Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Rev. Dale Henneman
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Rev. Dale Henneman was the guest speaker while Pastor Les was on vacation. His message can be heard by following the instructions above.
Forgiveness: God's Remedy for Guilt
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This is a sermon that attempts to give biblical and practical insights regarding the subject of forgiveness.
Written Excerpts:
Psalm 32:1 “Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
Isaiah 43:24b-25 “...you have burdened Me with your sins, you have
wearied Me with your iniquities. I, even I, am He who blots out your
transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
Jeremiah 31:33-34 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Introduction:
The
Scripture that was read earlier in the service (Matthew 18:21-35), recounted
the story that Jesus told to illustrate the principle of forgiveness.
In
the account, there were two different cases of forgiveness (or lack of it). (1)
The forgiveness offered by the lord to his servant; (2) the forgiveness
withheld by the servant toward another servant.
As
we see illustrated in this story, forgiveness is something that we all hope to
received, but sometimes we’re not so eager to offer.
I
understand that last Sunday, Pastor Dale Henneman told a story or two about me!
So, I suppose I’m going to have to forgive him before I go on with this
sermon!! J
I
trust that the Lord will help us understand more about this blessing of
forgiveness, and that we will receive help for the struggles that some of us
may be dealing with today.
Are
you carrying a load of guilt and remorse or anger over some of your sins of the
past? Have there been actions in the past (either committed by you or committed
against you) that always weigh you down? Do they seem to influence all your
actions and reactions? Do they cause you to lose heart and lose hope?
I’ve
got good news for you today. God has a remedy. It’s called forgiveness.
I
want to take a little while this morning to discuss the nature of forgiveness
and how it relates to our spiritual relationships with God and our fellowman.
I. The Fundamentals of Forgiveness
II. The Foundation of Forgiveness.
III. The Fruits of Forgiveness.
I.
The Fundamentals of Forgiveness
A. Forgiveness is NOT…
In
describing some of the fundamental qualities of forgiveness, I want to start
off by explaining what forgiveness “isn’t.”
1. Forgiveness is not forgetting.
There are some passages in the Bible which declare
that God will not remember our sins and iniquities. So if forgetting past
offenses is possible by anyone, it would only be God, not us. (cf. Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 10:16-17)
However,
even with God, I’m not positive that the verses really teach that God cannot
recall our offenses any longer, once their forgiven. It may simply be a way of
saying that He will no longer hold them against our record or account.
In
any case, the Bible is clear about the fact that God doesn’t just say, “Oh
well, everybody messes up. We’ll just forget that ever happened.”
No,
the only reason God can forgive and “forget” is because He created a specific
plan for dealing with all our offenses, which we will talk about a little
later.
When
we speak of forgiveness between people, we definitely acknowledge that
forgiveness does not mean a person must somehow get to the point where the
offense has been forgotten, and if it’s not forgotten, then it must not be
forgiven.
True
forgiveness and the healing it produces simply means that when we do remember what
happened and the hurt we experienced, we do so without feeling anger, revenge
and bitterness.
2. Forgiveness is not excusing.
Some
people will try to rationalize away their pain by attempting to make up excuses
for the offender. They did it because….
If
the behavior can be excused, then forgiveness is unnecessary. If there really is a justifiable reason for
the behavior then forgiveness is not needed.
In
relation to the forgiveness offered by God for our sins, we affirm that He does
not excuse them. They cost the blood of His Son, so sin cannot be excused, but
God can forgive.
3. Forgiveness is not ignoring.
This
is somewhat related to the previous points. But we’re talking about minimizing
the situation; pretending it didn’t really happen or it didn’t really matter.
No
where in the Bible are we taught that God ignores sin. God did exactly what we
must do – face it and deal with it.
4. Forgiving is not the same as
trusting.
I
think I can support from the Bible the idea that even though God offers
forgiveness immediately, He may still require us to go through various
situations to prove ourselves faithful to Him.
Not
long ago I used a passage of Scripture in my sermon that would apply to this
point. (Judges 2:21-22 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations
which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may
test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as
their fathers kept them, or not.")
This doesn’t mean that God hadn’t forgiven them, it
just means that there may still be some consequences. In this case, the people
of Israel
The
same is true between people who have been offended and hurt. Forgiveness is a
gift that cannot be earned, but trust is something that must be earned,
especially when we’re talking about significant
levels of trust.
If
you have seriously offended someone, don’t be surprised that they don’t trust
you yet, even though you have sought and received their forgiveness.
If
someone else has seriously offended you, don’t put yourself through a guilt
trip just because you don’t feel you can trust them yet.
However,
having said that, anyone that has truly forgiven, ought to be willing to start
rebuilding trust. That ought to be the ultimate goal of forgiveness and
healing, but it is a process.
B. What Forgiveness Is
1. When we speak about the forgiveness offered by God, it is very close
to the biblical concept of justification – the wiping clear of our record of
offenses.
(Not
using justification in the way it is often used regarding personal behavior,
i.e. making justifications or excuses for conduct.)
No,
we are speaking in legal terms much like the term “expunge” that is used today
to refer to one’s criminal record being wiped clean. When God forgives us, He
justifies us and eliminates our record of sins.
2. In regards to interpersonal relationships, True forgiveness is letting
go of my hatred (bitterness,
revenge), my right to retaliate, and my right to hang on to the emotional consequences
of the hurt.
