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Living above the Circumstances Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 17:1-10; Mark 7:14-23; Colossians 3:23-25
Have you ever wished to inherit a fortune from a rich uncle you never knew who suddenly died and left you all his wealth? I have a close friend who really did have a rich uncle who lived on the other side of the country and had so much money he invested some of it for each of his relatives. Each Christmas he would send them a check for the amount of earnings it made that year. Sometimes it would amount to thousands of dollars. How often have we dreamed about what we would do with a large inheritance? Our dreams about wealth and inheritances may be symptoms of why we live “under” the circumstances instead of “above them.”
Israel had someone greater than a rich uncle who was far away. The God of creation had called them to be his covenant people and gave them an inheritance of land “flowing with milk and honey,” a metaphor for all that was good and satisfied. It represented true wealth in an agrarian culture. The only stipulation was that they obey God. If they walked in his ways there would be blessings on their children, their work, their finances; they would have peace. On the other hand, if they did not observe the Lord’s commands, they would be cursed: the land unproductive; there would be confusion, plagues, epidemics, rape, debt, and fear; foreigners would own and control their land, and they would be defeated by their enemies.
Israel was a very wealthy nation. She had followed God and received His blessings, but something happened. The people began to take for granted God’s blessings and did what seemed right in their own eyes. They pushed God out of their daily lives and credited their wealth and their military prowess to their own ingenuity and strength. Jeremiah reminds them of the covenant they had with God, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD (NIV).’” This would include trusting in yourself. I’d say that being cursed is definitely living “under” the circumstances. Here we encounter the role of the heart. Recall that the biblical view of the heart is the place where we think, understand, create and desire, and the place where decisions are made, and the will is established to follow one course of action and not another. The Israelites had turned their hearts away from God and pursued other gods such as placing Asherah poles above their fields to ensure fertility. They were greedy for wealth and things, but true wealth eluded them. They had placed their trust in themselves, in their wisdom, and in their strength. In their hearts wealth became their primary goal and is what brought the curse. They were about to lose their land, their inheritance. (In the next verse the Lord illustrates what this might look like.)
People whose hearts place their trust in the things of this world are like “scrub bushes” trying to grow in the dessert. The word literally means “stripped” or “destitute.” It struggles just to stay alive. The dryness of the desert is highlighted in the next line for they are described as a “land of salt without inhabitants.” Nothing can grow there. (Think how thirsty you get when you eat a well salted meal or snack like Chinese food or pop corn, you crave water for hours afterwards; only in the desert there is no water.) The Israelites were dried up and could not recognize true prosperity that comes from God. Their hearts prevented them from realizing genuine wealth. They were living “under” the circumstances. But God always offers hope.
Verse 7 says, “Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.” It is stated twice. This repetition is telling Israel that trusting in the Lord is the ultimate and only way to receive his blessings. Trusting in someone or something is to rely on or to place your confidence in that person or thing. We all trust in something. When we drive down the road, we exercise trust that the drivers of the oncoming cars will stay on their side of the yellow line. Shouldn’t we have greater trust in God? His steadfast love upholds us and his promises never fail. When Israel decided in their hearts to put their trust in the Lord, they had rest, peace, and security. All who trust in the Lord will be like a tree planted by the water whose roots extend to the stream and its leaves are always full, lush, and green. The stream in a desert land is a symbol of divine help for God’s people. “A tree planted by the water” would be for us like “the American dream of your ideal home, a car in every bay of a multiple car garage,” a computer with high speed internet access, a cell phone, an I-pod, and a Play Station 3 for every person. The tree is an image of God’s provision, abundance, and salvation for the person whose heart is set on God’s ways, whose heart trusts in God.
The first way to trust in God is to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus is God’s way of salvation for all people. He lived the perfect life that you or I never could. He paid the price for our sins, for your sins, with his death on the cross. God raised him from the dead, and he sits at his father’s right hand, the place of power and influence, and he pleads on your behalf. If you have never placed your trust in him you are like this dried up bush that exists in a desert and never realizes true prosperity. You are living “under” the circumstances.
Maybe you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you are filled with fear and worry -- fear of cancer, heart disease, or Alzheimers, fear of not having insurance, fear of losing a job or seeking a better one, fear of not being popular, fear of failing the next test or fear of not having enough money. Maybe you are a constant worrier. You might even boast that it is “in your genetic makeup” to worry. You inherited it honestly. Trust in God means you really believe God is still on the throne and still in control. When you believe this as Jesus did, there is little room for fear and worry. This passage tells us that when your heart is trusting in God you will be like that tree planted by the water, and you will not fear when the heat comes, nor will you worry in droughts. God does not promise you a life free from hardships but He does promise that He will be with you and that you will endure those hardships for you will realize true prosperity. You will be able to live above the circumstances the moment you turn your life over to Jesus. Right now you can experience the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. However fear and worry block your living “above” the circumstances. Fear and worry stunt your growth like a plant that is root bound. The leaves are smaller; the flowers are smaller and less colorful, and the plant size is smaller. Because the roots are too packed together (often go around and around the other roots), they cannot absorb the oxygen and nutrition needed for the plant to be healthy. Over a period of years the growth slows and eventually stops. Although it gets the same care, water, sunshine, and fertilizer as this other plant, it will never fully realize its potential. Fear and worry bind us up in knots and drain us of life giving energy, and we do not reach our potential, just like the bound up roots of a plant. When a person’s heart is bound up in fear or worry, it cannot fully know the love, joy, peace, etc. that is available to him or her. You will be living “under” the circumstances.
The love of Christ compels us to examine our hearts to see which sort they are.
Is your heart dried up like the scrub bush? You are living under the circumstances. Quit trusting in yourself, others and the things of this world and give your life to Christ. Is your heart bound up in fear, worry and anxiety, cutting you off from the love, joy, peace and even health like the root bound plant? You are still living “under” the circumstances. Learn to say this to yourself, “When I am afraid or worried, I will trust God.” Give your finances to Jesus, your health to Jesus, your family to Jesus – whatever it is you are fearing or worrying about – He knows the solutions and is probably just waiting for you to stop trying to work it all out on your own. Give your fear and worry to Jesus, trust in God and become the luxuriant tree whose roots go deep into God who supplies refreshing, living water that will enable you to face the heat and drought when they come. To be the luxuriant tree does not mean that you are free from the storms of life. You will periodically endure “heat” and “drought,” metaphors for the many problems all people face in this world. If you are the luxuriant tree, you will have peace, power and hope to face those storms because your heart is set on trusting God. Then you will live “above” the circumstances. My prayer for you is that your heart will be set on trusting God, alone, for your heart determines whether you will live “above” or “under” the circumstances. You decide.
This is for use during the prayers of the people: Prayer: Almighty God, we pray for your blessing on the church in this place. Here may the faithful find salvation, and the careless be awakened. Here may the doubting find faith, and the anxious be encouraged. Here may the tempted find help, and the sorrowful comfort. Here may the weary find rest, and the strong be renewed. Here may the aged find consolation and the young be inspired; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Living above the Circumstances Scripture: Matthew 11:29-30; 12:46-50 How often have you said, “Under the circumstances, I am…..” We live under the circumstances. This week God challenged me to live above the circumstances. Actually He has been working this in me for years, but the message became very clear these past two weeks. Difficult times lay ahead for us all. Cancer is increasingly more common; jobs are not. Investments are shaky; problems seem to abound. We have just talked about how anger is simmering just beneath the surface in so many people. When I began to plan this service, I was thinking more along the lines of giving thanks and praise to God. Then I received your hymn requests and realized there was a theme dealing with the wonderful love of Jesus toward us shown by the shedding of his blood on our behalf. Because of our position in him, we have much more authority over the problems of our life than believers did before Jesus’ death and resurrection. We now can walk in victory above the circumstances of life. The only way to survive these coming problems is to stay close to Jesus, to keep your eyes focused on him and to live the way he wants you to live.
The first hymn we sang, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” was written by Henry van Dyke, a Presbyterian minister and professor of literature at Princeton University. He was inspired to write it in 1911 when he preached at Williams College in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. The mountains were so beautiful. He wrote it for “people who ‘are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy their religion or that any revolution on earth will overthrow the kingdom of heaven.’”
The next hymn we will sing is “Love Lifted Me” written by James Rowe in the early 1900’s. It was revived in the 1970’s by singers like Ray Stevens, B. J. Thomas and Kenny Rogers. Mr. Rowe was a card writer and held the belief that “It is the love of Jesus Christ that can lift us, not the garden variety of Love.” This hymns talks about the devastating state sin causes in our lives. It robs us of peace and brings death (“sinking to rise no more”). The love that can lift you out of your sin is the love of Jesus. Vs. 1 and 3. # 505
As we sing “We Are So Blessed,” think about how God loves you so much that he sent Jesus to die in your place. Then after He saves you through Jesus, he pours out his blessings upon you to the point of overflowing. Our response ought to be an outpouring of gratitude and love. Let your heart pour out these to God as you sing “We Are So Blessed.” #564
Our next hymn, “What Wondrous Love Is This?” is a spiritual from the Appalachian area. It dwells on “Why did Jesus do it? Why did Jesus do it for me?” We have recently been reminded of police and firefighters who rushed into the burning twin towers and lost their lives in trying to rescue others. Jesus gave his life so you could be forgiven and live eternally with God in heaven. Why did he do it? In keeping with the awe and wonder of God’s salvation, love and blessings, let us ponder the deep love and sacrifice of Christ, continue to pour out our thanksgiving and love to him and commit yourself to follow him as we sing verses 1 and 3 of “What Wondrous Love Is This?” #177
This next hymn reminds us again of the sacrifice Jesus made when he shed his blood on the cross in your place. Because of that sacrificial blood we have power over sin and victory over our problems. Jesus’ shed blood is the power that enables us to live above the circumstances of life. Surrender your passions and pride to Jesus as we sing verses 1 and 2 of “There is Power in the Blood.” #191
“The Battle Belongs to the Lord” reminds us not to take matters into our own hands. When people come against us or situations threaten us, we are not to seek revenge or retaliation but are to live above the problems trusting God to deal with them. We are to resist the devil and related wounds, and God will do the rest. Wearing God’s armor and praising his holy name are two ways to live above the circumstances. #485
Repeat this to yourself, “when I am afraid, I will trust in Jesus.” Louisa Stead learned to do this when she was widowed at a young age when her husband drowned trying to save a little boy. With no means of support, she and her daughter lived in dire poverty. One day when they had neither food nor money to buy any, she found both food and money left on her doorstep. That day she wrote this song. Trust in God is the surest way to live above the circumstances. When I find that I am struggling with problems, I check myself to see what it is I am not trusting God for or who I am not loving with His love. “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” reminds us to trust God. When we do we can take life, rest, joy and peace regardless of life’s problems. Verses 1 and 3 of #350.
Our next hymn talks about the healing power of the “sin-sick soul.” Gilead was the area to the east of the Jordan River across from Galilee. It was known all over the Ancient Near East for its medicinal salves. The prophet Jeremiah asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” It would be like saying, “Is there no antibiotic cream or any other medicine at the drugstore?” Fortunately, the answer is yes. Jesus is the balm that cures the “sin-sick soul.” No matter how strong a Christian you are, there come times when you feel down and discouraged. Take heart, there is medicine in the drug store. There is a balm in Gilead. Jesus will revive you through his Holy Spirit so that you can live above the circumstances again. “There Is a Balm in Gilead” verse 1, # 423.
Closing hymns: I chose two of your selections for our closing because the second hymn builds on the first. The chorus of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is another Appalachian spiritual. John Work added the stanzas when it was published in 1907. “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” remind us that God is in control. You do not have to be someone important for God to watch over you, to care for you. He’s got you in his hands, and his plans are always for good. When you understand what God has done for you in Jesus Christ and that He is in control regardless of the situation around you, you are filled with his love and power and will want to tell others what God can do for them. You will “Go and Tell It” wherever you live. #344 verses 1 and 4; #138 verse 1 only.
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Quarreling and Factions Scripture: James 4:1-10; Proverbs 30:33; 26:20; 21:9; 27:15; 2 Timothy 2:21-26 Have you noticed how angry people seem to be lately? I was going to enter a single unit restroom at a gas station but found the door was locked, so I patiently waited for the occupant to come out. When she did she gave me a tongue lashing because I tried the door knob instead of knocking on the door. The woman behind me and I just looked at one another in amazement. On a more serious level there is road rage that can turn to violence. This past week a little girl was shot in a drive-by shooting. Her life still hangs in the balance. Wilson College recently held a seminar that made a case for “retrieving divine violence as a topic in Christian ethics.” A few years ago, I was stunned when an eighty-three year old retired pastor shared with me how tired he was of being accused of all sorts of racism and hatred simply because he was a white male. What shocked me was the anger in his voice. This anger multiplied millions of times throughout this nation as people lose jobs, homes, respect and health is bubbling just beneath the surface. People are boiling like the mud pots I saw when my husband and I visited Yellowstone National Park. Scientists tell us things are shifting and building up until one day there will be another caldera let loose that will destroy life as we know it. James takes us down the road of human eruptions in chapter four.
He has just talked about the destructiveness of the tongue and the need to use your tongue wisely according to God’s holy wisdom. This wisdom is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” (James 3:17, NRSV) He contrasts God’s wisdom with worldly wisdom that is revealed in bitter envying that comes from “selfish ambition in your heart.” “…jealousy and selfishness…are earthly, unspiritual and devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” (v. 18 and 19) Next he zeroes in on some of that wickedness and disorder to address quarrels and fights.
James pulls no punches. He tells you quarrels and fights come from “The evil desires that war within you.” He takes it farther in verse two, “You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” The Greek word for “desire” is hdonh from which we get the English word “hedonism” – “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole chief good in life.” Holloway comments that this is “not the simple enjoyment of life but a mad dash for immediate pleasure that enslaves and separates one from God.” This is the third time James has warned us that our desires, our passions, get in the way of pleasing God. James says it here, in the passage I just read and in chapter one, verse 14 that says our desires tempt us and “entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions.” The “natural” outgrowth of our bitterness and anger over not getting what we want is verbal malice first which if not dealt with in a godly way results in quarrels, fights, wars and murder.
You are surely thinking that wars and murder are not part of the church, why would he say that? In James’ day, violence was acceptable as a “‘religious’ way to solve disagreements,” and perhaps Zealots had joined the church bringing their old radical violent way of dealing with things they did not like. Certainly this has nothing to do with us today. Or does it? Remember the seminar at Wilson College to “retrieve divine violence.” This is cropping up in movie and television themes. A while back “Christians” have bombed Planned Parenthood to protest abortion. Is it really so far removed from us? Recall also the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus equated anger with the act of murder saying it deserved the same penalty. Can we so lightly excuse ourselves with a pat on the back thinking, “I don’t do that?”
