“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. (MT 14:28,29)
1. Be Willing to Clean the Toilets
By the time Jesus got through training and purging the soul of Peter, he was willing to do anything for Jesus. During that training the “walk on water incident” was early evidence to Jesus that Peter was extremely desperate to please his Master. You can bet if he was willing to put his life on the line, he’d wash toilets and even the city dump if asked. Some need to show up Saturday night when the janitor is scheduled to clean the church and get down on their knees and (not pray) scrub the bathroom floors and clean the toilets. No preaching, no ministering or praying for people, just get “spiritually janitorial.”
Beware of “spiritually loitering” with the wrong intent. Peter had that when Jesus started to wash the disciples’ feet and he said, “No, Lord.” And, only after Jesus insisted with the threat that Peter could have nothing to do with Him unless he let Jesus go forth (John 13:4-9) did Peter allow Him.
2. Concentrate on Your Mission
Rare is it when Jesus tells you one day, when you get older, that you will die a not so pleasant death for Him. Peter had that kind of day (John 21:18-19). Peter didn’t take it well and started to look around the crowd, wondering about John’s future. Jesus must have thought quite highly of Peter to actually give him that kind of personal prophetic information. What would you have done if you knew nothing but persecution and a horrible death at an old age awaited you? Quit? I might have thought about it. “That’s my future?”
After Jesus basically told Peter to mind his own business, Peter resolved in his heart he was in for the long haul, good or bad. Are you? No matter what? You may be willing to do anything for God, but make sure it’s for the right motive.
3. Have Nothing to Fall Back On—God is Calling Many to Walk on the Water
In other words, it’s God or nothing. Many already have permission to walk on the water. Walking on the water means that “thing” that Jesus called you to do (whether it was many years ago or just yesterday); it is still valid, it is real and it is not a dream (see Philippians 3:13).
Jesus would have wanted all of the disciples to say, “Lord, if it is You, invite me to come to You on the water.” Once he got the go-ahead, either Peter was going to walk on water or he was going to drown, period. But he had no advance agreement that Jesus was going to grab him. This wasn’t play-acting; this was a real storm, real waves and real danger.
But be of good cheer! Many are getting older now and thinking they have missed it. I don’t think so. And here’s the good news: the majority have been on GPS (God’s Positioning Schedule) and are ready to be called out of the boat…and you will not sink. You will not swim or sink; you will walk to Jesus.
Archive for the ‘Accountability’ Category
Peter Did Not Have a Life Jacket…
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009Where Is Your Treasure?
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009Where Is Your Treasure?
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
I. INVESTMENTS ON EARTH ARE NEVER SECURE
The PROHIBITION: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.”
Jesus does not prohibit treasures but He DOES prohibit his people storing up on
earth treasures that are ONLY for themselves.
EARTHLY TREASURES: “to treasure up treasures.” – don’t stockpile.
Stockpiled luxury we amass for our own selves and beyond what we can possibly use.
The Lord is not saying we shouldn’t possess anything. He never condemns possessions.
I Timothy 6:l7b — “…God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
The EXPLANATION: “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and
steal.” Every earthly treasure is TRANSIENT (perishes – wears out – loses value)
The DECEPTION: You deceive yourself if you think possessions endure.
The POINT: If you hoard it, you can lose it because it is unsafe & insecure.
The QUALIFICATION: Jesus expects us to save in a prudent way (Proverbs 21:20).
It is not wrong to accumulate money and invest in divine causes and concerns.
Your security, however, must never lie in any earthly treasure.
II. YOU CAN HAVE INVESTMENTS IN HEAVEN THAT ARE SECURE
The REALITY: You CAN have a treasure in Heaven – the appropriate place of storage.
The COMMAND: POSITIVELY Jesus instructs you to build up treasures in Heaven.
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven
The ATTITUDE: an ATTITUDE toward possessing and accumulating treasures.
The METHOD: You deposit your treasure in Heaven by:
A - The right use of your possessions on earth - things of good and eternal significance
B - The development of Christlike Character: -Growth in the Knowledge of Christ;
The PERSPECTIVE: a matter of maintaining an eternal perspective
III. YOUR HEART FOLLOWS YOUR TREASURE
The REASON: The reason for putting your treasure into God’s work has to do with the
location of your heart. “For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.”
