WORDS TO LIVE BY

GOD SPEAKS: QUICKENING SCRIPTURE

2010-11-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

November 21, 2010

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
– Psalm 119:15

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

God speaks to us in many ways. We learned that His language is Christ and that all things were created through Christ and hold together in Him. Last week we look at how God speaks to us through object lessons, or parables. We know that God speaks to us through scripture, and we’ve studied many well-know passages over the past few months to learn what God communicates through His word. The Bible addresses many things outright, such as standards for holiness, how we are to approach God and how we are to treat each other. When we need to hear from God on an issue or situation, we really should look at what God has already said on that subject from the Bible. There will be times where we need to hear God for a specific situation. God will sometimes take a passage of scripture and quicken it to us for our specific situation.

Perhaps you have had this experience: You are reading a passage you have read many times in the past. But this time it suddenly comes alive and you have an in-depth understanding of what it means. You see things in it that you had never seen before. That is probably the Holy Spirit quickening scripture to you because He is trying to communicate something to you. He likes to do that.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching point one: God is the source of our help. He watches over all parts of our life.

Psalm 121
1I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Teaching point two: We are commanded to meditate on God’s word and commit it to memory.

Joshua 1:8
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 119:9-16
9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. 13With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Teaching point three: God uses the Holy Spirit to recall His Word to our conscious mind.

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

Break up into small groups for discussion.

Pause for a moment and think about a question you have for God about something in your current situation. Read through each of these passages by yourself. Once everyone in the group has finished reading the passages, discuss what God has said to you through the quickening of scripture.

Psalm 16
1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, The false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 5:19-25
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Matthew 5:3-12
[Jesus said] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Joshua 24:15
[Joshua said] If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:3-4
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.

Matthew 22:34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

GOD SPEAKS: OBJECT LESSONS/PARABLES

2010-11-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2010

Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

God speaks to us in many ways. We learned that His language is Christ and that all things were created through Christ and hold together in Him. Last week we look at how God speaks to us through out circumstances. Today we are going to look at how God speaks through object lessons. Object lessons happen when we see something in the natural world, and then God shows us how this illustrates a spiritual principle. Jesus used a lot of object lessons, called parables, when He taught. For instance, He said that faith is like a mustard seed. The tiniest of seeds grows into a huge tree, where the birds of the air can rest in its shade (Mark 4:32). The mustard seed is a truth from everyday life. The corresponding spiritual truth is quickened to us through the Holy Spirit. In this case it was: Even the smallest faith, when exercised, will grow into something spectacular and solid as we see God's faithfulness come through for us. Mark 4:33 goes on to say that "with many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand."

An object lesson is when the Holy Spirit takes something in the natural world and then quickens us "to understand." Sometimes these truths are simple and at other times they are profound.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching point one: God uses natural things to reveal divine plans. All of nature (natural law) is derived from God (spiritual truth).

Psalm 19: 1-6
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.

We learn from this passage that God speaks, or reveals Himself, through His creation. Interestingly, in verse 3, we read about "no speech ... no words ... no sound." This further supports the idea that God speaks to us in ways other than audible words.

What are some of the ways that you "hear" God through creation?

Have you recognized His magnitude and sovereignty in a way that would be hard to put into words?

Have you understood His love of beauty, especially a beauty that we can see and appreciate?

Just look at the turning leaves. What possible reason is there for them to be so beautiful other than that it pleases God, AND that it pleases God that it pleases us.

Teaching point two: Jesus taught in parables to make difficult things easier to understand.

Mark 4:33-34
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Here we see the Jesus taught everything using parables, or object lessons. However, we also read that he later explained the parables to His disciples. So where are we to turn for an explanation of object lessons?

Teaching point three: God uses all things for our good and helps us when we do not have words.

Romans 8:26-28
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

When Jesus was lifted up into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to continue to teach us. It is through the Holy Spirit (who works in many ways) that we will understand the deeper, spiritual significance of object lessons.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings
Break up into small groups for discussion. Read through each object lesson, and listen for a deeper, spiritual teaching. Pray before you start, and ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind and heart to "hear" the Word of God for you today.

[Q] Object Lesson 1:

When weeding the your flower garden, you notice large clumps of weeds. You are discouraged because it seems like it will take forever to get rid of them all. You almost give up, thinking it’s not worth the effort. Before you give up, you decide to pull one clump of weeds up. When you grab what look like several weeds, you find out that they are all connected to one root. Even better, that roots are shallow and the clump is easy to pull up.

[Q] Object Lesson 2:

When cleaning out the overgrowth in your back yard, you see several shoots of small trees. When you bend down to get rid of them, you find that they are growing from a stump that you didn’t dig up last year. You think about it and realize that you did the exact same thing last year and will be doing it again next year unless you dig up the stump. Clipping the small shoots will only get rid of them for this season.

[Q] Object Lesson 3:

When pruning a large shrub in your backyard, you notice several dead branches, many of them tangled together. You begin to clip them off the shrub trying to find where each dead branch connects to the main trunk. As you clip, you realize that you’ve clipped off a live branch by mistake. Fortunately, your friend who works at the Botanical Gardens is supervising. She tells you not to worry – the live ones will grow back.

[Q] Object Lesson 4:

Law of Conservation of Energy: Matter is neither created nor destroyed. It just changes form.

GOD SPEAKS: Circumstances

2010-11-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2010

Last week we studied the language of God and found that it could be Christ. So what does that mean and how does that help us hear God? For one thing, it greatly expands the available "words" God can use to speak. The Colossians passages pointed that ALL things were created in Christ and have their being in Him. If the language of God is Christ, then what would it look like to consider a wider vocabulary for God that than the audible, spoken word?

In class we did a variation on this lesson, but for the purposes of the blog, I'm including the original lesson from which I got the material. The purpose of this lesson is to consider how God can use circumstances to speak to us.

Ways God Speaks To Us
Lesson 6
God Speaks Through Divine Coincidences
By Teresa Seputis

Divine coincidences are where things just happen to fall together in such a way that the hand of God is evident in your circumstances. As you sit back and look, you can see that God has been orchestrating events to lead you into the center of His perfect will. Sometimes this can be fairly simple and sometimes it can be quite elaborate. Sometimes the leading of God is very clear as the events are unfolding. Other times His plans may seem very elusive and unclear until they have been accomplished.

Here is an example that a pastor from Cleveland shared at a conference. He was in the midst of putting together a book on the spiritual heritage of the greater Cleveland area. He had been praying for the Lord to give him revelation along these lines. One day he took his car to the shop for routine maintenance. The mechanic's name was Milan. He dropped the car off and went home. He called to see if the car was ready, and inadvertently misdialed the number. Someone answered and he asked, "Is this Milan?" The person replied, "No, Milan is another 20 minutes down the road from here." They hung up. The pastor thought that was odd, then realized he'd misdialed. But he had discovered that there was a place called Milan not from where he lived. So he redialed, got the mechanic and found his car was ready. On the way to pick it up, he stopped at a traffic light. The car in front of him just happened to have a bumper sticker on it that said, "Milan, Ohio."

The pastor began to wonder if maybe God was trying to tell him something about Milan. First a mechanic by that name, then coincidentally misdialing and being told Milan is a city, then the bumper sticker for Milan -- all within a few hours. So after he got his car, he drove to the city of Milan. When he got there, he happened to encounter someone who told them how the city had been founded by a Christian community and that there was an old library from the city's founding fathers. When he went to this library, he found several important documents that helped him with the research he was doing on the area. God had used the coincidences about Milan to get him to that city to allow him to find the little out-of-the-way library that contained these documents key to the research he was doing.

Let me share a story from my own life. I got a phone call from a friend who is a Christian businessman in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He owned a company and the company was facing a crisis. He called me to inquire of the Lord regarding his company situation. I shared what the Lord gave me, prayed for him and then we got off the phone. Just as soon as I put the phone down, I felt prompted to go there and be with him in this "time of crisis." I did not know if that was my own heart reaching out to him or if it was a prompting from God. Then this silly idea hit me, "I wonder if there is a seat sale." So I called the airlines and ended up on hold for a very long time. While on hold, I decided I should figure out the dates to ask for when asking for a fare quote. I looked at my calendar. I was pretty much booked solid with trips for the next three weeks. I finally flew home from the last of my back-to-back trips on July 15. So the earliest I could get there was July 16, a Monday. I wondered how long I should stay and decided a week felt right. So I decided to fly home the following Sunday, July 22. Coincidently, July 23 was my Mom's birthday, so I had to be home for that. So the dates I chose were based on the coincidence of my schedule.

Just after I'd come up with the dates, the ticket agent took me off of hold. I asked if they had a seat sale by any chance. "Oh. I am sorry, we have seat sales only between a few destination cities at the moment, so chances are very high that it won't be the cities you want." So I shared that I wanted to fly from San Francisco to Ottawa. "You won't believe this," the agent said, "but we do have a seat sale for those destinations, but today is the last day of the seat sale and it is almost completely sold out." The fare was exceptionally low, only a couple of hundred dollars. I asked her to try the dates I'd selected. She said she'd try but I should not get my hopes up because the computer said the fares are all sold out. I was on hold for a few minutes while she checked. "You're not going to believe this," she said, "but I have precisely 1 seat available on each of those two dates. I checked the seats on flights on several other dates just out of curiosity and they were all sold out. But the dates you want are available and you are getting the last seat at that fare on both of the flights."

I ended up arriving in Ottawa three weeks after the crisis started. That particular crisis was over, but I went anyhow since I had the airline tickets. I arrived on Monday evening. Tuesday morning a new crisis hit and God had me there for that situation. I was able to give the word of the Lord and minister personally to a some key people because I happened to be there at the "right time." It all seemed like coincidence, but it was really God leading through circumstances.

Look back over your own life and I bet you will be able to find some times when God lead you through divine confidences. The things just happened to fall into place to get you in the right place at the right time. It is one of the ways God really enjoys leading His people. In fact, this happens so often that some people have coined phrases to describe this such as "God opened a door." Another popular phrase is, "When God shuts a door, He always opens a window." This refers to God leading His children through circumstances. He can stop things that are not right to do and He can make opportunities for things He does want us to do. There are many scriptural precedents for God leading us through divine coincidence. Let me share one with you.

God used coincidences to lead a young Saul to Samuel to be anointed as king. You can find the story in 1 Kings chapters 9 and 10. Saul's father owned a herd of donkeys that were missing, so he told Saul to take a servant and go look for the donkeys. As they looked for the missing livestock, they just happened to come to the city where the prophet Samuel was, so Saul decided to ask the prophet if God would tell him where the donkeys were. God had already told Samuel that He would send Saul to him and that he was to anoint him as king. But, from Saul's perspective, God did not send him to the prophet to receive a message from God. He was just looking for the missing donkeys, and coincidentally there happened to be a prophet in one of the cities where Saul searched, so Saul decided to ask the prophet if God would tell him about the donkeys.

There are many other biblical examples of God leading people through what looked like a series of coincidences but was really the hand of God. This is one of the ways that God speak to us and leads His children.

