Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, . . . "You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." . . . Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26 - 38)
We serve a limitless God for whom nothing is impossible or too hard for Him. Nothing is beyond the realm of His knowledge or power. He is Almighty God. That’s the God of the Bible and that’s the God we see at work in the Christmas story.
No one was more involved in the Christmas story than Mary. Christmas is all about the birthday of the King. Joseph helped her; Elizabeth, the mother of John encouraged her; the shepherds worshipped her baby Boy; the wise men rewarded her. But the real work was on Mary!
The angelic messenger lays some pretty heavy stuff on such a young maid. What must she have thought? Including the fact that her senior citizen cousin Elizabeth was with child! What about Joseph? Will he think I’ve been unfaithful? What the town folks? How will they take it? I’m going to bring the “Son of God” into the world? How in the world is all this going to work (Luke 1:34)? Questions, questions, questions. Our Father knows our frames that we are but dust, so He does not get angry when we ask faith question.
Let’s move forward about 33 years. No where was Mary's faith tested more than at the cross. In John 19:25-27 we read about her grief. Jesus looked with eyes of compassion on Mary and knowing his mother’s grief called out her, “Women, behold thy son.” This was not a put-down, demeaning, or disrespectful. It was an expression of honor and love. Jesus never broke or even came close to breaking one commandment. God said “Honor thy father and mother” and Jesus was honoring his mother.
Think of the grief Mary was experiencing as she watched her little boy die. The prophet Simeon had told Mary that “A sword shall pierce through thy own soul.” As she stands at the foot of the cross, the sword of grief was buried to the hilt! The brow she sweetly caressed now bore a crown of thorns; the cheeks she so carefully kissed were now bleeding where the hairs had been plucked out and the hard hands of the Roman soldiers had struck him; the little eyes she had gazed into in wonderment on the first Christmas night were now blurred with blood, sweat, and tears; the hands she had washed before Jesus sat down to eat were now nailed with crude nails; the feet she had watched take those first teetering steps likewise are bleeding and nail pierced. The boy she had watched grow and mature; the Son she had seen do miracles; the Son she had heard preach powerful message was now the object of ridicule and shame. “Women behold thy Son!”
In John 19 Verse 27 Jesus gives the care of Mary to the Beloved Disciple. “Behold thy mother,” He says to John. Why? Joseph is dead. The other disciples are nowhere to be seen. Jesus' family were not believers. Ps. 69:8 reads, “I am become a stranger to unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.” John 7:5, speaking of Jesus' brother and sisters, says, “Neither did His brethren believe in Him.” So John took her to his home in Jerusalem. The gospels seem to imply that he did it right away. Perhaps, Jesus, knowing the anguish of her heart, did not want her to suffer any more. Oh what compassion; Oh boundless love! What a Savior! What a Savior! Mary believed the Lord, but it did not excuse her from pain and sorrow. When one takes Jesus as Savior it's not a silver bullet that forever exempts from pain. No. The way of the cross leads home.
Do you believe God? Are you trusting Him? Well, that’s how we begin the Christian life and that’s how we live it. Trusting God. Trust Him to save you and keep you saved. One of the marks of the people that God uses is faith. Mary believed God (Luke 1:38,45).
Who is Jesus? Isaiah, seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, wrote, “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” “A Child” speaks of the humanity of Jesus, and “a Son” refers to His Deity. God clothed in human flesh; Diety wrapped in humanity. Jesus Christ did not have His beginning in Bethlehem. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus). And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He who spoke the worlds into existence comes into the world He created as a babe! The baby boy nursing Mary’s breast in Luke’s gospel is the Creator Elohim in Genesis 1:1. God became flesh.
Think of Jesus' special relationship to his mother:
1. He picked his mother;
2. He picked the place she was to give birth to him;
3. He picked his own birthday;
4. He picked his own name;
5. Jesus was older than his mother and the same age as his Father.
Mary was a choice vessel from ages past. In Gen 3:15 she was “the seed of woman.” In Isaiah she was “the virgin who would conceive, and the “dry ground” from which a root would spring. She was the chosen instrument that every Godly Hebrew girl hoped she would be – the mother of the Messiah. Satan tried to destroy her line, disgrace her people, and silence the message, but greater is He that is us than he that is in the world. And “when the fullness of the time was come God sent forth His Son made of a woman.”
Mary is truly blessed among women!
May this Christmas Day night be filled with the presence and power of Jesus Christ, our soon returning Lord.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thanksgiving Calls For Thanks-living
“Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people" (Chr. 16:8).
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness" (Ps. 30:4).
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his holy name" (Ps. 100:4).
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ep. 5:20).
The Lord God who is seated upon the throne of all the universe commands His people to be thankful. Thankfulness doesn’t mean that we are laughing and giggling like some twit. You can be thankful with tears of sorrow coursing down your cheeks. You can be thankful in the midst of disappointment. You can be thankful in the face of personal crisis. When you are thankful you are in the will of God; when you are unthankful you are out of the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18 tells us, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Don’t tell me you can’t be thankful because God has said you can. Our Father never gives a command that he doesn’t also give the ability to carry it out. The story is told of John Gray, a preacher who never failed to thank God, no matter how bad things got. One Sunday he battled through wind and sleet to preach at a little village. The congregation was small. The people wonder what the preacher would could find to be thankful for. When it came time to pray, the preacher lifted his eyes toward heaven and said, “This is a wretched day, dear Lord, no doubt about it; but we thank Thee, Lord, that ever day isn’t as bad as this one!”
We are never more like Christ than when we are giving thanks to God, and we are never more like the lost world than when we are unthankful. Thankfulness rises from an obedient heart, while unthankfulness rises from a disobedient heart. The word “thank” in the Bible comes from the word eucharisteo (this is the word from which we get eucharist). The root word is charis. This is the word for "grace." Grace means we get something that we do not earn or deserve. We’ve heard people at the supper table asking someone to say grace. This is Scriptural. When you say thank you to God, you are saying I don’t deserve what I’m getting; you are saying thank you.
There was a man named Thomas at the second church I pastored in the 1990s. He was dying of Emphysema. He contracted the disease as a result of chemicals he was exposed to at his work site as a young man. He died a slow death by suffocation. I preached his funeral. At Thomas’ request they sang the Chris Kristofferson song “Why Me Lord.”