I
give up the claim I feel I have on the one who hurts me. I consider the account to be balanced
or the score even. I relinquish
whatever I felt I could justifiably hold over the other person.
In
reality, for a Christian, it means releasing them to God and trusting Him to
handle everything about them from now on. If God decides to bring consequences
upon them or not is entirely His business and I’m okay with it.
True
forgiveness involves relinquishing the emotional consequences of the hurt. Recurring waves of pain and anger may remind
me that healing is not yet complete, but they are not to be savored in
self-pity. Rather, they are to be
released to God in faith that He will bring more healing.
II.
The Foundation of Forgiveness.
A.
Forgiveness is founded in the nature of God.
The
underlying implication in the very first account of sin in the Bible is that
God is a forgiving God. When Adam and Eve sinned we don’t read about God coming
down and wiping them off the face of the earth and starting over with someone
else. No, the Bible tells us that God had a plan from before the foundation of
the world to provide for the forgiveness and redemption of sinners. (1 Peter
1:18-20)
Because
of His love, grace and mercy, God offers pardon and forgiveness to everyone who
trusts in Jesus. That is God’s very nature. He is not willing for any to perish
(suffer judgment) but wants all to come to repentance and experience His
forgiveness.
B.
Forgiveness is founded in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews tells us “…without
shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb. 9:22)
Jesus
Himself told his disciples in the upper room at the Last Supper, “This is my
blood of the New Testament (Covenant) which is shed for many for the remission
of sins.” (Matt. 26:28)
This
is what I was referring to earlier when I said that God doesn’t just tell us
He’s going to forget about our sins and act as if they never happened.
No,
the only reason God can forgive and forget is because the sin and the offenses
have been atoned for through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus
gave up His life and His blood so that our forgiveness could be “purchased.”
God
doesn’t say, “Oh just forget about it. It doesn’t really matter.” No, He simply
assures us that the awesome penalty for our sin has already been satisfied in
the death of Jesus and because of His death, we can be forgiven. The Debt has
been paid! Hallelujah!
III.
The Fruits of Forgiveness.
The
fruit of forgiveness is the simple fact that guilt and condemnation is removed.
Peace is offered and received. Healing and wholeness replaces pain and
devastation.
We
read in 1 John 1:9 that forgiveness is available when we confess our sin.
Ps.
32:5 “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said,
“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the iniquity of
my sin.”
In
Matt. 18, The servant who was forgiven such a huge debt by his lord received a
huge benefit that he could never earn. He ought to have shown that same grace
to his fellow servant, but he didn’t.
Receiving forgiveness from God
or from others is a great relief from a terrible weight of guilt and
condemnation.
However, it is often much
more difficult to forgive myself or to offer forgiveness to others.
But, forgiveness is the only
route to healing.
Conclusion:
A number of years ago, someone put up a poster
at the treatment center where I used to work. The poster simply read:
“Forgiveness: Giving Up All Hope for a Better
Past”
When we go against God’s will and break His
commandments, we find ourselves under a heavy burden of guilt and condemnation.
We experience feelings of regret and remorse. We wish we could go back and undo
the past and make different choices.
However, no matter how earnest our desires and
wishes, there is no way to undo the past. There is no way to go back and
reverse the choices and the consequences.
The only logical thing to do is throw ourselves
on the mercy of God, admit our guilt and seek His forgiveness. We give up all
hope for a different past or a better past, and we allow God to wipe the slate
clean and help us find a better future.
When we deeply offend someone else or when we
are deeply injured and offended by
someone else, there is no way to go back and undo what has been done. The past
is gone and it can never be better than it is.
Forgiveness is the only option. It is the
logical response when we’ve reached the point where we’ve given up all hope for
a better past.
I may be speaking to people
here today that are burdened down with guilt and remorse over sins and
disobedience against God. God promises everyone forgiveness if we will come to
Him and confess our need and put our trust in Him.
I may be speaking to people
who been deeply injured and scarred by the senseless (and in some cases, evil)
conduct of another person. The pain and sorrow has nearly driven you to
despair.
God has a remedy for all of
that. It is forgiveness. Letting it go and letting Him deal with it. Releasing
my control and my revenge to God’s healing and grace.
Worth Fighting For
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This message has a patriotic theme as it was given during July 4th weekend. It highlights principles of faith that are worth fighting for and even dying for.
Written Excerpts:
I wanted to use this week’s
sermon to speak about a topic related to the Independence
I thought I would introduce the sermon by sharing a few quotes from
leaders of the past. I think you will find these interesting and appropriate
for our consideration. This first one speaks specifically about freedom and
liberty.
Is life so dear or peace so
sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,
Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me
liberty, or give me death!
(Patrick Henry) http://www.brainyquote.com
The latter part of that quote is probably familiar to most of us. These
words of Patrick Henry illustrate the sentiments of many of the patriots in the
early history of our country. They truly believed that dying free was far
better than living in slavery and tyranny. Those people clearly felt that there
was something worth dying for.
This quote by Patrick Henry and others like it are especially
appropriate in connection to the celebration of our nation’s Independence
I found a few other quotes that I think are certainly relevant for our
modern situation in America
The greatness of America
A patriot must always be
ready to defend his country against his government. (Edward Abbey, Author) www.brainyquote.com
The highest patriotism is not
a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough
to call her to a higher plain.