When we hold on to our wants and desires of beautiful homes with great décor or the latest in automobile technology and the status a new car brings, when we mock others because they are different or rip them apart because they go about things differently or when we fight to hold onto a person, the past or a building instead of trying to discern what God is doing here and now we have become the kind of people James is talking about. Stulac points out: James’s message is not the kind of spiritual direction most people want to hear today; the church is being pressured to rely on counsel that is only affirming, programs that are merely entertaining and music that is always upbeat. Yet the problems James has addressed require a submission that is humbling, a resistance that is demanding, an attitude that is sorrowful and life changes that are radical. What Stulac has described in this last sentence is biblical Christianity, but how many of us identify with the former kind of wanting to hear only affirming, entertaining and upbeat messages and music?
James is pretty strong in his evaluation of us. He calls Christians who want to live like the world adulteresses referring back to the Old Testament image of Israel as the bride of Christ. Indeed, Paul uses this same analogy of the church. The church collectively is the bride of Christ and when she flirts with the philosophies and the desires of this age, she is committing adultery with God by turning her back on Him and his ways. This is true also of individuals. James says, “Friendship with the world (and its ideas) is hatred toward God. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes and enemy of God.” These are pretty strong words, but then, what we are doing is a pretty strong offense against God, but James does not leave us in our sin. Earlier (2:13) he said, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Here he encourages us that God’s grace is greater than our sin. Now he is about to show us the way to mercy. James gives us ten imperatives to follow (___ calls these “spiritual disciplines): 1. Submit yourself to God – Kurt Richardson sees this as a call “to stop resisting God in anything….(it is) imperative to seek wisdom from God rather than relying on one’s own ability…in real submission to God there is contained the necessary mutual submission to reconcile with one another.” 2. Resist the devil à he will flee from you – “submission to God is an important precondition for doing battle with the devil. But a defensive posture is all that is required to rout the evil one.” 3. Come near to God à He will come near to you – you “must resist friendship with the world but also must embrace friendship with God.” This is a dual action. 4. Wash your hands of sin – this is an external cleansing like Jesus told his disciples before the Last Supper; you only need to have your feet washed because I have already cleansed you with my words that you have received and believed. 5. Purify your hearts – this is an inward cleansing, a call to purity and righteous living, that is, holiness à you cannot be both a friend to God and a friend to the world. It is like serving two masters; you will always end up hating one and loving the other. 6. Grieve – when we truly understand the seriousness of sin in our lives we will grieve its presence in our lives and how far we have moved away from our loving Lord 7. Mourn – “…mourning is the response to great loss of property or life….(it) is also more than an internal movement of the heart. It is external as well” having bodily effects that lead up to the next imperative. 8. Wail – heart wrenching sobs “to release the torment of the conscience in repentance toward God….(it) is the full measure of the expression of sorrow over human sin.” 9. Change you laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom 10. Humble yourselves before the Lord à He will lift you up How differently James looks at confession and repentance than we do in the 21st century American church! Our confession has little resemblance to James’, but perhaps we have little understanding of the seriousness of sin and the true meaning of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Perhaps we have deceived ourselves into thinking we can go along with the world and still be friends with God. Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that we can harbor ill-will and quarrel and fight for what we want and still be in the will of God. Perhaps, but James call us who think that way “double-minded” and declares we should not think we can get what we want from God. Holloway has observed: A great percentage of our population claims to be Christian. But what makes one a Christian? Are we Christians because we attend church and hear sermons? This is self-deception. Listening to the word is no good without obedience (James 1:19–20). Are we Christians because we believe certain things? Faith without action is dead (James 2:14–25). Are we Christians because we pray? No, even prayer can be evil if we pray for selfish pleasures. Do we claim to follow God while at the same time following the standards of the world? Then we are enemies of God.
Thinking back to the opening remarks, there is nothing we can do about the caldera at Yellowstone, but there is something we can do about personal anger that leads to fights and quarreling. We can quit demanding what we want when we want it and pursue God’s holiness.
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Choose Life Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:19; 2 Kings 18:32 This is a story of an underdog being victorious over a gigantic dark and evil empire. It is the story of God’s faithfulness to His Word. It is the story of a malevolent bully being dealt with by a righteous holy God who sees and hears everything and protects those who are faithful to his calling. It is a story of Judah’s faithful king, Hezekiah. His ancestor was David of whom the Bible records “he (David) was a man after God’s heart.” His son, Solomon, began well asking God for wisdom when he could have had anything he wanted. God was pleased, and Solomon was known as a wise man. However, as he grew in power and wealth, he did some very foolish things. He had thousands of wives (which got him into much trouble). Moreover, he used his fellow Jews as slave labor to build first God’s house and then one for himself that dwarfed the Temple and paled in magnificence and splendor to the palace. When Solomon died, the Jews had had enough and the nation split. Ten tribes formed the Northern Kingdom called Israel, and two, Judah and Benjamin, formed the Southern Kingdom. Jerusalem, the city of the official Temple was in the south. The Northern Kingdom started their own worship in violation of God’s laws. From the start they defiled the worship of God that He had established; Judah at least worshipped God as He prescribed, but it only went downhill from there. The kings and the people of both kingdoms did more or less what they wanted. Judah tended to have a few kings who followed the ways set down by Moses. Hezekiah was one of those kings. Scripture tells us, 3 He did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, just as his ancestor David had done. 4 He (completely) removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars … 5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. 6 He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. This was what distinguished Hezekiahfrom all the other kings. What the king did, the people tended to do also. So this was a good time for Judah. Scripture records, 7 “So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.” (Perhaps he became a little too full of himself for) · He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. He got away with it for 7-8 years until a new king took over in Assyria. King Sennacherib … came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them. 14 King Hezekiah (realizes his brashness against the strongest nation on earth at that time and) sends this message to the king of Assyria: "I have done wrong. I will pay whatever tribute money you demand if you will only withdraw." The king of Assyria then demanded a settlement of more than eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold. It took all the silver stored in the Temple of the LORD and in the palace treasury. 16 Hezekiah even stripped the gold from the doors of the LORD's Temple and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold, and he gave it all to the Assyrian king. (His brash boasting and pride came back to haunt him. Hezekiah learned the hard way that even “the best of us have missed it.” His rebellion cost him all the wealth he had…) … the king of Assyria sent (three of his top men) with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool ...(They now controlled the water supply. They had them in a vulnerable position.) 18 They summoned King Hezekiah, the king sent three officials. 19 Then the Assyrian king's chief of staff gave them this message: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? 20 Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me? (Then he goes on to list possible allies.) 21 On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. 22 "But perhaps you will say to me, 'We are trusting in the LORD our God!' But isn't he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? (This argument sounds wise in the world’s eyes, but it reveals his lack of understanding about the God of the Jews – this will be important later. The chief of staff continues.) 24 With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master's troops, even with the help of Egypt's chariots and charioteers? (He is trying to strike fear in the hearts of the people who are standing on the walls of the city listening to everything being said.) 25 What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the LORD's direction? The LORD himself told us, 'Attack this land and destroy it!'" (He is claiming something he has no authority to claim. He is not speaking for the Lord, but just as he was mistaken as to the true reason Hezekiah removed the idols from the land in order to honor the One true God, so now he claims to have heard from God who is speaking through him about their destruction. It is very important to have spiritual discernment.) 26 Then the three representatives spoke to the Assyrians, "Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand it well. Don't speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear." (He is deliberately speaking in the Hebrew language in order to cause fear in people.) 27 But Sennacherib's chief of staff replied, "Do you think my master sent this message only to you and your master? He wants all the people to hear it, for when we put this city under siege, they will suffer along with you. They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine." 28 Then the chief of staff stood and shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall, "Listen to this message from the great king of Assyria! 29 The king says: Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. 30 Don't let him fool you into trusting in the LORD by saying, 'The LORD will surely rescue us. This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian king!' 31 "Don't listen to Hezekiah! These are the terms the king of Assyria is offering: Make peace with me-- open the gates and come out. Then each of you can continue eating from your own grapevine and fig tree and drinking from your own well. 32 Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one. Choose life instead of death!"Don't listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying, 'The LORD will rescue us!' 33 Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria? 34 …. Did any god rescue Samaria from my power? 35 What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem from me?" 36 But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them, "Do not answer him." 37 Then (the three representatives reported) back to Hezekiah. They tore their clothes in despair.
NLT 2 Kings 19:1 When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the LORD. 2 And he sent (2 of the 3 messengers with) the leading priests, all dressed in burlap, to the prophet Isaiah. …. …. Isaiah….replied, , 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king's messengers. 7 Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.' " 9 Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King of Ethiopia was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message: 10 "… Don't let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? 12 Have the gods of other nations rescued them….? 14 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, what did Hezekiah do? He went up to the LORD's Temple and spread it out before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed. 20 Then Isaiah … sent this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria. 21 And the LORD has spoken this word against him: 22 "Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? …. It was the Holy One of Israel! (When you take on God’s people, you take on God himself – He takes it personally.) 23 By your messengers you have defied the Lord. 27 "… I know you well-- where you stay and when you come and go. 28 And because of your raging against me and your arrogance, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came." 29 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, God promises you and your people will harvest the crops here for years to come. 31 …. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen! 32 Furthermore, the Assyrian army will not enter Jerusalem. They will not even shoot an arrow at it. … 33 The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city, says the LORD. 34 For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it." (Guess what happened!) 35 That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. 36 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there. 37 One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons killed him with their swords and escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, became the next king of Assyria. Assyria never did gain victory over Jerusalem.
There are a lot of voices “out there” in our world that claim to have the way of life. Moses gave the nation Israel God’s laws that would set them free and bring blessings. He also told them that if they disobeyed, it would bring curses – crops would fail, young women would endure rape, foreigners would own their land and their businesses and would eventually invade. We see in this passage of scripture how big a difference it makes in the life of a nation whether its leaders and people obey or disobey God. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had disobeyed and gone her own way and did her own thing. The Assyrians, a fierce and bloody people, defeated her and scattered the people throughout their kingdom. We see how they tried to do the same with Judah, the Southern Kingdom, but were unsuccessful because she had a godly king who followed all of Gods ways, and the people followed suit. Assyria’s military might was vastly superior to Judah’s, like the difference between the U. S. and a Third World Country. Their chief of staff told them to “choose life” by surrendering. He claimed the Lord had ordered him to “attack and destroy” Jerusalem. God was not impressed. He protected Jerusalem by raising up an army from Ethiopia who distracted the King of Assyria and drew his armies away from Jerusalem. He also sent an angel who eliminated 185,000 of Assyria’s finest. It would be another hundred years before Judah would sink into the morass of Israel and be defeated by the Babylonians. There is also a personal decision to make in this call to “choose life.”
What if the people on the wall, listening to the Assyrian chief of staff, had believed him that surrender was the only way to “choose life?” There would have been panic in the streets. People would have been clamoring for Hezekiah to surrender. God would never have been given a chance to work on their behalf. Is our situation really so different? The media tells us what is important and how we should live. God is pushed to the side as irrelevant and judging by the way we do what seems right in our own eyes – when we do what we want when we want including worship and morality – God has become nearly irrelevant even by those who claim to be His people. We think we know better than what God has written in His Word. We pick and choose what makes sense to us.
Moses’ call to “choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20a, NIV) is still God’s call to you and to this nation. We have been looking at how that life might look in the 21st Century. We have been working our way through the current misconceptions about love, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, prayer, forgiveness, judging and so much more. We have also been looking at how we do not choose life when we give in to pride, fear and abuse with our tongues. When we neglect to think of God and His ways, we are being ungodly. We are not choosing life. Moses had it right. Hezekiah and Jerusalem proved it. Will you choose it? In a few minutes we will be praying for our nation that we will “choose life.” A few minutes after that we will be taking the Lord’s Supper. It is a sacred and most holy thing that we do. Scripture warns us not to take it lightly or in an “unworthy manner.” The question remains before you, “Will you love, obey and firmly commit yourself to the Lord; will you ‘choose so that you and your children (indeed this nation) may live?’”
Prayer: 2 Chronicles 7:14 I remember reading about the children of Israel who turned from God time and time
praying for our nation every day. Please read the email below. God is in control.
May God Have Mercy On America ; Protect Our Troops
When I was in Atlanta last week, there were signs in people's yards that said, " America ,
prayer is our only hope" - with 2 Chronicles 7:14 underneath. We certainly need God's help!
if we pray for our nation things will turn around.
Our nation is/has been on the slippery slope for a long time. If you look around you will find corruption, greed, moral decay, and a steady move away from the things that made us great. The principles upon which this nation was founded are no longer our backbone. However, we can reverse this trend.
2 Chronicles. 7:14 in God's Word, He states,
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from
their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Here's a quote from Ronald Reagan:
"If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
George Mason, member of the U. S. Constitutional Convention and co-author with James Madison of the Bill of Rights , wrote, “As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins, by national calamities.”
I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape it's in today. Most people have forgotten that we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this.
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The Major Roadblock
Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17; Proverbs 16:18; 29:23; Isaiah 2:10-11; 13:11
I have walked many trails around our home in York. I have a “good sense of direction” and can find my way in almost any situation. That is why when I started seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina and found McDowell’s Nature Preserve only a few miles away, it soon became my favorite spot to walk and to study. One evening before the ethics final, I decided to take my notebook and to study while I walked. I felt the Spirit prompt me to take the trail map provided by the park, but I was confident in my “trail hiking abilities” and left it behind in favor of the notebook, cell phone and water bottle. I also decided to take a trail I had never travelled before, but had seen on the map. I began down the path enjoying the new surroundings and studying as I went. After a while, I began to notice that shrubs and trees looked familiar because of the frequency with which I had passed them. I began to be concerned. I tried “new trails” only to find that I always ended up back at the same spot. It was now seven in the evening, and I knew the sun would be down in another hour. There was no cell phone reception where I was so I moved up the hill until I got one. To my despair, my battery was almost drained. I dialed 911, but the tower picked it up in South Carolina, and the despatcher had no idea where McDowell Nature Park was located or which police to inform. Now I was really worried. I did not want to be out there after dark. He kept asking me where I was, and I kept telling him I was lost and that was why I was calling. He finally figured out I must still be in North Carolina and called the appropriate people. I got a call from the police who told me to stay put and to wait until they came for me. I kept telling him just to put me in touch with a park ranger who could tell me how to get to the trail leading out and to safety. He adamantly insisted he could not do that. I had to wait to be rescued. With the last ounce of charge I called Joe to tell him what was happening. Just as I told him I was lost and the police were coming to find me the phone went dead. I can only imagine the anxiety I caused him. I was cut off from outside communication, alone, lost and losing daylight. Just before sunset, the policeman showed up with his dog and the park ranger. They were all smiling at me (including the dog) trying not to laugh. The officer told me they were thinking about breaking into my van to get something for the dog to follow my scent. When we reached the parking lot, there were 8 to 10 police cars and dozens of officers waiting in bulletproof vests. He told them to stand down; it was okay; it was only a lost, out-of-state hiker. I was so embarrassed and wondered why so much was made of a lowly lost seminary student. Several months later I learned that McDowell Nature Preserve had been the location of an ambush of a police officer who went to “rescue” the lost people just two months before my “adventure.” My confidence in my own abilities instead of relying on God caused a lot of people great anxiety that night. My pride led me into a whole lot of needless trouble and cost the community who knows how much money to get me out. I have often prayed that real crimes did not occur or anyone get hurt because so many police were at the Nature Preserve instead of on their normal duties.