Why me Lord?
What have I ever done
To deserve even one
Of the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth lovin’ you
Or the kindness you’ve shown?
He lived in such agony and struggled for every breath, yet he truly experienced eucharisteo. His last testimony stuck with me through all these many years. I cannot remember for-the-life-of-me what text I read or what I said, but I remember the hymn of thankfulness that Thomas requested.
We should give thanks personally. The best way to show our thankfulness is “Thanks-living”. Terry W. York said it so well in his poem that has found its way into our hymnal.
Our life and its sustaining breath
And life that’s promised after death
Come from God our heavenly Father.
He gives us freedom from our fears;
Food, friends, and purpose thro’ the years.
All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.
A life of living thankfulness
Moves lifeless words to willingness;
Willingness to serve our Father.
That service, born of love, demands
Our hearts, our minds, our strength, our hands.
All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.
Our deepest love and highest praise
In both routine and festive days,
Sing of You, our heavenly Father.
Yet while our songs of praise arise
Deep in our hearts we realize
All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness" (Ps. 30:4).
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his holy name" (Ps. 100:4).
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ep. 5:20).
The Lord God who is seated upon the throne of all the universe commands His people to be thankful. Thankfulness doesn’t mean that we are laughing and giggling like some twit. You can be thankful with tears of sorrow coursing down your cheeks. You can be thankful in the midst of disappointment. You can be thankful in the face of personal crisis. When you are thankful you are in the will of God; when you are unthankful you are out of the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18 tells us, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Don’t tell me you can’t be thankful because God has said you can. Our Father never gives a command that he doesn’t also give the ability to carry it out. The story is told of John Gray, a preacher who never failed to thank God, no matter how bad things got. One Sunday he battled through wind and sleet to preach at a little village. The congregation was small. The people wonder what the preacher would could find to be thankful for. When it came time to pray, the preacher lifted his eyes toward heaven and said, “This is a wretched day, dear Lord, no doubt about it; but we thank Thee, Lord, that ever day isn’t as bad as this one!”
We are never more like Christ than when we are giving thanks to God, and we are never more like the lost world than when we are unthankful. Thankfulness rises from an obedient heart, while unthankfulness rises from a disobedient heart. The word “thank” in the Bible comes from the word eucharisteo (this is the word from which we get eucharist). The root word is charis. This is the word for "grace." Grace means we get something that we do not earn or deserve. We’ve heard people at the supper table asking someone to say grace. This is Scriptural. When you say thank you to God, you are saying I don’t deserve what I’m getting; you are saying thank you.
There was a man named Thomas at the second church I pastored in the 1990s. He was dying of Emphysema. He contracted the disease as a result of chemicals he was exposed to at his work site as a young man. He died a slow death by suffocation. I preached his funeral. At Thomas’ request they sang the Chris Kristofferson song “Why Me Lord.”
Why me Lord?
What have I ever done
To deserve even one
Of the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth lovin’ you
Or the kindness you’ve shown?
He lived in such agony and struggled for every breath, yet he truly experienced eucharisteo. His last testimony stuck with me through all these many years. I cannot remember for-the-life-of-me what text I read or what I said, but I remember the hymn of thankfulness that Thomas requested.
We should give thanks personally. The best way to show our thankfulness is “Thanks-living”. Terry W. York said it so well in his poem that has found its way into our hymnal.
Our life and its sustaining breath
And life that’s promised after death
Come from God our heavenly Father.
He gives us freedom from our fears;
Food, friends, and purpose thro’ the years.
All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.
A life of living thankfulness
Moves lifeless words to willingness;
Willingness to serve our Father.
That service, born of love, demands
Our hearts, our minds, our strength, our hands.
All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.
Our deepest love and highest praise
In both routine and festive days,
Sing of You, our heavenly Father.
Yet while our songs of praise arise
Deep in our hearts we realize
All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Story of Shep: Fort Benton's Famous Dog
(source:fortbenton.com)
During the summer of 1936 a sheepherder fell ill while tending his flock and was brought to the St. Clare Hospital in Fort Benton, Montana. A nondescript sheep dog had followed the herder into town and soon set up a vigil at the hospital's door. A kind hearted nun who ran the hospital kitchen fed the dog during those few days before the man died. The herder's family in the East requested that his body be sent back home. On that August day the undertaker put the body on the east-bound train for shipment to his waiting relatives. As the gurney was rolled out onto the platform, a big gaunt shepherd dog with watchful eyes appeared out of nowhere and watched as the casket was loaded into the baggage car. Attendants later recalled the dog whining as the door slammed shut and the engine slowly started to pull away from the station, then head down, turning and trotting down the tracks. On that day the dog, later named Shep, began a five-and-a-half year vigil that was only broken by his death.
Day after day, meeting four trains daily, Shep became a fixture on the platform. He eyed each passenger hopefully, and was often chased off as a mongrel but never completely discouraged. Neither the heat of summer days nor the bitter Montana winter days prevented Shep from meeting the next train. As Shep's fame spread, people came from everywhere to see him, to photograph him, and to try and make friends and possibly adopt him. All of the attention was somewhat unwelcome; after checking the train he often retired quickly to get away from those who came to see him.
Most people missed the point that Shep was a one-man dog. The bond he had formed with the herder many years before was simply the most important thing is his life. Food, shelter and attention were now provided by the railroad employees. That was all he wanted, except his master's return. Shep was an older dog when he came to the station house in Fort Benton. Throughout his vigil the long nights under the platform and the cold winter had taken their toll. Stiff-legged and hard of hearing, Shep failed to hear old 235 as it rolled into the station at 10:17 that cold winter morning. He turned to look when the engine was almost upon him, moved to get out of the way, and slipped on the icy rails. Shep's long vigil had ended.
