Being Visionary in 2014 (2)

Vision is more than simply what could be. After all, what could be is simply an idea or a dream. Vision also carries with it a sense of conviction. It’s not only what could be done, but what should be done. It’s something that must happen. It moves you from passive concern to action. Conviction is what gives vision a sense of urgency. You and I are convicted of the fact that God has a plan for the world and we get to be a part of it through the local church, right here at CFW.

Vision demands change. But a vision also always requires someone to champion the cause. It takes someone who is willing to put his or her neck on the line. It is someone who has the courage to act on a idea or a dream from God.

This brings us to the story of Nehemiah.

Around 587BC the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, along with Solomon’s temple. This was the third of three campaigns into that region. About 70 years after the first Babylonian invasion, Cyrus, King of Persia, gave the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel, these exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. Things were looking up for a while. It seemed as if Israel was on the verge of becoming a blessed nation once again. But the people refused to turn away from the very sins that God had judged their ancestors for. The temple was not being maintained. Sacrifices had ceased. The Jews continued to adopt the religious practices and culture of the surrounding nations. By the time our story begins, the political, social, and spiritual conditions in Jerusalem were deplorable.

Meanwhile, back in Persia, a Jewish man named Nehemiah heard about the condition of his homeland.

Nehemiah 1 verses 1-4.
“The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah was so moved by what he heard that he wept. It’s not that he was weak, or emotionally unstable, but instead that he was burdened. In fact he was so burdened that it says in verse 4 he mourned and fasted and prayed for days. (Something we are going to do as church in January.) Little did he know that these deep feelings were the initial birth pains of a vision that people would be reading about thousands of years later. Notice that Nehemiah’s vision didn’t start out as a vision. It began as a concern or a burden for his nation and its people.

I want to give you Building Blocks Today

Building blocks for you personally, but also for what your part in the body of Christ is. A God ordained vision will begin as a concern. You will hear or see something that gets your attention.

Unlike many passing concerns, this will stick with you.
You will find yourself thinking about them in your free time.
You may lose sleep over them.
You won’t be able to let them go because they won’t let you go.

Nehemiah’s concern over the condition of Jerusalem consumed him. It broke his heart. Thoughts of what was, as opposed to what could be brought tears to his eyes. This was not just a casual concern…it was a vision in the making.

So what did he do?

He didn’t steal away across the desert in the night. He didn’t fabricate a reason to leave Persia. He didn’t even share his burden with other concerned Jews.  But he also didn’t allow his daily responsibilities to distract him from the burden that had gripped his heart.

No, Nehemiah chose the third and most difficult option. He chose to wait. Nehemiah knew what so many of us have a hard time remembering.

What could be and should be can’t be until God is ready for it to be. So he waited.

Habakkuk 2:2-3: “Then the Lord said to me, “write my answer in large, clear letters, on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. But these things won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

This brings us to the second building block. More tomorrow...you are loved!

Being Visionary in 2014

 

Ever heard the saying life is a journey? Life is a journey and every journey has a destination. Everybody ends up somewhere in life, a few people end up somewhere on purpose and others end up places by accident.

A clear vision, along with the courage to follow through, dramatically increases your chances of coming to the end of your life, looking back with a deep satisfaction and thinking “With God I did it. I succeeded. I finished well. My life counted.”

Without a clear vision, odds are you will come to the end of your life and wonder what you could have done – what you should have done. And like so many, you may wonder if your life really mattered at all. That's a legitimate question.  Vision gives significance to the otherwise meaningless details of our lives. It’s not always about what we’re doing, but rather why we are doing it.

This may seem silly, but, how many of you would be excited to spend all day filling bags with dirt?
How many of you would be excited to spend all day filling bags with dirt to build a dike around your city to keep it from being flooded?

There’s nothing glamorous or fulfilling about filling bags with dirt, but saving a city is another thing altogether. Building a dike gives meaning to the chore of filling bags with dirt.

The same is true of vision. Too many times the routines of life begin to feel like shoveling dirt. But take those same routines, those same responsibilities, and view them through the lens of vision and everything looks different.

It's not just a job, it's a job that helps lead others to Christ. It's not just my crazy family, it's my family that god wants in His Kingdom. I’m not just teaching Sunday school, I get to teach Sunday school for God. I’m not just on the worship or media team, I get the privilege of being on these teams so I can give God glory in what I do. What about helping others in our community who need help? We get the privilege to share the love of Christ to others through spiritual and physical needs. If you are serving God with the attitude that this is just another thing I have to do, then you need to refocus your vision and life so it counts for Christ.