The Language of God

2010-11-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

October 31

What language do you think God speaks? Most likely a verbal language and your mother tongue particularly. For me, that is English. I expect God to speak English to me. It has never crossed my mind that it should be any different, that it would be different if He spoke to me in French? After reading the New York Times article "Does Your Language Shape How You Think?", the implications for perception imbued by different languages became clear to me. But what does that have to do with God? Does it matter whether God describes a bridge as a “she” or an “it”? Probably not. But it did cause me to consider the effects of language in a broader sense. Is language just verbal? Why do we expect God to speak in words anyway? Does God have a cosmic mouth –fitted with teeth and a tongue by which to speak to me? Obviously not, so it follows that limiting God’s language to a verbal language, much less English, might have serious implications on my being able to hear God and converse with Him. Maybe this even accounts for why some many people have a hard time hearing from God, if they hear from Him at all.

So, back to the original question, one that we must answer to hear and understand Him, what language does God speak? As with any theological question, the best place, and the most direct place, to start is with the Bible, interestingly for our discussion also called the Word of God.

In the very opening of the Bible, in Genesis, we encounter God as He creates the world – the cosmos, all matter and life as we know it. As you probably remember, God accomplishes all this by speaking what are related as verbal words, “Let there be light” and so forth. So from the very beginning of the Bible, we get the idea that God speaks English (or the language of the translation we are reading) words, and we, logically, assume that if God is speaking to us then it will be is a similar fashion.

Genesis 1
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

However, if we think about it, at the beginning Christ was not incarnate and flesh had not been created, so there is no way that God actually spoke audible words from a fleshly mouth. He clearly spoke words, but we would do well to widen our understanding of “spoke” and “words”. That’s all well and good, but what does this practically mean? Expand it how?

If we look at the Hebrew word used for “said”, we find “amar”, defined as:

to say, speak, utter
1. (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
2. (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
3. (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
4. (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

The first definition is the one of most interest here. It includes more than physical speaking of words, expanding the idea toward intention not necessarily tied to spoken words. So what could that mean?

I propose that look at the prologue of the Gospel of John, at the divine logos, the word that was made flesh in Jesus and see what we learn.

John 1:1-14
The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What we learn is that the was a divine word before there was a human word, incarnate in the flesh, and that it was this divine word that was present with God in the beginning. We also learn that this divine word was/is Jesus.

So, is there more about this? Let’s look at Colossians.

Colossians 1:16-17

16For by him [Christ]all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

From this passage, we learn more about the word God spoke. On first read of Genesis 1, we might say that God created everything by speaking verbal words. However, when we look at Colossians we see that God created all things by speaking a divine word, and that Word was and is Christ.

Wow.

The language God speaks is Christ.

More on what the means practically next week.

Glee, Compassion and Talking to Atheists

2010-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

October 24, 2010

Today Bethany Keeley-Jonker is leading the class discussing her post for ThinkChristian.net. Read, enjoy, and consider!

Glee, Compassion and Talking to Atheists

How Great Is Our God

2010-10-27T08:39:00.001-07:00

October 17, 2010

This week we are studying one of Paul's prayers for the Ephesians. Paul asks God the following for them:

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

The most famous line from this prayer is the part about comprehending the love of Christ, which Paul states surpasses knowledge - grasping its breadth, length, height and depth. We get a sense that Paul wants them to understand the magnitude and dimensionality of this love.

To this end, we are going to look at two video clips today. The first focuses on the magnitude of God that surpasses our understanding. To know the love of God, we must first accurately respect who this God is doing the loving. Both clips are from Louie Giglio's "How Great Is Our God" tour/video.

Video 1: How Great Is Our God, Part 1

Now that you have undoubtedly been floored just by seeing a very small portion of one galaxy among 100 billion that God created, I hope that you have recognized that this God who loves us in Christ is beyond any pretense of defining. We will never fully grasp God. However, Paul seems to believe that we CAN fully grasp His love.

As you watch the second video, keep in your mind the vastness of the God who has done this intricate thing in the very working of the cell structure of your body.

Video 2: Laminin

I hope that by watching these two videos, you have more of an idea of at least the height and depth of the love of Christ and the you are assured of His upholding power in your life.

There are no additional questions today. Just spend the week trying to reconcile the God in the first video and the God in the second. Allow it to comfort, assure, and inspire you that so great a God is intimately involved with and concerned about you. He loves you. May you be "filled up to all the fullness of God."

GOD, THE ENCOURAGER

2010-10-08T12:20:00.001-07:00

October 10, 2010

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
- Proverbs 3:5-6

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

Have you ever been part of an organization or group whose leader left for one reason or another? All of your hopes had been pinned on the ability of this person to lead the group to its goal. Maybe it was a boss, a coach, a pastor, a teacher, or a family member. There was momentum, good organization, a long history of working together, and trust among everyone that the leader was up to the task. Then he or she is no longer there. All that’s left is a vacuum that no one wants to step into. After all, who could possibly follow the trusted leader? Who could possibly do as good of a job? The situation seems hopeless to the group, but imagine how it would feel to be the person who has to assume leadership. That would be an equally scary place to be.
In today passage from Joshua, we’re going to look at these very issues as Moses dies, and God calls Joshua to step into his place and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Read Joshua 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Background

Joshua was chosen by both God and Moses to complete the work of leading Israel into the promised land. God had made a promise over 400 years earlier that he had reserved for Abraham and his descendants the land between the Nile and Euphrates Rivers, from Lebanon in the north to the sea in the south.

As events unfolded, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, went to Egypt with his family during a great famine. There were about 70 people in Jacob’s family at that time. They begin to multiply. The Egyptians became afraid of them and enslaved them. The taskmasters make their work hard, they cried out to God but God’s promise seemed far away. Finally, God sent them a deliverer, Moses, who, under the hand of God brought them out of Egypt.

Moses also brought to the Israelites the laws of God, conveyed to him as he spoke with God, as if face to face. Yet even Moses grew discouraged with the people. They constantly seemed to fall into unbelief and disobedience toward God, even to the point of wanting to stone Moses and return to Egypt.

The Israelites reached the edge of the promised land, only to again fall back into a weak and doubting faith that God would give them victory and deliver the land to them. As a consequence, the people spent 40 more years wandering in the wilderness.

Not everyone that day lost their faith. Two men stood on the promise of God, saying “…Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it (Numbers 13:30).” These two were Joshua and Caleb.

How do you suppose those two must have felt during the next 40 years? They spent 40 years, still waiting on the promise of God, yet I don’t believe they were willing to give up, for they knew that God would make good on His promise. One of my favorite hymns is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." The chorus reads:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

This great hymn of the church was written by Thomas Chisholm. He didn’t write this hymn because something great, or even miraculous, had happened in his life. He wrote it because as he looked back over his life, he learned to see the great faithfulness of God. At age 75, he wrote these words: "My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."

After all this time, the children of Israel were about to once again experience God’s faithfulness in delivering them into their land. Joshua tells of the fulfillment of the promise to possess the promised land through His power, and the nation crossed over Jordan and took possession of the land

The key verse of this passage is Joshua 1:3: “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses” This is the theme and purpose of the Book: the history of Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan in fulfillment of God’s promises for the people of Israel.

Remember that Abraham never really possessed the country to which he was sent. The only piece of ground he owned was a burial plot (Genesis 23). However, Abraham left his descendants the legacy of God’s promises that would make them the eventual heirs of all of Canaan.

The key concept of the book of Joshua is possession through conflict by the power of God. For the Christian, the same concept appears in Ephesians 6:12: we battle against enemies who would prevent us from possessing all the spiritual blessings We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, and we must realistically face the fact of our enemies and strengthen ourselves by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-11, 13-18).

The point is that Israel owned the land before they possessed it—its ownership was unconditional, but possession was conditional upon faith and obedience. And so today, conflict and conquest by faith go with laying hold of that which we already have in Christ; the experience of our blessings in Christ comes through faith in the midst of conflict.

We find in the opening verses of the book of Joshua that God appointed Joshua to take Moses’ place in leading the people. In this passage, Joshua 1:1-9, we see that God gave Joshua three assurances. They helped Joshua—and they can help us—in receiving our inherited promise as well.

Teaching point one: God is always faithful.

More than 400 years before, God promised the land to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 15:18-21; 17:8), and as Joshua and the Israelites stood ready to enter the land, the promise of God was still real and genuine.

Here we also find in Joshua chapter one that God spoke to Joshua and told him that “Moses My servant is dead.” Then He tells him to arise, or get up, and cross over Jordan to the land that He is giving them. Moses had passed away, but that did not mean that the plans of God were dead as well. It reminds me of the words that are on John Wesley’s tombstone: “God buries His workmen, but His work goes on.”

Our Lord reminds Joshua of a very important truth that we, too, need to be reminded of—His work depends on Him, and not us. Just because Moses had died, did not mean that the work and promise of God would not be fulfilled. Always remember that it is in the very nature or character of God to fulfill all His promises.

Teaching point two: God is always with us.

Israel knew that God had been with Moses. Moses’ face literally shone with the glory that came from being in the presence of God so much that he wore a veil to cover it. There was no doubt that Joshua now had a heavy responsibility laid on his shoulders. To be the leader of over one or two million people would certainly be a difficult job. It would not be easy for Joshua. He must have remembered that even though the people knew God was with Moses, they had resisted and spoke out against Moses.

Note that God reassured Joshua twice, not just once but twice, that He would be with him, giving him that assurance in verse 5 and again in verse 9. I note two characteristics of God's assurances here: the strength of His assurance and the scope of His assurance.

The strength of God’s assurance: In verse 5, God promises not to leave him (some versions, not to “fail” him). The word is “to be feeble, to relax or slack off.” It means He will always be vigilant and attentive, keeping His promise and His people at the center of His attention. God also promises not to forsake him (some versions, “leave”). It means to neglect or turn loose . . . in other words, He will never decide to not fulfill His promises to us.

The scope of God’s assurance: In verse 9, God tells Joshua that He will be with him “wherever you go.” Literally, it means wherever Joshua steps, God will be present. I could paraphrase verses. 5 and 9 something like this: “Regardless of what you are going though, regardless of your circumstances, I’m not going to take My eye off you, I’ve bound you to Me, and every step of your life, I’ll be there.”

That’s why the people of Israel could count on receiving the inheritance God promised—not because of who they were, but because of who God is. We can know we will receive our inheritance for the same reason—because of who God is, not because of who we are.

Teaching point three: God expects us to respond in faith.

In verse 6, God tells Joshua to be strong (rigid and hard) and courageous (brave and established), to observe or keep the law of God.

Yes, God’s faithfulness is seen in His promises and His presence. And in return God expected Joshua to walk in His word, to make His principles the priority in his life. And we can know that God has not changed. He expected Joshua to be diligent in His law, He expects us to be diligent in our manner of thinking and living as well.

Our Lord uses three symbols to emphasize the diligence He expected. First, He told Joshua not to turn from the right or the left regarding His word; in other words, not to deviate in the least from His word. Second, He told Joshua not to let it depart from out of his mouth; in other words, he should do the word and speak the word. And third, He told Joshua to mediate on His word day and night: God’s commands were to be the guiding focus of his life so that he constantly would do what God desired of him to do.

The promises of blessing and prosperity were contingent upon the people's faithfulness to His principles, as they are today.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

[Q] Has there been a time in your life when you were part of some kind of organization or group that lost its leader? What are the greatest dangers to the mission of the organization during that time? Why?

[Q] Have you ever been called upon to step into a vacant position and carry on work someone else had started? What were some of the challenges and how did God reassure you?