It is God’s Will that your heart be in heaven.
The Biblical “heart“: the center of your personality / intellect / emotion and will.
The things we most highly treasure occupy the “heart” and thus control direction and
values: investment of your life; motives; attitudes; thought patterns.
-Where is the concentration and the preoccupation of your life?
-What particular object do you spend most of your thinking, planning, and energy on?
Chances are, you are like most people and spend your time thinking about some “thing”.
Those who set their minds on things above discover that their deeds follow them.
Questions for your Heart
It is characteristic of a true believer that his treasure is in heaven. Take this time to
examine your life before God.
- Where is your heart? Is the concentration and preoccupation of your life consumed with
things you own, or is it consumed with the things of God?
- How do you spend the majority of your time? Do you need to spend more of your time
concentrating on heavenly things?
- Do you selfishly accumulate things for yourself or do you use what God has given to
bring Him glory by ministering to the needs of those around you? His church?
- How do you respond when something in your possession is stolen? Do you react
strongly against the person who stole it, or do you think of it as something that belongs to
God and that it is His to do with as He wills?
- Does the location of your treasure manifest that you are indeed a believer, or does it
manifest that you are just like others who belong to the world?
Ask God to reveal your true heart to you. If changes are necessary in your life, ask God to
help you to turn from your pride and humbly submit to His will.
Remember, it is not a question of whether you can, but whether you will.
CONCLUSION:
Seek first the Kingdom of God – seek treasures there – place your heart there –
…And ALL these things will be added unto you.
When you put your money in the work of God, you will be captured by the things of God.
May God give us wisdom in this and all our endeavors that we be found faithful and good
stewards of his unspeakable blessings.
How To Respond To Bad Economic Times
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009For some, economic hardship means belt-tightening: eating out less, skipping vacation, going from two cars to one. For others, it’s much more: losing a job, a house or health care. Both groups feel pain, but to those for whom it’s the difference between eating and going hungry, complaints about giving up cable TV can seem insensitive and frivolous. So how do people of faith respond to the real suffering that many face-both major and minor-during hard economic times?
What NOT to do
■ DON’T view economic adversity as God’s punishment. In some theologies, wealth signifies God’s favor and poverty indicates that one has sinned. The financially comfortable may be tempted to attribute bounty to hard work and virtuous living. Sometimes these go hand in hand but, just as there are innocent people who are born into poverty, there are wealthy people who didn’t achieve their riches through virtuous living. People of faith must remember that we are all God’s beloved children.
■ DON’T hoard what you have. It’s tempting to cling more tightly to what we have. If my family is in survival mode, we naturally focus on taking care of ourselves first. If I barely have enough food, why should I share? This all makes human sense, but it’s not what Jesus did. When Jesus fed the multitudes, a few generous followers offered their bread and fish which, when blessed, were enough for all. Remember too the prosperous farmer who had such a good harvest that he pulled down his storage barns and built bigger ones. “God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves” (Luke 12:20-21).
■ DON’T nurse your anger, complain or act illegally or immorally. In hard economic times people feel angry and complain. That’s natural. Venting and crying out to God in pain and fear are common refrains in the psalms. Still, a time comes when these attitudes rob us of the energy to find positive solutions. We might understand why a person feels driven to illegal or immoral means to survive when in a desperate situation. That doesn’t make it right. Remember Job. His trials included both economic devastation and physical pain. His uprightness in the face of adversity is why he’s such a compelling model for us.
Embracing Christian simplicity
With the current economic downturn, many of us are being pushed to simplify our lifestyles. These virtues liberate us from being slaves to money and possessions….They also enable us to adopt a simplicity of life that frees us from consumerism and helps us preserve God’s creation Jesus said, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’… Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31-32). For many of us, the downsizing that is being thrust upon us is the lifestyle that Christians should aspire to anyway. It’s just that now we may not have a choice.
Deepening our spirituality
■ DO steward resources with care. Although we may already be good stewards of our money and possessions, hard economic times force us to evaluate how to do more: Where am I wasteful? Do I conserve electricity, gas, food, water, paper? Do I recycle? Do I wear practical clothes or am I a slave to fashion? Do I repair broken things or is my first impulse to replace them? Does my recreation renew my spirit or do I spend my discretionary funds on watching sports rather than playing them, listening to music rather than making it, traveling to far-off lands rather than enjoying my locale and neighbors? Keeping to a budget may be bothersome, but it can help us become responsible stewards.