Vision brings your world into focus. Vision brings order to chaos. A clear vision enables you to see everything differently. While the average person may have the right to dream his own dreams and develop his own picture of what his future could and should be, we as followers of Christ have surrendered our lives to follow Christ and His plan. We gave up our right to be in charge when we accepted Christ and agreed to follow Him.

Remember the movie Santa Claus with Tim Allen. The head elf hands him a card and says read the fine print. There in little words around the card it tells him, you broke Santa you are now the new Santa. God didn’t hide your job description on a card with little letters around the edges. He laid it out pretty clear in the bible what His expectations were of those who would chose to follow Christ. Paul made it clear in Ephesians that when we accept Christ as our personal savior something new happens inside us.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God has a vision for your life. God has a vision for our church. Why would we want to do our own thing? What could be more fulfilling than the plan that God has for you?

In Andy Stanley’s book Visioneering, he says - “Without God’s vision, you may find yourself in the all too common position on looking back on a life that was given to accumulating green pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them. Accumulating money or stuff is a vision of sorts. But it is the kind of vision that leaves men and women wondering if there was more. Wondering what they could have done – should have done – with their brief stay on this little ball of dirt.”

As Christians, any vision that we can think up, will always fall short and leave us wondering what could have been.  We serve an intensely creative God. We talk about the fact that no two snowflakes are alike, but God has never made two of anything alike. God’s vision for you does not include trying to fit you into someone else’s mold. Unless you discover God’s unique vision for your future, your life may very well be a rerun.

This would be the same for a church. God didn’t call this church to be any other church then the one it is. We can’t be copycatting others actions; instead we must be seeking God for our churches vision, this churches direction for our body and community. That’s why this morning this story is so encouraging about Nehemiah, he was just a regular guy who caught a divine glimpse of what could and should be. And then went after it with all his heart.

What is vision?
Where does vision come from?

A Vision is born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be. Anyone who is frustrated, or brokenhearted about the way things are, in light of the way they believe things could be, is a candidate for vision.

In fact, that is how the vision for this church began. Pastor Richard Sexton way back in 1982 had a vision to start a church, this church. His vision was to bring the gospel to a then small rural community. We find ourselves sitting in an amazing place in west Richland. We have five acres of property right in the middle of everything.  The city is growing and God is preparing us for great things this year. But we don’t stop seeking God’s vision because one was given in 1982. We are seeking vision for 2014 and beyond that I believe God wants all of us to be a part of. More tomorrow...you are loved! 

Why a Traditional Christmas (Final)

 1 John 4:9-11

This is the last Christmas blog for 2013. The year has passed so quickly. So we celebrate the greatest gift of mankind to the world Jesus Christ one more time today. I am thankful for all God has done in our family, church family, and our friends around the world. So lets look at how god's Gift to you is measured out in Usefulness, Cost, and Effectiveness.

God’s gift to you is measured by its USEFULNESS.
What is the usefulness of the gift to us? Notice in verse nine the usefulness of the gift. “…so we might live.” That little baby that God sent to us with the amazing story of the shepherds, angels, wise men, and everything that took place; makes this one of the most important dates of mankind…but the true message of why Jesus came he later shared with those who would listen.

Jesus said it this way:
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 (NKJV)

What a promise that is! Not just life – not just existence – but life which means something – life that has worth – abundant life. Each of us living a Life with a purpose; a life which has value; Life with meaning. A life that will have eternal consequences and benefits.

God has made you a SPECIAL PERSON for a SPECIAL PURPOSE
I can’t help myself I love Ephesians.  “He chose us – actually picked us out for Himself as His own – in Christ before the foundation of the world; that we should be set apart for Him. . .” Ephesians 1:4 (AV)

You were specially created – hand crafted – uniquely make – for purpose of bringing glory to God.
FACT: I am here for THE GLORY OF GOD.

My purpose is to live a life that magnifies the Lord, to encourage and support fellow Christians, to become more like Christ, to use my gifts and talents in helping others, to tell those who don’t know Jesus that there is Good News. My purpose to bring glory to God in all I do and say. And when all is said and done I long to hear the words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)

You have brought Me glory – you have enlarged the kingdom of God – you have done well. God’s gift of salvation to us is useful. It gives us meaning and value. Our purpose is to bring glory to God.

God’s gift to you is measured by its COST.

One of the things all of us must do is give God our best. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He doesn’t want cheap stuff. He wants the best you and I can give Him.

“I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost [me] nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24 (HCSB)

David said if he was going to give a sacrifice to the Lord he was going to give his best – something of value – something of worth. Why would David say that? Because that is what God has done for us. He has given us the most precious gift He could possibly give – something of worth – something of value – something that is one in a kind.

If Jesus and the kingdom of God is so valuable, why doesn’t everybody do everything they can to be a part of it?