Shep's funeral was held two days later. He was laid to rest on the bluff overlooking the station where his long wait had been in vain. The sights and sounds of the singing rails and the whistles around the bend are all gone now, also passing with time. No passenger trains pull into the station today, but Shep still maintains his lonely vigil atop the wind-swept bluff overlooking the abandoned depot. (internet source: fortbenton.com)
Our Lord’s return is imminent. In the light of this, we watch and wait. May we be found faithfully watching when He comes again. Second Timothy 4:8 reads, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Saved For A Purpose
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. (Luke 4:16-20)
Jesus fully understood His purpose. Above, Luke records Jesus reading from the scroll of Isaiah. The passage He read outlined the mission of the Messiah; Jesus is the Messiah of whom Isaiah prophesied.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father. Jesus’ purpose superseded everything else. All He did enhanced and feed into that purpose. If it didn’t help Him fulfill His purpose, then He did not waste His time with it. For example, He often escaped the crowds who wanted to crown Him as king and after performing healing miracles He told the peopled healed not to reveal who healed them; He did not cater to the whims of the fickle crowd even when it worked to His advantage to please the people. He intended to obey God and not man. Jesus came to die and be raised again; He had a date with destiny so-to-speak and He intended to keep that date!
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you were saved for a purpose. Are you living a purposeful life? Henry Blackaby wrote:
You cannot stay where you are and go with God. You cannot continue doing things your way and accomplish God’s purpose in His ways. Your thinking cannot come close to God’s thoughts. For you to do the will of God, you must adjust your life to Him, His purpose,and His ways.
It is the height of arrogance and nearly blasphemy for a person to come to Christ and look deeply into his life and study His heart and walk away saying “I’m close enough; I do not need top grow in Christlikeness.” To worship Jesus calls for a decision. Everyone who reads this devotion is making a decision. We are humbly moving toward Jesus or we are defiantly moving away.
Our father has a wonderful plan for your life. The question is, Are you actively pursuing God’s will or are you just sort of meandering along? Several years ago I wrote out my life purpose statement. I did this to clarify my thinking and to make sure I stayed on course. Here is what I wrote:
My life purpose statement: My greatest desire is to glorify God by loving Him completely, being a Godly father and husband, and living an authentic life so others may come to know Jesus Christ. My life verses: John 3:16 and Galatians 2:20.
Pray and write out your life purpose statement. Put it where you can see it and be daily reminded of why God saved you from an meaningless existence!
Jesus fully understood His purpose. Above, Luke records Jesus reading from the scroll of Isaiah. The passage He read outlined the mission of the Messiah; Jesus is the Messiah of whom Isaiah prophesied.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father. Jesus’ purpose superseded everything else. All He did enhanced and feed into that purpose. If it didn’t help Him fulfill His purpose, then He did not waste His time with it. For example, He often escaped the crowds who wanted to crown Him as king and after performing healing miracles He told the peopled healed not to reveal who healed them; He did not cater to the whims of the fickle crowd even when it worked to His advantage to please the people. He intended to obey God and not man. Jesus came to die and be raised again; He had a date with destiny so-to-speak and He intended to keep that date!
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you were saved for a purpose. Are you living a purposeful life? Henry Blackaby wrote:
You cannot stay where you are and go with God. You cannot continue doing things your way and accomplish God’s purpose in His ways. Your thinking cannot come close to God’s thoughts. For you to do the will of God, you must adjust your life to Him, His purpose,and His ways.
It is the height of arrogance and nearly blasphemy for a person to come to Christ and look deeply into his life and study His heart and walk away saying “I’m close enough; I do not need top grow in Christlikeness.” To worship Jesus calls for a decision. Everyone who reads this devotion is making a decision. We are humbly moving toward Jesus or we are defiantly moving away.
Our father has a wonderful plan for your life. The question is, Are you actively pursuing God’s will or are you just sort of meandering along? Several years ago I wrote out my life purpose statement. I did this to clarify my thinking and to make sure I stayed on course. Here is what I wrote:
My life purpose statement: My greatest desire is to glorify God by loving Him completely, being a Godly father and husband, and living an authentic life so others may come to know Jesus Christ. My life verses: John 3:16 and Galatians 2:20.
Pray and write out your life purpose statement. Put it where you can see it and be daily reminded of why God saved you from an meaningless existence!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Bad Things Turned To Good Things
“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).
Jesus told the disciples that in the world they would suffer tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. The Bible teaches that all who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Our Father purposefully ordains that His people suffer. He takes no delight in our suffering, but He receives glory through the things we faithfully endure for the sake of the gospel. The popular idea in Christianity in America runs counter to this truth. Some present the gospel in a way that leaves the impression that the gospel grants you a free pass from trouble and a ticket to prosperity. A popular television preacher often says, “God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.” The Bible does not teach this. He may bless us financially or He may not. The point is not whether I have plenty of money or not. Instead, we need to ask is Jesus Christ being exalted; is our Father being glorified?
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963), a preacher of an earlier generation, wrote: “Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in his name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comfort modern civilization affords. He calls them to self-abnegation and death; we call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac. He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers.” Tozer hit the nail on the head, so to speak. The Christian life is the greatest life one could ever hope to live, but don't think it's just one long party -- it's not.
I think the message of Philippians needs to be proclaimed in the day in which we live. Think about Paul’s situation. His God-given ministry is growing; multitudes are being swept into the kingdom by the power of the gospel; churches by the dozens are being planted. Then, while in Jerusalem taking a Jewish vow in the temple, he is seized and falsely accused of teaching contrary to the Law and polluting the temple by bringing in Greeks (Acts 21:27-28). This all came along with a heavy dose of misunderstanding and hearsay (Acts 21:29); these are Satan's favorite weapons.
We read about Paul's misfortunes and think this a tragedy, a terrible turn of events, or even a disaster. Communicating with Paul we might express these feelings, but Paul would quickly set aside any of these sentiments. He told the Philippians, “I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered” (The Message).
May our heavenly Father grant us this kind of heart and passion for His kingdom.
><><><><><><><><
I hope this encourages you to dive deeper, stay down longer, and come up stronger in our Father's Word. Seasons come and go, but the Word of God never changes. That's why I love to talk about it and get other people excited about reading and studying. Let me know what you think.