(George McGovern) www.brainyquote.com
As you probably remember, George McGovern was a liberal candidate for
president of the US
Finally, I want to share some quotes that relate to the matters of
faith, morality and God. Yes, freedom and liberty are invaluable, but there is
something else that is just as valuable and certainly “worth dying for” as
well.
I tremble for my country when
I hear of confidence expressed in me. I know too well my weakness, that our
only hope is in God. (Robert E.
Lee – www.brainyquote.com)
Patriotism consists not in
waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as
strong. (James Bryce, English
Diplomat – www.brainyquote.com)
He who is void of virtuous attachments
in private life, is, or very soon will be void of all regard for his country.
There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country, who had
not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private connections. (Samuel Adams: Letter to James Warren,
November 4, 1775, www.foundingfatherquotes.com)
Without morals a republic
cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the
Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures
to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals,
the best security for the duration of free governments. (Charles Carroll: Unknown,
www.foundingfatherquotes.com)
We have staked the whole
future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We
have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of
each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the
Ten Commandments. (James Madison: Unknown,
www.foundingfatherquotes .com)
… he is the best friend to
American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting true and
undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear
down profanity and immorality of every kind. (John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration of Independence ,
Clergyman and President of Princeton University --Sermon at Princeton University
"It cannot be emphasized
too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by
religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus
Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum,
prosperity, and freedom of worship here." (Patrick Henry, Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution --The Trumpet Voice of Freedom:
Patrick Henry of Virginia
We have no government armed
with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and
religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest
cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was
made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other. (John
Adams: Address
to the Military, October 11, 1798, www.foundingfatherquotes.com)
"God who gave us life
gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we
have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people
that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated
but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is
just; that His justice cannot sleep forever…." (Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of
Independence --Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.
http://christianity.about.com/od/independenceday/a/foundingfathers.htm)
I have taken up considerable time to share these quotes from various
leaders in the early years of our nation, but I felt that they were well worth
sharing.
I hope that we can see more clearly that many of these patriots who
willingly laid down their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, held
religious and moral convictions that provided the foundation for their
opposition to the tyranny and injustices they confronted. Their commitment was
not simply to freedom alone, but to freedom as understood and defined by the
moral standards revealed in the Word of God.
They obviously felt that there were some things that were worth dying
for! Or, to put it another way, some things aren’t worth living for.
So, today I would like to use these ideas to transition to a
challenging passage of Scripture in the Gospels.
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus had just engaged in a conversation with his
disciples concerning his true identity. Peter boldly declares that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of the Living God, for which he was highly commended by the
Lord.
Then in verse 21, Jesus begins to tell them more plainly and openly
than ever before how that He must go to Jerusalem
Peter, the man who had just been highly commended for his confession of
faith about Jesus, begins to rebuke the Lord. The things that Jesus just
revealed did not fit in with Peter’s idea of Messiah.
But Jesus knew that His death and the atonement by His blood was
absolutely essential for the salvation of the world. So, He rebukes Peter and
tells him that he is not being mindful of the things of God, but only the
things of man.
In other words, Peter’s concept of Savior, Messiah, and salvation were
all tainted with human ambition, not divine motivation.
According to Matthew’s account, Jesus immediately begins to teach His
disciples more thoroughly about the cost of discipleship. If He was going to
give up His life, then they would be expected to lay their lives on the line as
well.
I. Discipleship requires a new
behaviors.
(William MacDonald, Believer's
Bible Commentary) To deny self is not the same as
self-denial; it means to yield to [Christ’s] control so completely that self
has no rights whatever. To take up the cross means the
willingness to endure shame, suffering, and perhaps martyrdom for His sake; to
die to sin, self, and the world. To follow Him means to live as He lived
with all that involves of humility, poverty, compassion, love, grace, and every
other godly virtue.
(Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament)
Mark
8:34 - Let him deny himself. The word is aparneomai. … it means
"to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's interests."
The [tense of the] verb … speak[s] of entrance into a new state or condition.
It is "Let him at once begin to lose sight of himself and his own
interests." Take up his cross.
The cross was the instrument of death. Here it speaks of death to self. Follow
Me. The word "follow" is akoloutheō "to take the same road
as another does." It is used with the associative instrumental case. It
is, "Let him follow with Me." The idea is not that of following
behind another, but that of accompanying the other person, taking the same road
that he takes and fellowshipping with him along that road. The first two
imperatives are aorist, giving a summary command to be obeyed at once. The
"coming after" and the "taking up" are to be obeyed at once
and are to be a once-for-all act. That is, these acts are to be looked upon as
a permanent attitude and practice of life… The word "follow" however,
is in the present imperative, which commands the doing of an action and its
habitual, moment by moment continuance.
II. Discipleship produces new
principles.
Saving one’s life, means losing it.
Losing one’s life means saving it.
To live, one must die.
III. Discipleship reveals
eternal values.
What profit in gaining all earthly wealth, but losing eternal soul?
Conclusion:
Jesus clearly believed that you and I were worth dying for! Do we feel
the same about Him?
Do we feel the same about His Word and His commands?
Do we believe that principles based upon the Word of God are worthy
fighting for and doing what we can to not only preserve them, but to promote
them and propagate them as well?