[Q] We know that God is faithful and that He has called us all to carry on the work that He began through Christ. He expects us to respond in faith to that call. To be able to do that, God tells Joshua to mediate on the His Word. How does meditating on Proverbs 3:5-6 help you respond in faith to God’s call? Why do you think that verse tells us not to lean on our own understanding?

[Q] What are some ways to acknowledge God in all our paths?

* Source: http://pastoralthoughts.blogspot.com by Joel Curry

GOD, THE ENABLER

2010-10-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2010

For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
– 2 Timothy 1:12

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

Who am I? That’s a question we spend our whole life answering (or in some cases having answered for us). At the root of the question and its answer is another question, “What am I able to do? What are my possibilities? What are my limits?” Today we’re going to look at one of the great figures in the Bible, Moses, and his grappling with these questions and God’s answer to them in Exodus 3:1-14.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Read Exodus 3:1-14.

NARRATOR: Moses, an Israelite shepherd, was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, but Moses had not always had such a simple life. Rather, he was born in Egypt to an Israelite woman. Originally, his people, the Israelites, were on good terms with the Egyptians. In fact, Joseph (the great-grandson of Abraham) was second in command to the Pharaoh, and his most trusted advisor. But the relationship slowly soured as the Israelites continued to prosper, and the Pharaoh made them slaves – hoping to destroy them. Regardless of what the Pharaoh did, the Israelites prospered. He resorted to all kinds of tactics, finally killing all of the firstborn sons. When Moses’ mother heard this, she put her newborn son in a basket in the river, hoping an Egyptian woman would take him in and his life would be spared.

To her great surprise, that woman turned out to be the Pharaoh’s daughter! So Moses was raised as an Egyptian in the palace of the Pharaoh. As he came of age, he realized his heritage and identified with the Israelites – to the point of one day killing an Egyptian who was beating a slave. Fearing for his life, he fled into the wilderness where he met Jethro, a distant cousin, and decided to settle down, have a family, and make his life there – forgetting all about the troubles of Egypt.

And this is how Moses got to this hillside where he was tending sheep on this particular, auspicious, afternoon.

As Moses was leading the flock to the west side of the wilderness, he came to Mount Horeb (also know as Mount Sinai), the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. He looked and was surprise to see that the bush was burning with fire, but it was not consumed.

MOSES: What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?

NARRATOR: When the LORD saw that Moses turned aside to look, God called from the burning bush.

GOD: Moses, Moses!

MOSES: Here I am.

GOD: Don’t come any closer! Take off your shoes, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

NARRATOR: Then Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

GOD: I have certainly seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their slavemasters, and I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey ... The cry of the Israelites has come to Me, and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. So, I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.

NARRATOR: Moses, looking stunned, stupified, and afraid, replied,

MOSES: Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?

NARRATOR: God, dismissing the irrelevance of Moses’ ability, replied,

GOD: Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.

NARRATOR: Moses, gathering some small amount of courage, replied,

MOSES: Okay, so I am going to the Israelites, and I will say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.”

NARRATOR: Moses immediately reconsiders his bravado. His doubts come pouring back in. He’s stalling now – trying to come up with some detail that God hasn’t considered that will get him off the hook from his assignment.

MOSES: Now ... they may say to me, “What is His name?' What shall I say to them?

GOD: I AM WHO I AM. You can say to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you.”

Like our passage from Ezekiel last week, this passage from Genesis is a story, a narrative. It is important to look for cues in meaning by looking closely at the flow of the action, at how the characters respond, by what they say and what they don't say. If this were a letter written by Paul, the key points would be stated clearly. Since this is literature, we have to look more creatively.

We begin by noticing how the scene opens. Moses is tending his flock, like he does every day of his life, and something strange happens. Something very strange. He passes a bush that is on fire but is not being burned up. Like any good rubber-necker, he stops to get a closer look. It is from this burning bush that God tells Moses that he is going to go back to Egypt and free the Israelites.

Now, one would think that the talking, burning bush would have been enough to win Moses trust. After all, how many times do we say "if I just had a burning bush" to assure us that we were hearing God? From this passage, we can feel a little better knowing that not even that would be enough :)

Teaching point one: Whose you are matters a lot more than who you are.

Our first point comes from Moses' response to God. Instead of a heart, "Yes, sir!" or "Thank you so much for choosing me for this glorious assignment that will be studied millenia later!," Moses instead answers with a question, "Who am I?" - a thinly veiled, "No way! You gotta be crazy" (but even he had sense enough not to answer that directly to God).

His inference is that he's not nearly the man for the job, that there's no way he can pull this off.

Then God responds, however not by answering Moses' question. From this, we can gather that the question has no relevance, and ultimately that who Moses is has no relevance either. Instead God says that He will be with Moses. In other words, it's not you that's going to do this, Big Boy; it's me. The message to us is that it is not who we are that fits us for God's work but whose we are. It is not the instrument but the artist's hand that the instrument is in that makes all the difference. Again, a lesson in humility and trust.

Teaching point two: Assurance sometimes comes after the fact.

The next interesting part is that God promises Moses a sign ... after he's completed the task and is walking back by this place with all of the Israelites. I don't know about you, but when I ask for a sign, I want it before the task as an assurance. However, as Chuck mentioned in his sermon, if you're waiting on all the lights to turn green before you start moving, you might as well give up. In other words, there will be challenges and obstacles. God saves some, most, of His signs for the journey when we'll really need them - when we'll need to know for sure that we are still on the path He chose for us.

This is an encouragement to take a step in faith and trust that God will let you know in one way or another that He is with you and you are on the right track.

Teaching point three: Knowing God’s identity not only assures you but those to whom you are sent.

Even though Moses agrees to the task, he quickly backpeddles with another question, "Who am I going to tell them sent me?" The Wolf Man. Just kidding. He wants to be able to tell the Israelites which God sent him. Don't forget that they were living in Egypt in a pagan culture full of different gods - Ra, the Sun God, Osiris, God of the Dead, Isis, God of Magic, etc. For them, they needed to know whether to trust the God that sent Moses.

God's response is at once both perplexing and reassuring. He says to tell them that "I AM" sent him. That's not a name; it's a subject-verb construction. And that's the point. He's not God of the Sun or God of the Harvest. He's the very essence and power of all that has being (I am is a form of the very "to be"). His point is that He is so much greater than their current context of God. He's not just a notch up the ladder from Ra. He's altogether different, supreme.

That's one side of the answer. The other is that "I AM" is an incomplete construction. "Am" is a linking or transitive verb that needs a predicate. God is not only the ground and source of all being - an idea that's way too large to get our minds around and not all that much comfort in particular situations. He's also our shield, protector, healer, shepherd, light, salvation, way, counselor, etc. There are so many names of God in the Bible that complete the "I AM" statement. There is a list of the names of God below. Take a look at them and be astounded by how all encompassing God is. He's not only the source of all that is, but He's also personally present to each of us in our particular lives. Sometimes He's our healer. Sometimes He's our friend. Sometimes He's our shepherd. Sometimes He's our victory. Sometimes He's our protector. Sometimes He's our provider.

God, the great I AM, is greater than the pantheon of pagan gods because He encompasses all that they offer.

Knowing who God is in a cerebral and specific way is important to our faith and our hope. But it may also be essential to our being able to win other's truth of God. The people to whom God calls us may need some assurance of who God is. It's good for us to mediate on this and be ready to answer their questions so that we can lead them out of slavery in Egypt, if that's what God has called us to do.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings
Break up into small groups for discussion.

[Q] Has there been a time in your life when your self-understanding has put limits on what you thought you were able to do? Or has there been a time in your life that knowing whose you were enabled you to do more than you ever imagined?

[Q] Is there anything in your life that you feel God has called you to do but you are still waiting on a sign before you act? How would this passage of scripture encourage you? Has God ever confirmed a direction your were taking or choice you made after you made it?

[Q] God said that His name is I AM. Listed on the other side are some of the things that God has told us He is. Which of these identifications of God has enabled you to take a step in faith at some point in your life? Which of these names speaks the most to you now?

[Q] What in your life right now are you most trusting God to enable you to do? Or has God convicted you today that who you are will not accomplish His purpose for you – that instead you need to trust in whose you are?

* Source: The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-15) By: Bob Deffinbaugh bible.org

Names of God

ELOHIM:. God as Creator, Preserver, Transcendent, Mighty and Strong.
EL SHADDAI: God Almighty or "God All Sufficient."
ADONAI: "Master'' or "Lord"
JEHOVAH-JIREH: "The Lord will Provide."
JEHOVAH-ROPHE: "The Lord Who Heals
JEHOVAH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner."
JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies" "To make whole, set apart for holiness."
JEHOVAH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace"
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness"
JEHOVAH-ROHI: "The Lord Our Shepherd"
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH: "The Lord is There"

EL ROI: "God who Sees”
KANNA: "Jealous" (or zealous)
PALET: "Deliverer"
YESHUA: "Savior"
GAOL: "Redeemer"
MAGEN: "Shield"
EYALUTH: "Strength"
EL-OLAM: "Everlasting God"
EL-BERITH: "God of the Covenant"
EL-GIBHOR: Mighty God
TSUR: "God our Rock"
Wonderful, Counselor,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

GOD, THE GIVER OF HOPE

2010-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

September 26, 2010

"God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day."– Psalm 46:5

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue
Hope is the key to living. If we didn’t believe that something good was still yet to happen, what would be the point of breathing? You may be familiar with Jesse Jackson’s phrase, “Keep hope alive!” I think the truth is that hope keeps us alive. Dante understood that. Inscribed above the gates of hell in his famous book was “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

[Q] What do you think of when you hear the word hope? What kinds of things do you hope for?

[Q] Why is hope comforting?

[Q] Does hope point toward the past, present or future?

Today we are going to look at the source and content of our hope.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Read Ezekiel 37:1-10

Ezekiel 37 Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry.

3He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." 4Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' 5"Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'"

7So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.

9Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" 10So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

This is an interesting passage for many reasons. Like much of the Bible, it helps if we read it slowly and get a good handle on what is happening, how the narrative is unfolding, who does what, who doesn't do what, etc. The scene is set by God summoning Ezekiel to view a valley full of dry bones. He gives Ezekiel a moment to walk around among the bones and examine them. We learn that there were very many and that they were very dry. The significance of the last part is that the death hadn't happened recently. These were very dead bones - bones with no hope whatsoever of having life again.

As with many passages in the Bible, this one can be read on many levels. If the valley of dry bones is symbolizing an area of death in our lives (of a relationship, a dream, a job, etc.) we can be comforted to know that the bones God is going to work on are the deadest of the dead. Nothing in our lives, no bones were are dealing with, could be any deader.

God, being the worker of miracles that He is, could obviously have brought the bones back to life with no involvement, or even witnessing, of Ezekiel. But Ezekiel is prominent in this passage, so we need to look at what we can learn from how God uses Ezekiel.

God begins by asking Ezekiel a question, "Can these bones live?" The first thing we learn about Ezekiel, we learn from his answer, "O Lord God, you know." What we learn is that he believed God was able to do whatever God wanted and that he was humble enough not to answer the question because it's answer was not determined by him.

Teaching point one: The first step to restoration is hearing the word of God.