What some people think are valuable have no value at all to others. Years ago I used to heat our house with wood. Every fall I would go out and cut wood with my dad. I never liked cutting wood because it was a lot of back breaking work but I liked the price of free heat.

My dad was one of these avid wood burners and he would get wood scraps from a store that made duck decoys in town. They made beautiful hand carved bird decoys and animal decoys out of wood. Every decoy cost between 50 to 250 bucks. Their shop was in Cloquet so every couple of weeks he would stop in and pick up their leftover wood scraps to burn in his wood burner. Right before Thanksgiving one year he stopped in to pick up a load of scraps. He walked in the front door and told them he was there to pick up the wood. The man wheeled out two bins like usual to the loading doors and helped him load them in the truck. Usually the wood was just chunks of pine but this time they looked like decoys. He asked him if he was sure that he was giving him the right wood because they were unpainted decoys. He noticed that they had a few cracks in them so he figured they were throwing them away because of the cracks. My dad took the carts home to unload and noticed the wood burner was low so he grabbed a handful of decoys and threw them in the furnace. After work he had enough time to bring back the carts before they closed for the long weekend. When he pulled up in his truck two men ran out of the building and demanded that he bring back the decoys. With urgency in his voice he told my dad that he had taken their entire inventory of Christmas decoys worth tens of thousands of dollars by mistake. The dad pointed at the guy who gave the decoys to him and he just stood there like deer in the headlights look and walked back into the building. Then the manager said do you still have them because they are incredibly valuable. Each decoy had taken them over a week to make and they needed to get them back. Rather stunned my dad told them that he had burned a few of them but would bring the rest back. Then he went home and carefully loaded a few hundred decoys back into the bins and brought them back.

Value is often in the eye of the beholder. The decoys had no value when they were just scraps. But when they became decoys they were worth tens of thousands of dollars.

When God began to lay out his plan 100’s of years before Jesus actually was born he was laying out something special. He was giving us his best. Some who heard the prophesies just set them aside as not valuable. But for those who took notice; quickly realized that God was going to send his son as a baby so that all mankind would be saved. They kept the hope that man would take notice that the king of kings and lord of lords was here. Value to us is that God did all this with an amazing amount of love that we can’t comprehend. Look at verse ten.

"This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice…"

God knew what had to be done. He knew what price had to be paid. He knew what it was going to cost Him and He sent the best for you and me. He sent Jesus Christ – born as a child for the salvation of the world. If He gave that much to me – what should I give Him?
FACT: God’s gift to me is VALUABLE.

God’s present to you is measured by its EFFECTIVENESS.

If I get a toaster for Christmas I expect it to make toast. If I get a coffee machine I expect it to make coffee. If I get a hair curler, well I’ll save it for re-gifting. But the question that needs to be asked is: Is it effective. Does it do what it was intended to do?

What is the love of God intended to do? CHANGE YOU.

If we look at these three verses again – to me they seem almost like a mathematical formula. 1+1=2. God’s formula is real simple: “God’s gift is useful PLUS God’s gift is valuable:  EQUALS we ought to love one another.”

Verse eleven says this: “If God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.”

“Ought” sounds like a suggestion - but it’s not. It’s not just some suggestion that God is making to us. The Greek word for “ought” could be translated “MUST”. The root word actually means – to owe something. You owe a payment – you are under obligation – you must pay it back! Today’s buzz words are “Pay it forward.” How are you paying it forward in the arena of loving others? Let me restate the last part of verse eleven again.

“If God loved us like this, we certainly must love each other.”

Why? Because God is not done loving the world yet? He wants to keep loving the world – through you and through me. Ever thought why we celebrate Christmas other than tradition and you get days off from work? Jesus said it this way:

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)

Remember that illustration last week of the giraffe? God is kicking us off our feet so we remember to get up and live in His love. Jesus said love God and Love others as ourselves.

Can I ask you the question?

Does God’s love change you?

Does it affect your behavior as well?

Does it affect the way you treat people?

That is what love is intended to do. It doesn’t make toast – it doesn’t make coffee – it changes us into loving compassionate people who care for the needs of those who around us. Do you know why I believe God is pleased with us as the body of Christ here at CFW? Because we loved and did what Christ asked us to do?
 

James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

God wants to love the world – but He has a desire to do that through you. Are you willing to let God show His love through you?

Why a Traditional Christmas? Part 11

 

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us

Christmas is an exciting time for kids. Most of us have watched or are watching our children get ramped up so they can open all the presents under the tree.  Let me share the story of a 10 year old boy who was as excited as any ten year old boy could be. For him Christmas was still a time of wonder. He did the things most 10 year olds do. He played ball, rode his bike, climbed trees, went fishing with his dad. He was a happy kid. He just enjoyed life – every part of life. To him life was full of wonder and amazement. And Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year.