■ DO practice generosity. It sounds counterintuitive to give things away when money is tight, but Christians are called to be generous. Does everyone on your block really need their own lawnmower, camping gear or basketball hoop? It’s convenient to have your own, but sharing reduces cost and builds community. Of course, it can also create conflict if some don’t act responsibly. Sharing is not always painless, but it can help us hone communication and negotiation skills. Hard times can prompt us to learn skills we’d otherwise neglect.
■ DO keep values intact. If hard times make us bitter and selfish, we’re not growing spiritually. We must stay true to our core values: People are more important than things. Caring for others is what Jesus did. To lessen feelings of deprivation, it helps to differentiate between legitimate needs and desirable-but-optional wants. Food, clothing, shelter, health, safety, education and loving relationships are needs. Eating out, fashionable clothes, a house with more bedrooms than kids, bottled water and two or three cars may not be bad in themselves but must be balanced in light of the needs of the poor. One mark of a mature and holy person is knowing how to live with and without.
■ DO stay spiritually centered. Few people welcome hardships but, when they come our way, God may be pricking our consciences or pushing us through untried doors. Hardships may drive us to deeper prayer. They place us in solidarity with those who regularly go without, not just when the stock market tanks. In the end, we place our lives in God’s hands, remembering that the same God who created the lilies of the fields loves and watches over us.
Pleasing God Through Your Offerings
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008Who do you want to please . . . your spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, best friend, neighbors, pastor, employer or most anybody you meet?
Truthfully, there is only one person that you ever need to be concerned about pleasing because if He’s happy and well-pleased, you’ll find contentment in life.
The scriptures offer some very basic guidelines about how to give an offering that is well-pleasing to God.
“But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” Philippians 4:18 NAS
The offering that is well-pleasing to God is the one He tells you to give.
Whether what you give is big or small in your own eyes, the important thing to remember is to listen to the voice of the Lord and obey Him in the offering. Way too many believers are tipping God because they think that’s what they can afford to sow or are in the habit of giving. Ask God. Only He knows what you need to reap down the road.
I challenge you to think very carefully about the three points I’m going to share with you about giving an offering that is well-pleasing to God.
First, God watches you give.
“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. . . Mark 12:41
The scripture says Jesus pulled a chair over where He could get a good view of how much people gave. That should tell us a lot about the Lord’s interest in our giving.
Second, He watches how much you give.
“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.” Mark 12:41-42
Can you imagine what would happen on Sunday morning if your pastor walked among the pews observing what everyone put into the offering?
Some “saint” would be complaining on the evening news about how “all the man of God was interested in. . .was money.” Such foolishness does go on.
God does not tell you to give based on what’s in your wallet, pocketbook or checking account.
Third, God brags about good givers.
“And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” Mark 12:43-44
This poor widow did not give what was convenient or usual . . . the scripture says that she cast in all. . .everything she had. . .not just the chump change. . .but “all her living.”
On that day, Jesus observed some folks putting large gifts into the treasury . . . but the one who gave all she had was the one He recognized and praised. The one who overlooked every circumstance in her life . . . who rejected all rationalization and justification for not giving . . . the scripture memorializes the poor widow who gave all she had . . . the one who made an unusual offering in her time of need.
God Wants You To Know This
It is possible to give God an offering that is not well-pleasing to Him. Malachi 1:6-14.
6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”
These believers were stunned to hear God say that they “despised his name.” What would make someone who is serving God, someone who is in church every time the doors are open, supposedly “working” for God, despise Him?
7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
God is saying these believers offered Him less than the best . . . the leftovers . . . the scrapes . . . the pocket change . . . things that were not important or significant to them.
Do we give God our best or do we hold back in our giving so we can afford a new car, a bigger house, or the things of this world?
It’s imperative that every believer understand that tithes and proper offerings does not indicate God going after our money. . .but rather God is showing us how to defeat poverty, lack and needs that will drag us down. Keeping God’s covenant opens the windows of heaven and “allows” Him to rebuke the devourer for your sakes! (Malachi 3:10,11).