Jesus told the disciples that in the world they would suffer tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. The Bible teaches that all who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Our Father purposefully ordains that His people suffer. He takes no delight in our suffering, but He receives glory through the things we faithfully endure for the sake of the gospel. The popular idea in Christianity in America runs counter to this truth. Some present the gospel in a way that leaves the impression that the gospel grants you a free pass from trouble and a ticket to prosperity. A popular television preacher often says, “God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.” The Bible does not teach this. He may bless us financially or He may not. The point is not whether I have plenty of money or not. Instead, we need to ask is Jesus Christ being exalted; is our Father being glorified?
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963), a preacher of an earlier generation, wrote: “Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in his name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comfort modern civilization affords. He calls them to self-abnegation and death; we call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac. He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers.” Tozer hit the nail on the head, so to speak. The Christian life is the greatest life one could ever hope to live, but don't think it's just one long party -- it's not.
I think the message of Philippians needs to be proclaimed in the day in which we live. Think about Paul’s situation. His God-given ministry is growing; multitudes are being swept into the kingdom by the power of the gospel; churches by the dozens are being planted. Then, while in Jerusalem taking a Jewish vow in the temple, he is seized and falsely accused of teaching contrary to the Law and polluting the temple by bringing in Greeks (Acts 21:27-28). This all came along with a heavy dose of misunderstanding and hearsay (Acts 21:29); these are Satan's favorite weapons.
We read about Paul's misfortunes and think this a tragedy, a terrible turn of events, or even a disaster. Communicating with Paul we might express these feelings, but Paul would quickly set aside any of these sentiments. He told the Philippians, “I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered” (The Message).
May our heavenly Father grant us this kind of heart and passion for His kingdom.
><><><><><><><><
I hope this encourages you to dive deeper, stay down longer, and come up stronger in our Father's Word. Seasons come and go, but the Word of God never changes. That's why I love to talk about it and get other people excited about reading and studying. Let me know what you think.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What Is Water Baptism?
Acts 8:26 - 40 is a great description of the ordinance of baptism and the starting point for this study: Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27)So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28)was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29)Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30)So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31)And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32)The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33)In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34)So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35)Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36)Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37)Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38)So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39)Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40)But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
ÞFaith and repentance, not baptism, are essential for salvation:
Ephesians 2:8 - 10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9)not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10)For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Acts 20:20 - 21 tells us, "How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 3:27-28 makes it plain: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28)Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."
Romans 4:1 - 8 declares, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2)For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3)For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4)Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5)But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6)just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7) “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
ÞPaul was called to preach the gospel not to baptize. If baptism saved then Paul would make baptism a priority:
1 Corinthians 1:17 - 18 tells us, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18)For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
ÞJesus did not baptize anyone. Instead he went preaching, teaching and healing:
John 4:1 - 3 1Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3)He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
ÞAdults or those of the age of accountability are the only proper candidates for baptism. We do not baptize infants and very young children.
The water baptism of new converts in the Bible were all adults believers -- no children or infants:
At Pentecost-- three thousand were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41);
At Samaria-- many were baptized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12);
At Gaza-- the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:38);
At Damascus-- Paul was baptized by Ananias (Acts 9:18);
At Caesarea-- Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 10:48);
At Philippi-- Paul baptized Lydia and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:15, 33);
At Corinth-- Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14, 16);
At Ephesus-- Paul baptized some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:3-5).
Acts 2:41 reads, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
ÞBaptism is only by immersion: The Greek word baptizo means to immerse. Sprinkling, smearing or dabbing do not meet the Bible’s requirement for scriptural baptism.
ÞThe Lord’s church (ekklesia) is the only proper authority to perform baptism:
The commission is given to the church. Matthew 28:18 - 20 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
ÞWhy be baptized?1. Jesus commanded and commended it (Matthew 28:19). Matthew 3:15 “But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.” Note -- Jesus had no sins for which to be forgiven. If baptism washed away sin, then Jesus would not have submitted to it!
2. It is the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21).
3. When you are baptized you identify with the Lord’s church and His people.
4. Baptism, one of the two ordinances given to us by our Lord, pictures the gospel -- the death, burial and resurrection. The Gospel: "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
5. We declare through baptism that we died with Christ and rose with Him into newness of life. Romans 6:4 - 6 reads, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6)knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
ÞFaith and repentance, not baptism, are essential for salvation:
Ephesians 2:8 - 10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9)not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10)For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Acts 20:20 - 21 tells us, "How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 3:27-28 makes it plain: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28)Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."
Romans 4:1 - 8 declares, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2)For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3)For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4)Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5)But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6)just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7) “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
ÞPaul was called to preach the gospel not to baptize. If baptism saved then Paul would make baptism a priority:
1 Corinthians 1:17 - 18 tells us, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18)For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
ÞJesus did not baptize anyone. Instead he went preaching, teaching and healing:
John 4:1 - 3 1Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3)He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
ÞAdults or those of the age of accountability are the only proper candidates for baptism. We do not baptize infants and very young children.
The water baptism of new converts in the Bible were all adults believers -- no children or infants:
At Pentecost-- three thousand were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41);
At Samaria-- many were baptized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12);
At Gaza-- the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:38);
At Damascus-- Paul was baptized by Ananias (Acts 9:18);
At Caesarea-- Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 10:48);
At Philippi-- Paul baptized Lydia and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:15, 33);
At Corinth-- Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14, 16);
At Ephesus-- Paul baptized some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:3-5).
Acts 2:41 reads, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
ÞBaptism is only by immersion: The Greek word baptizo means to immerse. Sprinkling, smearing or dabbing do not meet the Bible’s requirement for scriptural baptism.
ÞThe Lord’s church (ekklesia) is the only proper authority to perform baptism:
The commission is given to the church. Matthew 28:18 - 20 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
ÞWhy be baptized?1. Jesus commanded and commended it (Matthew 28:19). Matthew 3:15 “But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.” Note -- Jesus had no sins for which to be forgiven. If baptism washed away sin, then Jesus would not have submitted to it!