That is what pride is and does. It is thinking you can do something on your own without God’s help. It is thinking you do not have to listen for (or follow) God’s voice in all that you do and as a consequence it leads you away from the safety of God’s care and is very costly in the long run. People get wounded, even crushed, by our pride. Words frequently used to describe “pride” are arrogant, self-confident, independent, boastful, self-sufficient, haughty and boastful. The definition of pride is, “An attitude of self-exaltation which, in its conceit of superiority, arrogantly tramples on others and, in its independence of spirit, self-sufficiently rebels against God.” Pride is something we can easily see in others, but seldom identify in ourselves. We can see how the boastful person is prideful, but fail to recognize that “the self-made-man (or woman)” is precisely the biblical definition of pride. Our culture promotes pride in our stubborn independence, self-centeredness, self-absorption, selfishness and greed. Again, these are easy to spot in others, but often excused in ourselves.
The person who looks down her nose at everyone is prideful. The person who thinks the rules do not apply to him is prideful. The person who knows her way is superior to everyone else’s ways is prideful. The person who puts others down to elevate himself is prideful. We can see these things in others, but often excuse pride in ourselves. This must change! One area in which we are inundated to be prideful by our culture is to think of ourselves more than we ought. Jeff Cook sees pride as meditating “continually on myself as the one whose thoughts and feelings matter more than anyone else’s. Pride is not thinking too much of myself; pride is thinking of myself far too much.” Our culture teaches us to think that way. We are told, “You deserve it,” “have it your way,” “you’re worth it,” “it’s your right,” “if it feels good, do it” and to “want what you want when you want it” is a good thing. All of these encourage us to put ourselves first. Then when scripture tells us “to deny ourselves” and “to die to self” we choke at the absurd requirement to put God’s desires before our own. In addition, we may actually believe God wants us to work independent of Him – after all, He gave us talents and minds to use them. We often say, “That’s OK God, I can take it from here.” How arrogant we are without realizing it!
Lindsey points out that “pride” in the Greek is given by different words that show various aspects of pride. It can mean “the man who ignores the sovereignty of God by attempting to control his own present life (1 John 2:16) and to shape his own future (James 4:16).” It may also mean the man who “allows the passions to rule so that superiority to others is achieved by injuring them (2 Corinthians 12:10).” I believe this describes our culture in minute detail. We are constantly bombarded with messages to control your own destiny. Our passions are constantly inflamed by advertising and television, movies and internet offerings. “Passion” may refer to anything from sexuality to home décor. For some it may be more noble things like saving the planet or social justice, but anything done apart from God’s leading is done out of our own pride. I sometimes want to laugh (or cry) when I listen to a “self-righteous” Christian with a swagger of the head tell others how social justice is God’s mandate to us. Closely associated to this superior attitude is independence.
One kind of independence occurs when we think we “know it all.” We become unteachable. We no longer need to learn from others. Our opinion is all we need know. This comes from society telling us that everyone’s opinion is valid and as good as the next person’s. There is no deferring to fact or truth of the statements given. Truth has become based on opinion alone. Joe has often told me “don’t confuse me with the facts” when he wants to do something that does not conform to what actually is. He is joking; sadly too often today people are deadly serious. They want their opinions over the facts. This has happened in the political arena in areas of welfare and bailouts; in the business arena in the areas of loans and credit extended beyond one’s ability to repay necessitating the bailouts and causing the pain of dislocation and homes repossessed. It is the arrogance of pride that makes us think we can ignore sound fundamentals of economics and not pay the consequences. The church has done the same thing with God’s Word. Scholars have told us that the Bible is full of errors when it was their incomplete knowledge on the subject that was in error. Sadly we have bought into this deception and feel justified when we throw out parts we do not like such as the violence of the Old Testament or Jesus’ radical claims to be the Messiah and what that means for us. We pick what is comfortable and play that over and over and ignore what challenges us and shakes up our world. But that was precisely what Jesus and the early Christians did. Why should it be any different today?
Another Greek word we translate as “pride” means “(proud and overbearing in thoughts) describes the man who exalts himself above other, not in outward blustering actions but in inward attitude of heart by erecting an altar to himself in his heart and worshiping there…” We are probably offended by this one. After all, none of us wants to admit we, and not God, are sitting on the thrones of our hearts, but think about this. How do you react when you do not get credit for something you did. Church goers are notorious for easily being offended if their name is not given for something they did or donated. Can you continue praising and serving God when you are constantly being passed over and others are credited for your ideas? If not, your pride is showing. What is more important: that you get recognition or that God’s ways are followed regardless of which human vehicle God uses? Your pride could be showing.
Because of pride, E. M. Bounds, a powerful man of God (1835-1913), wrote, Somehow, self—not God—rules…(in his heart self) has never felt its thorough spiritual bankruptcy, its utter powerlessness. He has never learned to cry out with … self-despair and helplessness until God’s power and fire come in, fill, purify, and empower. Self-esteem – self-ability in some…form – has defamed and violated the temple that should be held sacred for God. This kind of language is strange to us. It removes our control, independence and power and replaces it with God’s. For those who like things “decently and in order” it can be downright threatening for God is neither to be controlled nor told what to do or how He should do it. While we are given the responsibility to discern what is of God and what is not, we may find ourselves outside of God’s plans and purpose because of our stubborn, willful independence known biblically as pride. Pride has only one result – separation from God and judgment.
Satan was rejected from heaven because in his pride. Nebuchadnezzar forced to live like a wild animal because of pride. Proverbs tells us God hates pride. Charles Stanley has observed, “No matter how hard we try to cover it up, excuse it, or justify it, pride produces the same result – arrogance and rebellion against God.” When we give in to pride, we are falling into one of Satan’s schemes to keep us from God. What are we to do about it?
First John 2:15-17 tells us not to love this world or the things in it. When we love the world and “things,” we cannot love God. The things of this world we are not to crave are “physical pleasure” and “everything we see.” The attitude that “I just have to have that” or “I have to try that” when “that” is not according to God’s ways, is destructive to us and others. Neither are we to have pride in “our achievements and possessions.” We must remember that we are on a journey and only passing through. This world is passing away; heaven and spiritual things are the eternal reality. We use scripture like 1 John 2:15-17; Proverbs 16:18; 29:23; Isaiah 2:10-11; 13:11. Other scriptures you might use to dislodge the roadblock of pride are: · No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; (Matthew 6:24, KJV) – we have certainly become a nation of lovers of self which indicates we are sitting on the throne of our hearts and not God. · My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. (Psalm 34:2, NRSV) – THIS IS THE ONLYY BIBLICAL WAY TO BOAST. Boast in God who gave you the gifts, mind and strength to do good things. · "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:3 NRS) “Poor in spirit” means to acknowledge your need of and dependence on God. If you want to go to heaven, this is the way (also see next verse). · So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. (1Peter 5:6, NLT) To overcome pride we pray asking the Holy Spirit to show us where we are being prideful. We must be aware of Satan’s schemes: “you must reach a certain level in employment, acquiring things or sports performance to have ‘worth,’” “you will not ask for help,” “you can do it alone, you do not need anyone;” “you do not want others to know you are struggling” or “you do not need to bow to anyone.” You must be knowledgeable about the signs of pride: independence, unteachableness, self-development, self-centeredness, selfishness, lack of giving, demanding your rights, telling yourself you “deserve” it or thinking you are always right. You must forgive those who have hurt you and seek unity. You must fellowship with the body of believers; be accountable to someone – find one person whom you can trust to talk about pride honestly and openly. When someone does something that makes you proud boast in God who gave the talent, the gift or the idea to accomplish it. When you or someone you love does something great, boast in God who gives life and every good thing. This is not to diminish your self-worth. True self-worth comes from God (more about this later). You must praise God in all things, good or bad; giving Him thanks brings His joy which gives you strength, and His hope which does not disappoint because the love of God is poured out into your hearts through the Holy Spirit. My little excursion with pride seemed innocuous/harmless/safe, but I could have been injured, police were unnecessarily occupied when they should have been doing their job, and I caused great anxiety for everyone who became involved including Joe. Even a little pride causes a load of trouble. You always win by following God’s ways so lose the pride; humble yourself, and obey God even as Jesus did.
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Quarreling and Factions Scripture: James 4:1-10; Proverbs 30:33; 26:20; 21:9; 27:15; 2 Timothy 2:21-26 Have you noticed how angry people seem to be lately? I was going to enter a single unit restroom at a gas station but found the door was locked, so I patiently waited for the occupant to come out. When she did she gave me a tongue lashing because I tried the door knob instead of knocking on the door. The woman behind me and I just looked at one another in amazement. On a more serious level there is road rage that can turn to violence. This past week a little girl was shot in a drive-by shooting. Her life still hangs in the balance. Wilson College recently held a seminar that made a case for “retrieving divine violence as a topic in Christian ethics.” A few years ago, I was stunned when an eighty-three year old retired pastor shared with me how tired he was of being accused of all sorts of racism and hatred simply because he was a white male. What shocked me was the anger in his voice. This anger multiplied millions of times throughout this nation as people lose jobs, homes, respect and health is bubbling just beneath the surface. People are boiling like the mud pots I saw when my husband and I visited Yellowstone National Park. Scientists tell us things are shifting and building up until one day there will be another caldera let loose that will destroy life as we know it. James takes us down the road of human eruptions in chapter four.
He has just talked about the destructiveness of the tongue and the need to use your tongue wisely according to God’s holy wisdom. This wisdom is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” (James 3:17, NRSV) He contrasts God’s wisdom with worldly wisdom that is revealed in bitter envying that comes from “selfish ambition in your heart.” “…jealousy and selfishness…are earthly, unspiritual and devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” (v. 18 and 19) Next he zeroes in on some of that wickedness and disorder to address quarrels and fights.
James pulls no punches. He tells you quarrels and fights come from “The evil desires that war within you.” He takes it farther in verse two, “You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” The Greek word for “desire” is hdonh from which we get the English word “hedonism” – “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole chief good in life.” Holloway comments that this is “not the simple enjoyment of life but a mad dash for immediate pleasure that enslaves and separates one from God.” This is the third time James has warned us that our desires, our passions, get in the way of pleasing God. James says it here, in the passage I just read and in chapter one, verse 14 that says our desires tempt us and “entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions.” The “natural” outgrowth of our bitterness and anger over not getting what we want is verbal malice first which if not dealt with in a godly way results in quarrels, fights, wars and murder.
You are surely thinking that wars and murder are not part of the church, why would he say that? In James’ day, violence was acceptable as a “‘religious’ way to solve disagreements,” and perhaps Zealots had joined the church bringing their old radical violent way of dealing with things they did not like. Certainly this has nothing to do with us today. Or does it? Remember the seminar at Wilson College to “retrieve divine violence.” This is cropping up in movie and television themes. A while back “Christians” have bombed Planned Parenthood to protest abortion. Is it really so far removed from us? Recall also the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus equated anger with the act of murder saying it deserved the same penalty. Can we so lightly excuse ourselves with a pat on the back thinking, “I don’t do that?”
When we hold on to our wants and desires of beautiful homes with great décor or the latest in automobile technology and the status a new car brings, when we mock others because they are different or rip them apart because they go about things differently or when we fight to hold onto a person, the past or a building instead of trying to discern what God is doing here and now we have become the kind of people James is talking about. Stulac points out: James’s message is not the kind of spiritual direction most people want to hear today; the church is being pressured to rely on counsel that is only affirming, programs that are merely entertaining and music that is always upbeat. Yet the problems James has addressed require a submission that is humbling, a resistance that is demanding, an attitude that is sorrowful and life changes that are radical. What Stulac has described in this last sentence is biblical Christianity, but how many of us identify with the former kind of wanting to hear only affirming, entertaining and upbeat messages and music?
James is pretty strong in his evaluation of us. He calls Christians who want to live like the world adulteresses referring back to the Old Testament image of Israel as the bride of Christ. Indeed, Paul uses this same analogy of the church. The church collectively is the bride of Christ and when she flirts with the philosophies and the desires of this age, she is committing adultery with God by turning her back on Him and his ways. This is true also of individuals. James says, “Friendship with the world (and its ideas) is hatred toward God. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes and enemy of God.” These are pretty strong words, but then, what we are doing is a pretty strong offense against God, but James does not leave us in our sin. Earlier (2:13) he said, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Here he encourages us that God’s grace is greater than our sin. Now he is about to show us the way to mercy. James gives us ten imperatives to follow (___ calls these “spiritual disciplines): 1. Submit yourself to God – Kurt Richardson sees this as a call “to stop resisting God in anything….(it is) imperative to seek wisdom from God rather than relying on one’s own ability…in real submission to God there is contained the necessary mutual submission to reconcile with one another.” 2. Resist the devil à he will flee from you – “submission to God is an important precondition for doing battle with the devil. But a defensive posture is all that is required to rout the evil one.” 3. Come near to God à He will come near to you – you “must resist friendship with the world but also must embrace friendship with God.” This is a dual action. 4. Wash your hands of sin – this is an external cleansing like Jesus told his disciples before the Last Supper; you only need to have your feet washed because I have already cleansed you with my words that you have received and believed. 5. Purify your hearts – this is an inward cleansing, a call to purity and righteous living, that is, holiness à you cannot be both a friend to God and a friend to the world. It is like serving two masters; you will always end up hating one and loving the other. 6. Grieve – when we truly understand the seriousness of sin in our lives we will grieve its presence in our lives and how far we have moved away from our loving Lord 7. Mourn – “…mourning is the response to great loss of property or life….(it) is also more than an internal movement of the heart. It is external as well” having bodily effects that lead up to the next imperative. 8. Wail – heart wrenching sobs “to release the torment of the conscience in repentance toward God….(it) is the full measure of the expression of sorrow over human sin.” 9. Change you laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom 10. Humble yourselves before the Lord à He will lift you up How differently James looks at confession and repentance than we do in the 21st century American church! Our confession has little resemblance to James’, but perhaps we have little understanding of the seriousness of sin and the true meaning of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Perhaps we have deceived ourselves into thinking we can go along with the world and still be friends with God. Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that we can harbor ill-will and quarrel and fight for what we want and still be in the will of God. Perhaps, but James call us who think that way “double-minded” and declares we should not think we can get what we want from God. Holloway has observed: A great percentage of our population claims to be Christian. But what makes one a Christian? Are we Christians because we attend church and hear sermons? This is self-deception. Listening to the word is no good without obedience (James 1:19–20). Are we Christians because we believe certain things? Faith without action is dead (James 2:14–25). Are we Christians because we pray? No, even prayer can be evil if we pray for selfish pleasures. Do we claim to follow God while at the same time following the standards of the world? Then we are enemies of God.