Here’s a revelation, God doesn’t need your money . . . but you need His blessing.
If you spend more money at a movie and concession stand than you do in advancing the cause of Christ . . . then you are giving Him polluted offerings . . . less than the best.
If you were given a private audience with your Governor or the President, would you bring them a gift or offering less than your best?
What happens when you don’t give God your best . . . when you don’t ask Him what He would have you give?
Verse 10 is without equivocation . . .it’s clearly written. . .
“. . .I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.”
Did you see that . . . God has “no pleasure” in those who give Him less than the best. Not only that, He will not “accept an offering at your hand.”
The local church may accept your offering . . . but God will not. And as we know, He’s the only One who counts.
Final Word
If you want to have a life worth living . . . a life well-pleasing to God, then make your offerings sweet and acceptable in His sight.
We need to also heed the words found in Ephesians 5:10
“In your daily life make sure you’re doing what is well-pleasing to the Lord.”
Make no mistake. God wants to “make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:21 (NKJV)
Faith and Managing Our Investments
Friday, November 14th, 2008Being Christian disciples implies that the values of our faith inform all aspects of our lives – including our investment choices. God calls us to live in harmony with creation, to work for justice, to seek benefit for the poor and the oppressed and to be a voice for the voiceless. We should seek to fulfill our stewardship responsibilities by ensuring that the resources we manage reflect our faith and God’s desires for our lives and our world. In this pursuit, we have the dual responsibility to seek justice and work for the benefit of the poor and oppressed while we provide for the economic needs of our families, churches, and charitable institutions, so that all can enjoy the benefits of God’s gifts.
Money and investments play a powerful role within our society. We’ve seen how the global economy impacts humankind in both positive and negative ways. Corporations can provide positive work environments, help create sustainable communities, and operate in accord with creation. hrough our investments, we are connected to corporate activity around the world. As investors with a faith perspective, we have a responsibility to manage all aspects of the resources we have been entrusted in accordance with God’s call for faithful stewardship.
Community investing provides financial capital for economic development in communities that are often overlooked or excluded by traditional financial structures. Community banks, credit unions, and loan funds, along with other community-based businesses, build opportunity by helping to provide market-based jobs, housing and local services. Designating a portion of investment capital for community investing supports the building of sustainable economies in communities where it is needed most.
Mountain Movers is committed to making loans globally to economic development projects benefiting the poorest people in their societies.
With these tools of faith-based investing, we can give meaning to the affirmation, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. (Psalm 24:1).”
What Makes God Angry?
Friday, August 1st, 2008What makes you really angry? There are some people who are a little like nitroglycerin. They’re always ready to blow. The slightest provocation, and watch out! But there are others of us who need to be pushed to the wall before we ever get angry.
Aristotle said something interesting. “It is easy to fly into a passion – anybody can do that,” he said, “but to be angry with the right person to the right extent and at the right time and with the right object and in the right way – that is not easy, and it is not everyone who can do it.”
If there is anyone who could be angry with the right person to the right extent, at the right time and in the right way, it would be Jesus. It may surprise some of you that Jesus got angry. But it’s in Scripture. There are some things that make Jesus very angry.
We’re going to take a back-door look at the subject of prayer, because there is an important and connection between what makes Jesus angry and the subject of prayer. In The Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, it’s the last week of Jesus’ life. Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, and had already spent part of a day looking around in the Temple, before traveling to a near-by town to spend the night. On the Monday of that week, we read of one of the most puzzling stories of Scripture. Jesus got mad at a tree.
12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
I’ve been known to curse inanimate objects. That’s not too surprising. But it’s a little surprising to see Jesus get so upset at a tree. What’s behind his fury here?
The story begins normally. Jesus is hungry, and so he looks around for something to eat. Noticing a fig tree, he examines it to see if it has any figs ready to eat. Fig trees usually leaf out in March or April, but don’t produce any fruit until June. This tree had plenty of leaves, but as Jesus examined it more carefully, it had no fruit. That’s not too surprising – it wasn’t time for the tree to bear fruit. So why would Jesus get angry at a tree for not having any fruit – especially when it wasn’t yet time for the tree to bear fruit?