2. It is the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21).
3. When you are baptized you identify with the Lord’s church and His people.
4. Baptism, one of the two ordinances given to us by our Lord, pictures the gospel -- the death, burial and resurrection. The Gospel: "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
5. We declare through baptism that we died with Christ and rose with Him into newness of life. Romans 6:4 - 6 reads, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6)knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Legend Of The Ants
Once, long ago, the world of the ants become dark and depraved. The Creator of the ants, looking down on their plight, devised a plan to rescue them. A notice went out to the world of mankind: “The ants need a rescuer. The one who would venture to rescue the ants must be born into the world of the ants. The rescuer must grow and mature as an ant. The rescuer’s food, living arrangements, social life and daily work must be as an ordinary ant. The rescuer must live within the limitations of the ants. In the end, the ants will reject, falsely accuse, torture and execute the rescuer. After accomplishing all this, the creator promises to reestablish the rescuer’s place in the world of mankind.”
When no one stepped forward, the Creator personally took on the task of rescuing the ants (this was His plan all along). After all this, many of the ants still rejected the Creator’s help. The analogy of the ants pictures God’s Only Begotten Son’s coming into the world, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.
Unsurprisingly, the analogy quickly brakes down. Fallen mankind plunged much further down and Holy God is eternally higher than the analogy of ants to men. The gulf that Jesus spanned to bring the Creator and the creation together stretched eternally in both directions. Still, Jesus accomplished for us what we could not accomplish for ourselves. He died that we might live. He rose again so that we might rise again at the last day. What a wonderful Rescuer!
"[Jesus] set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:7-8, The Message)
When no one stepped forward, the Creator personally took on the task of rescuing the ants (this was His plan all along). After all this, many of the ants still rejected the Creator’s help. The analogy of the ants pictures God’s Only Begotten Son’s coming into the world, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.
Unsurprisingly, the analogy quickly brakes down. Fallen mankind plunged much further down and Holy God is eternally higher than the analogy of ants to men. The gulf that Jesus spanned to bring the Creator and the creation together stretched eternally in both directions. Still, Jesus accomplished for us what we could not accomplish for ourselves. He died that we might live. He rose again so that we might rise again at the last day. What a wonderful Rescuer!
"[Jesus] set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:7-8, The Message)
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Seven Principles To Get Along With People:
In Philippians 4:2-3 we read about two Christian ladies who did not get along. In the work of the Lord, differences between people come up. Offenses will come and forgiveness must be swift and intentional. Forgiveness and reconciliation are a process. Living in unity takes God-filled people willing to set aside pettiness and childishness. Here are some Bible principles to help move in that direction:
1. The Bible commands us to forgive. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).
2. Remember our Lord’s example on the cross as He died for our sins. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us: “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Give the situation to the Lord.
3. We must be liberal in our forgiveness. Luke 17:4: "And if he [your brother] sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him."
4. Don’t keep a list in your mind of the things people do against you. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts “Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others” (1 Corinthians 13:5).
5. Psalm 141:3 is a great Bible prayer, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Resist the urge to talk about a person or a situation with others. Proverbs 10:12 reads, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
6. Be a peacemaker not a peace-taker. Unforgiveness and bitterness disrupts your worship. Matthew 5:23-24 teaches us, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
7. Jesus teaches us to “love [our] enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44 - 45a).
Capital Baptist Fellowship preaches forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ’s death and resurrection, so we must be forgiving toward one another and practicing reconciliation among our members!
~Parish Hartley
September 25, 2011
1. The Bible commands us to forgive. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).
2. Remember our Lord’s example on the cross as He died for our sins. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us: “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Give the situation to the Lord.
3. We must be liberal in our forgiveness. Luke 17:4: "And if he [your brother] sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him."
4. Don’t keep a list in your mind of the things people do against you. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts “Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others” (1 Corinthians 13:5).
5. Psalm 141:3 is a great Bible prayer, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Resist the urge to talk about a person or a situation with others. Proverbs 10:12 reads, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”
6. Be a peacemaker not a peace-taker. Unforgiveness and bitterness disrupts your worship. Matthew 5:23-24 teaches us, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
7. Jesus teaches us to “love [our] enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44 - 45a).
Capital Baptist Fellowship preaches forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ’s death and resurrection, so we must be forgiving toward one another and practicing reconciliation among our members!
~Parish Hartley
September 25, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Missions 101
TITLE: “The Object, Motivation, Product, Engine and Obstacle of Missions: Missiology 101”
THEME: Only a church with a proper understanding of the object, motivation, engine, product, and obstacle of missions can be a missions active church.
INTRODUCTION:
TAMING THE LION:
One of my favorite stories is about an old lion who went walking through the jungle one day and came up to a little rabbit, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And that little rabbit just trembled and said, “You are, O mighty lion.” The lion shook the dust off his mane, and he walked down and found a monkey, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And the little monkey said, “You are, O mighty lion! You are!” Then he walked up to a big bull elephant. He looked up at that elephant, and he said, “Rrrooar! Who is the king of the jungle?” That elephant looked down at the lion, wrapped his trunk around him a couple of times, slung him over his head, and threw him up against a tree. That lion hit the tree and slid down to the roots, looked up at the big bull elephant and said, “Well, just because you don’t know the answer, you don’t have to get sore about it.”
Let me ask you a question, Why are we so many churches struggling in the area of missions? We are struggling as a convention. Of all churches only about 5 percent will ever start a new church. Of all the members in these churches only a small percent ever commit in any meaningful way to the fulfilling of the commission. Of those who commit to get involved only a sprinkling of them ever go. Those who are excited by the Holy Spirit to get involved are thought to be overboard. Vance Havner said, “Christians today are so subnormal that should they become normal everyone would think of them as abnormal.”
TRANSITION:
How are we going to reach the world if we can’t reach our town? How can we begin a work in another state or country, when we a languishing here at home? The answer is, We cannot. The Word of God instructs how we ought think about missions so that we can live missions. Right thinking leads to right living!
OUTLINE:
I. The Glory of God Is the Object of Missions
A. The words “missions” and “missionary” never appear in the Bible. Both words come from the Latin word mittere which means “to send.” Still, the idea of missions appears on every page of the Bible.
B. The object of missions is to bring glory to God. The two primary words for glory are qadosh and doxa. These terms carry the idea of presence. When the the Lord is experienced in a way that causes people to be aware of His presence this is the “glory of the Lord.”
1. The glory of God was Jesus’ chief concern.
John 12:27-28 (NKJV) 27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
2. In turn,, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. John 16:14 “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
C. Everything we do ought to be guided by the golden truth of the glory of God:
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything, including missions, is primarily and ultimately centered in bringing glory to God.