I find myself repeatedly coming across articles and stories that reveal
just how little I have been willing to risk for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am sure that some of you have been aware of a Christian pastor who is
also an American citizen that is in prison in Iran American Center
This pastor is only one example. I’m sure that many of you have also
heard reports in the news lately about the woman who was sentenced to die in Sudan Sudan
Most, if not all, of the patriots who played important roles in the
early establishment of our nation were men and women who sincerely believed
that there were universal and timeless principles that were worth dying for.
Freedom and liberty were values that they considered so valuable. But a
significant portion of those patriots also believed that God’s Word, the Ten
Commandments, and moral principles were essential to the establishment of true
liberty in this nation. They were willing to give up their lives to make
religious liberty a gift that every American would share.
The question that challenges my own heart this morning is this: “Do I
hold any moral and spiritual values so dear that I am willing to give up my
life for them?” “Do I especially consider my faith in Jesus and allegiance to His will
so important that I am willing to give my life?”
When the Going Gets Tough
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This is a sermon based on various Scriptures that speak about trial and testing that Christians are sometimes called to endure.
Introduction:
I want to introduce my subject today first before we look at some
Scriptures. What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “When the going gets
tough?” The tough get
going. I didn’t know who was credited with coming up with that phrase, but a
couple of different websites gave credit to Joseph Kennedy, the father of
President Kennedy.
The expression refers to the fact that you can tell which people have
strong character, because when life gets hard and they are confronted with
extreme difficulties, they don’t give up and cave in, but they rise to the
challenges and come through with courage and victory.
When we witness this kind of character in others we admire them and
hold them in esteem in our minds and hearts. The question naturally arises, “How did they get to be so tough?”
Well, there obviously was something deep within them that tends to
accept challenges rather than run from them. (Perhaps it was a personality
trait they were born with.)
But, in addition to that, they acquired some of the toughness by going
through tough experiences that prepared them for more trouble ahead.
Every person that has ever lived has discovered sooner or later that
life is not always easy. Some have discovered that it is almost never easy.
We’ve all learned that there are physical challenges, intellectual challenges,
spiritual challenges, etc. The question is how are we going to respond when the going gets tough?
I felt drawn to this subject because of several interesting passages of
Scripture that apply to this issue.
I want to refer to several different passages of scripture today to
express and explain what God’s Word says about the tests we face in life.
1. Many Scripture references
like James 1 teach us that tests and trials are a normal part of life; even for
a Christian.
James 1:2-3 (NKJV) 2 My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience.
I have preached from this text before, but let me just say this much.
James is telling us that this life is full of trials, temptations,
disadvantages and challenges. He does not say, “IF” we meet up with trials, but “WHEN” we do.
It is impossible to escape them, so what are we going to do about them?
Well, James says that the appropriate response is to look at them as a reason
for joy.
What??? Why would we rejoice over tests and trials? Because we know
what it will do for us if we successfully overcome them. We will get stronger.
We will become better. We will improve in endurance and patience.
2. Some Scriptures reveal that
there are people who follow the Lord only because of the benefits they hope to receive.
John 6:26 (NKJV) 26 Jesus
answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because
you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
This verse appears in a narrative about Jesus leaving one area where
the crowds of people had been and went to
His observation about them indicates that some people really are not
interested in the significance of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, but
they’re only interested in what Jesus can do for them to make their life better
or easier.
Some people are not interested in being a disciple and learning to
exemplify the character of Christ. They merely want enough religion to ensure
that God will answer their prayers and get them through the rough times of
life.
They only want enough of God to satisfy their earthly and physical
desires while they’re here on earth and then take them to heaven where everything
will be peace and pleasure forever.
But, I believe the Bible teaches us that God is not so nearly
interested in making our lives comfortable. I believe He is much more concerned with helping us develop His
character and mimic His love and grace to a world that is lost.
3. Some Scriptures teach us
that God allows tests to come to us for the specific purpose of revealing how
much we really want Him.
There are several examples in the Bible, but let me share just two.
Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (NKJV) 11 "Beware that
you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His
judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest--when
you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in
them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks
multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have
is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget
the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible
wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land
where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16
who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not
know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in
the end-- 17 then you say in your heart, 'My power and the
might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' 18 And you shall
remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get
wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it
is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means
forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship
them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As
the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because
you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.
Judges 2:20-22 (NKJV) 20 Then the anger of
the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, "Because this nation has
transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My
voice, 21 I
also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left
when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel,
whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers
kept them, or not."
In these two passages of Scripture, it is as though God is saying to
His people, “I provided peace, prosperity and blessings for you, but rather
than honor Me and serve Me with gratitude, you have forsaken Me and deserted
Me. So now I will take away the benefits and blessings in order to test you and
reveal whether you really want Me or not.”
I’m afraid that the Christian churches here in
I believe God is ready to tell His people in America
I know that many people don’t really like to think about it or talk
about it, but I am more convinced than ever that the “storm” is about to come.
The testing is about to begin.
4. How can a person stand
through the test?
When the testing comes, there is only one thing that will matter. When
the blessings we have enjoyed in this life have been taken away, we will be
forced to recognize that only eternal values matter. Bank accounts won’t matter. Reputation won’t matter. Material
possessions won’t matter.
The only thing that will truly matter is a personal vibrant faith in
God and a knowledge deep within our hearts that no matter what happens in the
world around us, we belong to God and we trust in Him to get us through.