It was Christmas Eve and the ground was white with snow. It was cold and it was clear. The stars bright that night and seemed so close that you would have thought you could reach out and touch them with your hands. The family was on their way to the grandparent’s house – that was the family tradition. He could hardly wait. He was excited and his mind just raced with ideas about what he might receive this year. What present would be under the tree for him tonight?

Every year the family would gather in grandpa and grandma’s house. There was always a huge tree and there was always a present under the tree for each person there. The kids would seek peeks at the presents and find out where theirs was located. This young man was usually one of the first to find out where his present was placed – but this year it was different. He didn’t find his right away – even though he searched all over.

He began to worry because he couldn’t find it. Then his eyes caught a big box in the corner. It was a huge box – the biggest present he had ever seen. He slowly walked over to it and sure enough written on the tag were in big letters was his name. He was grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were wide with excitement. He had the biggest present.

Grandpa always handed out the presents. Grandpa was not very fast but this year he seemed especially slow and wouldn’t you know it – his name was the last one called. As soon as his name was called the little boy bolted up to Grandpa – “Is this really mine, is that big present really mine?” Grandpa reassured him it was. As soon as he knew it was his – he tore into the package and what do you think he found? What do you think was inside that large box? It was the best Christmas present he had ever received. It was a gift only God could give….

We all have ideas of what the best present is? We can all picture in our mind what the best presents are. How do you measure the value of a present? How do you judge its worth? By its size, by its weight? Do you judge a present by its cost or perhaps by its usefulness? The real question to ask is what does God think is the greatest gift?

"This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other."  1 John 4:9-11 (MSG) More tomorrow...

Merry Christmas you are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 10

'Fools vent... the wise quietly hold it back.' Proverbs 29:11 NLT

Christmas is almost here...five more days of all the hustle and bustle. No matter how you feel, joyful or grumpy this Christmas season or whenever. You don't have the right to speak to people in way that is unChrist like.

 

Ever heard the phrase #justsayin? The #justsayin rule means that as long as you start your sarcastic remark with, ‘Not being funny, but I’m just sayin…’ you can pretty much say what you like.

 

‘I’m just saying, you look like microwaved poop today.’ Or, the other one: ‘You know me, I tell it like it is!’ which translates as, ‘I can be completely and utterly rude if I’m in a bad mood and get a cheap laugh at your expense!’ And what about this gem: ‘I hear what you’re saying but…’ which basically means, ‘What you just said was stupid and now I’m going to tell you why.’

 

Sometimes, if you haven’t got anything nice to say, best say nothing at all. Today’s proverb hints at that. We’ve all got a friend who doesn’t care who they upset. Well, don’t be that friend! The book of Proverbs has good advice on being a friend: ‘The sweet smell of perfume and oils is pleasant, and so is good advice from a friend.’ (Proverbs 27:9 NCV) ‘As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.’ (Proverbs 27:17 NLT) Do you ever show your friends how much you value them? What’s a practical way you can honor your friends today? Don’t just think about it - put it into action. Merry Christmas is a good start...you are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 9

 

'A [gift] is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor: wherever he turns, he prospers.' Proverbs 17:8 NKJV

Its almost Christmas! Its the time of year to have fun; can't you feel it. This is one of those special time's were you can feel goofy, wear weird clothes, and just make others happy. This picture of my wife was recently taken during a young adult outing we had to a local Chinese restaurant. If you can picture this they are all standing around the gumball machine trying to find the weirdest mustache. It made me laugh and smile the rest of the day.

Christmas is the time of giving were we give to others. As I was wondering what I would share today something popped out to me in my reading; that God gives us gifts too. Can you imagine the happiness God has when he hands out our gifts to us. There are a couple of scriptures today that remind us that God believes we are special people.

Look at (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV). Paul speaks of 'the gift of God' in you. It isn't something you learn; it's something He gives  you, and nobody else can activate it for you. You 'stir' it up by developing and using it. Solomon said, 'A [gift] is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor: wherever he turns, he prospers.' Your gift will enrich many different areas in your life, not all of which are financial. While money is the wrong reason to devote your life to something, developing your God-given gift is rewarding on multiple levels. Unfortunately, many people are jealous of other people's gifts. Don't waste time on jealousy; it's a gift-robber, an energy-drain, and besides, you should be so busy stirring up your own gift that you've no time for envy.