2. Phil. 2:10-11 states that the confession that Jesus is Lord is to the glory of God the Father. The passage reads, “10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
D. Missions is all about spreading the knowledge of the one true God. But we often misrepresent Him. Think of His creation: Traveling at the speed of light, 186,282 miles per second, we pass the moon in two seconds. 8 ½ minutes later we pass the sun. The earth is 93 millions miles away. 5 hours later we leave our solar system. Light travels 5.87 trillion miles a year. After 4 years we pass the nearest star, Alpha Centuri. For 100,000 years we travel across our galaxy, the Milky Way. We travel another 1,500,000 years before reaching the Great Nebula. At this point, speaking astronomically, we are just traveling across country. At 4,500,000,000 years we travel outside what scientist can see into the vast unknown. God created, ex nihilo (from nothing, all this. It was no strain or fuse. He spoke and there it was!
In our galaxy there are about 100 billion stars. Our galaxy is one of about 1,000,000 within optical range. Isaiah wrote, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number, he calleth then all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong; not one faileth (or is missing)” (40:25-26).
E. Habakkuk saw a time when the mission enterprise would cease, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”(2:14). The reason we continue to push forward is fact that the glory of the Lord does not yet penetrate every particle of His creation!
II Love For Jesus Christ is the Motivation for Missions
A. The only legitimate reason for going and making disciples is love for Jesus Christ:
1. John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2. 2 Co. 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
B. Jesus Interview with Peter highlights this truth. The third time Jesus appears the disciple. Jesus has not said anything to Peter about his denial three times. After Jesus feeds the weary fishermen He turns to Peter and asks, “Do you love Me” (John 21: 15-17) Three times Jesus asks. Three times Peter tries to answer. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. He simple wanted Peter to say it.
1. You can plant a church and not love Jesus. You can give to a missions offering and not love Jesus. You can witness and not love Jesus. You can be a preach a message and not love Jesus. You can go on a mission trip and not love Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want to know if we preached for Him today, taught for Him today, sang for Him today, or witnessed for Him today. Jesus is asking “Do you love Me today?”
III Kingdom Growth Is the Product of Missions
A. The advance of the kingdom is part and parcel of the mission.
1. Jesus prayed “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the purest and most sublime of mission prayers.
2. During Jesus earthly ministry it was all about the Kingdom of God. Matthew 12:28 reads, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Mt. 12:28 Jesus is speaking of the power of the kingdom that drives out the powers of darkness. This world is Satan’s abode. He hates the worship of God and desires the glory for himself. Missions goes into the lions den and by the power of God drives Satan out!
3. Luke 17:20-21 (KJV) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” During Jesus ministry the foreshadowing of the kingdom was present in a special way. Now the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of god in human hearts. It is hidden and grows quietly. Mark 10:15 (KJV) “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” John 3:3 reads, “3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. David Brainerd, missionary to the Indians in New Jersey in the 1740s, died at age 29. In 1747, seven days before his death, he wrote, “Friday, October 2. My soul this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I long to be with Him that I might behold His glory . . . Oh that His kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify Him for what He is in Himself. . . .Oh, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.” Brainerd was possessed by a passion for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God.
5. But at the consummation of the mission enterprise the physical kingdom will be established! We’ll work until Jesus comes and rest afterwards. Why? When Jesus appears the glory of God will be universally acknowledged and the Kingdom will be universally visible.
IV Worship is the Engine of Missions
A. John Piper writes, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is ultimate, because God is ultimate, not man.” I agree. Worship and service are eternal. These two graces will be the chief occupations of heaven. Missions is temporary and will cease when the glory of God covers every part of the world! Worship fuels missions. Worship is more than the position of the body or your location. Worship has everything to do with the condition of you heart. The heart of worship is worship from the heart. Worship may be described as: Kissing toward God; Reverencing God; Extolling the greatness of God; Praising God for His Son; And rejoicing in God’s salvation. This becomes the substance of our message to the nations. Only a worshiping people can truly be a missionary people. We need to understand what we are doing in worship.
B. Worship moves the hand of God. Psalm 67:1-2, the first two verses of the great mission Psalm, reminds us of the importance of worship. Though the word “worship” does not appear in the text, obviously God only blesses those who worship.
1. God blesses those who worship: Abraham and Isaac worshiped of Mt. Moriah and Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure. Three Hebrew children worshiped and God gave them asbestos pajamas. Daniel worshiped and God shut the Lion’s mouth (they lost their appetite for preacher!). Paul and Silas worshiped and God shook the prison and then world. John worshiped and received the Revelation on the isle of Patmos. When we worship we are blessed that we might be a blessing TO ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD(Ps 67:3-6).
2. The world needs the healing touch of God’s grace. We are the salt of the earth. “We need to get the salt out of the shaker.” We are the peace makers. We are the ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. When we are not present then chaos, confusion, hurt and hatred will win the day.
V The Obstacle of Missions Is Disobedience
A. Andrew Murray put his finger on the problem in his day and ours when he wrote, “As we seek to find out why, with such millions of Christians, the real army of God the real army of God that is fighting the hosts of darkness is so small, the only answer is – lack of heart. The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is not enthusiasm for the King. . . . If there is no desire for soul-winning at home, how can the interest in the distant unevangelized be truly deep or spiritual?”
1. I want to build on this thought. If we don’t have a desire for the glory of God, why go some where else to help others seek it? If we don’t have a longing for true worship, why go some where else to help others worship? Why go around the world to see others fall in love with Jesus when our own love is cool? If we do not have a desire for the King or His kingdom, why go across geographical and social boundaries to cause others to bow before Him? Well, the answer is that we will not go to see in others what is not first of all in ourselves. We will not give to support nor pray for the unfinished task until our lives are consumed by the passion and life of Christ!
CONCLUSION:
God is not short handed. Yet he is always, in ever generation placing his hands on those who will respond to His call to join him in the task of filling the world with His worship and glory. Will you join Him? Will you say yes to the Lord? The needs are great, the laborers few, the time limited, but by God’s grace and power we will do all we can while can for as many as we can.