There is a verse in Daniel that I have used before in a sermon, but it
is appropriate for our consideration here.
Daniel 11:32 (NKJV) 32 Those
who do wickedly against the covenant [the willful king] shall corrupt with
flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great
exploits.
According to this passage, it is the people who truly know God that
will be able to remain strong and stand firm in the midst of severe tests. It is only the people who truly know God that will be able to carry on
the work of God and the work of faith in spite of great opposition.
The song writer wrote these words, “When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.”
Someone else once wrote, “When I got to the place where God was all
that I had, I discovered that He was all I needed.”
I felt led to bring this truth today, because I believe that the day is
coming when many of us will discover in a new way, just how important our faith
is, and how important our Christian family is. We will learn that the only way we will be able to cope with the
darkness and despair around us is because we believe the Word of God and we
know that Jesus already has won the victory and He is going to win the final
victory over all evil. Without that confidence and knowledge we will crumble in doubt, defeat
and despair.
Conclusion:
I want to simply say that the signs are all around us and the
stage is set for some huge global changes, and we are getting nearer to the
coming of our Lord just by the passing of time. Some people interpret that to mean that Jesus is going to come and
rescue us out of this world so we won’t have to endure any of this pending
trouble, but I’m not so sure.
Just like God tested Israel ,
and just as God has permitted many other countries to go through the fires of
testing, I believe God may very well allow America
Or, are we just “following him for the loaves that he feeds us?”
Thursday, June 19, 2014
My Dad Is the Best
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This is a message given on Father's Day and it is based on Proverbs 17:6b.
Written Excerpts:
Proverbs 17:6 (KJV) Children's children are the crown of old
men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Proverbs 17:6 (HCSB) Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is
their fathers.
Psalm 112:1 (KJV) Praise
ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that
delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Introduction:
Three boys were talking together about what their father's did for a
living, and tried to outdo each other about how much money their fathers make.
The first boy began by saying that his Dad wrote a few words on a piece
of paper, sent them away and received $50 for them and they called it a poem.
The second boy, not to be outdone, said that his Dad wrote a few pages
of words, sent them away and received $200 and they called it a story.
The last boy was full of himself and said that his Dad wrote several
pages of words, read them out loud on Sunday morning, called it a sermon and it
took 6 people to go round and collect all the money.
Three boys were heading home from school one day when one started the
time-honored game of paternal one-upmanship. He said, "My dad's way faster
than any of yours, he can throw a 90-mph fast ball from the pitcher's mound and
run and catch it just after it crosses the plate!"
One of the other boys said,
"Oh yeah? Well, my dad can shoot an arrow from his bow and run to the
target and hold it up to make sure the arrow hits the bulls eye!"
The last boy said, "Your
dads don't even come close to being faster than mine. My dad works for the
government, and even though he works every day until 4:00 he gets home at
3:30!"
These are stories that show the typical competition kids can get into
sometimes in trying to prove that their father is better, stronger, or greater
than all the others. The passage of scripture that I want to focus on for a few moments
today gives me the same impression.
Prov. 17:6b “… the pride of sons is their fathers.”
As I meditated on this phrase, I asked myself the question, “What are
the qualities necessary in a father to cause his son (daughter) to be proud?”
Certainly there are a number of worldly and temporal qualities that
many children and youth admire in their fathers. There are many awards and
rewards that men can receive that truly make their children proud of them.
However, I came to the conclusion that the qualities that really matter
are those qualities that God desires in a man; those qualities that God says
that He will honor and praise; the qualities that God will reward, whether the
world does or not.
I started looking for scriptures that speak about men who receive honor
or praise from God. I found a few interesting passages that I believe provide
some excellent insight and instruction for all fathers who desire to be the
pride and glory of their children.
1. Children can be proud of
the dad that honors God.
1 Samuel 2:30 (NKJV) Therefore
the LORD God of Israel
Context: A prophet came to Eli the priest and told him that God was
rejecting his family from being priests because of the terrible sins of his
sons.
Honor = value, obey (in context here), etc. The same word used in the 5th
Commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother.”
That literally means, to make heavy, i.e. to increase their influence.
There are so many other things that clamor for the attention and
devotion of all people, including fathers. It is so important for a father to
have the purpose to honor God in all that he does. If so, the scripture says that God will also honor him, and a man that
God honors is certainly a man whose children will be proud of.
2. Children can be proud of
the dad that maintains an intimate relationship with God.
Psalm 91:15 (KJV) He
shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Who is this person that God promises to answer, accompany, deliver and
honor? It is the one who “dwells in the secret place of the Most High.”
The man who lives in an intimate relationship with God will experience
the blessings of God. It doesn’t mean that everything will be “smooth sailing”
and that life will be easy, but it does mean God will protect him and deliver
him. But it also says God will “honor him.” A man that God chooses to honor
is a man whose children can be proud of.
3. Children can be proud of
the dad who serves God.
John 12:26 (NKJV) If
anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be
also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Context: Jesus has announced that it is time for the Son of Man to be
glorified. He has talked about self-sacrifice and “losing one’s life to save
it; need for a grain of wheat to fall into the ground and die…”
We are living in a culture that has become so accustomed to the
consumer mentality that many people are only interested in God or the church if
they can be guaranteed that their wants and desires will be satisfied.