When Louis Armstrong auditioned for music school, he was asked to sing scales. But he could only sing two notes properly, so they wrote him off. Armstrong cried when he was rejected, but later told his friends, 'There's music in me and they can't keep it out.' Consequently, he went on to become one of the world's most successful, beloved musicians, selling more records than others who were more talented. We're all born originals, but many of us settle for becoming carbon copies. Think: if you become like everybody else and join the rat race, even if you do win, that just makes you the fastest rat! Your gift will make room for you (Proverbs 18:16). So go ahead and fill the slot God designed for you. Merry Christmas...you are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 8

James 1:17 says: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

I once read the story of a missionary team that had been invited to Russia to teach Christianity. It was Christmastime, and as they taught the story of Christ’s birth at an orphanage, everyone listened in amazement. None of the kids or the staff had ever heard it before.

One of the missionaries wrote: "We gave the children some materials and instructed them to create the manger scene that they had just heard about. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat; he looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project."

"As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. I called for a translator to ask why. Looking at his completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story accurately, until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib his own ending to the story.

"He said, ’And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mama and no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him forever.’

"Putting his hand over his face, Misha’s head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. He had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him forever."
That’s why Jesus was sent… to complete God’s message of love. Someone once told of receiving a Christmas card that said this:

"If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior." You are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 7

 

 

II. If God interrupts you…get God’s take on the interruption right away.
Joseph could have really blown this one.
Joseph’s knee jerk reaction was to divorce Mary. (vv:19)
*Joe could have embarrassed her, disgraced her socially, had her executed. He chose to divorce her quietly. (Bought her time) because he loved her.

In vv:20-25
Joseph got God’s take on the matter!! Who named Jesus? (Joseph!) Because God told him too, and I’m sure glad Joseph got it!!

2 things happened

(1) He got to marry his sweetheart.

(2) He was honored to have been chosen to raise God’s only begotten Son.

We must Consider God’s take in what happens in our life. We need to look at God’s plan for our lives in a different view. Lots of us won’t even consider seeing God’s hand in our interruptions. (All we see are dashed plans, nixed ideas, disappointments, defeat, and failure) Satan wants you think you are done and there’s no way it can better.  With God all things can get better.

The scripture says “With God all things are possible.” The key is in Mat 6:33-34 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Here are 3 things that will revolutionize your life to help you gain perspective when your plans are interrupted.

(1) PRAY: Stop & pray. Pray for courage, wisdom, guidance, help...JUST PRAY.
1Th 5:16-19 “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.”

Jas 5:13 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”

(2) PERSPECTIVE: Put the interruption in proper perspective. How bad is it really? We tend to be catastrophic in our thinking. We spend $100 worth of worry on a $5 problem.

*If your tub doesn’t get scrubbed before company comes over for Christmas, it’s not the end of the world. Celebrating Christ with others is.
Luke 12:22-25 “Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”

(3) PROVIDENCE: God is in control. He still has your hairs numbered.

Deut. 32:4 “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

Isa 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD; As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Psa 145:17 “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.”

Nothing can happen to you without God knowing it.

We can avoid Knee-jerk reactions if we trust God and put our faith in Him. If something happens in our lives, our first reaction should be to ask God what’s going on? Not to take things at face value, but to listen to in the spirit to what God wants. A few years ago I go an infection in my leg that took me to the hospital for over a week. I was very sick. It was before thanksgiving but because of the seriousness of the illness I had to go twice a day to the hospital to sit and get antibiotics put in me till after Christmas. Wasn’t a fun Christmas? But Amy and I asked God why now and what did you have for us?

I love this story…(IL.)There was lady who had nine children; one day she came home from the grocery store and found the house as it usually was. Only quieter. If you are a mom you know what that means…She looked in the living room and saw five of her children sitting in a circle. She put down her groceries and went to get a closer look. Her five adorable children were playing with 5 of the cutest little skunks you’ve ever seen! The mom yelled, "RUN CHILDREN, RUN!" Each child grabbed a skunk and ran in five different directions. The Mother yelled again, "Run, Children." It scared the kids so much they squeezed their skunks. Skunks don’t like to be squeezed. You can imagine the rest.

We don’t have to immediately react with feelings and emotions. I’m not perfect at this but I have trained myself not to react to things with emotions until I’ve spoken to God. If we react improperly we run the chance squeezing the skunk. Don’t squeeze the skunk…check with God first.

Conclusion:

Ever saw or read about the birth of a giraffe? It’s incredible:
The first things to emerge are the baby giraffe’s front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn is hurled forth, falls ten feet, and lands on its back. Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. From this position he considers the world for the first time and shakes himself. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over the calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing.

She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels. When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts....Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again.

Why? She wants it to remember how it got up! In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they’d get it too, if the mother didn’t teach her calf to get up quickly and get on with it! It would die quickly.

This morning don’t squeeze the skunk, and learn to get up quickly and trust God with it. Mary and joseph did and look what God did? Do you trust God this Christmas that things in your life will work out. God might have to nudge you a few times, but in the end, God is working things out.