One of my favorite stories comes from the life of John C. Paton. An older Christian complained about his going as a missionary to the South Sea Islands by saying, “You’ll be eaten by cannibals.”
Paton responded, “Mr. Dickson you’ll soon be laid in the grave and be eaten by worms. If I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference whether I’m eaten by Cannibals or worms; In the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen redeemer.” As I think about Patton’s answer, I pray, Lord, increase his tribe!
THEME: Only a church with a proper understanding of the object, motivation, engine, product, and obstacle of missions can be a missions active church.
INTRODUCTION:
TAMING THE LION:
One of my favorite stories is about an old lion who went walking through the jungle one day and came up to a little rabbit, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And that little rabbit just trembled and said, “You are, O mighty lion.” The lion shook the dust off his mane, and he walked down and found a monkey, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And the little monkey said, “You are, O mighty lion! You are!” Then he walked up to a big bull elephant. He looked up at that elephant, and he said, “Rrrooar! Who is the king of the jungle?” That elephant looked down at the lion, wrapped his trunk around him a couple of times, slung him over his head, and threw him up against a tree. That lion hit the tree and slid down to the roots, looked up at the big bull elephant and said, “Well, just because you don’t know the answer, you don’t have to get sore about it.”
Let me ask you a question, Why are we so many churches struggling in the area of missions? We are struggling as a convention. Of all churches only about 5 percent will ever start a new church. Of all the members in these churches only a small percent ever commit in any meaningful way to the fulfilling of the commission. Of those who commit to get involved only a sprinkling of them ever go. Those who are excited by the Holy Spirit to get involved are thought to be overboard. Vance Havner said, “Christians today are so subnormal that should they become normal everyone would think of them as abnormal.”
TRANSITION:
How are we going to reach the world if we can’t reach our town? How can we begin a work in another state or country, when we a languishing here at home? The answer is, We cannot. The Word of God instructs how we ought think about missions so that we can live missions. Right thinking leads to right living!
OUTLINE:
I. The Glory of God Is the Object of Missions
A. The words “missions” and “missionary” never appear in the Bible. Both words come from the Latin word mittere which means “to send.” Still, the idea of missions appears on every page of the Bible.
B. The object of missions is to bring glory to God. The two primary words for glory are qadosh and doxa. These terms carry the idea of presence. When the the Lord is experienced in a way that causes people to be aware of His presence this is the “glory of the Lord.”
1. The glory of God was Jesus’ chief concern.
John 12:27-28 (NKJV) 27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
2. In turn,, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. John 16:14 “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
C. Everything we do ought to be guided by the golden truth of the glory of God:
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything, including missions, is primarily and ultimately centered in bringing glory to God.
2. Phil. 2:10-11 states that the confession that Jesus is Lord is to the glory of God the Father. The passage reads, “10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
D. Missions is all about spreading the knowledge of the one true God. But we often misrepresent Him. Think of His creation: Traveling at the speed of light, 186,282 miles per second, we pass the moon in two seconds. 8 ½ minutes later we pass the sun. The earth is 93 millions miles away. 5 hours later we leave our solar system. Light travels 5.87 trillion miles a year. After 4 years we pass the nearest star, Alpha Centuri. For 100,000 years we travel across our galaxy, the Milky Way. We travel another 1,500,000 years before reaching the Great Nebula. At this point, speaking astronomically, we are just traveling across country. At 4,500,000,000 years we travel outside what scientist can see into the vast unknown. God created, ex nihilo (from nothing, all this. It was no strain or fuse. He spoke and there it was!
In our galaxy there are about 100 billion stars. Our galaxy is one of about 1,000,000 within optical range. Isaiah wrote, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number, he calleth then all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong; not one faileth (or is missing)” (40:25-26).
E. Habakkuk saw a time when the mission enterprise would cease, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”(2:14). The reason we continue to push forward is fact that the glory of the Lord does not yet penetrate every particle of His creation!
II Love For Jesus Christ is the Motivation for Missions
A. The only legitimate reason for going and making disciples is love for Jesus Christ:
1. John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2. 2 Co. 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
B. Jesus Interview with Peter highlights this truth. The third time Jesus appears the disciple. Jesus has not said anything to Peter about his denial three times. After Jesus feeds the weary fishermen He turns to Peter and asks, “Do you love Me” (John 21: 15-17) Three times Jesus asks. Three times Peter tries to answer. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. He simple wanted Peter to say it.
1. You can plant a church and not love Jesus. You can give to a missions offering and not love Jesus. You can witness and not love Jesus. You can be a preach a message and not love Jesus. You can go on a mission trip and not love Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want to know if we preached for Him today, taught for Him today, sang for Him today, or witnessed for Him today. Jesus is asking “Do you love Me today?”
III Kingdom Growth Is the Product of Missions
A. The advance of the kingdom is part and parcel of the mission.
1. Jesus prayed “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the purest and most sublime of mission prayers.
2. During Jesus earthly ministry it was all about the Kingdom of God. Matthew 12:28 reads, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Mt. 12:28 Jesus is speaking of the power of the kingdom that drives out the powers of darkness. This world is Satan’s abode. He hates the worship of God and desires the glory for himself. Missions goes into the lions den and by the power of God drives Satan out!
3. Luke 17:20-21 (KJV) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” During Jesus ministry the foreshadowing of the kingdom was present in a special way. Now the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of god in human hearts. It is hidden and grows quietly. Mark 10:15 (KJV) “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” John 3:3 reads, “3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. David Brainerd, missionary to the Indians in New Jersey in the 1740s, died at age 29. In 1747, seven days before his death, he wrote, “Friday, October 2. My soul this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I long to be with Him that I might behold His glory . . . Oh that His kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify Him for what He is in Himself. . . .Oh, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.” Brainerd was possessed by a passion for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God.
5. But at the consummation of the mission enterprise the physical kingdom will be established! We’ll work until Jesus comes and rest afterwards. Why? When Jesus appears the glory of God will be universally acknowledged and the Kingdom will be universally visible.