Thinking back to the opening remarks, there is nothing we can do about the caldera at Yellowstone, but there is something we can do about personal anger that leads to fights and quarreling. We can quit demanding what we want when we want it and pursue God’s holiness.
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Anger as A Roadblock Scripture: Psalm 4:4; Proverbs 15:1; 29:8, 11; 30:33; Mark 2:1-5; Ephesians 4:26, 31; Colossians 3:8; 1 Timothy 2:8; James 1:19-22; 4:1-7
Have you ever found yourself saying, “I can’t stand him,” or “She makes me so angry.” Maybe you say, “I’m so angry I can’t see straight.” Perhaps you have heard a friend say it. We all become angry at one time or another. We always try to claim our anger is “righteous indignation” against some injustice. After all, Paul says, “Be angry and sin not. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Jesus threw the money changers out of the Temple and overthrew the tables. He had some very strong words to say against the Pharisees. There is an opening then for righteous anger. How are we to tell whether our anger is righteous or not?
I suspect that most of us know deep down the answer to that question, and a good deal of the time it is not God honoring anger we harbor. Jerry Bridges defines anger as, “a strong feeling of displeasure, and usually antagonism…. often accompanied by sinful emotions, words, and actions hurtful to those who are the objects of our anger.” “Righteous anger” on the other hand comes “from an accurate perception of true evil -- …a violation of God’s moral law. It focusses on God and His will, not on me and my will….(and) is always self-controlled. It never causes one to lose his temper or retaliate in some vengeful way.” If you are acting out of strong displeasure over someone or something, you are probably angry and not “righteously” so. If it is “me” centered, as in it is something I do not like or want, versus something that is ungodly and violates God’s will or Word, it cannot be righteous anger. Often we feel threatened with change. We lash out or harbor ill feelings because things are different; the people are different, or the way of doing things is different. We want the familiar. We want nothing to challenge our world. But change will come, like it or not. The question we need to ask is whether God is directing the change and leading it. While we often rationalize our anger as “righteous,” Bridges says “not so.”
He believes that while “we may be reacting to another person’s real sin…We are likely more concerned with the negative impact of the sinful actions on us than we are that it is a violation of God’s law. Or we may even use the fact that it is a violation of God’s law to justify our own sinful angry response.” Some of the telltale markers to indicate it is not “righteous anger” are: · People or circumstances “cause” you to be angry · You do not get your own way · You want to call the shots · You get angry when people oppose you · You seethe inwardly with resentment in response to another’s anger. You may be tempted to get angry, but no one can cause you to go there without your permission and your willing assent. We can be very sly about disguising our anger. We may fume inside or think how unrighteous the person is who does not do things my way. You think, “I am in control here. Who does she think she is to tell me what to do?” You harbor resentment that eventually breaks out into hurtful speech, snide remarks or sarcasm. Bridges is firm, “The cause of anger is selfishness. ‘I want it my way’.” Scripture supports this. James writes (1:14-15a, NLT), “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions.” Later he writes in chapter 4, 1“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don't have ….Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong-- you want only what will give you pleasure.” Maybe you are saying, “I do not kill anyone to get my way,” but Jesus would disagree with you.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about well-known commands of the Old Testament. The first one is “You shall not murder.” Jesus expands this commandment to include our anger and says, “…if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! …. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matthew 5:22, NLT) We do not think of anger in the same light as the writers of the Bible. We do not think of our angry words as curses, yet we saw in the message on the tongue that words that belittle and tear down are curses. Jesus shows us that anger is “the root of murder, (and) deserves in principle the same penalty….anger (is)…murdering your brother in your heart… one has begun down the wrong path and is already worthy of condemnation.” James gives us good advice in this area of anger.
He says, “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (James 1:19b-20, NLT) This could be a Jewish proverb he learned growing up. The Old Testament says, “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.” (Ecclesiastes 7:9, ESV) A modern proverb tells us, “It is better to remain silent and seem a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” The message is clear: guard your tongue and do not give in to your anger – internally or externally. It is not of God, and can only produce sin and lead to death.
Earlier, James talks about testing and temptations. Stulac observes, conflicts can be occasions for testing, which develops perseverance and leads to maturity; or they can be occasions for temptation, which promotes sin and leads to death. James is calling for purity in relationships because he sees the life-threatening danger of sin and the life-giving value of faith….the trial becomes an occasion for death-dealing sin. James tells us God desires a life of righteousness. This is a call to purity and holy living. James tells us the way to do that is to “humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 22 But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” (James 1:20b-22, NLT) We all believe we are doing what God wants, but are we?
It is very difficult for us to admit we have done wrong. Ralph Martin asserts, “we tend to hear selectively and to filter out unwanted or unpleasant truth….James insists on a willingness on the part of his readers to expose themselves to God’s word of grace even when it rebukes their follies and foibles.” Our pride and self-worth are threatened. Identifying our sin is often like what we do when we are afraid to face something or know a thing is bad for us, but we want it anyway. The alcoholic knows drinking controls him, but he convinces himself he can “have just one.” A man knows smoking causes lung cancer and contributes to heart disease, but he convinces himself it will not trouble him. A woman finds a lump but does not go to the doctor to have it checked convincing herself “it is nothing.” Similarly, we have become experts at justifying our complaining, resentment, bitterness, hurtful words, gossip, slander and anger, but, James tells us, this is not God’s way. You are required not only to know what God has said in His Word, but you are also required to do what you find there. Be holy because God is holy. That means controlling your anger, resentment and bitterness. Stulac observes, “Unrealistic thinking leaves us insulated against the urgency for moral reform….we do not see impurity as dangerous.” We are comfortable with our sin and affronted when anyone suggests we need to change, yet God’s Word calls us to transformation from our worldly ways and love of this world to God’s ways and love for Him.
James joins Paul in requiring “…get rid of all the (moral) filth and evil in your lives…” This language is reminiscent of taking off dirty clothes each day and putting on clean. Similarly you need to examine your words, motives and thoughts each day to confess and repent of those that were not pure by God’s standards. Sin of the tongue and the anger behind it is particularly stealthy. It slips in quickly and goes unnoticed until the resentment, bitterness and hurtful speech erupt.
Sadly, the very place where you would expect to find the least upheaval from anger is where you consistently run into it. I am talking about God’s church. Stulac observes, “Almost daily as a pastor I….have seen what great damage is done to people, to relationships and to the effectiveness of our ministries when we are quick to argue our position, defend our views and push our opinions…..Human anger and divine righteousness are typically at odds with each other.” Time and again, I hear the familiar lament, “I go to church, a little here and a little there, but I would never join a church because the people are always fighting.” By fighting, they usually mean anger, backbiting and heated arguments. They are looking for peace and unity and instinctively know it is connected with God. However, God’s people do not model it – to our shame. Where do the anger, arguing and backbiting come from, and how are we to change?
The trials of life, of change, of not getting what we want or of not getting our own way “stir our fear, self-pity, envy, confusion and especially anger. These result in behaviors of fighting, judging and attacking.” They are not God’s will for us, for you. Too often we are like the Christians Bridges describes: They consciously experience the flare-up of negative thoughts and emotions toward someone who has displeased them but they do not identify this as anger, especially as sinful anger. They focus on the other person’s wrongdoing and justify their own reaction. They do not see their sin. Consequently, their anger is “acceptable” to them. They sense no need to deal with it. We are not just to “stuff” our feelings and ignore them; that will only lead to a more violent eruption when they force their way out. We are not to deny our anger; or to excuse it. What is required of us is to be transformed into the likeness of God’s Son, Jesus. This means putting off the old nature, anger, bitterness and bad-mouthing people, first by identifying our sin, and then confessing it and repenting (turning away from it).
The best and most effective way to change this behavior is to be convinced in your own mind and to trust in the goodness, wisdom and sovereignty of God and the love He has for you. In the last chapter we were challenged to “choose life” – to choose God’s way over the world’s. James is offering you a specific choice either to hold onto your anger that leads to sin and death or to relinquish it to God and choose life. The next time your anger rises ask yourself whose honor are you defending? Whose glory are you seeking? Whose will are you fighting to follow? An honest answer will tell you whether your anger is righteous or not.
Scriptures Concerning God’s Certain Hope NEW TESTAMENT Titus 1:1-2 à your faith rests on hope of eternal life Titus 2:13 à you hope in the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ Romans 4:18 à God’s promise brings hope against all hope Romans 8:24-25 àhope can only be in what you have not yet seen, or it is not hope. You must wait patiently. Romans 12:12 à be joyful in hope Romans 15:4 à scripture brings hope Romans 15:13 àjoy, hope, peace and belief all fuel each other through the power of the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 3:12 à hope makes you bold 1 Thessalonians 1:3 à hope brings endurance 1 Timothy 1:1 à Jesus Christ is your hope 1 Timothy 5:5 à hope causes you to continue in prayer Hebrews 6:18-19 à hope is the anchor for your soul 1 Peter 1:3-4 hope in the new birth that brings your eternal inheritance 1 John 3:3 à hope motivates you to purify yourself OLD TESTAMENT Jeremiah 29:11 à God’s plans for you are to give you hope and a future Isaiah 40:31 à those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 49:23 à hope does not disappoint Psalm 119: 74 à rejoining and hope go together and build up the other Psalm 119:81 à put your hope in God as you long for God’s salvation Psalm 119:114 à put your hope in God for he will be your refuge and shield Psalm 119:147 à put your hope in God and cry to him for help Psalm 25:2 à No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame Psalm 25:5 à You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.
Psalm 3318 and 22 à as you put your hope in God, His unfailing love descends upon you. He watches over you and becomes your help and shield. He delivers you from death and keeps you alive in famine.
These are the promises to those whose hope is in the Lord God.
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The Power of the Tongue: Part 2 Scripture: James 2; 2 Corinthians 12:20 Have you ever been to a circus with a lion act? The man or woman goes into the lion’s cage with only a whip and a chair and proceeds to order the lions to roll over, to jump through hoops, to sit patiently on platforms until it is their turn to perform and to back down when challenged. Have you been nervous for the lion tamer? After all, the lion is the king of beasts, the wildest of the wild. Gary Holloway observes, “The lion tamer in the center ring of the circus is in less danger than anyone who has a tongue.” Last week we saw that the tongue is a fire capable of great destruction. Now James contrasts our ability to tame all sorts of wild animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures with our inability to tame our own tongues. James warns us, “(the tongue) is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” This poison will harm the person it is injected into, the entire community and the person who injects it, for the poison will surely spread throughout the system affecting all areas of life, spreading bitterness and discord and disrupting love of friends and family. Words may seem relatively harmless compared to murder and the like, but Jesus takes a different view. He reminds us that only healthy fruit trees can produce good fruit, and contrarily bad trees will produce bad fruit. As we saw last week he says, 34 … For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. What you say speaks volumes about what is going on in your heart, whether it is good or bad. When you say, “I can’t stand so and so,” you betray what is in your heart. When you criticize people and things, but offer no help to make it better you reveal bitterness or even envy in yourself. What is more, Jesus says you “will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word (you) have spoken.” These are Jesus’ words, not mine. If we could remember that we will have to give an account for every word we have spoken, how might that change the way we talk to or about one another?
Next James points out the inconsistency in how we use our tongues to praise God and then turn around and curse people. I want to help you to understand the power in praising God. Right now many of you are going through some tough times: your health may not be what you would hope; you may be grieving, or you might be struggling financially. Certainly this nation is being shaken: an earthquake in Virginia followed immediately by hurricanes and record flooding not far from where we live. People have lost everything. There are fires in Texas and terrible dust storms in Phoenix. More and more, people are making comments like, “I think God is trying to tell us something.” Whatever your take on that is; people are struggling big time. You may be one of them. Others of you may not be directly affected, but are nervously watching your friends struggle or the stock market plummet. Remember, God created you and redeemed you. He knows how you were designed to function best. He loves you enough to do whatever it takes to draw you to himself. He knows that most times difficulties refine your faith like gold is melted in hot fire to remove the impurities and make it clean. When you are faced with such difficulties and feel burdened, what are you to do?
The answer is, “You praise God.” Start affirming that God is good all the time. Tell Him how much He has done for you (list whatever you can. You may not be able to think of anything – at these desolate times, many find it difficult to remember the good things God has done; that is why it is good to keep a journal and to list them). Put on praise and worship music and sing along – the louder the better if you can. You may be thinking, “I feel like a hypocrite. I don’t feel like praising God.” Beloved, that is precisely when you need to praise Him. Scripture tells us to bring the sacrifice of praise to God. If you felt like praising God, that would not be sacrificial. When you are struggling, possibly in a really dark pit, you need to praise God and keep doing it until you can say it with meaning. Don’t give up! Praising God with all your heart will drive the darkness away and restore joy to your soul, and the joy of the Lord is your strength. Please remember this if you forget everything else from this sermon. Keep praising God until you can say it like you mean it and joy returns. Such is the power of praising God.
Let us return to the other use of the tongue James talks about, cursing people. You might be saying, “I don’t curse anyone.” But you do when you tell people others’ faults, embellishing them as you go to put them in a bad light so people will join your side of an argument. You do when you pass judgment on a person or can only see their faults. You do when you lie about something. Recall that “blessing” means “to speak well of someone” or “fine or noble speech.” Cursing would be the opposite – being critical and tearing down. James compares our praise of God and our cursing people with nature. Just as a body of salt water cannot produce a fresh water spring, or a fig tree produce olives, so also our speech cannot be divided. James says, “…from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” My favorite observation comes from George Stulac: How often do Christians sing “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” and then leave the worship service with angry complaints about others with whom they have worshiped, or fight with each other at a church committee meeting later in the week? To the person who speaks praise to God in the worship service and then abuses people verbally at home or at work, James commands, “Purify your speech through the week,” With the person who says, “Oh, I know I talk too much,” and laughs it off, James is not amused. He insists, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak.” By the person who boasts, “I always speak my mind, no matter who gets hurt,” James is not impressed. He commands, “Discipline your speaking.” Of the person who says, “I know I gossip too much, but I just can’t help it,” James still requires, “Control your tongue.” Of the person who is in the habit of speaking with insults, ridicule or sarcasm, James demands, “Change your speech habits.” He expects discipline to be happening in the life of a Christian. Any Christian can ask for the grace needed, for God gives good gifts (1:17) and gives them generously (1:5). There is, then, no justification for corrupt habits of speech in our churches today. We simply must repent. But how hard we work at trying to justify our words! We say, “it’s just part of my nature,” “it’s who I am,” “I can’t help it” or “they deserve it” as if that is all there is to it, but James does not buy it. He wants better for you because God wants better for you. Stulac has identified how malevolent words affect the speaker: Spread gossip, and people will not trust you. Speak with sarcasm and insults, and people will not follow you…. what is especially on James’s mind is …the spreading of sin from your speech to the rest of your life. Be hateful with your tongue, and you will be hateful with other aspects of your behavior. If you do not discipline and purify your speech, you will not discipline or purify the rest of your life. How are we to begin to purify our speech? James calls on wisdom which comes “down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17, NASB) James tells us to pray for wisdom which you will recall from the last chapter begins with the fear of God. Our unchanging God will be more than happy to answer this prayer. How are we to identify this wisdom?