We are programmed by our culture to only invest in those activities and
efforts that will bring a good return back to us. “What’s in it for me?”
A life of self-sacrifice and committed service to God is the kind of
life that God will honor. It is also the kind of life that will cause children to be proud when
they witness it in their fathers.
4. Children can be proud of
the dad whose inward spirit and character matches his outward lifestyle.
Romans 2:29 (NKJV) but
he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from
men but from God.
(William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary) Those who
combine the outward sign and the inward grace receive God's praise, if not
man's… A real Jew is one whose character is such as
to receive praise from God.
Far too many people present one kind of attitude while they are in
church, but a totally different attitude when they’re at home or on the job.
They can be very pious and spiritual in church, but not so much at home or at
work.
Paul was talking about people whose outward conformity was not matched
by an inner spirit of compliance and humility toward God.
People who manage to put on a
good show of spirituality will receive the praise (and admiration) of men, but
only the man that has a heart of humility and a heart of love for God will
receive the praise from God.
This kind of man is one that a
child will be proud to call, “Dad.”
Conclusion:
I want to challenge all of the
men and especially the fathers here today to purpose in our hearts to be the
kind of men that God will honor and praise.
As long as God is pleased with
us and offers His praise, it doesn’t matter who else does.
Let’s close the service today by
singing the chorus: “The Family of God”
The Precious Blood of Christ
(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen now online, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)
This is a message based on 1 Peter 1:19 and it was the sermon used for a communion service.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
In just a little while we will be commemorating the sacrifice of our
Lord for our salvation by sharing the elements of communion.
So, with the Lord’s help, I would like to draw your attention to the
phrase found in verse 19 – “the precious blood of Christ.”
(Wuest's Word Studies –
Volume 2) The Greek word "precious"
has a two-fold meaning, "costly" in the sense of value [such as
precious ointment Mary used for Jesus], and "highly esteemed or held in
honor."
I have come up with five reasons that the blood of Christ is so
precious.
1. It is divine. (Acts 20:28; Heb. 9:14)
Acts 20:28 (NKJV) Therefore take heed to
yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church
of God
Hebrews 9:14 (NKJV) how much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to
God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
(Wuest) The blood of Christ is costly, essentially
and intrinsically precious because it is God's blood, for Deity became
incarnate in humanity. For that reason it is highly honored by God the Father.
The order of the words in the Greek text is beautiful.
In the Greek NT, the word Christ
is found at the end of the verse, which is unusual, so it is probably meant to place
emphasis on who’s blood we’re talking about here.
What a contrast to the pagan
deities that were so familiar to the people of that day and culture. Deities
who were so unpredictable and vindictive, that people lived in fear all the
time that the gods would pour out retribution and judgment upon them.
But here, the God of creation,
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is offering Himself as a sacrifice for
humanity rather than sacrificing humanity for Himself.
2. It is pure. (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 22:20; James 1:27)
The comparison being made here
by Peter is with the Passover and sacrificial lambs that were used in the OT. No
lamb could be offered up to God if it had any noticeable or observable defects.
In fact, in the case of the
Passover, the lambs had to be chosen days before the actual slaughter so they
had time to observe it to see if there were any defects.
We’ve already mentioned that the
blood is precious because it was divine (i.e. God’s own blood). The reason why
it needed to be His blood, was because the Law required a sacrifice that was
pure.
There was no human being on the
planet that was good enough or pure enough to be a fit offering for the sins of
humanity.
I want to also point out the
reference in James 1:27. James tells his readers that pure religion is to care
for the fatherless and widows and to keep one’s self unspotted from the world.
That means, untainted, or unpolluted.
If we apply this to Christ, He
is the perfect example of one who was in the world, but He never became tainted
and polluted by the world.
3. It is permanent.
Money (silver and gold) is “corruptible,” i.e. it is related to the
ideas of decay; that which is perishable.
Peter’s words here seem to highlight the fact that, as a general rule,
people tend to place less importance and value on things that are prone to
perish and decay.
The more permanent things are, the more value we place on them. And,
the blood of Jesus is more valuable than even the two things we humans tend to
esteem with the most value.
It is interesting that he chooses to compare silver and gold, which
most of us would consider to be the most enduring precious metals we know of in
this world.
Yet, he reminds us that those are still earthly, material, and
therefore temporary. See verse 7 earlier in this 1st chapter.
1 Peter 1:7 (NKJV) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious
than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to
praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ
Even gold that has been tested (purified) by fire, is less precious
than faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Why? It must surely be due to the
fact that faith and salvation are eternal and permanent. Gold is only
temporary.
4. It is effective. (Heb. 10:4)
Hebrews 10:4 (NKJV) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could
take away sins.
One of the main points of the book of Hebrews is to show us that all of
the sacrifices required in the OT system were merely symbolic of the only truly
effective sacrifice – the blood of Christ.
The temporary system served its purpose, but we are told that they
really had no ability to take away sins.
The context in chapter 10 emphasizes the fact that rather than take
away the sins, the sacrifices served as a frequent reminder of
their sins. It is only the blood of Jesus that can take away sins.
“What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
5. It is voluntary. (Heb. 9:14)
If we look back again to Heb. 9:14 again for just a moment, I want to
point out the obvious point that Jesus offered His own blood. There are other
references in Hebrews that emphasize the same point.