RO 8:28 “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.” God is doing that for you and me…amen! God has great things planned for all of us. It’s up to us to trust God and find out what those things are.

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 6

Ever watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Remember a young Chevy Chase with all the craziness that made the movie funny; but that movie also portrayed some reality in life. It dates some of us doesn’t it?
*No perfect Christmas portrayed in that movie.  Sometimes curveballs are thrown at us at the inopportune times.
*I can remember some of ours ending up like that as we traveled around from family to family when we were younger.  Amy and I always desired for that perfect traditional Christmas, but it didn’t always work out. Sometimes it was snow storms, other times it was people.
*How about you? Christmas time is either the best for some, or the worst depending on your experiences.

The scripture text is about a couple getting ready to be a family. Something that both were looking forward to as any couple would. Hopefully I’m not going to burst any bubbles here but all this is not taking place in December. There is a timeline here that many overlook. The actual birth of Jesus was sometime between September and October. We celebrate the birth of Christ in December because of what Emperor Constantine did during his reign. What Matthew is giving us is the condensed version of everything that happened over a period of time?  

Text: Matthew 1:18-25
“18 “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. [25] But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

1. If you think about it the first Christmas had its share of stresses.

Many of our Christmas’s do not go as planned. I’ve watched my wife work so hard to make everything just right for us as we gather together as a family year after year. Then something would happen. Being the woman of God she is she would just send up a prayer and do the best she could. Many years we just had to chalk it up as an opportunity for Christian growth. It was like, Ok God; we can overcome anything satan tries to put in our way. We learned and we grew from hardships or things that others couldn’t or wouldn’t deal with. But we dealt with everything in a way that I believe would please God.

The bible shows us to expect your best laid plans to be interrupted. (vv:18) “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Just a little interruption.

Joseph and Mary were getting ready for a wedding…A wedding in the Hebrew culture was a big thing. Not saying one isn’t today. Amy and I spent about $1000.00 total on our wedding way back in the dark ages. Yep, big spenders! We didn’t have a lot of money and I’m not sure these guys did either.  But there was a whole lot more to a Hebrew wedding then to ours today. Joseph & Mary had been planning this wedding a long time. Then God tells Mary and Joseph that this is much more than a wedding. That they get to be a part of something really big, God’s son coming to save all mankind.

Now The Hebrew marriages had two stages.
(1) Kiddushin (engagement, betrothal): legally the couple was married, but not living together; they have not consummated the relationship. The Kiddushin could last as long as 12 months. This time period tested each one’s fidelity and integrity. In order to break the engagement you had to get divorced. So this was a very big deal. You couldn’t just say "let’s call it off."

(2) Huppah (Marriage ceremony itself would happen after the Kiddushin)
*Joseph was planning on marrying his sweetheart; drawing up house plans, carving their marriage bed...he had BIG PLANS. Sometimes Joseph gets lost in all this. He was like any other man who had dreams of what his family was to look like.
*Mary was planning an elaborate wedding, she was picking out china patterns at Macey’s, and looking for the perfect lingerie for the honeymoon...She had BIG PLANS. She was Dreaming of a life with her new husband. He was a carpenter and that life was going to be different than for others.

*But then everything changes. God comes to both of them separately and tells them His plan for their lives. Mary you are going to bear my son supernaturally and joseph you take care of him.  
*Can you imagine a 15 year old Mary going to her 20 something fiancée and Joseph starts talking about floor plans and wall color...Mary says, "Joe, honey, we need to talk....I’m pregnant." You would have to imagine the look on Joseph’s face. That’s why God comes to him after she has shared this and says it’s ok Joe. This was a big deal. I’ve thought of this; in today’s society what would this couple look like?  One of the Duggar kids?

Short of divorce, death or dismemberment which Joe had every right to do under there custom... Remember that part in 19…“[19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” God knew he would do the right thing. Joseph is a man of character and integrity. That’s why He came to him in the dream and said joseph there is a new plan for your life.
Joseph had to adopt James 4:13-15 “Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, and carry on business and make money." [14] Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. [15] Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that."

Because Joseph was a righteous man he immediately did what God had asked. No question’s asked he moved on the very word of God. What would you do if all of a sudden God changed your plans?  We can make all the plans in the world:
In 1982, Amy and I were planning a special Christmas until I found out that the ship yard was shutting down and I would lose my job. Plans, we had a ton of them. We were going to spend a lot of money on presents for everyone. Swedish Christmas at her mom and dads. (Swedish meatballs, lutefisk, those awesome little cookies) I worked with Amy’s dad so guess what? He lost his job as well. He was almost 60 years old and unemployed. It was not a fun Christmas. There were No jobs any were to found because there’s a recession going on. We went from making great money to having no money.