God’s wisdom is “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17, NIV) “First of all pure” is a reference to holiness. Because God is holy; you, also, are to be holy. God’s wisdom is peace-loving, considerate and submissive. Carson interprets these this way: It is peace-loving (Pr. 3:17; Heb. 12:11), meaning that it produces peace in the church. It is considerate or ‘gentle’ (Phil. 4:5; 1 Tim. 3:3), which means that it is non-combative. It is submissive, which speaks of a person who is willing to learn, be corrected, or will otherwise gladly respond to godly leadership. (Italics are mine.) The wisdom and hence the kind of language which is from God also includes “full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Carson sees them like this: It is full of mercy and good fruit, which refers to the charitable giving that is so important to James. God, of course, is always merciful and giving, so those filled with his wisdom will be that way as well. Finally, it is impartial and sincere, which means that the person has a heart which is set solely on following God, unlike the ‘double-minded’ person of 1:8. The term sincere means that there is no falseness or play-acting in the person’s actions. As the person is to one’s face, so they are when one’s back is turned. Do your words produce: · Peace (God’s total well-being, not just absence of conflict) or division? · Gentleness (are you considerate of other’s feelings over your own) or combative? · Submissiveness to godly leadership or rebellion? · Full of mercy and good fruit or selfish in your wants? · Impartial and sincere (are you focused singly on God) or do you give priority to family, neighbors, buddies over what the facts say? · Sincere or act one way Sunday morning and differently as soon as you leave the service? . Carson urges us to be “hard on ideas but easy on people. Unfortunately, the opposite often is the case.” For your sake and the sake of our churches, communities and nation, I hope you will take seriously what James is saying. The path of our future, your future depends on it. This will take great courage to do. You will need to understand the fear of God and you will need to overcome the fear of man to keep you going. God is calling you. Will you be one of those who will respond? Who will dare to live holy lives? “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18, NIV) What are the words from your mouth reaping?
The Power of the Tongue Scripture: James 2; 2 Corinthians 12:20 It has been a long, hot and dry summer. The drought continues into the fall with no rain in the foreseeable future. We often hear about people who are out hunting or camping, and a buddy asks for a “light.” They strike a match and toss it into the dried underbrush after lighting his cigarette. Or they build a campfire to cook lunch and then move on without dousing it with water to be sure the embers are out. Thousands of acres of trees, wildlife, homes and lives can be destroyed by one person’s careless act. Such is the power of our words. You would not think of throwing down a lighted match in dried underbrush, but you will say things that hurt people and that begin feuds that last for generations and have the potential for great and lasting destruction in families, work places, schools, sports teams and churches like a forest fire that destroys a landscape and takes decades to restore. This is what David had in mind in Psalm 34 when he says he will teach you the fear of the Lord and quickly mentions, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” (NASB) Perhaps this is what James has in mind when he writes about the tongue in chapter three.
He soon points out that we all “stumble,” that is, we all sin. He immediately identifies one huge area of sin as the words we speak. In the positive way of expressing this he says, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” (James 3:2, NASB) “Perfect” has the same connotation that we see in 1 Corinthians 2:16 when Paul talks about discerning the voice of God. The “perfect” man is the spiritually mature person who understands and cooperates with the Holy Spirit as opposed to the wisdom of this age. James is making a similar distinction here. “We all stumble,” but the mature Christian will be able to control his tongue. He begins with teachers because they have more occasion to speak, publicly at least.
He cautions teachers to beware of what they say because they will be judged more strictly for what they say. This is one verse of which I am well aware and what motivates me to write these things. Teachers have the same need to be loved like everyone else. There is a great temptation to give people what they want to hear in order to make them happy so they will give their approval. This often results in a watered down gospel or even an erroneous message, but we must all answer to God for the things we say, and teachers will be held to a higher standard because they study to know the truth and affect many by what they say. I know it is difficult for you to hear about pride, ungodliness, and especially the fear of God. If you are reading this I praise God that you have held in there to persevere. In a broader sense, what is true for teachers is true for all Christians and especially for those who are leaders.
God is concerned about what we say because the tongue has great power for good or for evil. James compares the tongue to a bridle that enables the rider to control a powerful horse. The horse was the most powerful animal used in warfare at that time. Even larger than a horse is a ship that can be steered by a pilot with a rudder. So the tongue is a very small part of our bodies, but it can turn us in directions we may never have meant to go. Jeremiah tells us that his opponents schemed against him to “attack him with (their) tongues and pay no to attention to anything he says.” (Jeremiah 18:18, NIV) Churches have often displayed this same shameless behavior, and the world wants nothing to do with us. They can get this anywhere.
James continues by comparing the tongue to a blazing fire that is set by just a spark. Thanks to television and the internet, we are well acquainted with the destruction forest fires can bring. The tongue is a fire. A single word spoken in the wrong way or at the wrong time can wound people deeply and set people at odds with one another. Gossip, backbiting and slander are the sparks that can light such fires that destroy people, relationships and ministries. Constant criticizing and finding fault will accomplish the same thing. James tells us such behavior “corrupts the whole person” and sets “the course of his life…on fire by hell.” No matter how righteous we may think ourselves to be, slander, criticizing and gossip are never good and are influenced by the pit of hell where Satan is. James tells us the tongue is a “world of evil” that “stains the whole body” and can “set the whole course of your life on fire.” Earlier (1:14) he says, “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” This is James’ way of saying, “We want what we want, and we want it when we want it.” He continues, “15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death…. 19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…”
Never “underestimate …the damage that can be done through careless or mean-spirited speech….the tongue is often guilty of realizing its potential for evil, and in so doing infects the rest of the body.” The small tongue sets your course and will lead you to being Christ like or into greater sin. “…the tongue can corrupt all of life, whether that of an individual or that of a community.” In fact, Carson believes, “Many, if not all, sins begin with a word. It may be spoken outwardly or silently ‘spoken’ inwardly.”
Every sin begins with words. Let us think about that for a moment. The husband would never cheat on his wife if he did not first tell himself and others how bad his situation is at home and how good it will be with this other woman. The thief would not steal if he had first not made a plan that told him how to do it or that he “needed” it. The student would not cheat on a test if she did not first say silently, “I am going to fail. Everybody does it. No one will know.” Jesus also was pretty harsh on the words that come out of your mouth. He said, “Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'” (Mark 7:15, NIV) In Matthew 12:34b-37 Jesus says, For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
He is telling tell us that evil thoughts, words and actions come from what is in our heart. Sin is a heart problem. Hurtful words are symptoms of spiritual heart disease that is nearly impossible to control. It is impossible for us to control our tongues in our own strength, but “with God all things are possible.”
When you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God places his Holy Spirit in you. He will help you to curb your tongue if you want to. The Holy Spirit is the nitro glycerin of the spiritual heart. He can also do open heart surgery to correct and heal your soul. When you are about to say something mean or critical, pray and ask him to stop your mouth. God will gladly answer this prayer. The next time you are tempted to say something bad about someone, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to keep you quiet and to give you something kind to say. The next time you are ready to criticize a person, stop and ask what you can do to help them. Will you take James’ message to heart and begin to deal with your tongue? Even the best of us have missed it. We all stumble. God is asking you to confess when you do, repent, receive his forgiveness and work at doing better in the future. In your own strength, you cannot do it, but through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you, you can be victorious. May you grow in victory over your words and know the peace that goes with it. James concludes, “18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
Hope When There Seems to Be No Hope Scripture: Psalms 33:13-22; Romans 4:13-21 Last Sunday we lit the candle for joy and talked about how you are always to rejoice in God and His salvation as found in the birth, death and resurrection of His Son. We discovered how praise and rejoicing guard us against worry. Today we light the candle for hope. Scripture frequently connects joy and hope. Christmas is also the season for great hope, but it is not always easy to hope. Nineteen years ago almost to the day, I was told I had an advanced stage of cancer that had come on rapidly and was growing at the same rate. I was already depressed, and in human terms this should have pushed me over the edge. I already had thoughts of suicide. Where was the hope in being told you need a mastectomy that included the removal of 39 lymph nodes – 24 contained the cancer? But God did a marvelous thing, He gave me His word. Jeremiah 30:16-17 says, 16 " 'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. 17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'” The passage certainly described my situation. I had asked for help from family and friends and received none. For twenty years I had watched one hope after another go down the tubes. I truly felt like an outcast. The cancer was devouring my body and stealing my life. What was there to hope in? God. God said that He would devour the devourer and steal from the robber and heal my wounds and restore health to me. This was His promise to me. This was my hope – not an uncertain, “gee, I hope this will happen” but a certainty, a knowing that it would be so. I knew I would be OK in the physical because God had said it.
This is the difference between the Greek view of hope that we in our American culture use in our everyday lives and biblical hope given in God’s Word. “The Greek view of hope is “characterized by uncertainty and fear of the unknown future.” The biblical (or Hebraic) view of God’s hope is characterized by “a firm confidence in God as the one who determines the future according to what He has promised.” Furthermore, the biblical view of “Hope is closely related to faith…it overlaps that part of our faith that is directed toward the future….(and) is closely related to assurance of salvation. Hope as such is the “expectation of something desirable”…. In Scripture, hope is the confident expectation of our future possession of all that God has promised us. In Romans 4:18 (NIV), referring to the promise God made to Abraham concerning an heir through which his descendants would be like the sands of the sea or as numerous as the stars in the sky, Paul writes, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…” “Against all hope” refers to the human way of thinking with uncertainty and “wishful thinking.” In human terms Abraham was well aware that his body, at a hundred years of age, and Sarah’s at ninety were well past the years of procreation. There was about as much hope for them having a child as for an ice sculpture of the American flag not to melt when placed outdoors in the hot Florida sun on the Fourth of July. The second use of hope in this verse, “Abraham in hope believed,” is the biblical of God’s hope. When God has declared something, it will happen. It is a done deal. What had God promise Abraham? (V. 17, NIV) “As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” When God revealed this would happen within the year, Abraham laughed because both of their bodies were as good as dead, but that momentary lapse is faith did not persist. Notice how “faith” and “hope” keep appearing together. “Indeed, the line between ‘faith’ and ‘hope’ blurs, so that they are almost indistinguishable.” The strength of Abraham’s faith lay not in his or Sarah’s abilities, but in the ability of God to keep His promise. The strength of his faith was precisely his recognition that there was nothing in him which could make the fulfillment of the promise possible…that he had to rely wholly and solely on God who alone can give life to that which is dead, who alone can make something out of nothing…. The strength of Abraham’s faith was precisely that it was unsupported by anything else…it was not something Abraham could do. It was trust, simple trust, nothing but trust. (Italics are mine.) Abraham believed and trusted “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” He believed that God would restore their “dead” bodies and call into existence a son after nearly twenty-five years of waiting “against all hope” because of their advanced ages. Notice, this is not a denial of the facts on Abraham’s part. He is fully and completely aware of the problems. He chooses to believe God and that is credited to him for righteousness. He is saved by faith just as you are. “Genuine faith adheres to God’s promise despite the whirlwind of external circumstances that imperil it.” Abraham may have struggled at times with faith, but “he always recovered…. he never gave way to unbelief….struggling faith is not the same as unbelief.” How do you measure up to your father, Abraham?
Listen to what experts have to say: · . What God said to Abraham was not ‘Obey this law and I will bless you,’ but ‘I will bless you; believe my promise.’ ” This state of affairs is just as critical today as in Paul’s day. Too many churches center on law rather than grace, and too many Christians are placing their trust in what they are doing rather than in the One on whom they are believing. The level of commitment on the part of the average Christian all too often seems to be going down rather than up. · To fail him in the relatively insignificant activities of daily life is to be guilty of a sort of practical atheism. Can God? is not a valid question for the believer. Will God? is the question that drives us in prayer ever closer to his heart. “Fully persuaded” leaves no room for doubt. It calls for complete capitulation to the power and goodness of God. · The church of Jesus Christ is in desperate need of those who will insist that God is able to bring to pass anything that is consistent with his nature and in concert with his redemptive purposes. “Your God Is Too Small” is a sad epitaph inscribed on all too many ecclesiastical groups who, strange as it may seem, claim to worship the Almighty. Faith is total surrender to the ability and willingness of God to carry out his promises. Are you like Abraham who was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” or do you always seem to be struggling with doubt? Is your commitment to God increasing or decreasing? Do you do what you want to do or what He wants? Is your God too small to meet the problems of your life or do you trust Him implicitly with every detail?
Returning to my situation nearly two decades ago, God had given me his word through His Word, and I had to decide whether to look in the natural and give in to despair, or to believe God and live in hope. I chose the latter and with it came a certainty that it would happen. My hope was not based on what I wanted to have happen, but on His specific promise. Did I ever have momentary doubts? Yes, like when the surgeon told me the number of lymph nodes containing cancer. My faith faltered momentarily, but I recovered.
Right now I have been told that I have a broken bone in my wrist that may die due to lack of blood supply. I may need surgery or might live in pain the rest of my life. I choose to believe I have a great God who has good “plans for me to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).” I believe in a “God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”
What obstacles are you facing? Is it unemployment, sickness, loss of loved ones or the impending loss of them? Is it the temptations that face you at work, school or home? When the problems pile up, instead of looking at the situation as if God has abandoned you, try seeing it as a hefty workout to build up your faith like the workouts in the gym build your muscles and strengthen your heart. “Genuine faith adheres to God’s promise despite the whirlwind of external circumstances that imperil it.” Faith, hope and joy go hand in hand. They build up and support each other and combined with the other things we have looked at will help you to live above the circumstances and to overcome worry. Anchor your faith “on the God who made the promises. (The Bible is full of them. God’s unfailing love rests on you as you put your hope in Him. “…the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” Hear the conditionals. As you hope in God, i.e. exercise your faith the promises are released. I have included just a few of them on the bulletin insert.) He can and will fulfill his pledges because he is the resurrecting God who creates life out of death, and because he is the sovereign God who summons into existence that which does not even exist.” (The parentheses are mine.) Because of this baby born at Christmas to reconcile you to this all powerful God, when there seems to be no hope, you can live in hope and joy in victory.