IV Worship is the Engine of Missions
A. John Piper writes, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is ultimate, because God is ultimate, not man.” I agree. Worship and service are eternal. These two graces will be the chief occupations of heaven. Missions is temporary and will cease when the glory of God covers every part of the world! Worship fuels missions. Worship is more than the position of the body or your location. Worship has everything to do with the condition of you heart. The heart of worship is worship from the heart. Worship may be described as: Kissing toward God; Reverencing God; Extolling the greatness of God; Praising God for His Son; And rejoicing in God’s salvation. This becomes the substance of our message to the nations. Only a worshiping people can truly be a missionary people. We need to understand what we are doing in worship.
B. Worship moves the hand of God. Psalm 67:1-2, the first two verses of the great mission Psalm, reminds us of the importance of worship. Though the word “worship” does not appear in the text, obviously God only blesses those who worship.
1. God blesses those who worship: Abraham and Isaac worshiped of Mt. Moriah and Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure. Three Hebrew children worshiped and God gave them asbestos pajamas. Daniel worshiped and God shut the Lion’s mouth (they lost their appetite for preacher!). Paul and Silas worshiped and God shook the prison and then world. John worshiped and received the Revelation on the isle of Patmos. When we worship we are blessed that we might be a blessing TO ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD(Ps 67:3-6).
2. The world needs the healing touch of God’s grace. We are the salt of the earth. “We need to get the salt out of the shaker.” We are the peace makers. We are the ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. When we are not present then chaos, confusion, hurt and hatred will win the day.
V The Obstacle of Missions Is Disobedience
A. Andrew Murray put his finger on the problem in his day and ours when he wrote, “As we seek to find out why, with such millions of Christians, the real army of God the real army of God that is fighting the hosts of darkness is so small, the only answer is – lack of heart. The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is not enthusiasm for the King. . . . If there is no desire for soul-winning at home, how can the interest in the distant unevangelized be truly deep or spiritual?”
1. I want to build on this thought. If we don’t have a desire for the glory of God, why go some where else to help others seek it? If we don’t have a longing for true worship, why go some where else to help others worship? Why go around the world to see others fall in love with Jesus when our own love is cool? If we do not have a desire for the King or His kingdom, why go across geographical and social boundaries to cause others to bow before Him? Well, the answer is that we will not go to see in others what is not first of all in ourselves. We will not give to support nor pray for the unfinished task until our lives are consumed by the passion and life of Christ!
CONCLUSION:
God is not short handed. Yet he is always, in ever generation placing his hands on those who will respond to His call to join him in the task of filling the world with His worship and glory. Will you join Him? Will you say yes to the Lord? The needs are great, the laborers few, the time limited, but by God’s grace and power we will do all we can while can for as many as we can.
One of my favorite stories comes from the life of John C. Paton. An older Christian complained about his going as a missionary to the South Sea Islands by saying, “You’ll be eaten by cannibals.”
Paton responded, “Mr. Dickson you’ll soon be laid in the grave and be eaten by worms. If I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference whether I’m eaten by Cannibals or worms; In the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen redeemer.” As I think about Patton’s answer, I pray, Lord, increase his tribe!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The Story of William Carey
"Shoemaker by trade, but scholar, linguist and missionary by God's training," William Carey was one of God's giants in the history of evangelism and missions! His story profoundly influenced me as a young college student and pastor. Someone wrote of Carey, "Taking his life as a whole, it is not too much to say that he was the greatest and most versatile Christian missionary sent out in modern times."
Born in a small thatched cottage in Northamptonshire, England in August 17, 1761, his family made a living as weaver's. In 1781 he married and shortly afterwards joined the particular Baptists in Olney in his quest for more spiritual truth. Two years later he moved to Moulton to become a schoolmaster — and a year later he became pastor of the small Baptist congregation there. In Moulton he heard God’s call to be a missionary. In his own words he cried, "My attention to missions was first awakened after I was at Moulton, by reading the Last Voyage of Captain Cook." To many, Cook's journal was a thrilling story of adventure, but to Carey it was a revelation of human need!
The more he read and studied, the more convinced he was "the peoples of the world need Christ." He read, he made notes, he made a great leather globe of the world and, one day, in the quietness of his cobbler's shop — not in some enthusiastic missionary conference — Carey heard the call: "If it be the duty of all men to believe the Gospel ... then it be the duty of those who are entrusted with the Gospel to endeavor to make it known among all nations." And Carey sobbed out, "Here am I; send me!"
There were no missionary societies and there was no real missionary zeal among the particular Baptists. When Carey propounded this subject for discussion at a ministers' meeting, "Whether the command given to the apostles to teach all nations was not obligatory on all succeeding ministers to the end of the world, seeing that the accompanying promise was of equal extent." Dr. Ryland shouted, "Young man, sit down: when God pleases to covert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine." He met with a cool reception to say the least!
But Carey persisted. He later said of his ministry, "I can plod!" And he was a man who "always resolutely determined never to give up on any point or particle of anything on which his mind was set until he had arrived at a clear knowledge of his subject."
Carey prayed, pled, plodded, persisted and preached. He said, “Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.“ And he preached — especially his epoch-producing message, "EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD. ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD." October 2, 1792 he told an assembly of pastors that he would go down the well if they‘d hold the rope. From this assembly the Particular Baptist Mission Society formed and Carey became the first missionary sent out.
It was in 1793 that Carey went to India. At first his wife was reluctant to go — so Carey set off to go nevertheless, but after two returns from the docks to persuade her again, Dorothy and his children accompanied him. There were years of discouragement (not one Indian convert for seven years), debt, disease, depression after the death of their 5 year old son, Peter, his dear wife, under the strain, became mentally unstable and remained so until her death, December 8, 1807. Still, Carey continued and conquered for Christ!
Did he ever see success? All that he suffered; all he endured; did our Father honor his faithfulness? Yes! When he died at 73 (1834), he had seen the Scriptures translated and printed into forty languages, he had been a college professor, and had founded a college at Serampore. He had seen India open its doors to missionaries, he had seen the edict passed prohibiting sati (burning widows on the funeral pyres of their dead husbands), but still he had seen only a few converts for Christ. As a result of Carey steadfastness, thousands of missionaries followed him to the mission fields of the world. Today Carey is know as the father of modern missions.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Paradoxical Commandments
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
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