God's next action is to tell Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones. Notice here that God is choosing to use Ezekiel as His instrument to resurrect these bones and the task He gave him was to speak the Word of the Lord over them. It is so important to recognize that the resurrection power was, and is, found in the Word of the Lord. That Word can be the literal words found in the Bible or the Word made flesh, Jesus. Our power to participate in God's healing, life-giving work rests solely in our willingness to speak the word/Word that He has entrusted with us.

Teaching point two: Restoration is a process completely by the Holy Spirit.

As Ezekiel speaks the word of God (which is prophesying) over the bones, they rattle, fasten together bone to its bone, then sinews were added to them, then flesh grew and finally skin covered them. The point here is that the bones didn't go from very dry to completely breathing, flesh covered bodies in an instant. God used a process. He used one that made sense in the scientific, biological understanding of this world. The point is that God's restoration is a process. Not all, actually few, miracles happen instantaneously. God takes care of first things first and leads us through a cumulative process of restoration.

It is also important to notice the very next phrase: "but there was no breath in them." Many times we, the world, even God can piece us back together into a passably healed person a first glance. However, without the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, the restored bones in Ezekiel had no life. They needed the breath of God. We too can stop just short of the final life-giving force of the Holy Spirit. Our new life is accomplished only by the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, not the outward appearance of restoration.

Teaching point three: We are not only made alive again, but into a strong army.

The final verse of this passage is very revealing. The bones were not only made alive again, but into a great army. We can infer from their very dry and scattered state in the valley that whoever these people had been, they weren't a truly great army. God restores them to something more than they had been. God not only restores us; He makes us a new creation. That is a great hope! When we surrender to God's transformative power in our lives, we are destined to be something far better than the best version of what we are when we were running our lives.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

Break up into small groups for discussion.

[Q] Has there ever been a time when hearing words from the Bible or encountering the person of Jesus (maybe in the actions of another person) brought you back to life in some way? Have you ever been the person who was able to give these words to someone in need of hope?

[Q] What are some particular Bible verses that you might share with someone who needs hope?

[Q] If you had a friend who was really struggling, how might the passage about God's process of putting the bodies back together be comforting?

[Q] Why do you think God restored the bones into a great army rather than whoever they were? Do you think He might have had a purpose for them? How can this relate to your own life?

[Q] Do you have a testimony of God bringing dry bones back to life? Pray about how to share it so that God will be able to use it to encourage others when the time is right.

GOING WITH GOD’S FLOW: STOP, DROP, AND ROLL

2010-09-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

September 19, 2010

Be still (cease striving) and know (acquiesce) that I am God.
– Psalm 46:10

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like somehow you were out of sync with what you were supposed to be doing? You weren’t in the zone? That God had a purpose for you and somehow you weren’t in the middle of it? Today’s wisdom from the Psalms is God’s answer to us when we feel this way.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

During class, we had a time of sharing that was just for the class. The points are simple and don't really need an illustration. Meditate on them, and let God speak directly to you the message in His words.

Teaching point one: Stop - swimming upstream.

Teaching point two: Drop – your agenda and experience God.

Teaching point three: Roll – with God’s direction.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

Break up into small groups for discussion.

[Q] Describe a time when you were right in the middle of God’s work. What did it feel like? Were you striving or being carried along?

[Q] If you had a friend who was really struggling – striving with no result, what are some things you might say to her or him to get the message of this verse across?

[Q] Why do you think it is more natural to strive, even up stream, then to let go and let God?

[Q] What are some ways you have learned to be still or cease striving that you can share with the group?

HOT TEA: A CURE FOR SEPARATION ANXIETY

2010-09-13T05:01:00.002-07:00

September 12, 2010

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 8:38-39

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

Group activity. Divide into four groups.

1.) Separate the M&Ms by color.
2.) Separate the banana from the peel.
3.) Separate the egg white from the yolk.
4.) Separate the tea from the water.

Group member reports from each group as to their success, how did the go about separating the things, was it easy or hard? What did you do to separate the items?

In this exercise, we looked at separation in four ways:

1) the M&Ms were easily separated because they had nothing in common;
2) the banana and peel were less easily separated because they were connected but were distinct parts;
3) the egg white and yolk were harder because there were connected and less distinct; 4) the tea and water were impossible because there was no distinction. The two had become one.

[Q] What did you learn from this exercise about the one, big thing that protects against separation?

The two had become one.

In the above exercise, we used a physical example to get a better understanding of an emotional and spiritual truth. Jesus often used agricultural parables (seeds in soil) to get His bigger point across in a clear way. Now that we've looked at physical separation and some of its properties, let's think about other forms of separation, how they happen, and their impact.

[Q] When you hear the phrase “separation anxiety”, what do you think of?
[Q] How does separation anxiety or actually being separated from something or someone important to you effect your life, your well-being, your emotions?

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching point one: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Q] What astounding claim does Paul make in these verses?
[Q] What kinds of struggles do you think the Romans were having they thought would separate them from God?
[Q] Are these the same things that people struggle with now or do you think Paul would write a different list to us?

No matter what life we live, where we live it, how planned and prepared we are, there will be trails and tribulations - struggles that seem like they may be able to separate us from the love of God. Paul makes an astounding claim that nothing - nothing - can separate us from the love of God. There are not degrees of things that may or may not separate us. Nothing will. Period. We can take comfort in that truth.

Teaching point two: God put everything under the authority of Christ. (God is great.)

Exercise: Go around the room. Finish this sentence. I am convinced that ________.

How did you decide how to finish that sentence? Were there conditions for certainty? My answer was "I am convinced that I am wearing a watch." My condition for certainty - for being convinced - was that I had solid evidence. I could see and feel the watch on my arm.

Paul begins these verses with "I am convinced" - not with "I think it might be that" or "Maybe" or "Perhaps" or "In an ideal world" or "If I have had to make a guess." It's great that Paul is convinced, but we may still be wondering why he's convinced of such a profound statement. Could he possibly have any evidence to prove it? Let's look at scripture.

Ephesians 1:22-23 And God placed all things under his [Jesus’] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Hebrews 2:8-9 In putting everything under him [Jesus], God left nothing that is not subject to him.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Daniel 7:14 And to him [Messiah] was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him.

[Q] What do each one of these scriptures tell us that might serve as evidence for Paul?

These scriptures tell us that everything on earth and heaven are subject to Christ. Therefore, it is an impossibility that there is a power that can separate us from God. God wants us united with Him, and there's no adversary big enough to challenge Him. In Chuck's sermon this Sunday, he pointed out that God is great. This is another way saying what the scriptures above tell us and what Paul knew.

Teaching point three: Christ is on our (in)side. (God is good.)

Paul's certainty rests on the fact that God is great, but it also rests on the knowledge that God is good. He's on our side. You could even say He's on our inside - that the two have become one. Let's look at some scripture to back that up.

John 17:20-24 "My prayer is not for them [the disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.

[Q] How does Jesus describe our relationship to Him?
[Q] What does He indirectly say about our relationship to God?

In the passage above, Jesus is praying to God in the Garden of Gesthemane the night before His crucifixion. This is the very last part of His prayer. The final, most important, thing Jesus prays for us is that we will be one with Him through His death. That's pretty astounding! It would be a shame for us not to recognize and live into what Jesus specifically prayed for us.

This idea of two becoming one - us with Christ - is conveyed further by Paul through the metaphor of marriage. Let's look at some more scriptures.

Mark 10:7-9 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Ephesians 5:29-32 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

[Q] What do these verses say about our relationship to Christ?

Again, we hear Paul reiterating that the miracle accomplished in Christ's death and resurrection is that we have become one with Christ. The metaphor is extended to the church, which we call the Body of Christ which is also referred to as the Bride of Christ. In the book of Revelation, one of the culminating scenes is the Lamb (Christ) being united in a wedding with His Bride (the Church). This is not some small, sideline idea in the Bible. This is THE idea, THE purpose of Christ's sacrifice - to make us one, again as it was in the beginning, with Christ.

Teaching point four: Be expectant. Be excited. Be extravagant. (Don't be like The Miserables.)

So what do with do with that? Paul has laid a pretty heavy truth on us - one that is comforting and assuring, but also challenging. So if we believe what Paul is saying, then how does that effect the way we live? Certainly, if nothing can separate us from the love of God, then our lives should reflect this. Certainly, we shouldn't be moping around, leading mediocre lives of duty and drudgery like people who have no hope and no cause for joy.

Chuck talked this Sunday about a scene in the movie Amistad. Below is the dialogue:

[a band of abolitionists approach the outer gate of the prison where the Amistad refugees are being held for trial]
Fala: [in Mende] Who are they, do you think?
[the abolitionists kneel to pray]
Joseph Cinque: [in Mende] Looks like they are going to be sick.
Abolitionists: [singing] Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...
Fala: [in Mende] They're entertainers!
Abolitionists: [singing] ... that saved a wretch like me...
Joseph Cinque: [in Mende] But why do they look so miserable?

Why do they look so miserable? A haunting question. Sometimes I look out on Sunday mornings during worship when the congregation is singing beautiful hymns, and I wonder the same thing. If someone peeked in the Sanctuary, they would surely thing we were performing a somber ritual based on some other truth besides nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Do you ever wonder we look so miserable if we believe Romans 8:38-39? Here's a better picture of how we should look.

1.) Be expectant.

to expect: to look forward to

This is not some namby-pamby, half-hope that occasionally God may show up and something good might happen. This is the kind of expectancy that goes along with pregnancy. There is commitment and certainty involved. Something IS going to happen one way or another.

Live each day committed to the expectation of God's presence and His work in and through you.

2.) Be excited.

to excite: to stimulate to activity

This is not some flash-in-the-pan emotional upsurge. Real excitement means something has been put into motion. If you excite a guitar string, you start it vibrating and making sound. If you excite an atom, you move it to an higher energy level. The point is that excitement is not about just a feeling, it's about action.

Live each day committed to responding with action to the manifestation of God's presence.

3.) Be extravagant.

extravagant: lacking in restraint, exceeding the limits of necessity or reason

This is not some indulgence of luxury, spending too much on shoes or dinner. This is an extravagance of response to God.

Live each day lacking restraint and being unreasonable in your generosity, your kindness, your patience, your faith, your perseverance, your pursuit of Christ and the work He has laid out for you since the beginning of time. When any, and I many any, opportunity is presented for you to meet a need, do so extravagantly!

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

Break up into small groups for discussion.

[Q] Has there been a time this week when you felt the love of God?
[Q] Why do you think Paul included “life” and “angels” in his list of things that we might worry about separating us from God? How can life separate you from the love of God?
[Q] Think about the exercise we did at the beginning of class with the M&Ms, banana, egg, and tea. Which one best describes how you view your relationship with the love of God?
[Q] How will Paul’s assurance that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ allow you to be expectant, excited, and extravagant this week?

Come back together as a big group for closing.

PRAYER: The Protection of Peace

2010-09-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2010

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4:6-7

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

We all worry. An unknown wise person once said, “For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe.” Easier said than done. There are things that we do feel the need, even the responsibility, to control, and those things cause us to worry.

Webster’s dictionary defines worry as “mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated, anxiety”.

Worry could be thought of as fear of the future, while regret could be thought of as fear of the past. Any fear in the immediate present is usually well-founded, responded to, and done with.