I’ll tell you why. We make three discoveries in this passage, and here’s the first one.
ONE: OUR PROBLEM IS LIFELESSNESS
I’ve read the Gospels a number of times. Jesus didn’t get angry too often. Whenever he did, his anger was directed at one thing: the appearance of religion without any substance.
Why would Jesus get angry at a fig tree? Some people think that Jesus was simply being petulant. But Jesus was using the fig tree as an illustration. The fig tree looked good from a distance, but when you got up close it was fruitless. It looked promising but it never lived up to its promise. It had all the style and none of the substance.
Look at verses 15 to 17.
15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written:
“‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’?
But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
The Temple looked good from a distance. It was the holiest place in the world. It was where God lived. Jews called it the “gate of heaven.” But when Jesus looked closely, he saw made his blood boil. He announced God’s judgment on the Temple. He drove the merchants and moneychangers out of the Court of the Gentiles. The place of worship and prayer had become a place of extortion, preventing Gentiles from coming to God in prayer.
In the year 70 AD, the Temple was destroyed. But on that day some forty years earlier, Jesus announced God’s judgment on the Temple. God can’t stand religious life with no substance. He can’t stand a tree that has leaves but no fruit. He can’t stand a Temple that looks good but is rotten inside. He can’t stand a church that says the right thing but has no spiritual passion to back it up.
Writing to a church, Jesus said in Revelation 3:
“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive-but you are dead. 2Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. 3Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come upon you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel that your problem – our problem – isn’t heresy but apathy? Do you ever feel like you’re farther away from God than you used to be? That’s my problem. It’s your problem. We appear to be more alive than we really are.
Jesus gives us a solution, and it’s our second discovery. Not only is our problem lifelessness, but…
TWO: THE SOLUTION IS PRAYER
What’s the solution to lifelessness? Prayer. You may think that prayer is only for the spiritual elite, but it’s not. It’s for those who have leaves but want the fruit. It’s for you and it’s for me. It’s for those who want a fresh encounter with God.
Read what happened in Mark 11:20:
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”22″Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23″I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Jesus had just performed a miracle unlike any other. It’s the only destructive miracle he performed. It’s the only time that his miracle involved making something worse rather than better.
The disciples were amazed. For a tree to shrivel up in the space of one day was unheard of. What had Jesus done? He had taken away the tree’s false advertising. There was no more pretending. It has looked great but been unfruitful the day before. Now it looked like it actually was.
What would you expect Jesus to say next? I would have expected him to address barrenness and corruption. I would have expected Jesus to expand on why God was judging Israel. But he doesn’t make that application. Instead he talks about prayer. Why does he do that?
Certainly, part of the reason is to explain how he was able to curse the fig tree. The disciples were amazed that Jesus could do it. Jesus wanted to let them know how he was able to do such a miracle. But there’s more.
The reason Jesus talks about prayer is because prayer is the antidote to lifelessness. Jesus was explaining how to be different from those who participate in lifeless religion. He was explaining how his kingdom really works. As opposed to those who participate in the ritual of religion, his kingdom is based on faith in God that overcomes insurmountable odds. Do you want to know how to overcome lifeless religion? Begin with prayer.
Jesus said, “If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Jesus was referring to a specific mountain. It’s possible as he spoke that he was either referring to the Mount of Olives or the Temple Mount. It’s just possible he was saying, “If you really have faith in God, you can oppose the current religious system. You can stand up against the apathy that you see around you. The world can be remade. But it’s going to happen through prayer.”
It’s as if Jesus was saying, “Out with the old institutionalized religious establishment. In with my people – people who will specialize in faith-borne prayer.” The antidote to lifelessness is prayer.
What can prayer do?
Prayer can revive your heart. We all feel spiritually dead at times. If you don’t right now, you will one day. Prayer can change that. Somebody once said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Jesus honors a prayer like that.
Prayer can overcome obstacles. Jesus said you that mountains can be moved with prayer. In the Bible, a mountain often signifies an insurmountable obstacle. God can do the impossible. With God, anything is possible.
Prayer can remind you who’s in charge. Sometimes we think that it’s up to us. People have twisted this passage to make it sound like we need to get enough faith and then we can make things happen. But the amount of faith isn’t as important as the object of our faith. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “”I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” There is great power in even little faith, as long as the faith is in God. It’s God’s power that makes the difference.