This is not a story about some criminal that was bound and executed
against his own will and without his consent.
No, we are speaking about the loving, merciful and gracious Son of God;
the Savior of the world, willingly and knowingly laying down His life so
sinners like you and me could be redeemed and saved from the wrath of God.
Conclusion:
Today we are sharing the
elements of the Lord’s Supper to be reminded once again of how precious His
sacrifice really is for us.
Let’s take our hymnals and sing
the first two verses of # 330, “Are You Washed in the Blood?”
A Glorious Church
(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)
This is a message that was given on the Sunday in which we conducted our annual membership meeting and it was intended to serve as a sort of state of the church address.
Written Excerpts:
Eph. 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Introduction:
I want to begin today by very briefly commenting on the verse of
scripture upon which the title of this message is based.
The context for v. 27 is vv. 25-26 Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of
water by the word
Christ loved the church so He gave Himself for the church.
Christ gave Himself for the church so He could sanctify and cleanse the
church.
Christ sanctifies and cleanses the church so He could present to
Himself a glorious church.
What is a glorious church? One that reflects the glory of God. It
reflects all the magnificent and spectacular qualities of perfection found in
the Triune God.
Is it completely spotless and without blemish now? No. Is it a finished
product now? No. But it will be one of these days, and no, He isn’t waiting
until we all get through this life to do all that He wants to do with the
church. He is currently doing significant things with His church today. The
cleansing may not be finished, but it is already happening.
As we have announced at the beginning of today’s service, we will be
dismissing earlier than usual in order to allow time for our annual membership
meeting.
Therefore, I wanted to use the sermon time this morning to do a type of
“State of the Church” message, which will accomplish a couple of purposes.
1. It will shorten our Annual Mtg. a little, since this will replace a
portion of my “Pastor’s Report” that I normally give.
2. It will allow me to share things with the whole church that usually
only gets presented to a dozen or two people.
Going to pretty much read my message to conserve time.
First of all, let me reemphasize a foundational concept that we’ve
talked about before, but probably needs to be repeatedly reviewed.
Church is not a building, and it is not programs, whether those
programs be worship services, dinners, Sunday schools, youth meetings, etc.,
etc.
Church is not denominations or associations or organizations.
Church is not something we do on Sunday mornings for an hour and a
half, so we can feel like we’ve done our duty to God, and now we can get on
with the really important things and fun things in life that we really care
about.
The Church is all people who have been saved from the wrath of God;
washed in the blood of Jesus; forgiven for their self-willed transgressions
against God; and filled with the Spirit to live out His purposes in all aspects
of everyday life.
That is about the quickest way I know to define the word “church.”
In a previous mini series of messages a few years ago, I presented a
three-fold mission of the church that I believe is taught in the Bible. What I
want to do for a little while today is review those three aspects of our
mission as a church and try to evaluate how I think we’re doing.
I. The Upward Mission
Ephesians 1:12 (NKJV) that we who first
trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) Therefore,
whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
One of the ways that we try to
bring glory to God is through our worship services.
Earlier I said that worship
services do not = church, but worship is one of the things that the church
does. I don’t know what you think, but I believe that we have a strong sense of
worshiping God
most of the time when we gather
on Sunday mornings (although there are obviously some exceptions, to the extent
that any of us allow our minds to be distracted from our focus on God and we
become focused on lesser things).
But this is only a part of our worship
– i.e. corporate worship, which is vital, it is necessary and it is the norm
for Christians in the NT. It is us realizing that He is the focus not us.
However, personal worship is
also taught in scripture and is equally important. Since it is personal, there
is no way I can accurately assess it, but I fear that there are those in our
congregation who have fallen victim to the philosophy I expressed earlier,
i.e., church (or worship) is what we do for 1 ½ hours on Sunday morning, so we
can say we’ve fulfilled that obligation and now we can go about our own
business the rest of the week.
You have to ask yourself the
question, “How much do I worship God in my personal, daily life?”
One thing I know for sure is
this: the more that people worship Him on a daily basis in their personal
lives, the more vitality we will experience in our corporate worship.
I heard this thought expressed many
times: “It’s wonderful that so many people take the time to come to a worship
service to get their spiritual tanks refilled each week, but how much more
wonderful it would be if those same people came to the worship service with
their spiritual tanks already full with the presence of God, so that it just
spills out all over when we all get together!”
I know that sometimes it’s
normal and necessary for people to come to church hoping and expecting the
service, or the pastor to give me something today that will lift me up and help
get me through another week, and that’s okay, for we all experience those
seasons.
But how glorious it would be if
people came to the church worship service bubbling over with the joy of the
Lord because of His nearness to them all week, and they’re not seeking for an
uplift, they’re just seeking for a suitable way to vent their joy and gratitude
for all God has done during this week.
What about our church life,
personally and corporately, are we truly bringing glory to God, or are we
exalting ourselves?
II. The Inward Mission
This aspect of the church’s
mission focuses on our responsibilities to each other in the body of Christ.
This includes:
·
Demonstrating love and tender compassion
·
Mutual support for all of life’s adversities
·
Prayer for one another and encouraging one
another
·
Teaching, instruction and disciple-making
·
Getting together in groups or one-on-one to
study, to pray, to bond in fellowship, etc.
How are we doing?