[Q] What do you worry about?
[Q] What’s the difference between healthy concern and worry?

Healthy concern is when you can do something about a situation. Worry is when you cannot.

Examples:
Healthy concern: Andrew running around with a stick in his hand, so I take the stick away.
Worry: Andrew might get cancer when he’s 40, so I can do nothing.

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.
~E. Joseph Cossman

What were you worried about when you were:
5? 10? 15? February of your freshman year? last year on this day? Yesterday?

How many of these questions could you answer? How many of the answers that you had turned out to be things worth worrying about? If you could go back in time, which of these things would you worry about again?

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles,
but most of them never happened. ~Mark Twain

[Q] What does worry do to us? How does it effect us?

* Worry attacks our hearts and minds.

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

Teaching point one: Prayer cures worry.

Even if the above example pointed out the futility of worry, it does not completely relieve our tendency to worry. This is partly because worry is irrational. By that I mean, it is not rooted primarily in the intellect. Worry is the product of our emotions, our psyche, our hearts. To some degree, we can learn to reason, or talk, ourselves out of some worries, but there will always be worries from which we cannot think ourselves free.

Paul is addressing these kinds of worries when he writes to the church at Philippi:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

[Q] What does Paul tell the Philippians to do with their worry?
[Q] What does he tell them it’s okay to worry about?
[Q] What restrictions does he put on their prayers?
[Q] What kind of restrictions do you put on your prayers? Why?

Teaching point two: Prayer is all-inclusive.

Although we may be used to praying about anything for other people, we sometimes have a hard time praying for ourselves. We think our worries are too small for God or inappropriate for prayer. There are things we feel guilty asking for in prayer – maybe things we think we should be able to handle ourselves. There are prayer requests we can’t imagine God wanting to hear one more time we pray them so much. As a result, we often edit our prayers to make them “acceptable” to God. In doing this, we leave our out deepest concerns.

Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II, wrote this:

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.

If this is true, then the converse is true as well. Anything that is a burden is fit for prayer.

Jesus gives us an example of how to pray for our own needs. The night before Jesus was to be crucified, he was praying the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayer went like this:

"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus knew his purpose on this earth was to die for mankind, but he also knew just how painful of a death that would be. Even he, God’s own son, shared his fear and pain with God.

[Q] What do you learn about the boundaries of prayer from Jesus’ prayer? What does He ask for?
[Q] What do you think the most important part of this prayer is?

Teaching point three: Prayer puts our focus on God.

If you play a sport that involves a ball, one of the most common instructions is "Keep your eye on the ball!" Why in the world do we even need that instruction? What else would we be looking at?

Well, here's an example from golf. If you are trying to hit the ball over the lake, it is very, very tempting to look at the lake when you should be looking at the ball. If you look at the lake, the result is that you often miss the ball, and either hit it into the lake - the very thing you were worried about doing - or you miss the ball completely. The point is this. The lake has nothing to offer you but trouble.

Many times we look at our worries, focusing on the problem and wondering why we're not getting any answers.

Paul shows his great wisdom by telling the Philippians to add thanksgiving to their prayer. If we focus on God, who He is, the things He’s done for us, we are immediately moved from our hopeless cycle of worry into the very presence of Hope.

Our problems, the things we worry about, seldom, if ever, provide their own solutions. We can think about them night and day, but they offer us no answers, no wisdom. Still, it’s so easy to worry ourselves in circles. It’s so hard to shut our minds off. By telling the Philippians to pray with thanksgiving, Paul is reminding them to "keep their eye on the ball" or to focus on God instead of their worries.

Paul goes on to reiterate the importance of redirecting our thoughts in Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

[Q] What are some practical ways to put your focus on God?

Here’s a helpful phrase to remember when you are caught up in worry: “Study, Sing, Seek, or Serve”

Study - the Bible, a devotional book
Sing - sings psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
Seek - worship, join a prayer group, go to a Bible study or lecture
Serve - help someone in need, volunteer

Teaching point four: Prayer promises the protection of peace, which surpasses understanding.

When we have worries and we lift them up to God, what we really want is an answer - a clear answer in English. If we're worried about our job, then we want God to tell us exactly how the situation is going to resolve. We think that if God will give us understanding that we won't worry anymore.

Paul disagrees. While acknowledging our desire for understanding, Paul tells us that God will remove our worry with His peace instead. His peace will serve as a guard for our hearts (our emotions, psyche, desires) and our minds (intellect, reason) to protect us from the paralyzing, debilitating attacks of worry. The Greek word used for guard is a military term implying a garrison put as a guard around a city with two purposes: 1) to guard the inhabitants from outside attacks, and 2) to prevent the citizens from fleeing the city into hostile territory.

God's peace guards our hearts and minds not only from outside attack but from self-sabotage, our own worry.

So, why would peace be better than understanding? Here's an example that may help.

When I was giving birth to my son, I was having contractions. There was a video monitor beside the bed graphing the contractions to measure their frequency and intensity. The graph looked like successive waves on the ocean.

When the contractions got to a certain intensity, I didn't think I could take it anymore and asked for an epidural, which would numb me from the waist down. After I got the epidural, there was peace in my body. I lay in the bed wondering when the contractions would return but thankful for the rest. I asked the nurse when to expect them to return. She looked confused at the question. "They never stopped," she told me. "Look at the monitor." I turned to see spikes on the graph twice as big as the ones I couldn't stand, but I felt nothing. I was shocked.

The point is this. The epidural didn't change my contractions or my circumstances. The epidural changed my experience of them.

I imagine it would be similar to being on the boat in the movie "The Perfect Storm."

You would look out the window and see waves higher than any high rise in New York. The extreme fear that would grip you would be unbearable. Suppose someone took you into a room, and the boat was completely still. You wouldn't know how in the world they managed to stall the storm, but you'd be grateful. Then they told you to look out the window, and you saw the storm still raging. The stillness of the room gave you peace, in the middle of the storm.

God doesn't always change our circumstances because our circumstances don't produce our joy and they are not the source of our peace. God doesn't always still the storms of this world, but He always stills the storms inside of us. He gives us a supernatural answer to our natural questions. He gives us peace when we think we want knowledge.

What good would a scientific understanding of my contractions have done me? I really wanted peace. What good would a meteorological understanding of a storm at sea do? We really want a still boat.

It is God's peace that protects us, and that's what He promises to give us when we lift up our worries in prayer.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

Break up into small groups for discussion.

Worry attacks our hearts and minds. Prayer provides the peace that guards our hearts and minds.

[Q] Has there ever been a time in your life when worry attacked your heart and mind in a significant way? What did you do about it?
[Q] How do you focus on God? Are there any particular devotional books you like? Special prayers? Activities or acts of service? Other things?

PURPOSE: Love Actually

2010-08-24T18:14:00.001-07:00

August 29, 2010

PURPOSE: Love Actually
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

You’ve probably heard it said, “Don’t talk about politics and religion.” The main reason is to avoid arguments and uncomfortable conversations that may strain otherwise good relationships. If we just consider religion, why is it so divisive? One reason is that there are so many different ideas of who God is, both between religions and within the same religions. People have very definite ideas of who God is, what He expects of us, what His rules are, and what His punishments are. Since we’re in church, it’s okay to talk about religion, and today we’re going to talk about one of the most divisive issues there is: Who is God? What is He like?

Let’s look at what a basic Google search of “God is” turns up to get an idea of how our culture currently perceives God.

If you Google "God is", here's a partial list of what you get:

God is imaginary. God is the watchmaker. God is love. God is dead. God is for suckers. God is in control. God is still speaking. God is light. God is not great.

Some top-selling books about God include: The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins), God Is Not Great: How God is Poising Everything (Christopher Hitchens), Where There Is Love, There Is God: A Path to Closer Union With God and Greater Love for Others (Mother Teresa), Heroes, Gods and Monsters of Greek Myths (Bernard Evslin), The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Timothy Keller), More Money Than God: Hedgefunds and the Making of a New Elite (Sebastian Mallaby)

If you search Google images for God, here's some of what you get:

[Q] Who does our current culture say God is?

[Q] Why do you think there are so many mixed messages?

[Q] How do you picture God?

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

As you can see from the examples above, there is not a common consensus of who God is. Even Christians have a wide variety of understandings of God. If God is the ultimate power, the ultimate presence, the creator, the ultimate authority, the starting point of all that is, then it is important that we have an accurate understanding of who God is. There are many sources, traditions, religions, and people who will provide very different answers. Let’s begin by looking in the Bible for a definition.

Fortunately, we find a very simple answer to our question in 1 John 4:8.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Teaching point one: God is Love.

Love has as many definitions and understandings as God, so let’s look at Paul’s famous passage about love in 1 Corinthians 13 to get a Biblical understanding.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Now that we have a clear definition of love, let’s look at the passage again substituting God’s name for love, since God is love.

God is patient
God is kind.
God does not envy.
God does not boast.
God is not proud.
God is not rude.
God is not self-seeking.
God is not easily angered.
God keeps no record of wrongs.
God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
God always protects.
God always trusts.
God always hopes.
God always perseveres.
God never fails

[Q] According to 1 Corinthians 13, what do you think the most common misconceptions about God are?

[Q] What part of the above passage is most consistent with your experience of God?

Teaching point two: God is patient, kind, etc.

Millions and millions of dollars have been made in the self-help industry by providing answer to these two questions: Who am I? What is my purpose? In the early chapters of Genesis, we learn that God creates us in His image. So, to begin to answer these two questions as a Christian, we must first ask Who is God? What is God’s purpose? In learning that God is love, we have also learned God’s purpose: to love. If we are created in God’s image, then we are to work to shape ourselves into the picture Paul painted in 1 Corinthians 13.

Teaching point three: We are made in the image of God.

The second question, “What is my purpose?”, is address by Jesus in Matthew in what are known as the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Let’s start with the Great Commandment.

Matthew 22:36-40 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

From the Great Commandment, we learn that our purpose it rooted in love – first directed at God then directed at our neighbors. It is important to note that Jesus hinges obedience of the Law (all God’s previous Old Testament commandments) on obedience of these first two commandments – on love and loving.

Let’s look at the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:16-20 16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The Great Commission can be intimidating. We are sometimes afraid of sharing our faith for a variety of reasons: we don’t understand it well ourselves, we don’t know to put it into words, we don’t want to offend someone, we have no training in theology, we’re afraid we can’t answer their hard questions, we don’t want people’s opinion of us to change, or we don’t want to be pushy or create an awkward situation.

The good news is that the primary thing we have to do to please God and to fulfill His commandments to love – to live lives that reflect His character. The most effective thing you could ever do as an evangelist is to behave towards other people so that they would be able to substitute YOUR name in 1 Corinthians 13. If you do that, people will be drawn to the love within you that comes from God. The rest will take care of itself.

Teaching point four: You can share your faith, and fulfill the Great Commission, with the picture of God painted in 1 Corinthians 13.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

[Q] What has been your experience sharing your faith or explaining God to people?

[Q] Is there anyone in your life that you feel God challenging you, calling you, to show 1 Corinthians 13 love on His behalf?