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Rejoice! And again I Say, Rejoice! Scripture: Psalm 105:1-5; Romans 15:10-13; Philippians 4:4-9; Revelation 19:4-9
It is appropriate that we begin the Christmas Season with joy. The Bible talks about joy 246 times. It refers to rejoicing another 167 times, and closely related to joy and rejoicing is praise at another 340 times. That is a total of 753 times the Bible talks of the jubilation of God’s people. That is enough to remind us to rejoice in God every morning and evening. He really wants his followers to be happy. Isaiah 9:2-3, 6-7 connects this joy to the birth of the messiah, God’s Son: 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. The birth of the Messiah is cause for great joy. It is like the rejoicing after the harvest is safely in or after the defeat of a vicious enemy. In Bible times an army was paid from the spoils of war, pilfering the defeated enemy’s wealth. The Psalms also tell us to rejoice in God’s Word like a person “rejoices in great riches” or “finds great spoil.” If the Bible were to be written today, Isaiah might have said, “God’s people rejoice before him like someone who has just won the lottery.” Why is there so much rejoicing in God’s presence?
Because God loves you bunches and bunches. How can you know He loves you that much? Because He sent his only Son to be born as one of us, to live without sin like none of us can do and to die in our place so that God’s righteousness and justice could be satisfied and we could enter into his holy presence. We celebrate at Christmas the birth of the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One promised by God who would redeem us from sin and reconcile us to himself giving salvation to all who believe in Jesus. Being saved from the penalty of our sins is something to jump up and down and get excited about. When you give your life to Jesus you have won the eternal jackpot that cannot be eaten up by taxes or squandered away on high-priced luxury items. No long lost relatives you never knew you had can try to con you out of it either, because each person must deal with God in his or her own right. There are no 42nd cousins or 1st cousins for that matter because each person must be adopted as God’s own son or daughter. You cannot get to heaven on anyone else’s godliness. If salvation alone were not enough, there are many “perks” for being right with God.
Isaiah tells us in 49:13-16a (NIV): 13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. God doesn’t just save you from judgment, he comforts you here and now when you grieve or are broken. He has compassion on you when you are suffering. God’s care and concern for you does not stop there.
Another prophet, Zephaniah, wrote (3:14-17, NIV): 14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." The prophet gives you reasons to “be glad and rejoice with all your heart.” God has taken away your eternal punishment required when you “miss the mark.” Then God goes one step farther and is with you in the form of His Holy Spirit to protect you and to save you so that you do not have to “fear any harm.” But God doesn’t stop there. He is not only with you, but He takes “great delight in you.” He “quiets you with his love.” Think of a three year old child who is frightened by a storm and mama picks him up, holds him close to her and rocks him all the while speaking softly with soothing words to calm him. This is the image the prophet gives when he tells you, “he quiets you with his love.” Men, don’t think you are too manly for such tenderness. Compared to God’s wisdom, strength and toughness, you are that three year old also. In His presence, you can let go and rest in his arms. In His presence you don’t always have to be “the strong one” or “the one with all the solutions.” You can just “be” you, someone loved and cared for. While you are allowing Him to love on you, you will discover that God actually “rejoices over you with singing.” You are His delight.
But some of you may feel far away from God. You may feel like He has forgotten you. The prophet Isaiah has something to say about that also. Isaiah had prophesied that the Assyrians would defeat Israel and send them into exile because they had turned their backs on God. They would be driven from their homes and separated from friends and family. Everything dear to them would be gone. Israel’s natural response was to feel that God had forgotten them. But Isaiah tells them: 15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; A nursing mother cannot forget her baby for long because of the pressure she feels the need to feed her child. God says that even if a nursing mother could forget – which is highly unlikely – He “will not forget you!” Why can’t he forget you? Because He has engraved your name on the palm of his hand.
Notice He has not merely written your name there with pen or ink that can wash off. He has not even used a “permanent” marker which we all know will eventually wear off. No, God has engraved your name on his hand. You might think of it like “God has tattooed your name on the palm of his hand, but I think it is even more than that. Think about how lovers have often engraved their initials in the tree trunk as a symbol of their eternal love because it will remain visible as long as the tree stands. Think about what that would be like if someone did that on their hand. The scars would be there permanently. Jesus bears the permanent scars on his hands from the nails that held him on the cross in your place. God has permanently etched your name on the palm of his hand. Sometimes you may feel like He is far away or has forgotten you, but He is always near. He promises you that even if a nursing mother could forget her baby (if that could be possible), still He will remember you and your situation because he has engraved your name on the palm of his hand. It goes deep and cannot be erased, washed away or worn off. What should your response be to such a God as we worship?
Isaiah tells the heavens to “shout for joy;” the earth to “rejoice,” and the mountains to “burst into song.” The Psalms clearly show the transfer of rejoicing from the rocks and hills to the people of God.
Psalm 43:3-4 says that God sends you truth and light to live by and God’s people respond, “God is my joy and my delight; I will praise Him.” Psalm 71:23 tells you to praise God because of the redemption (salvation) He has given you, and your praise brings joy. Psalm 149:1-6 depicts God’s people with singing “a new song to the Lord,” “praising Him in the sanctuary,” “praising his name with dancing and making music to him” because God delights in his people and “crowns the humble with salvation.” “Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths.” Worship of God is joyous because of all the things He has done for us, and worship does not end at noon on Sunday morning. It continues through the week in everything you do – even when you lie down at night and before you rise in the morning. Why is it important that you do this?
God has given us a tremendous tool for our journey on our way to heaven. When you are full of joy you cannot remain worried for long about the storms of life or what will happen in the days, weeks and months ahead as national debt rises around the world and things get tighter closer to home. We have been looking at the steps to overcome worry: believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior and trust God and his faithfulness to his promises towards those who seek his kingdom above their own. · Know that He loves you bunches and bunches · Remember God is your shepherd – you will not lack for any good thing · Give generously where there is real need (this is a way to trust God for your finances) · Give God thanks in every situation (it reminds you the true source of your success). · Count your blessings and think on what is good, true, pure and right. · Praise God in every circumstance because it brings you joy to live above the circumstance of life that work to pull you down. These may be dark times, but you don’t have to live in darkness. Christ, your savior has come in truth and light. You serve a great and wonderful God who is always with you to comfort, to protect and to save you. Rejoice and again I say, rejoice for all He has done, is doing and will do on your behalf.
PRAYER: Merciful God, you sent your messengers, the prophets, to preach repentance and to prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and to forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever…Gracious Redeemer hear our prayers for ….
Thanksgiving Service 2011 “Thank God in All Things” Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-16; Philippians 4:1-9 The Sunday before Thanksgiving is designated as Christ the King Day. We do not give thanks to some nebulous “higher power” or god that is unknown. We serve a risen Savior who was here and is coming again. We know the one to whom we give thanks. He is the one who was humble enough and loved us enough to give up the riches and powers of heaven to live among us and to die in our place so that we could be restored to God the Father and experience a renewed relationship with Him. The Apostle Paul combines the kingship of Jesus and giving him thanks in Philippians 3:20-4:1, 4-9.
Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven where Christ Jesus reigns and that he has the power and authority to “bring everything under his control.” One day he will transform our bodies so that we are like him. Next Paul tells us to stand firm in our faith. How are we to do that? We are to rejoice. To emphasize his point he repeats it, “I will say it again: Rejoice!” He follows up with the command, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.”
Because Jesus is King of all kings and reigns eternally, we can trust him in every situation. We know he is true to his word. We can and should give thanks to him for everything in our lives – the good as well as the bad. We thank him for the rain and the sunshine, for food, clothing and a warm house to shelter us from the sun, wind, rain, sleet and snow. We thank him for a healthy body to work and a mind to reason. We thank him for doctors, hospitals, and schools. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights in whom there is no shadow of change. But what about the hardships, how do we thank God for those things? How are we not to worry or be anxious about not having enough to feed our children or to pay our bills?
Our opening hymn, “We Gather Together,” was written in the Netherlands in the early seventeenth century during the Spanish occupation. Their cities had been ransacked and many of their people were exiled. As they were praying for freedom from this oppression they were also taking Paul’s command to heart. They were rejoicing in the Lord and instead of being anxious, were petitioning God with their thanksgiving: “The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, Sing praises to His name: He forgets not His own.” “We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant, and pray that Thou still our Defender wilt be. Let Thy congregation excape tribulation: Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!” Life is often like that. The victory may still be around the corner, but that should not keep us from giving thanks. For Holland, a golden age of prosperity – of world exploration, of artists like Rembrandt and scientists like Leeuwenhoek – was only a few decades away. And blessings like these are merely a foretaste of what God has for us in the future. Our next hymn was written by Henry Alford who had learned the ability of giving thanks in everything. He not only gave thanks before meals, but after them as well. He wrote it to remind us to be thankful not just for what God has done, but for “work complete, a job well done…aching muscles, full barns, sun-reddened faces and meals of plenty.” He reminds us that we are God’s harvest in this earth. The wheat and tares grow side by side waiting for the good fruit to be revealed. “Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be. For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home….Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home; gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin. There, forever purified, in Thy presence to abide….raise the glorious harvest home.” Sing verse 1 of #559 “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.”
Our next hymn was written by a widely traveled businessman who had become impressed by the vast oceans. This song was written intentionally to give the sense of the waves of the ocean rising and falling against the ship. Samuel Francis wanted us to feel the waves and to understand that God’s love for us is as vast as an ocean. Just as the ocean is “vast, unmeasured, boundless and free” so also God’s love is “underneath you, all around you leading you onward and homeward.” When we understand God’s love this way it is easy to give Him thanks and not to be anxious even in the midst of terrible problems. Sing verse 1 of #211 “O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.”
This next hymn of thanks was written in Germany during the Thirty Years’ War by the sole pastor in the walled city of Eilenberg. It had been overrun by the Swedes, then the Austrians followed again by the Swedes. Because of the multitudes crowding into the tiny city for protection from the invading armies, the conditions were ripe for hunger and plague. In 1637 after conducting five thousand funerals (including his wife’s), Martin Rinkart wrote these words, Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices; who, from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way, with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.” Line after line begins with “thanks.” Thanks for Jesus by my side. Thanks for tears. Thanks for peace. Thanks for prayers answered and for what you have denied! Thanks for pain and for pleasure. Thanks for comfort, grace and love. Thanks for roses and for thorns. Thanks for joy and for sorrow and hope in tomorrow…” This man knew how to rejoice in every situation and to give his prayers and petitions to God with thanksgiving. He had learned not to worry or be anxious about anything. Let us be encouraged by this hymn to do the same. #556 “Now Thank We All Our God” verse 1.
Johnson Oatman, Jr. does not have a sad story beyond the fact that he was a Methodist pastor who could not sing worth a darn unlike his businessman father who was requested to solo all around the area. Johnson Jr. did find that he could write songs. “Count Your Blessings” is one of thousands he wrote over a period of years. It reminds us to “think of whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” When we remember all that God has done for us, we are encouraged not to worry and to give thanks to our great God. Please sing verses 1 and 3 of #569.
The final hymn we are going to look at today is “For the Beauty of the Earth.” Upon returning to his home town of Bath along the Avon River in England after studying at Cambridge University, he was so moved by the beauty that he wrote this hymn. You may think that Folliot Pierpoint, had nothing over you. The Pennsylvania Mountains and valleys have a special beauty. So often people are inspired by God’s creation and drawn closer to Him by the beauty seen in a sunset, a rock formation or flower blooming in the desert or the forests in the mountains. The composer gave it a different refrain from today’s version. He wrote, “Christ our God, to Thee we raise/ This our sacrifice of praise” alluding to Hebrews 13:15 and reminding us that it is not always easy to give thanks and praise to God. Sometimes we have to give up our emotions, our right to be angry or to revenge. We have to give up “what we want when we want it” and give God the praise in everything. Don’t let worry overwhelm you this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Trust God; seek His kingdom first; know that He loves you bunches and bunches; remember God is your shepherd – you will not lack for any good thing; give generously where there is real need, and give God thanks in every situation. Count your blessings and think on what is good, true, pure and right. These are the steps to a worry free life. Let us sing verses 1 and 5 of #560 “For the Beauty of the Earth.”
Thanksgiving Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, our Lord an King: grant that the people of the earth, now divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his gentle and loving rule. By your Spirit empower us to love the unloved, and to minister to all in need…..
“Don’t Worry; Be Happy” Scripture: Luke 12:22-34 In 1988 Bobby McFerrin recorded a happy-go-lucky song called, “Don’t Worry; Be Happy.” It went straight to the top of the” Billboard Hot 100 chart. At the 1989 Grammy Awards, "Don't Worry Be Happy" won the awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.” McFerrin took the idea from an Indian sage and mystic, Meher Baba. It was done a cappella in a relaxed mood with laughter scattered throughout. This was the first music release without instrumentals to make it to the top. I attribute this to its theme, “stop worrying and be happy.” We have become a society of worriers. Stress, anxiety and worry go hand in hand. The song makes it sound so simple, just stop worrying and be happy, but you and I know it is much easier said than done. Jesus expressed the futility of worry in Luke 12:25-26 saying, “…which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Worry cannot change things one iota. Worry cannot cause you to grow taller or to live longer. Worry will not heal a sick child. Worry will not get your job back. Worry cannot gain you anything but, in fact, could cause you to turn to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, drugs or overeating to help you cope. It can lead to headaches, irritability, dizziness, nausea, heart attack and make you more susceptible to disease. Darrel L. Bock has identified worry as “wasted energy, an emotional investment that yields nothing. Worry actually reflects the tension we have when we feel that life is out of our control; it is the product of feeling isolated in the creation.” It is senseless to worry, and yet we do it all the time. J. C. Ryle asserts, “Nothing is more common than an anxious and troubled spirit, and nothing mars a believer’s usefulness and attacks his inner peace so much.. So why do we persist, and how do we stop?
In chapter 12 Jesus identifies four of our biggest anxieties: persecution (not being accepted and liked, rejection or worse), money, what we will eat and what we will wear. The persecution (not being accepted and liked) he calls “the fear of man” that we addressed earlier. Jesus tells us not to fear the person who can merely kill the body, but we are to fear the one who not only can kill the body, but destroy the soul afterwards. This causes most of us in 21st century America a higher anxiety level than before. We do not find it comforting because we have been groomed to be comfortable and this definitely is our of our comfort zone. Jesus however continues by reminding us about the sparrows. Thiswais the most inexpensive meat source known to the Jews. Five sparrows could be bought for just two pennies. It was considered “clean” by their dietary laws, but they were insignificant and had little meat, yet God knows each one of them and notices when they pass. Jesus encourages you, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The solution to the fear of man is to “acknowledge Jesus before men (verse 8).”