I’m pretty sure that you have obstacles in your life. I’m pretty sure that you need a fresh encounter with God. You and I need our hearts revived. We need to be reminded that God is the one who makes the difference. Prayer can do that. Prayer is the antidote to lifelessness.
Our problem is lifelessness. The solution is prayer. There’s one more discovery we make in this passage.
THREE: THE WAY TO PRAY IS WITH AUTHORITY
Jesus said in verse 24:
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
There are two conditions to effective prayer. One is that we pray confidently. The second is that we pray with a forgiving spirit. This morning I’d like to focus on the first condition. We need to pray confidently and with authority.
There are different ways to pray. We’re always to pray submissively, submitting to God’s will rather than ours. There are times that we don’t know what God’s will is. Our will might even be opposed to God’s will. That’s when we pray very clearly saying, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
But there’s also a time for authoritative prayer. Ordinary prayer proceeds from earth to heaven. We ask for forgiveness; we pray for healing; we give thanks. But authoritative prayer is different. We bring the resources of heaven down to earth.
When we know what God’s will is, but need the power to do God’s will, it’s time to pray authoritatively. When we need to engage the enemy, it’s time for authoritative prayer. We know what God’s will is. We just need to pray God’s resources into the situation.
Jesus said, “I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” We believe that. And so we begin a week of prayer, asking that you would awaken our hearts. Turn us into a spiritual powerhouse. If we don’t call upon the Lord, he has promised nothing – nothing at all. But if we call upon the Lord, he has promised in his Word to answer, to bring the unsaved to himself, to pour out his Spirit among us.
Free to Serve
Friday, July 4th, 2008
Free to Serve (Romans 6:15-23) We like to think that we are in charge of our lives. There is a certain helplessness that we feel when we think things have gotten beyond our power to control. We would rather think that we are invincible. While we may like to think we are always in control, it is an illusion. In fact, even as Christians who have been liberated from the control of sin, we may come back under its bondage. You see, freedom is not the ability to do what you want to do, it is the ability to do what you know you should do! And it is possible to forfeit that freedom. True, we have been forgiven and given a new life. But we now must live by this new life Christ has given us.
What should the forgiveness of Christ produce in us? Should it produce presumption on our part, where we impose upon the forgiveness of Christ? As Christians, should we continue to sin because God will forgive us? No! The forgiveness of Christ ought to generate a motivation to love Jesus Christ and to obey Him. Because of His forgiveness; in thanksgiving we now ought to be obedient to Him and reject sin. There is a lot at stake.
As a believer, what happens when I sin? What effect does sin have on me? What does the choice you make, when you choose to sin, do to you as you seek to live for Christ? Does it matter whether or not we sin now as believers? It certainly does matter, and we are going to describe several effects that sin causes in us, when we choose to engage in it.
Whose Slave Are You?
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. (Romans 6:16-19)
The first effect of sin is to make us a slave. You see, we have a choice to make, and the choice is who we are going to serve. Some years ago Bob Dylan came out with a song in which were lines that said, “You gotta serve somebody. You gotta serve somebody. It may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.” How true. That seems to be the choice we have. Most people do serve either God or Satan.
Whose slave are you? That is the deception of sin. We think that when we engage in sin, we are just fulfilling a passing desire; or just engaging in some brief pleasurable thing that we want to do. One act and then we can forget about it. We can change; after all, we are free now in Christ, and as Christians, we do not have to serve sin any more. So let’s just go ahead and sin a little bit. The deception is that we do not realize that this always leads to bondage.
When we engage in sin and choose to willfully disobey God we become its slaves. It becomes like an addiction to us. We might think that we can change our behavior until we begin to try, then we find that we have been trapped and deceived. We are now under bondage and we cannot break loose quite as easily as we thought we could. If you engage in sin, you become a slave.
Sin affects us. It affects others as well. Try this: Get up in a grumpy mood tomorrow morning, and snap at your wife. What happens? She snaps back, because she is not going to be out-snapped. We like to make sure that we get the last snap. So she snaps back. Then you snap back. Then you snap at the kids and they snap at you. Pretty soon the whole house is in an uproar. The whole house has taken on your rotten attitude, and the day is ruined because your sin affects others. Our sin is not done in isolation. It affects us, and makes us its slaves, and it affects those around us.