God is love. Of all the things that we have decided He’s asked or demanded that we do, none is more important than love. Jesus said so. As you go through your week, keep a list of Paul’s definition of love near by. There will be at least one, and probably many, times when you will have an opportunity to love like God, and it will most likely be the opposite of how you will want to act naturally. Be on the look out for someone who needs the gift of your patience, someone who needs the gift of your kindness, the gift of your forgiveness, the gift of your perseverance, and so forth. By gift that gift to them, you will be a living sacrifice to God and a accurate reflection of His image in the world.

As an exercise, put your name in the blanks and remember this picture of yourself as a reflection of God throughout the week.

_______ is patient
_______ is kind.
_______ does not envy.
_______ does not boast.
_______ is not proud.
_______ is not rude.
_______ is not self-seeking.
_______ is not easily angered.
_______ keeps no record of wrongs.
_______ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
_______ always protects.
_______ always trusts.
_______ always hopes.
_______ always perseveres.
_______ never fails

PRIORITIES: First Things First

2010-08-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2010

PRIORITIES: First Things First
Matthew 6:33

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

Since we were little, we’ve been learning the order in which to do things. We learned to count – in order. We learned the alphabet – in order. We learned how to put the letters of our name - in order. We learned how to get dressed – in order. But we’ve also learned that in other cases, order doesn’t really matter as long as everything comes out alright in the end. It doesn’t matter if you eat your carrots or your peas first as long as you clean your plate. It doesn’t matter if you study your spelling words or your multiplication tables first as long as you learn them both.

Does order matter in these examples?

3 + 2 = 5 or 2 + 3 = 5?
Julie or uJeil?
Shampoo + Conditioner or C + S?
Dessert + Salad or S + D?
Plug in computer and turn on or turn on computer then plug in

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

As we’ve seen from the examples above, order serves different purposes in different contexts. Sometimes it is completely necessary, sometimes not at all. Other times, order helps you be more effective. And still at other times, order is a matter of tradition.

The question today is does order matter with our faith? Does it make a difference if we eat before we pray? If we complete our workday before we have a devotional? If we seek a certain salary or job location before we seek a call to ministry? According to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33, order matters. Order is everything. He gives an explicit order of things to His disciples concerning their priorities.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The context of this passage is a conversation with Jesus and His disciples. They are concerned with what they are going to eat, what they are going to wear, and where they are going to sleep. After all, they’ve left their jobs, families, and homes to follow Jesus. Jesus assures them that if God takes care of the birds and the flowers, then He will also take care of their basic needs. When Jesus says “all these things” will be added to you, that’s what He is referring to. Notice that He didn’t say that once you’ve sought the Kingdom of God, then you are free to seek your basic needs. He says, instead, that if you seek the Kingdom of God first, these things will be added. It doesn’t say by whom, but the passive voice implies that they will be added by someone other than us. We can assume that ultimately they will be added by God.

Teaching point one: Order matters. Seek the Kingdom of God first.

Fortunately for us, Jesus’ words are clear in this passage ... sort of. He tells exactly what we are supposed to do first – seek the Kingdom of God, but what exactly is the Kingdom of God and how do we go about seeking it? It would be a lot easier if Jesus had said, “seek ye first a good education” or “seek ye first 10% of your salary in a savings account”, but He didn’t, so we had better get to figuring out what He means by the Kingdom of God if seeking it is to be our first priority. Our goal in this lesson is to know what the Kingdom of God looks like when we see it – and when we
don’t.

Teaching point two: The Kingdom of God is the small thing behind the big thing.

Jesus never directly answered the question, “What or where is the Kingdom of God?” Instead, He tried to explain it using analogies. When we look closely at His analogies, we learn that He is more concerned about describing how the Kingdom of God works than defining what it is. If we look at the original Greek word used for “kingdom” in Matthew, we find the word basileia. The definition is royal power, kingship, dominion, rule, not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom.

This helps us understand why Jesus doesn’t explain what the Kingdom of God as if it were a place. Since it is instead a power or authority, He tries to show the disciples what it looks like in action so they’ll know it when they see it. Listen now as Jesus’ compares the Kingdom of God to a pine nut or pine seed.

Read Luke 13:18-21
Then Jesus said, "How can I picture God's kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It's like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it."

The above verses are from Eugene Peterson’s modern translation of the Bible called The Message. In the original Greek text, the original story is about a mustard seed and mustard tree because those would have been familiar to the 1st Century audience. Peterson changes the example to use a pine nut and pine tree instead because we are more familiar with those.

In this passage there are four “characters” – the man, the pine nut, the pine tree, and the eagles. They each play different roles. Jesus is comparing the KOG to the pine nut, so let’s focus on it.

[Q] If the Kingdom of God is a kind of authority or power, what do we learn about it from the pine nut?

[Q] What is the pine nut’s purpose? How would you describe the change in the pine nut?

[Q] What happens to the pine nut at the end of the story?

[Q] How are the tree and the pine nut related? What’s the difference between them?

[Q] On the surface, which “character” in this story looks powerful?

[Q] Why does order matter in this analogy? What would happen if the order were reversed?

Teaching point three: The power of the Kingdom of God transforms rather than duplicates or multiplies.

In Jesus’ first example, we learned that the Kingdom of God is the small thing behind the big thing, that it’s the first thing before the last thing. He then adds a second example comparing the Kingdom of God to yeast put into dough. Before we read this passage, we’re going to watch a video of dough rising. Jesus used examples that He knew would be very familiar to his audience. Since most of us don’t make bread on a daily basis, we need to be sure we are familiar with dough rising if we are going to understand His analogy.

Now listen to this description of what’s happening in the dough.

If you’ve ever taken a bite of bread you’ve made, you may wonder how simple ingredients like flour, salt and yeast can produce raised, sometimes wonderfully bubbly bread. It makes people a little squeamish to know it that yeast makes bread dough rise because it is a live single-celled organism. Specifically it is a fungus which is harnessed to eat, drink and be merry, before dying a quick death when exposed to oven heat.

Yeasts for bread dough responds to warm water, which begins to bring the little cells to life. Then when exposed to sugars in bread and in flour, it begins to eat, digesting portions of these sugars. This eating process goes on for a short period of time only. Eventually the yeast will die within a few hours, especially if the dough is allowed to grow cold or exposed to too much air.

It might be embarrassing to the yeast to have to admit that this rapid eating/digestion cycle makes it just a trifle gassy. As yeast is feasting, it begins to release gas bubbles of carbon dioxide, and small amounts of ethanol alcohol. These bubbles, trapped in the bread dough, cause the rising action with which we’re familiar. This is why bread making can be time consuming; you’ve got to let this fungus work for a couple of hours in order to sufficiently rise dough.

Once dough has been acted upon by the yeast, not all of the cells are quite dead. Putting the bread in the oven is relatively macabre, from the standpoint of the yeast (if it had a point of view). The heat from the oven makes remaining cells go into overdrive, madly munching away at the sugars and expelling carbon dioxide prior to expiring from the oven heat. This is why bread continues to rise during its early cooking stages, and then may deflate slightly as cooking continues.

Now that we have a better understanding of how yeast works in dough, listen to Jesus’ analogy.

Jesus tried to explain the KOG to His disciples again. "How can I picture God's kingdom? It's like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises."

[Q] What else do we learn about the power of the Kingdom of God from the example of the yeast?

[Q] How does the yeast do what it does? What happens to it? What is its purpose?

[Q] Why does order matter in this analogy? What would happen if the order were reversed?

[Q] What is the difference between transformation and multiplication?

Teaching point four: Seek, not muster or try to create.

One of the things that separates us from the rest of the creatures that God created is that we too have the power to create. We have a substantial amount of power – certainly the most of any creature on earth. We’ve become very convinced by our own power to do things, so much so that we often forget that there is a greater power and that we might actually benefit from, and in fact need, that power.

One thing is for sure – we cannot muster up or create the power of God by any means we have. We cannot do it through a great education, through financial security, through precisely planned and executed worship services, through a perfectly order home, through any use of any power we have.

Like an unplugged computer, we have an extraordinary amount of potential, but until we seek the plug in the wall, we are nothing of what we are created to be. If we remain unplugged from our power source, we are merely a decoration or an example in a museum. However, as soon as the computer is plugged into the wall, “all these things” are added to it. All of its basic needs or functions are right there.

Jesus is trying to tell the disciples, and us, the same thing. Order matters!!! Get plugged in first and the rest will follow. Bill Gates knew that the computer would need Windows and Microsoft Word, and he made sure that once the computer was plugged in, those things would be there. Likewise, God knows our basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. He created us to need those very things. If Bill Gates made sure the computer had an operating system and software, then we can trust God to make sure we have food, clothing, and shelter.

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

[Q] Why is it so easy to get our priorities out of order? To seek our “operating systems and software” before we bother to “plug in”?

[Q] Have you ever experienced the power of God transforming you or something you were a part of? Have you ever tried to transform something with your own power and ended up with 100 pine nuts and no tree?

Whatever real power we have is completely dependent upon the power of God. Without His power living in us, sustaining us, guiding us, and emboldening us, we are nothing that makes any eternal difference. We are a metal box full of glass and circuits sitting on a table cluttered with software boxes. But with the power of God (His Kingdom), Jesus promises that we will do the works that He has done “and greater works than these.” (John 14:12) He promises that if we plug into the power of God that we will have lives that have the transformative power of Christ’s life. This may sound sacrilegious, even blasphemous, since His life saved all of creation. It is not blasphemous because it is Christ’s life continued in us – not our own. Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” He may have also said if Christ is in anyone, he is a new creation. We are “born again” – this time into the Body of Christ to be His hands and His feet working in this world.
Seek this. One chapter later in Matthew, Jesus promises, “Seek and you will find.”

PLANS: God, the Mapmaker

2010-08-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2010

PLANS: God, the Mapmaker
Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

PART 1
Identify the Current Issue

We are all attached to plans – plans for dinner, recipes, work schedules, exercise routines, curriculum, 5-years goals, mortgage pay-off plans, vacation plans, etc. As humans, we need a plan in place to make the most of our time. Today we’re going to talk about the plan for our lives – how that plan is made and how we come to understand its specifics.

Let’s start by looking about how we make plans for a trip – driving directions. If I asked you, “what’s the best route?” what two pieces of information are essential for you to answer my question well. (starting and ending points)

Our starting point for this exercise is Athens, and our ending point is Knoxville.

[Q] What’s the best route from Athens to Chattanooga? What’s the quickest route? What’s the most scenic route? What if I’m afraid to drive on the interstates around Atlanta?

[Q] What if need to pick my nephew up from camp in Dahlonega and attend a wedding in Big Canoe on the way?

PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles

The plans we have for our lives are a lot like the driving directions we make. We need to know where we are and where we’re going before there’s any point in making directions. Once we know those two things, the directions we make will depend on the things we feel are important to do on the way. Do we want to get there quickly? Do we want to do things on the way?

Making a life plan is daunting. If only there were a MapQuest.com for life. Fortunately, we read in Jeremiah that God already has a plan for our lives.

Teaching point one: God, the Great Mapmaker, has a plan for your life.

Even though we are all fairly new to this life, maybe 20-30 years into it, God has been involved in our lives since the beginning of time. He doesn’t turn His attention to a plan for our lives when we finally realize that we need one. He began and finished that plan before we came into existence.

Read Psalm 139:13-16.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

[Q] When did God first start planning our lives? Was He reacting to any decisions or life choices we had already made?

[Q] What do verses 13-14 tell us about how involved God was in planning our lives?