We had all these plans, yet, your best laid plans are subject to interruption, but that’s not an entirely bad thing. This was a time that God began to speak into our hearts about ministry. We received the gifts or calling of pastoral ministry. What we thought would be an end to everything, God actually opened up the path to new things for us. He sold our house in a recession. Nothing was selling, interest rates were 18%…but ours did. He began to supply the money for college. He even allowed us to get pregnant. We had tried for 4 years and nothing. Then we receive our calling, head to school, and get pregnant all at the same time. What an incredible future God had planned out for us. What if we had ran from God? What if we took an offense against God? I can’t even imagine the outcome of that. So how about you? How do you react when life interrupts you? When God says I have another plan? Great questions that I hope you will ask yourself. More tomorrow...you are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 5

 

 

Word #4: Produce
Finally, John the Baptist had these words for those coming to be made ready for the coming of the Lord. He said this, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” What fruit are we talking about? Well, John is referring to the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5. True confession and repentance lead to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control naturally flowing out of our lives.

How many of you have ever met a person who called themselves a Christian and yet was mean, bitter, unhappy, and generally unpleasant. Most of the time, this person is one who has gone to church all of their lives. Their parents went to church and their parents before them went as well. Instead of relying on confession, repentance, and producing fruit, these people are banking on church attendance to get them to be with the Lord.

The Pharisees were doing the same thing, and John saw right through them. They were Jews. That meant that they had Abraham as a descendant. Of course, God had made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants that He would be their God, so most of the Jews relied on this to save them. But John the Baptist explains that this pact was not necessarily with the physical descendants of Abraham. It is with everyone who acts and believes like Abraham did. Then, he goes on to say that the Lord is ready to cut down every tree that does not produce good fruit. To me, God is saying that church attendance and family history does not save you. Only true faith in Jesus Christ!

Think about the real world. If you have a job and don’t do anything, you are going to be fired. If you play for a football team and don’t produce, you are not going to play. If you go out on a date and don’t do anything to try to earn respect or show love, you are not going to get a second date. Now, John is telling us that if we don’t produce fruit in our Christian lives, He is not going to have any part in our lives.

So again I ask you: “Are you ready for Christmas?” Are you ready to meet the Savior and Lord in an up-close and intimate way? You must start by preparing and clearing out all that is in the way. You do this by confessing your sins both to God and to your fellow man. Then, this confession must result in repentance in which we turn from our previous ways to keep from falling into the same traps. Finally, we produce fruit in keeping with our repentance. I don’t know where you are right now spiritually, but I do know that there are those that need to make a decision to make a change in their lives. Maybe you are not a Christian or do not know if you are saved. You need to ask Christ to clean out the things in your life that are in the way from you meeting Him. Maybe you are a Christian and have unconfessed sin in your life. You need to confess before the Lord, and you may want someone with you to pray with you. Maybe you are tired of the game in which you have to confess the same sin over and over again. You need to seek the Lord to repent. Or maybe you just need more help from the Holy Spirit to produce more good fruit. Whatever the case may be, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to come and speak to each one of us. The Lord is waiting to meet with you. You are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 4

 

Word #3: Repent

Now, I know what many of you are thinking. “He just got done telling us to confess yesterday and now he is telling us to repent. Isn’t that the same thing?” My answer is, “No.” Repentance is taking confession to the next level, and it is the next logical step to prepare yourself for the coming of the King.

How many of you have kids that always obey what you say? Ok, then I think this is a story you can relate to. Let’s say you have a son who always hits his younger brother. You have told him numerous times that it is wrong and that he needs to stop it, but it is still a problem from time to time. One time, you catch him in the act, and you say, “How many times have I told you not to hit your brother?” Then, the child comes to you with a tear in their eye and says, “I’m sorry I hit my brother, mommy.” You immediately forgive them, but then, before you know it, the boy goes over and smacks his brother again. How does that make you feel? Is the child going to be in trouble again? You bet he is.

This shows us the difference between confession and repentance. This child surely confessed his sin, but as I said, repentance is taking the next step. To repent literally means to turn back or to change. It means that you see that you are doing something wrong, but you actually do something to make a difference in your behavior. When we finally do get around to confessing our sins to the Lord, we so often times are guilty of not doing anything to change our behavior. We confess and go back to the way we have always done things and are surprised and disgusted when we fall back into the same sins.

Why do you think so many prisoners end up back in prison only a few months after they are released? Many of them will tell you that they are sorry for what they have done, but when they get out, they go right back to their old circle of friends and old behaviors. Then, like clockwork, they end up back in jail. 