“If Only…”
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! (Romans 6:20-21)
Secondly, if you engage in sin, you become ashamed. There is a very important principle in Scripture and that is the principle of sowing and reaping. Galatians 6: 7 says, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. If you sow corn, you will reap the effect, which is corn. If you sow wheat, you will reap the effect, which is wheat. If you sow sin, you will reap the effect of sin, which is slavery and shame.
One horrible benefit of sin is that sin produces memories. This is a major problem for Christians. How do we deal with the memories of sin. You see, Satan uses those memories. He recalls those memories to tempt you and to condemn you. Many Christians suffer greatly because of sinful things that they have done and cannot change; things of which they are now ashamed.
Sins fill us with guilt and regret, and we say to ourselves, “Oh, if only I had done it differently. If only I could relive that moment. If only I could change that situation. How stupid could I have been?” We mentally kick ourselves for being so dumb as to do something like that. I’m sure we could all tell stories about things we have done that we regret to this day.
Sin produces memories, and many people are haunted by those memories. They are ashamed of what they have done. That shame does not easily go away. After a period of time, I believe, you can learn to live in Christ’s forgiveness for that sin, but you will always regret it. I have been forgiven for some things, and I know I stand forgiven. I know God does not remember those sins any more. The problem is that I remember them. And you will remember too. The shame of sin can destroy the quality of your life. That is why it is so important to avoid sin.
Dead, And Don’t Know It
Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:21b-23)
This is the sequel to sin. The sequel to sin is not “Sin II” but death. Eternal spiritual death is the wage of sin for those who refuse to come to Christ. But death, for the Christian, is that when we sin, we begin to die spiritually inside. That does not mean that at one point we are going to be thoroughly dead and lost again, but it means that sin affects us by making us dead on the inside to the things of God. Dead to love; dead to the joy of serving Christ; dead to spiritual things, spiritually insensitive and spiritually blind. Sin working in our lives has a devastating effect. It makes you a walking corpse as a Christian.
Whenever you make an unconditional surrender, it frees you up to be used of God, and to come into unhindered fellowship with Him. Then you enter into the joy of the Lord and you know the adventure of serving Jesus Christ. But, when you harbor sin, when you are unwilling to surrender, you begin to die slowly to the joy of Christ, to the adventure of serving Him, and begin to be among the walking dead.
Who wants to be limited? I want to be in the place where God can use me, don’t you? Remember, it is not so much your ability, but your availability that counts. That may be a worn out adage, but it is such a true one. It is not your gifts or talents; God has plenty of those to give freely. It is your availability to be used of God in His service. Do not sit out there and say, “Well I just do not have much to offer.” God has plenty to offer if you will simply offer yourself to Him. He will use you in many ways. He will use you in an eternal way to make a difference in the lives of people.
Now what are you going to do? You are free to choose. Who are you going to choose to serve? If you choose to serve sin, it becomes your master. Verse 14 says, For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. The grace of Christ frees us, but you must understand that our freedom is not unlimited freedom. It is freedom to serve a new Master, Jesus Christ. He told us in John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
But freedom does not exist outside of the freedom of the Son So, what shall we do? Continue in sin? God forbid! The message is strong because sin is serious. Sometimes we forget that it was sin that sent Jesus Christ to the Cross. God could deal with it in no other way. If you want to see God’s opinion of sin, look at the Cross. How much did God hate sin? He hated it enough that He endured sending His Son to the Cross to die. We should hate it also. We should hate it because He hates it. We should hate it because of what it does to us. We should reject it outright, and choose obedience to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ has set us free. Let us walk in that freedom. Let us walk in that liberty. Let us claim our inheritance as His sons and daughters, as children of the King, and walk with our heads held up high, because we no longer have to yield to the temptation to sin. We can choose to walk in the liberty that is rightfully ours in Christ.
God’s Word Keeps Things Simple
Saturday, June 21st, 2008God’s Word Keeps Things Simple. Allow me to sight a few examples.