[Q] What does v. 16 tell us about when the plan for our life was made?

Teaching point two: The plan is good. It is for a hope and a future.

All of us want the best for our lives. We want to be successful and happy in every way that we know how. Sometimes it’s hard to trust anyone else to care as much about our own welfare as we do. Sometimes that’s even true with God. Have you ever said this to yourself:

Certainly the God of the entire universe couldn’t be interested in every little detail of my life, so I better help Him with those. Maybe He’s not really even interested in me at all, so I’ll make my own plans just in case.

The good news is that we can trust God with every hair on our head. He has told us that He has a plan for us that is for a hope and a future. But how can we be sure that God’s idea of a hope and future and ours are the same?

Read Psalm 23.

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

[Q] What kind of hope and future does God promise us in this psalm?

Read John 3:16.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

[Q] What kind of hope and future does God promise us in this verse?

Teaching point three: God wants us to know His plan.

Even if we believe that God has a plan for our lives, it’s hard to imagine getting a copy of it. When’s the last time God sent a tablet of stones with writing on it down the mountain? Since very few of us hear God’s voice audibly, we struggle to understand the details of His plan for our lives, even if we believe that it is generally good.

God is a God of details. Look at nature around you. The details are what are so amazing! One thing you can learn from nature about God is that he doesn’t like exact duplication. Every single flower and creature is unique – not exactly the same as any other. Human beings are just the opposite. We find a pattern we like, and we repeat it over and over again in architecture, clothing, food, you name it. God loves unique details, and if He loves them so much, then He wants to share them with you.

But how? God speaks in many ways. Some of the most common are through scripture, prayer, worship, words of a friend. The one thing that you can count on is that God will speak to you in a way that you can understand.

Read Jeremiah 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

[Q] What are some ways that God communicates with us?

Teaching point four: God fulfills His plan in and through us.

When we start to understand the details of God’s plan for our lives, it is easy to wonder if we are doing a good job of it. Are we letting God down? Are we succeeding like He hoped? Sometimes God’s plan is hard and doesn’t look like the world’s version of success.

Read Philippians 1:6.

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

[Q] What hope does this verse give us?

PART 3
Apply Your Findings

[Q] When you graduated from high school, what kind of road map did you make for your life? What considerations went into making it? Did anyone help you?

[Q] How has that plan helped you to this point in your life?

[Q] Has there ever been a time when you sensed God changing that plan to fit His? If so, how did you respond?

God has a plan for your life – a plan for a hope and future with specific details with you in mind. God wants to share that plan with you and help you live it out. No matter where you are on your journey with God – whether you are trying to decide if He exists at all or if you are several steps down the road on a plan that is unfolding – take time this week to trust Him at His world. Call out to him in prayer, and ask for great and unsearchable things that you do not know. Ask him to answer you in a way that you can understand. That may be during a church service or on a bumper sticker that catches your eye in traffic. God has no limits on how He can communicate with you.

Here is a simple prayer you can use:

Father God, I know that You have a plan for my life, and I want to understand it. Please reveal something of Yourself and something of that plan to me this week in a way that I can understand. Amen.

Concept of Bride and Bridegroom

2008-07-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine asked me about the use of the Bride and Bridegroom in the Bible, and God showed me much more than I thought when I started to answer.

The metaphor of the Bride/Bridegroom runs from the very beginning of the Bible to the very end. It is set up in the Old Testament, and that's why there's very little explanation of it in the New Testament. The people writing the New Testament understood that metaphor very well. The primary use of the metaphor is God as the Bridegroom and Israel (God's chosen people) as the Bride. That metaphor shifts in the New Testament to Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church (Body of Christ/all people - Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Christ) as the Bride.

All of this rests on the concept of covenant - fundamental, absolutely fundamental to understanding our salvation and relationship to God.

A covenant is the most binding form of a contract. It can be between two people, two nations, or between God and man. God makes several covenants with Israel through specific people (Noah - won't flood the earth again; Abraham - you will be the father of many nations; Moses - the promised land; etc.) God makes an everlasting covenant with Israel and, in essence, ties himself to Israel forever - for better or worse. It would be similar to becoming blood brothers or getting married. You agree to become one in a way that cannot be broken.

One way a covenant was marked in the Old Testament was that three or four sacrificial animals were cut in two. The two halves of each animal were laid opposite from each other forming a path in the middle. The two people making the covenant would walk through the dead animals - as if walking into death and coming back changed/one. When God made the covenant with Abraham, God chose this way and himself walked through the animals.

Genesis 15 - God's Covenant With Abram

1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."
2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

After that, God and Israel were one - married, as God chooses to refer to His relationship with Israel throughout the rest of the Bible.

Isaiah 54

2 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

5 For your Maker is your husband—
the LORD Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.

6 The LORD will call you back
as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
only to be rejected," says your God.

7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion I will bring you back.

8 In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion on you,"

says the LORD your Redeemer.

Isaiah 62

4 No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah (My Delight is in You),
and your land Beulah (Married).

5 As a young man marries a maiden,
so will your sons marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.

In Hebrew culture, a "redeemer" was a man who agreed to take a woman in as a wife and provide her food and shelter. When a woman's husband died, usually his next of kin would be her redeemer. (This is why Boaz redeemed Ruth.) This is key to understanding the concept of "redemption" in the New Testament and for understanding Jesus as our Redeemer, often called our "Kinsman Redeemer." More of the marriage metaphor.

In the Old Testament, Israel behaves like an unfaithful wife, choosing other gods/husbands/providers before God, time and time again. But God is the faithful husband that never gives up on Israel. As the Old Testament (a better translation would be the Old Covenant) draws to a close, it is clear that Israel cannot/will not keep the covenant as it stands. Israel does not keep the law, does not love God, and is perpetually in sin. So God institutes a New Covenant that will allow Israel (or God's children) to return to Him as a faithful wife in good-standing.

In the Old Testament/Covenant, Israel could only be cleansed of sin through the system of sacrifices at the Temple. As a nation, on one day of the year only, the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies (where God's presence was) and offer a blood sacrifice (animal) for Israel's sins. (This is what Zacharias was doing when God told him that he would have a son, John the Baptist). This Day of Atonement is still celebrated by the Jews as Yom Kippur.

In the New Covenant, God fulfilled the temple sacrifice once and for all. Instead of an animal sacrifice by the High Priest, Jesus was the High Priest and He sacrificed Himself - a final and everlasting forgiveness of sin by a High Priest that was one in the same with God. When He was crucified, the curtain in the temple, that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple (and everyone but the High Priest) and from God, split in two. As Christ's body was symbolically split in two (or was torn during the crucifixion, represented physically by the curtain splitting), the veil between us and God split in two. Like in the Old Covenant concept, we walk through the divided pieces of the torn curtain, of the sacrificed body - we must come "through Christ" to God. When we do this, we are entering into an eternal covenant with God - we become the everlasting Bridge to the eternal Bridegroom.

In communion, we drink the cup that Christ says is filled with His blood, the blood of the new covenant. That ought to blow your mind next time you take Communion - a "remembrance (do this in remembrance of me)" of the our covenant with God!

I Corinthians 11

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is [broken] for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the blood of the new covenant; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

The idea of coming to God "through Christ" also explains why Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.") As I understand this, it explains why other religions can accurately describe aspects of God, aspects of morality, even aspects of salvation, but none of them provide the means to salvation/redemption/covenant in the way that God has laid out as His way in the Old Testament.

One of the things I'm learning right now (being blown away by) is how absolutely crucial the Old Testament is for the New Testament to make any sense. In some ways, the New Testament is like a text message - filled with shorthand and symbols that the reader is supposed to understand. However, I've found that in the American church we've almost come to believe the shorthand is the longhand and we've forgotten, or never learned, the foundation that will make our faith make sense. There is much we will never understand and will remain mystery. However, God revealed Himself, particularly His plan for our salvation, in a way that we can comprehend, that works for our rational brains. I think because we know so little of the Old Testament that the New Testament doesn't always make sense, and we've begun to take pride in a "blind faith" when God is asking us to open our eyes to His Word.

...

My friend particularly asked about the reference in Mark 2:19.

19 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them." 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

In this passage of Mark, Jesus is really answering legal questions about what people can and can't do when. In these verses, Jesus is responding to someone's question about why the Pharisees and their disciples are fasting (as, according to Jewish law, they should be) but Jesus' disciples aren't fasting. His answer is interesting because in it He alludes to who He is and that He will die. They most likely don't pick up on that because this early in Mark, Jesus has not identified Himself. He is, in effect, saying to the Jews that their laws and practices are all observed as they wait for Messiah but that Messiah is here.

It is interesting that in the first chapter of Mark, the demons do recognize who Jesus is.

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

Pruning

2008-07-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

I had a pruning experience last week that was very illustrative. I was actually pruning back our bushes and overgrowth with some very basic pruning shears. I started off nipping the smaller branches and working down to the roots (of the bushes that were aliens). That was taking a long time and leaving a lot to clean up. I wised up, got down on my knees, crawled in the bush, found the root, and cut it. Amazingly, the whole thing was done in an instant, and it was much easier to drag the bush in toto to the street than all the pieces littering the driveway. All that is to say I realizes when pruning spiritually, hurry up and get to the root!!!

I don't know how this fits into the illustration, but our nephew was pruning the bushes at my old house yesterday. He had a gas powered trimmer. Wow! That's even faster. I'm sure there's something to having the right tools spiritually as well.

"I Never Knew You" (Matt. 7:23)

2008-06-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Our scripture lesson yesterday included Matthew 7:23.

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
22 "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you.'" ...

What struck me about the passage was the reason Jesus gave for turning people away from heaven. If you had only read up to verse 22 and then asked me to fill in what I thought would be Jesus' response, why He would have rejected people, my first few guesses would have been something along the lines of "You're a sinner," "You weren't good enough," "You didn't do something well enough in you faith/religion," "You chose the wrong theology," or "You didn't accomplish enough in your life." I'm not sure I would have ever come up with "I never knew you."

The interesting thing is that I might have come up with "You never knew Me." There are many people who don't bother to get to know Christ and plenty who have never had the chance. That's the whole premise of evangelism and discipleship. That's the part at which we know, very well, that we can fail and often spend the majority of our time trying to accomplish.

But Jesus said, "I never knew you." The subject and the object have been switched.

My first response to this statement is "What do you mean You never knew me?!?! You know everything, and You created me!" Psalm 139 (You have searched me and You have known me ...) comes immediately to mind as an apt starting point for my defense. And, of course, Jesus does know us, but His response indicates that there must be another element to this knowing which is variable, and, in some way, depends on us.

Let's consider the verb "to know." The original text is in Greek, and I don't know which word was translated as know. However, I think there is still much to be learned starting with the English.

Some options for defining "to know":

1. Having a mental catalog of facts about something or someone. Perhaps more at "to know of" or "to know about."

E.g. I know Chris Caldwell. He is a 42-year old male, who graduated from UGA, and is the Budget Administrator for Athens-Clarke County. He is married to Julie Caldwell and lives in Athens, GA.
E.g. I know English.
E.g. I know Lexington, VA.

In each of these cases, I know a list of facts about someone or something, but my knowledge does not depend on any consent from or relationship with what/who I know.