Concerning our fear and worry about money, Jesus tells the story of the rich man whose ground produced a bumper crop. He took stock of his barns and decided to build new and bigger ones so he could store all the grain. So far, so good, but then he continued and “18 "… said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' (Italics are mine.) He forgot to include God in his plans. He forgot to ask God what he should do with his wealth and decided to use it for his own pleasure and ease. Notice in the beginning of the story Jesus said “the ground produced” the large crop. God made the land and the water, the sun and everything that went in to making that crop. The rich man forgot that his wealth came from God. He forgot also that he was “blessed to be a blessing” to others less fortunate than himself. He forgot that God is in control, but God didn’t.
God said, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself.”' (verse 20) This is the opposite of the fear and worry of man. This man fears nothing. He has put his trust in his wealth and what it can provide for him. Jesus reminds you that what happens here on earth is insignificant compared with the rewards of heaven for all eternity, but wealth usually causes you to lose sight of eternity and to live only for the present and what you see here on earth. The solution is not to “store up things for yourself,” but to be “rich toward God.” Yet how often are we stashing away hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in investments and 401ks and the local church can barely pay its bills and local charities cannot make their rent? I wonder what God would say about that?
Jesus continues “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” How often do you live like there is more than how fashionably dressed you are or what fine food you eat? Youth must wear the in-style or be mocked. If someone shows up at church with soiled clothing or torn shirt and pants, what comments go through your mind or are whispered out loud?
Jesus elaborates with two more examples of how God cares for your physical needs. First he points out that although ravens do not plant crops or harvest them, they still have plenty to eat, in contrast to the rich man who built the bigger barns. Jesus is not advocating a lazy lifestyle free from work. The emphasis is on God’s provision for his creation. The raven is an unclean animal and about as worthless as an animal can be in the Jewish law code, but still God provides their every need. Jesus tells you that you are “much more valuable than the birds.” (verse 24) The second example addresses what you wear. Jesus points out the beauty of the lilies of the field and compares them favorably with Solomon’s kingly robes. Solomon’s splendor and wealth were unrivaled in Jewish culture. Jesus declares the courtly high fashion to be inferior to the beauty worn by these short-lived flowers that are like the grass, here today and gone tomorrow. He says, “28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. … your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
I knew a young man who loved the Lord and put Him first until he got married. Then he focused on getting the dynamite job to provide for his wife and children and left God out. The job became his priority in everything because the job was going to provide all his needs. He kept running into one roadblock after another until he came to his senses when he nearly lost his wife. When he made God the priority in his life again followed closely by his family, the promotions came and the things he always wanted for his family became a reality. Because God has such a high opinion of you, the solution to your worry is to have faith and to seek the kingdom of God above everything else you are seeking whether that is jobs, health, a mate, a beautiful home, car, etc. Seek to put God first in your time, in your selection of clothing, in how you spend or save your money, and live according to what He says is right. When you do, everything you need and much of what you want will be given to you because of the relationship you have with God.
“32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” “Little flock” has several connotations. One is that although you or your group may be small God is still your shepherd. Size is not important to God. His eye is on the sparrow. You and your church are never beyond His care and his notice. Another implication is that God is your shepherd. He is leading you, providing for your every need and anointing you and bringing healing for your body, mind and soul. Everyone is comforted at funerals by Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The imagery is rich and peaceful with a full table set beside a still pond and safe from your enemies. What you often forget is that this psalm is for everyday living. The declaration of “the Lord is my shepherd” is followed immediately by “I shall not want.” We need to declare that every time we worry.
Jesus concludes his lesson on worry with a few instructions about what to do with your wealth. Wealth causes us so much unnecessary worry. When we do not have it, we worry about getting it, and when we have it, we worry about losing it. I never worry much about moths until I buy an expensive suit or someone breaking into my home except when I have purchased a new computer, diamond jewelry, a car or something expensive. Then I am inclined to worry about robbers stealing it or moths eating it. Jesus expects you are to sell your possessions and give to the poor. I do not believe this is a blanket command to live in poverty. We must recall that in biblical times there were no banks as we know them today. Money was invested in land and sometimes savings were buried in it like the parable of the kingdom of God that Jesus told, “44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44, KJV) I believe “sell your possessions” means to be very generous with people who are in need and in doing so you are building God’s kingdom instead of your own. When you invest in heaven you do not have to worry about losing your investment. It is safe
So what is your response to be when worry grabs hold of you or comes knocking at your door? Your first response must be to muster your faith in Jesus and declare, “When I am afraid, I will trust in God.” Second, remind yourself that God is your Father. Talk to Him like you would to a good father. Develop an intimate relationship with Him. Jesus is telling you that “security comes from our relationship to God.” if God feeds and clothes the insignificant things of this world like sparrows and lilies and the detestable things like ravens, how much more will He care for you to provide your every need. Third, remember that God is your shepherd, and like a good shepherd He will see that you get good and nourishing food, ample clothing, balms (medicine) for your wounds and illnesses and protect you from the wild animals. This is what Jesus promises to everyone who “seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Please be like Jonathan Edwards who examined himself daily to see if he had lived up to God’s standards. Ask God where you are living like the rich man and building your own kingdom contrary to the way He wants you to live. Jesus concludes this passage saying, “Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When your treasure is the things of this world, your heart will be set on this world and not on God, and you will have much to worry about. When you treasure God, your heart will be set on his kingdom and not your own. Then you will not have to worry about the thief or robber, or stock market or the insanity around you because you have the Good Shepherd caring for you. Where is your treasure? Where is your heart? When you trust God and seek His kingdom and his righteousness, you can stop worrying and be happy.
FEAR: SCRIPTURE AND PRAYER PRAYERS Dear Lord,
My fear has trapped and consumed me. But I am tired of living under the weight of my fears. These verses reassure me of your presence and confirm that you are able to deliver me from my trouble. Please give me your love and your power to replace these fears. Your perfect love casts out my fear. I thank you for promising to give me the peace that only you can give. I receive that peace now as I ask you to still my troubled heart. Because you are with me, I don't have to be afraid.
Amen - by Mary Fairchild
Lord, you are more reliable than the ground I stand on and your faithfulness is more than I can comprehend. Thank you for hearing my voice and rescuing me when I cry to you. When I am shaken, you steady me. When I am in trouble, you save me. Amen. By Ann Spangler (Praying the Names of God)
Lord, I thank you for raising your standard over me. Today, as I face spiritual battles of many kinds, help me to be confident of your protection, to fight with your power, to prevail in your strength. Yahweh Nissi (God My Banner), may your victory be total and complete, destroying whatever stands in the way of your plans and purposes. Amen. By Ann Spangler (Praying the Names of God)
Lord, help me to know you as my All-Powerful God, the one who is able to sustain and bless me, to fulfill every promise he makes. Increase my awe of you and of your power so that, like Abraham, I may follow you faithfully, always believing you are enough for me. Amen. By Ann Spangler (Praying the Names of God) Father, I release to You the burdens that I have been carrying, burdens that You never intended for me to carry. I cast all my cares upon You – all my worries, all my fears. You have told me not to be anxious about anything, but rather to bring everything to You in prayer with thankfulness. I thank You for Your promise to sustain me, preserve me, and guard all that I have entrusted to Your keeping. Protect my heart and mind with Your peace that passes all understanding. Father, may Your will be done in my life, in Your time, and in Your way. In Jesus’ precious name, AMEN. – Unknown
SCRIPTURES TO HELP BANISH FEAR (Pray and do accordingly) Ephesians 6:10-13 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Recall that we talked about this and I gave you a prayer to put on the armor of God.) Read 2 Chronicles 20: Keep your eyes on the Lord and not the problem. Trust in God and His word. Give him thanks and praise for all He has done for you and will do. (You can always begin by thanking Him for saving you from eternal suffering.) 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17, 20-21 This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' " 20"Listen to me…! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets (synonym for God’s word) and you will be successful." 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." (They went to battle singing praises to God. You do the same!)
Read Psalms 23; 121:1-8; 46:1-4; 27:1-3; 56
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
1 John 4:18-19 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (sound mind).
Psalm 56:3, 4a 3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
If you are fearing, you do not have your eyes on God but on the problem, you are not trusting God for something, you are not loving with God’s love or there is something you need to confess and get right with God. Pray and change your actions/attitudes accordingly. Also, there are legitimate fears like snakes, falling from high places, etc.
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Fear of God Scripture: Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 34:7-22; 118:4; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Matthew 10:24-28 Proverbs tells us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (1:7, NIV) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (9:10, NIV) 2 Corinthians 7: 9-11 makes it clear that the Apostles knew what it meant to fear the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men... (NIV) If we must fear the Lord before we can gain true wisdom and knowledge, then it would serve us well to ask, “What exactly is the fear of the Lord?” Second Corinthians hints that it may be more than our tame concept of reverential awe for it is connected with judgment and receiving rewards and/or punishments for things done while on earth whether good or bad. Let us begin with fear as “awe” of God. In the movie, “Hoosiers,” this small Indiana high school basketball team makes the state playoffs for the first time in school history. It is also that first time in state history that such a small school has made it to the finals (they had no divisions to separate schools by size). When they arrive at the playoff site, they enter a gym that can hold thousands of spectators. The place is huge, and they are in awe. They fear the sheer size of the area. They had never seen anything like it before. They were convinced that they could not play there because the court was so big. I am sure you have experienced something similar. You must give an oral report at school or speech at work. You have been asked to stand in front of the church to pray or read scripture, and your heart pounds and your pulse races. Fear grips you. Such is the fear of God. You have probably been told that the fear of God is a reverence or an awe of him. It is that and so much more.
When I read scripture I am always struck by the reaction people have to angels, God’s personal messengers. Samson’s mother and father were visited by an angel who announced his birth. When they realized they had seen an angel, Manoah, Samson’s father, fell on his face and said, “We are doomed to die! We have seen God!” We are told in 2 Kings 19:35 “That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies!” I think there was fear there. Then there were Mary and Zechariah. We are told Zechariah was “gripped with fear” when he saw the angel. The angel told him, “Do not be afraid.” He told the same thing to Mary when he appeared to her. When the angel appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shone around them the shepherds were terrified, and the angel began his message with “Do not be afraid.” These people were not simply in reverential awe of God’s messengers, they were frightened in the true sense of the word. If even God’s messengers and his glory apart from his actual presence cause brave men and women to cower in terror, how much more would God’s very presence cause mere mortals to be terrified?
Isaiah was one such man who saw God and lived. He was terrified. He cried out, “Woe is me; I am undone!” He cursed himself because he was so overcome by his sinfulness when compared to a holy God that he was sure he would die. Death is the deepest fear of every person. It is more than reverential awe. Isaiah was “undone” and about to die. Jesus draws on this understanding of fear when he warns his disciples to fear God not man. It does not make sense to connect the fear of man who can kill the body with genuine fear or terror and then reinterpret the fear of God who can destroy both body and soul as simply reverence or awe. Blomberg gives us this perspective, “Physical death thus pales in comparison with the prospect of eternal punishment.” If Jesus held this view of the fear of God, why do we hold a radically different view?
Francis Chan believes that as the cultural trends changed the church followed suit. As the culture began to view life differently, the church became embarrassed by some of the things God said about himself such as we are to fear him. It was not politically correct to have a God that we needed to fear. We needed to rework God so fear became reverence and awe. The same thing happened with love to the exclusion of righteousness. Just as love appealed to the culture, and righteousness did not, so it was okay to give reverence to God but not actually to fear him. Reverence can be just about anything we want it to be. This allows us to question God and to challenge him. This enables us to ignore all the sections of scripture we do not like. He asserts the Bible is different from what the church often believes or does. What does the Bible tell us about the fear of God?
In Matthew 10: 24-29 Jesus is talking about what it means to be his disciple. First we are to become like him and not to think that we are above him. Therefore, if people malign him and persecute him, they will do the same to you. He commands his disciples not to fear them even if they try to kill you. Jesus died a horrible death to fulfill God’s purpose. This is difficult for most of us in the Twenty-first Century to hear. Then Jesus takes it one step further and says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, NRSV) This shatters most of our views of God as a loving, gentle mother/father who would never take a stand on much of anything let alone destroy both body and soul and cast someone into hell. You may be saying, “My God is not like that.” Jesus disagrees with you.
In six verses Jesus mentions fear four times. Three of the four are telling us not to fear people who tear us down, make fun of us or try to destroy our lives or our ministries because they do not have the ultimate say about what happens. Rather we are to fear the One who has that ultimate power who can destroy not just earthly life, but the soul as well. He is the judge who has the final say about who will go to heaven or hell. The reality of hell is for another discussion. For our purposes, it is enough to know that Jesus accepts hell as a real place where people and Satan and his demons will ultimately go. Right now you might be thinking that I am portraying a vengeful and wrathful God totally different from the one you know who is love. Recall that God is holy and righteousness must inform love or it is not God’s love. His holiness prevents sin from entering heaven. His righteousness requires sin be punished or redeemed. His love found a way for that to happen so that we could be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with Him.
Let us return to Isaiah. He was “undone” when he saw God and thought he was about to die, but God found a way to make it possible for Isaiah to see him and live. The seraph took a glowing coal and pressed it to his lips. The fire cleansed him. Isaiah was a unique case, but God had a better plan that could be offered to all of us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and to die on the cross as payment for our sins so that all “who believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” This is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV), “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Later Paul writes in Romans 10 (NIV), 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Note here what Jesus is not saying. Most commentators distinguish between outright rejection and human weakness. The difference would be like the unrepentant thief on the cross beside Jesus versus Peter who denied the Lord three times but repented and returned to speak up for Jesus boldly after the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. How do we reconcile a God of love with a God whom we should fear?
The holiness of God sets Him apart from us. He is wholly “other” than us. He is perfect, without sin. His righteousness, justice and judgment are the result of this holiness, but so are love, mercy and grace. Through Jesus Christ He has fulfilled all of these qualities found in holiness. Our sins have been paid for by Jesus. We have been redeemed, bought back, to be one of God’s children with all the rights and privileges that come with being a brother or sister to the King’s Son and that come with responsibilities and blessings. Psalm 34 talks about this.
It says in consecutive verses, “O taste and see that the Lord is good,” and “O fear the Lord, you his saints.” We cannot reconcile “fear” with something “good,” but God can and does. When David says, “I will teach you the fear of the Lord,” he lists three commands/imperatives. · Keep your tongue from evil (we will look at that in the next chapter). · Depart from evil and do good · Seek peace and pursue it In short, he is telling you to be a righteous person and to live according to all God commands (including the Ten Commandments). These are the responsibilities that go with fearing and loving God. The fear of the Lord is designed to lead a person to obey Him when love may not provide enough motivation. When your life reflects Jesus, what might you expect?