By my observations, I’d say we
do a fairly good job of encouraging one another, supporting one another and
praying for one another.
Many people have expressed their
appreciation to me for how the church body has responded to them with cards,
phone calls and prayers in their times of need.
I’m happy to say that this is
normally the case even among the newer members of the congregation as well as
those who’ve been a part of this body for years.
I have been especially pleased
to know that there are a handful of individuals and couples who take the time
to even visit those who are sick and in need (they obviously don’t think that
the Pastor is the only one who can/should do it). However, I might add, most of
these folks are in the retirement age bracket. I hope some of the younger folks
will catch the vision for this kind of ministry as well.
There’s always room for
improvement, but I think we make a great effort in mutually supporting and
encouraging one another.
One area that I think we could
use some improvement is in the area of teaching, instruction and
disciple-making.
We have a great foundation and
we are making some progress, but I think we’ve only scratched the surface.
Bob Corner, Dick Thompson and
Marilyn Hollabaugh study hard and prepare SS lessons that dig into the Word of
God. I hear frequent compliments of the adult class.
Kris and Heather are doing a
splendid job with the junior church and they are teaching Bible knowledge to
these kids that most of them aren’t getting anywhere else. Many of the children
are not getting very much spiritual teaching at home.
I want to commend Becky Sterner
for her passion for working with youth. She’s had help from time-to-time from
Sara Giesler and from Chris Cochoff. Becky is doing a good job, and I hope that
teaching ministry will blossom and develop.
We have recently seen the
development of a ladies Bible study being held weekly, which seems to be
generating some significant interest and enthusiasm among those who are
attending. This is exciting and I hope it will continue.
In spite of all these things
that are happening, I think there are a couple areas of need: (1) Men’s
discipleship training; (2) Prayer meetings.
I am hoping that God will lay it
on the heart of one or two men to start up a study/prayer/ accountability group
for men and that it will catch fire among the men of our church. Men, God has given
us the responsibility of spiritual leadership in our families, and it is
absolutely impossible for us to give them something that we don’t have
ourselves.
Prayer: Just about every year in
our annual meeting I stress the fact that I’m disappointed with the low
attendance in our weekly prayer meetings.
Maybe Wednesday evenings are not
good for your schedule. If that’s true, then by all means get together with a
small group some other time during the week to pray.
God’s Word tells us that our two
strongest weapons in the spiritual warfare against Satan and the evil of the
world are: His Word and prayer.
Prayer is not asking God to
bless us and make things work out all nice and rosy for us, so that our life is
easier. Prayer is doing spiritual battle with the enemy of our souls and the
enemy of our Lord and the destroyer of our culture, and its seeking the power
of heaven to overcome the power of this world. Prayer is the act of imploring
God to let His Kingdom come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven;
for His Kingdom of light to overrule the kingdom of darkness.
III. The Outward
This aspect of the church’s
mission involves anything that is done for the purpose of reaching out to those
who are outside the church, i.e. do not know Jesus Christ as their personal
Savior and are not attempting to order their lives according to His purposes.
This involves both local and
international outreach. Once again I remind us this morning that being a
disciple of Jesus and being a part of His church is not about us, but it’s all
about Him and His agenda. And the Bible is very clear that God’s agenda is to
save the lost, wherever they are. To the extent we lose that focus, is the
extent that we have forsaken the plan and agenda of Jesus Christ.
One aspect of outreach I have
referred to as pre-evangelism,
because there are times when we must demonstrate compassion and concern for
people before we can ever hope to interest them in a God they do not know and
consequently do not trust. Sometimes we need to gain their trust before
they will trust our God, whom they’ve never truly known.
Pre-evangelism takes different
forms, but includes things like giving assistance with physical needs,
responding to disasters, or any number of ways of showing compassion.
Evangelism, on the other hand, actually involves leading people to
the point of surrender to Christ and giving Him the control over their lives
after confessing and repenting of their sins, and seeking His forgiveness.
We do a fair job, I think, in
trying to show people that we care about them by helping out in times of need
and disaster. Yes, we could do better, but it’s always a challenge to know the
difference between giving someone a hand up, versus perpetuating a situation
that is self-defeating.
We need lots of help in the area
of evangelizing the lost. I feel condemnation a lot myself for not leading more
people to Christ.
I certainly want to do better,
and I want to help you lead people to Christ, as well.
We are recently making an effort
in one area, i.e. cooperation in Celebrate Recovery ministry, although I’ve
been disappointed about the lack of response from our congregation to help out
in this effort. I hope we will catch the vision.
We are also planning for some
additional efforts to reach out to the youth, but the plans are still in
“infancy” stage.
Conclusion:
In spite of the difficulties in accurately
measuring spiritual life, I would like to say that I find reasons to be
encouraged with our congregation. There seems to be a number of people within
the church who show signs of seeking after more of God’s presence in their
lives and who appear to be striving to obey the Lord in their conduct and
attitudes.
However, as the pastor and the one who is charged with
the responsibility of leading our church into a deeper understanding of
biblical faith and practical godliness, I am always hoping and praying for even
greater commitment to God and His priorities in our church and in our families.
It will always be the devil’s purpose, and consequently a serious danger, for
all of us to cool off spiritually and become complacent about the practice of
righteousness and godliness in everyday life. Therefore, we must always seek to
have God revive a fervent passion within us to be all He wants us to be.
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