That’s why I believe that heaven gets so excited over repentance. Do you remember the story in which the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the one that was lost? And, when he finds the one who is lost, he calls his friends together and celebrates. Then, Jesus tells his listeners this in Luke 15:7. “I tell you that in the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” You see, confession is not enough. God and the angels truly get excited when repentance happens. Confession is the first step. Repentance shows that we truly mean we are sorry. I'll conclude tomorrow on why we must produce spiritual fruit in our lives. You are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas Part 3

 

 

Word #2: Confess

To confess means to acknowledge or admit that you have done something wrong. To acknowledge or admit something, you have to be specific. Let’s say you commit a crime and go down to the police station to turn yourself in. If the officer comes to talk to you and all you say is, “I confess, I did it”, you are going to be met with another question right away. They are going to ask you, “Ok, what did you do?” It’s not just good enough to be general in our confession. Confession, by its very definition requires us to be direct and specific.

God designed this from the very beginning in 1 John 1:9. It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God’s way of forgiveness hinges on the condition of whether we will truly confess all of our wrongs. It goes back even farther than 1 John though. Think back to the tabernacle back in Moses’ time. Before you could enter in the holy part of the temple, you had a duty to do in the outer courts. You had to be washed and cleansed at the laver before you could enter into the holy place. But, before that could happen, you had to offer a sin offering at the altar. This was an admission before God that there was sin in your life. And, your offering differed according to the sin that was committed. So, the Israelites got specific about their sins and confessed them before the Lord by this public act in order to be cleansed so they could enter into the holy place of the temple.

What fascinates me most in all of this is the public confession that occurred. If I said to you in church one Sunday, “If you sinned this week, please raise your hand,” how many of you would do it? Many of you would raise your hand. But the real question would be how many of you are willing to tell me what sin you committed?

That’s just getting downright personal, and most of us would be uncomfortable doing that. After all, that is between you and God. But, is it really? There is a Scripture in James that tells us otherwise. James 5:16 tells us, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” That tells me that confession is to be more public than we make it out to be. I am not saying that we broadcast all over the church what our every shortcoming and fault is, but we need to find other brothers and sisters in Christ that we can confide in and confess and pray with them about our trouble spots. It is only then that true healing can come.

There are something’s we need share to others and then there’s stuff that needs proper order. Here’s one of the proper order things; if we have an offense with someone else, we must go to that person first. Matthew 18 says we go to that brother or sister and try and make things right. Offenses between people are to be dealt with between the offending parties. If things can’t be resolved then church leadership should be asked to intervene.

Sometimes I think we need to take a page out of the book of the Israelites. As they stood in line to offer their sacrifice, they could get a good idea of what the people around them had done just by looking at their sacrifice. It was a confession to God that they had committed a certain sin, but it also acted as a confession to those around them. And, to a certain extent, I think it was very encouraging to the other Israelites. They could see that others struggled with the same things they did, and they could find comfort in the fact that they were not alone in their sins.

I know this is not an easy teaching. It is hard to get specific in our confession, and it is even harder to confess to each other. But, it is incredibly freeing when it happens, and the devil will do all that he can to keep you locked up in the prison of unconfessed sin. He knows the power of confession, and it is time we understand its importance. After all, every great revival starts with prayer, and the very next step is always public confession of sin. Revival will not come without confession – that’s how important this is. You are loved!

Why a Traditional Christmas? Part 2

 

Word #1: Prepare

We have talked about some of the things that we think about when it comes to getting ready for Christmas. Chances are, the places in your house where you place your snowman knick knacks, your snow globes, and your Christmas tree are occupied by other decorations during the rest of the year. So, in order to have space to put your Christmas stuff out, you have to get the other stuff out of the way.

In our Scripture for this morning, we are told that John the Baptist is the one whom Isaiah spoke about when he told there would be a voice calling in the desert in 40:3.
A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

When we look at the word prepare closely in the Hebrew, we find that it refers to a clearing out. We are to clear out a way for the Lord in the wilderness and make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

In the ancient Near East the custom of sending representatives ahead to prepare the way for the visit of a monarch was common. Sometimes, they would even do work on the road to make it as professional as possible. They wanted to make a road that was worthy of their King, and sometimes, that involved removing fallen trees or filling in holes to make the path as good as possible.

But, what is Isaiah referring to by telling us to make our paths straight? We get that answer a few chapters earlier.

In Isaiah 26:7, we are told, “The way of the righteous is smooth: O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.” So, in order to prepare a smooth path for the Lord, we must be righteous. This means that we must clear out the sin and the stumbling blocks in our lives that make it impossible for God to come and be in our lives. By telling us to prepare, John the Baptist is saying that the King is coming, so we must make sure we are ready to receive Him. How do we do this? We begin the process of spiritual and behavioral change. More tomorrow...you are loved!