First from the Old Testament
1) Exodus 15:26, “If only you will obey the Lord your God . . . ”
2) Deuteronomy26: 16, “This day the Lord your God commands you to keep these statutes . . . ”
3) Deuteronomy 28:58-61, “If you do not observe and fulfill all the law written down in this book, if you do not revere this honored and dreaded name . . . 59. Then the Lord will strike you and your descendants with unimaginable plagues, virulent and choric, and with lingering and severe sickness.”
Now the New Testament
4) 3 John11, “Dear friend, follow good examples, not bad ones. ”
5) Galatians 6:7, “Make no mistake: God is not to be fooled; everyone reaps what they sow.”
6) 1 Thess. 5:23, “May God . . . the God of peace, make you holy through and through, and keep you sound in spirit, soul and body . . . “
Informing Minds, Maturing Hearts
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
The word for “disciple” in the Greek is “mathêtês.” This word, as a noun, is used only in the Gospels and Acts. As a verb, the word “mathanô” means “to learn, to conform to.” Therefore, a disciple was a learner and follower – one who adheres to someone’s teaching or instruction (see, Mt. 5:1). In fact, it was a common first century designation given for students. We find that there were disciples of John the Baptist (Mt. 11:2), disciples of the Pharisees (Lk. 5:33), and disciples of Moses (Jn. 9:28). Accordingly, what does a disciple of Jesus look like? What are some characteristics of Jesus’ disciples?
First and most importantly, a true disciple of Jesus is one who believes the good news of the gospel (Acts 14:21). This involves believing Jesus for who he is (Jn. 1:41, 45, 49; 6:69).
Second, being a disciple means the devotion of our entire lives for our entire life. Jesus urges us to count the costs before becoming his disciple (Lk. 14:25-33), as well as all throughout our journey here on earth (Lk. 9:23). Of course, not everyone who calls themselves a disciple of Jesus is truly a disciple (Jn. 6:66). One can be closely associated with Jesus without becoming a true disciple of his (for example, Judas Iscariot). This makes sense when we consider that being a disciple is not entirely voluntary. One must first be called by Jesus to become a disciple of his (Mk. 1:17-20; 19:26; Jn. 6:70; 15:16).
Third, being a disciple in the early Church involved sacrificial service to others (Mt. 14:19-20; Jn. 13:14-17; Acts 6:2-3).
Fourth, Jesus’ disciples are part of an obedient community (Mt. 12:49-50; Acts 6:7). Just as marriage is a genuine expression of love, so too is obedience a genuine expression of discipleship.
And, fifth, disciples of Jesus share in the privilege of duplicating themselves (Mt. 28:19-20). Jesus commands his first disciples to continue the work he began in them.
Being a disciple of Jesus is not merely gaining knowledge, but integrating what is learned into our lives. We want not only to be informed of our Master’s life, but transformed by his life as well. Jesus says that a “student” (”mathêtês”) will not only learn from his teacher, but will be “like his teacher” (Lk. 6:40). This principle of being changed by what we learn comes out loud and clear in Phil. 4:9 where Paul encourages the Philippian believers to take what they have “learned” from him (a variation of the verb “mathanô”) and “put it into practice.” How exciting to know that we are pupils of the living God who personally trains us to be like him!
Business with an “End Game”
Saturday, May 31st, 2008The Scriptures say, “Without revelation (or vision) people cast off restraint.” (Proverbs 29:18.) Vision may be defined as “a perceived worthy result.” It is something far off or future in nature that draws us on toward it, an “end game.”
For Christians, our end game is, or should be, to hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant!” Truly there can be no higher or better result of our lives than to hear those words. When our eye is clear, and our “end game” clearly in mind, it, in and of itself “restrains” us. It helps us focus on what Stephen Covey calls “First Things” as in “Keep First Things First.” First things are those that feed those things most important to us and help us accomplish our vision. They are strategies and tactics that support us and help us remain focused amid the noise and distractions that the world, the flesh, and the devil throw in our path.
Our end game is eternal, not to be realized in this life, but in eternal life with our Lord Jesus. He will be our judge and our effectiveness will be judged by His standards alone. Without “restraint” or focus distraction will cause diffusion of our efforts and diminution of our fruitfulness. Loss of focus will ultimately result in our eternal loss. So, what’s your vision? Is your business a means to an end, and is that end eternal? What “restrains” you?