2. Having an emotional, psychological, or spiritual understanding of someone or something.

E.g. I know you work with Chris, but you don't really know him like I do.

In this use of know, there is a sense of something deeper - a knowledge beyond a list of facts. The primary difference in this usage from the first, for the purpose of applying the scripture, is that this kind of knowledge depends on a relationship. There must be some willingness of the person being known to allow another to know him or her. This kind of knowledge cannot be acquired apart from communication with and connection to the person being known.

3. Having a sexual relationship with another.

E.g. Adam knew Eve, and they conceived a son.

We are all probably most familiar with this euphemism for sex from Bible references. In applying this definition (and deepest level of the verb "to know"), the crucial element is not the sexual act but union for the purpose of procreation, for fulfilling God's first command to man: "Be fruitful and multiply."

Having thought through these three possible English nuances/definitions of "to know", let's revisit the implications of Jesus' response "I never knew you" and how we may have a role in this.

I believe that for our purposes, definition 1 does not apply. This in not what Jesus is talking about.

Definition 2, however, begins to shed some light on our role. Here we must acknowledge the concept of free will. Perhaps one of the most discussed topics in theology, I bring it up only to establish a premise for our having some say in our relationship with Christ. For whatever reason, God gave us free will, and from that free will we have been given the extremely powerful capacity of choice (or perhaps we mistakenly grabbed it in the Garden of Eden). I have often heard it said that God didn't want a bunch of automatons. What pleasure would there have been receiving obedience from a people who had no capacity to do otherwise. God, instead, desired obediance born out of choice, and that choice is governed by love.

The question I ask myself and you is this: Have you allowed yourself to be known, really known, by God? Or do you maintain a professional relationship with God - cordial, polite, and appropriate, but safe?

Being known, really known, is the basis for loving and being loved.

The second question is this: Do you realize that one of God's moves in this relationship dance was the most vulnerable move He could make? He got down on our level and made a complete fool of Himself in the world's eyes to communicate His love for us to us?

I'm not sure there could be a more vulnerable move. How do you respond to that? What's your next move?

I admit, mine has often been to politely move past the jarring (not-so-socially acceptable) display and quickly try to reestablish something more normal and comfortable - something more churchy and safe. It strikes me now that my response feels to Jesus the same way it would have felt to me had I told Chris (my husband) that I loved him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, and then he had paused briefly over his menu at Chili's and followed up with, "So have you decided what you are going to order?"

Ouch.

To get through the second definition of know, I think we have to respond in kind to God's last move - a resounding, completely undignified, and all-encompassing YES! A barbaric yawp for God, if you will. (Cf. Dead Poet's Society, if I lost you.)

(I do want to say that this is more than uttering the sinner's prayer and/or shouting some excited words. It is an affirmation, a commitment, from the deepest level of your soul. The very strange trick of all this is that the ability to actually say YES!!! is a gift from God - not something we can muster. God has to allow our eyes to be opened in such a way that we can see Him, and then know Him, and finally love Him. A bit circular, I agree. The lesson for me is that I have had to ask Jesus to allow me to see Him so that I could genuinely love Him. If you struggle with the Jesus factor, pray for this: Open the eyes of me heart, Lord. I want to see You.)

Once we have done this, the third definition can come into play.

One of the greatest joys of God's plan for humanity is that He desires to allow us to be part of His work - to love on His behalf, to create on His behalf, to forgive on His behalf, to heal on His behalf, to correct on His behalf, to teach on His behalf, etc.

For this to happen, however, we must be known by God in the third and deepest sense. (I reiterate that the focus here is the union for the purpose of procreation.) We must give ourselves entirely to Him for the purpose of being fruitful - of bearing His fruit. We can only bear fruit that He plants/originates. As he reminds us in John 15:

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[ so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

So the third question I ask is: Are you bearing fruit for/with God? Have you allowed Him to use you for His vessel spiritually in the same way He designed man and woman to procreate physically? Is He bearing a "family" through you?

The marriage metaphor of God's relationship to man runs throughout the Bible (if this is making you a little uncomfortable). Christ is referred to as the Bridegroom and the church as the Bride. However, it may be surprising the the term "redemption" is also a marriage term.

The word redeemed in its original Hebrew (Qal or Ga'al) was a term that could be applied to marriage. It did not start off as a theological term, though it is very hard to hear "redemption" or "redeeming love" in any other way now. However, to get a true sense of what these terms mean to us today, we first have to understand the original meaning/connotation. That understanding sheds light on why God chose that word (redeem) to explain His relationship to us. We get a better sense of what He was trying to communicate.

Qal (Heb.) - to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman

1. to act as kinsman, do the part of next of kin, act as kinsman-redeemer 1a
2. by marrying brother's widow to beget a child for him, to redeem from slavery, to redeem land, to exact vengeance

In Isaiah 54, God says this:

5 For your Maker is your husband—
the LORD Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.

6 The LORD will call you back
as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,
only to be rejected," says your God.

7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion I will bring you back.

8 In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion on you,"
says the LORD your Redeemer.

So, what of all this "God is my husband and redeemer" talk? How am I supposed to feel about that?

I think it is easy to get stuck on definition 2 to understand God has your husband. You can ascribe warm, fuzzy, pseudo-romantic feelings to God, have some intimate devotion time with Him, get some spiritual tingles, and then go on about your life.

To continue the metaphor, that sounds more like dating God, and He's talking about marriage.

No, I think we have to focus on definition 3. If God is my husband, it has to go a lot deeper than a feeling. First of all, it is a distinct change in lifestyle (as is marriage between a man and a woman). Second, and more importantly, it will produce something new.

God says that we will bear fruit. What does that mean? What does fruit look like?

Going back to the procreation metaphor, we can learn what the fruit might and might not look like.

A child is not a clone of his or her parents. The beauty of a life is that it is its own unique being created for its own purpose. A child is not the surrogate of the parents. A child is not someone through whom parents to relive their own childhood. A child is not someone for a parent to use to experience a better childhood or correct his or her own. A child is not someone for a parent to lean on for identity or pride.

A child is, in stead, a sacred trust.

I think the fruit we bear is much the same. It is easy to want our fruit to be just like us - just like what we had in mind - a repeat of our previous experience or a fulfillment of our (or others') expectations. It is easy for use to want to use our fruit to build up our self-esteem or for our own pleasure and comfort. We have been indoctrinated into the American Dream that teaches us that hard word will lead to financial success, independence, freedom to do what we want with our time, and a life of creature comforts.

The motto is "I build my own dreams. I am the author of my destiny."

And we are completely free to mold our fruit out of clay, paint it, glaze it, fire it, and stick it in a bowl on the sideboard. No doubt, we'll have a beautiful display of fruit.

But ... two things ...

1. It won't be alive.
2. It won't have any seeds.

The other option is to allow God, the Vinedresser, to grow real fruit within us. The fruit God produces through is alive, and it lives apart from us. Moreover, it reproduces apart from us because it is sustained by God - not us.

It's out of our control, but it is under our influence.

Are you willing to let God produce this kind of fruit in you? Are you willing to give Him that much control or, rather, to give up that much control?

Are you willing to produce produce or just something that will be a pretty decoration and fool a child?

Our fruit is and does the work of God. In right relationship, we tend it on God's behalf, not ours. Our influence is applied toward the purpose and glory of God, not towards the purpose and glory of us.

Are you living - on God's behalf or yours?
Are you loving your spouse - on God's behalf or yours?
Are you loving your children - on God's behalf or yours?
Are you using your talents - on God's behalf or yours?
Are you using your finances - on God's behalf or yours?
Are you using your time - on God's behalf or yours?

All of these are part of a sacred trust given to us because God had faith in our ability to tend them. They did not originate with us, but they can be derailed by us. Our options are to be a faithful trustee or to try and steal what rightly belongs to God. (The Bible is littered with attempted robbery.) The ultimate theivery is an attempt on God's authority and sovereignty. Strangely, we all have the capacity within our own lives to hijack that from God - to our detriment, but our opportunity nonetheless - and put ourselves, in all our glorious widsom, on the throne of our lives. We can then proceed to make exceeding little out of the great potential abundance God has planted in us.

I suppose it all comes down to trust. That is no more simply illustrated than in marriage. Complete trust in each other is the only balance that allows a whole greater than the sum of the parts. The same is true in our relationship with God. Without trust we have no access to His contribution. We can just put our attempt right next to His, and never the two shall meet. But imagine the whole whose sum includes one part which is God? Can you even begin to fathom your being the other part? And you are.

God's desire is first to know about you. Then He wants to know you enough to really love you. But the greatest thing of all is that His deepest desire is to call you His Beloved.

That, my brothers and sisters, was God's proposition on the cross.

Remember, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And each time he used a deeper word (in Greek) for love.

Maybe we, in turn, need to ask Jesus, "Do you know me?" "Do you know me?" "Do you know me?"

Jack, the Turd, and Salvation

2008-06-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, our cat, Jack, somehow managed to get a few turds and a little diarrhea caught (and dried) in the long fur on the backs of his hind legs. It smelled awful!! As soon as I discovered the source, I immediately put him out, assuming that, as a cat, he would take care of this egregious grooming faux pas. I left Chris a message telling him that if he came home for lunch NOT to let Jack in.

When I got home that evening, I checked Jack, and there was no change. As I anthropomorphised Jack, I thought he was just being obstinate and lazy, so I let him spend the night out. I was trying to avoid the messy and difficult process of cleaning him up myself.

When I got up this morning, there was still no change.

Now I have to explain something about Jack. He's not a normal cat. He's a Maine Coon, and he's the most sociable cuddlebug ever. He's much more like a puppy than a cat. He loves people. He loves to be around Chris and me. He's never more than a few feet away. He loves to be held, pet, and snuggled. Very strange for a cat - fairly normal for his breed, though.

So as I sat down this morning in my chair beside the sliding glass door to do my morning devotion and drink my coffee, there was poor Jack. He was howling and distraught standing on the other side of the door. He was pawing incessantly at the glass, and I kept telling him he couldn't come in because he stunk. (I had moved his food to the garage.)

Finally, I felt so sorry for him, I went, got some scissors, and decided to give cleaning him up a try. I put him in my lap (on the patio), flipped him over, and went to work. I'll skip the details, but in the end I was pretty successful.

I opened the door and let Jack in, thinking that was all he wanted. But he couldn't get settled. He moved from place to place, kept meowing, and followed me into the kitchen. He just looked up at me and meowed. It was then that I realized what he wanted was to be held. We hadn't even touched the poor thing in two days!

So, I scooped him up in my arms, flipped him over on his back, and loved on him. I found myself explaining to him that we still loved HIM - it was just the turd that was the problem.

Then God turned the light on :)

I realized Jack couldn't see the turds and had probably gotten used to the smell, if it ever bothered him in the first place. He had no idea what the problem was, and even if I could explain it, he didn't know how to get rid of the turds. He needed someone else to help him
- to do it for him.

How like us with our own sin?!

We don't see it, and we don't understand why God won't let us in the holy place. We assume it's something inherently wrong with us - not the turd stuck to our back ;) And God, in His infinite kindness, realized that and cut off our turds for us. He washed us white as snow and let us again be a pleasing fragrance. He let us back in his house (forever), picked us up in His arms, and told us that He loves us with an everlasting love!

... I'm really glad we got a cat.