sometimes our greatest need is a need. Paul wrote, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9b).
Brothers and sisters, we live in a society where comfort has become the goal of life. To enjoy comfort is not a sin. But the problem comes when comfort becomes god in our lives. When a life of ease and comfort becomes the goal of life, these have a way of dulling our spiritual senses and more specifically they have a way of dulling the sense of our desperate need for God.
When the comfort that we are experiencing comes from believing that because we have money in the back, good health and a nice house, we can sit back thinking that we have it all under control, we are seriously deceived. This is why in verse 7, Paul revealed that the hardship that he was experiencing was being permitted by God to keep him from becoming prideful. This leads us to our forth point.
4. God hates pride
Paul learned through pain and prayer that God hates pride. He wrote, “7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited” (2 Cor. 12:7).
Let me say it again, sometimes our greatest need is a need. Why? Because the need keeps us from becoming prideful—because the need keeps us humble—because the need keeps us dependent on God and his grace in our lives, which is our greatest need.
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Now this leads us to the most important lesson that Paul learned through pain and prayer, and the most important lesson for us to learn.
5. Jesus is enough
Paul learned through pain that Jesus is enough. He wrote in verse 10, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).
Brothers and sisters, once again, sometimes our greatest need is a need. And when our sense of need before a Holy and gracious God leads us to pray persistently, we discover that His grace is enough—that Jesus is more than enough in all circumstances.
For the sake of Christ, whose all satisfying grace we sense more abundantly as we draw nearer to him in our time of need, Paul was content with the hardships he was facing. The reason Paul declared, “For when I am weak, then I am strong” was because he knew that when his sense of weakness drove Him to his knees, he found that the greatest blessing in life is not being deliver from your problems, but experiencing the strength, peace and contentment that comes from drawing closer to the Savior. This leads us to the sixth lesson that Paul learned through pain and prayer.
6. Prayer changes us.
Paul learned through pain that prayer not only changes things, but more importantly prayer changes us. Prayer changes us when we learn that what God has to say, what God wants to reveal to us about Him, and what God wants to do in us, is the greatest value of prayer.
“The delays in prayer are not needed to change God, but to change us. Persistence in prayer brings a transforming element into our lives, building into us the character of God Himself. It is a way that God builds into us a heart that cares about things the same way He does.” (Dguzik)
The fact that Paul said that for the sake of Christ he was content to suffer pain and adversity demonstrated that as Christ suffered for our sake, he was willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. He was willing to endure hardship through the power of Christ so that others would know like he knew that Jesus is enough.
Through the grace that he availed himself of through prayer because of pain, Paul had taken on the heart of Christ. Prayer changes things, but more importantly prayer changes us.
This leads us to our final point:
7. We grow more in pain than in prosperity.
Paul learned through pain that we grow more in pain than in prosperity. Prosperity is not sinful. Thank God if you have it, but if we are not careful we can come to a place where we depend more on the gifts than the giver for our security and satisfaction. When this is the case, we will be more than disappointed, we will miss God’s best for our lives namely his grace and power resting upon us.
If this was a danger for the Apostle Paul, it’s a danger to us also. This is why Paul wrote, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9b).
What Paul is saying here is that because in his dark hour he took God at his word that His grace would be enough, and because he experienced that it was enough, he boasted in his weakness.
In the same way, in our dark hour we can come to a place where we don’t have to deny our weakness, but rather we can boast in it—we can thank God for our difficulties—we can thank God for our cancer—and we will when we discover through them, as we lean fully on Christ, that He is truly all we need—that in and through Him we have hope in this life and for all eternity.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, at this time in my life I'm entering one of the most difficult seasons that I ever experienced. But I know in my heart that God is able to deliver me in answer to prayer.
And more than that, I believe that God wants to show me—God wants to show us that more than being pain free we need to know that the greatest value of persistent prayer—the greatest value of making our corporate prayer meeting a priority in our lives—the greatest value of interceding in prayer for others continually, is that we will know that God’s grace is sufficient in all things—that Jesus is enough.
Knowing that this is what God wants to do in me—in us, in my wife, in my sons lives and in my church family, I boast in my weakness—I boast in my cancer for the sake of Christ.
I don’t want to waste my cancer. If we can all learn from it and come to know our God more intimately for the greater fame of Jesus, it will be worth it all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)