The Lord will hear your cries and deliver you out of all your troubles, afflictions and fears. David states this four times. You will be radiant. The Lord will be “near the brokenhearted” and saves those “crushed in spirit.” You will not lack or be in “want of any good thing.” The Lord will surround you with angels for your protection. “The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” These are great benefits for those who have learned to fear God for both now in this world and for eternity to come. Jesus, in the Matthew passage, tells us that God knows when the sparrows die and the very number of hairs on your head. The sparrow was considered the cheapest bird you could buy and eat. You could get 5 for two pennies. They were the most insignificant bird, but God cared enough for them to know when they perished. God also knows the numbers of the hairs on your head. How much more will He care for you! The fear of the Lord is both terrifying and awesome. The holiness of God undoes we sin sick humans so that we should fear Him who can destroy both body and soul.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge because if you do not properly fear Him, you will not understand the seriousness of your sin. If you do not understand the seriousness of your sin, then you will not understand your need for a Savior. When you do not understand your need for a Savior, you will not be inclined to believe in him and to confess him. There is an irony here like when Jesus tells us those who would try to keep their lives will lose it, but those who lose their lives to follow him will be saved. Likewise, when you fear God and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and live holy lives because He is holy, the fear of the Lord becomes rest, peace, safety and protection. The fear of the Lord does not seem terrible or terrifying because you are adopted to be His son or daughter. The fear of eternal judgment is rightfully gone. Joy and hope fill your being where once there was dread, and you become “radiant.” Heaven is your home because God is your Father. This is not true for those who reject Jesus. Salvation is not universal for everyone. Although many today believe this in varying degrees, it is not biblical. Sadly the church has not held to this truth, and along with it we have lost the sense of the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin. We have lost a biblical understanding of the fear of God. God knew what He was saying when He wrote, “The fear of the Lord is beginning of knowledge and wisdom.” When you learn biblical fear of God you can say with the Psalmist, “His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:4, NIV)
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Fear of Man Scripture: Joshua 1:9; Psalm 49:1-9a; 56; 91; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:13-18: Psalm 118:6 (Hebrews 13:6); Proverbs 29:25; Matthew 10:24-31; Mark 5:36; Luke 12:23-34; John 12:42 You are at work and the guys begin to tell off-color jokes. What do you do? You are at school and your friends are talking about their sexual exploits. What do you do? You are with your coffee clutch or luncheon group and the ladies begin to gossip. What do you do? You are at the hunting lodge and the fellows drink excessively and begin to use crude language and to denigrate women. What do you do? Perhaps one-on-one you might tell someone you don’t appreciate the bad humor, gossip or talk, but in a group of peers do you have the strength to stand up for your convictions?
This is what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel of John chapter 12. The scene was the temple, and the Pharisees had already excommunicated a former blind man whom Jesus had healed because he would not deny Jesus was the Messiah. It is now holy week. Palm Sunday had just taken place, and the Pharisees were furious and wanted to find a way to destroy Jesus. John records that although he had performed many miracles like healing the blind, casting out demons and raising the dead, the Jewish leaders refused to believe in him. “Nevertheless,” he tells us that many among them did believe, “But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue…” They were afraid that what happened to the blind man healed by Jesus would happen to them. John continues by telling us that “they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” (John 12:42-43, NIV) They were afraid of what their peers would think, say or do that would put them in an unfavorable light so that they would no longer be “popular,” “cool,” “fitting in,” “a regular guy” or “one of the girls.” Fear of what others will think, say or do causes us to do things we know is wrong.
Last month when I talked about fear, we saw that it is a great stressor that produces physical, emotional, relational and spiritual problems. It can lower your immune system and cause depression and illnesses. It can lead to anxiety, breakdown of the family, drug or alcohol dependency or worse. Fear can keep you from going after the dynamite job or asking the girl of your dreams on a date. It robs us of joy and destroys our peace. It wipes out our energy and kills our hope for the future. The fear of what people will do to you is no different from other fears.
As we have seen it controls us in the workplace, with our friends, in school, in the locker room and in our families. These fears may be very real or built up in our minds, but the result is the same. We do not stand up for what we believe. For example, you know your best friend is having an affair. Do you confront him or her or simply ignore it? What is even more serious is that fear of what people might think causes you to deny your faith.
“What?” you may be thinking. “I never deny Jesus.” In the scenarios above, what would you have done? Would you have gone along with the crowd or would you have reminded the ladies not to gossip or the guys not to speak crudely or the friends that sex is God’s gift for marriage and is not to be used apart from that? I am guessing that for most of us, if we did not join in with the conversation, we would remain silent and not risk being ostracized, rejected, dismissed, shunned or excluded by our friends. Our silence could be interpreted as agreement. We are really not different than the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who kept their faith hidden from the eyes of those who did not believe in Jesus.
Jesus makes it clear in the remaining verses of this chapter that to believe in him is to believe in God and that everything he has said came directly from God. Therefore, “ …the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” (John 12:47-48, NIV, italics are mine.)
This is a very difficult saying by Jesus, one that is not very popular today. It is not politically correct to say that anyone will be judged let alone condemned. Our hearts break for those who do not believe in Jesus, and so we convince ourselves that somehow they will still be saved. We say, “They are ‘good’ people and surely God will not condemn them,” but scripture is clear, those who do not believe in Jesus and do not follow his ways will not be saved. Thank God for confession, repentance and forgiveness for those who do believe in Christ. John records the words of Jesus in chapter 3 verse 18, “Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” ( NRSV) This is very difficult for us to accept in our post Christian culture that believes we make our own truth; we are not to judge, and all people are “good.” But No one is “good” enough for heaven otherwise mercy and grace would not be necessary. Jesus is Truth. There is one who will judge all people according to all that he has told us in His word, the Bible.
Jesus is telling us we cannot be “good” Christians and be silent about our beliefs (thereby giving our consent to things contrary to scripture). “Such ineffective intellectual faith …is really the climax of unbelief.” Rodney Whitacre observes, these would be believers prefer human glory for God’s glory. The issue is a matter of the heart, for the problem is in their love….Salvation …is more than an intellectual assent or an emotional experience….for such faith is only a thought or an emotion and not a relationship of love in a true sense on the level of the heart….And the love of our heart is evident not just from our thought and emotions…but from the commitments of our lives.”
When we refrain from blessing people or letting them know that we worship Jesus (note: God is much more acceptable in our culture) we are acting like these Jewish rulers who kept silent for fear of what their peers might think, do or say. When we cannot praise God in front of people because of what they might think, say or do, we are acting like the Jewish leaders who remained silent. When pastors preach that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, but not “no one comes to the Father but through him” or do not preach about things that step on peoples’ toes for fear the congregation will rise up and fire them, they are acting like the Jewish leaders in this passage.
When we go to Presbytery and say only those things that we know will be accepted by everyone because we do not want to be rejected, we are acting like the Jewish leaders who kept silent. Last year it was difficult for me to stand up at Presbytery here and preach on the holiness of God. Most people were grateful but some of the pastors in our Presbytery either refused to look at me or soundly put me down in a way that forbade any further discussion. These have since taken control of the worship services at Presbytery meetings to say who can preach and who cannot and what the service will be like. I am not very popular with these folks. I did what I felt God asked me to do. I will live with the consequences and wait for Him to vindicate me.
What are we to do to overcome the fear of man? Recall the passages in scripture about fear: · Psalm 53:6 when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. · Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." · 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” · 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
The contrast is clear. Cowardly behavior which is closely connected to fear is not from God. God gives His Spirit to you for power, love and self-control. Fear binds; the Spirit sets you free. Secondly, focus your eyes, thoughts and actions on God and what He wants and what He is doing. Calvin said of Moses, “‘he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.’ By this he means that when anyone has his eyes trained on God, his resolve will be unbreakable and immovable.…. A true sight of God would immediately scatter all the mists of wealth and honor. Away with those who see the indirect denial of Christ as something trivial! The Spirit declares, on the contrary, that this monstrosity if more horrible than if heaven and earth were confused.” The best way to focus on God is through praise, prayer, the word and worship.
When you are struggling to live the Christian life, start praising God out loud. Satan cannot stand to hear you praise and will lessen his grip on you. Then your thoughts can once again focus on God.
The short of it is to be holy because God is holy. God is serious about obeying him. You may be arguing right now that God is love and has commanded us to love – that is the entire law – love God; love your neighbor. Love does not put you on the spot or require anything of you. Go back to the messages on love and recall that love is an act and not a feeling. Jesus’ love compelled him to come to earth to die on a cross so that your sins and mine could be forgiven by God for all who trust in him. Hebrews tells us that “although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Philippians tells us that Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death. We are to be like Jesus. John 14 recounts four times that Jesus told us if we love him, we will obey him. I have to believe he was saying more than “If you love me, you will love me.” That would be rather redundant and shallow. Jesus was neither and neither should we be. I am guilty of keeping my mouth shut when I should speak up for Jesus.
I was in a restaurant and two soldiers were having lunch at the table beside me. I felt God nudging me to bless them, but I held back in fear. I prayed silently, but I let God down for fear of what the people around me might think. Political correctness keeps us from being the people God created us to be. Think about this: political correctness would not exist or have any power over us without the “fear of man” at work in us. Ask God to show you the times you do the same thing. Ask his forgiveness and ask him to empower you with the Holy Spirit to do better the next time. We all fail. This is why we all need to gather together to worship God in one place in order to strengthen and encourage one another to be bolder witnesses for God. Together we can grow in our faith and become the disciples God created us to be.
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A Huge Pothole Scripture: Joshua 1:6, 7, 9; Psalm 49:1-9a; 56; 91; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:13-18 You are walking down a dark alley at midnight. The only light is an old, low-power streetlight at one end. The dumpsters cast shadows that fuel your imagination to see threats that are not there. Your heart rate speeds up; your breathing quickens, and you break out in a sweat. How could you let yourself get talked into meeting in such a place? Fear grips you – then you wake up. It was a dream, but the consequences are real. You are breathing fast; your heart is pounding, and you have broken into a sweat. Fear has that effect on your body, and while some fears are real, most are like this dream that torments you but never poses any threat all. Some fears are real like unemployment, cancer, bears, rats, rattlesnakes and copperheads. This is a healthy fear that warns you of real dangers like getting too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, one slip and it is a long way down until you stop. Some helpful fears can take unhealthy control of you. For instance, I know a boy who was so afraid of heights, he could not even look over the edge of the basket beneath the hot air balloon, but sat crumpled in fear on the floor. This irrational fear we call “phobias.” We get this name from the Greek word, fobeomai, meaning “to fear.” Regardless of how old or young you are, you struggle with fear at some time or other in your life. Fear brings with it torment and can destroy your quality of life.
On the physical level, fear causes stress that releases adrenaline and other hormones in your body. It is called the “fight or flight” mode because the body throws all attention and energy to those parts of the body that will equip you to stand and fight against the threat or the run as fast as you can to get away. The brain and digestive system slow down. That is why fear of tests works against you; you literally cannot think well when you are afraid. Some have attributed weight gain to this “fight or flight” condition if no physical activity accompanies the rush of adrenaline. If you remain in fear, your body stays in a constant state of “fight or flight” that does not really exist. Then you literally “overdose” on adrenaline and the other hormones which causes “irritability,” “uneasiness,” “disconnectedness” or a “high.” It lowers your immune system and raises the amount of salt you retain all of which increases your risk of illness and disease. Thus our body goes into stress exhaustion and breakdown ... Emotionally, we are depressed, anxious, disoriented, insecure and frustrated. If this situation is allowed to proceed unchecked; family breakdown, mental illness, work absence, alcoholism or drug dependency gradually step in to further complicate the stress condition. Fear and its close relative, worry, cause us much unnecessary trouble. What other effects does it have? Fear keeps us from fellowshipping with God and people. It keeps us from praising God and glorifying His name. It keeps us from worshipping with all of our hearts. It destroys our joy, and zaps our energy. It robs us of peace, and extinguishes our hope. It keeps us from being the person God created us to be. Fear of rejection keeps you from applying for that special job; fear of humiliation debilitates you by making you feel incompetent, unworthy or ridiculous. Fear of failure keeps you from reaching out to accomplish your dreams; fear of what others think stops you from being who you are and from witnessing for Jesus. Fear is a major roadblock in our journey to God and holy living. Fear is precisely what Satan will throw at you knowing how incapacitating it is in every area of life. Charles Stanley says, “The enemy of your soul is relentless. He will push against you with words of doubt, seeking to make you think that you are incapable of doing the work God has called you to do or that you have misunderstood the Lord in some way.” This kind of fear is always unhealthy. From where does this fear originate, and how does it gain so much control over our lives?
It was difficult for me to face the answers to this question, but as I struggled with fear that fed my anger and led to deepening depression, I began to realize that fear – apart from genuinely fearful situations of real harm – is a lack of trust in God and a lack of love for God and other people. In short, fear is sin. This is extremely difficult for a fearful person to accept because she is already suffering, and to be told it is a sin is like twisting the knife that has already been plunged into you. It is painful, but this is pain with a purpose – like the surgeon cutting with a scalpel to remove a cancer or an infection threatening to destroy you.
Psalm 56 (NRSV) connects fear and trust in God three times. · Verse 3: when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. · Verse 4: In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; · Verse 11: in God I trust; I am not afraid. Stanley identifies the source of fear as “a lack of faith in God,” “a lack of trust in His provision,” an “ignorance of His presence” and a “dismissal of His eternal protection.” Paul and the early church were convinced that fear and “trust in God,” faith, could not co-exist. Paul and the early church had plenty of reasons to fear. Rome was persecuting the Christians. The Jews were only slightly less hostile. The early Christians were beaten, imprisoned, stoned and crucified. Instead of fearing their enemies they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-30, NIV)
In 1 John 4:18 (NIV) we are told, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” If there is no love in fear, then when I am afraid (not counting the healthy fear that God gives us of real harm), I am not loving as God has commanded me to love. I am putting myself before God’s will. I am placing my desires above God’s plans. I am focused on my wants, my needs, my goals that I am afraid will not be met. I have lost my focus on God and am looking at the circumstances. Stanley believes fear stems from our “oversight of His unconditional love.” He summarizes the root of fear this way, We struggle with fear because we allow our imaginations to go to places that God never intended us to visit. Most of the events that we fear never come true. Our fears are unfounded. While we worry … Satan is smiling because he knows he has our full attention. Whatever has your attention has you. This has been very difficult for me to accept, and I suspect it is difficult for you too. I do not tell you this to pull you down and to make you feel bad. As with all roadblocks, potholes and detours, we must find ways to remove them and to avoid them all together so they do not derail our journey of holy living preparing us for eternity with God in heaven.
There is one single value in fear; God uses it to bring you closer Him. You must realize you cannot make it on your own strengths and abilities, but must rely on God’s power. There is an element of your will that must be applied here also. Joshua 1:6-9 (ESV) tells us: 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." God commands Joshua not to fear and to be strong and courageous. This means we do have control over what we fear. We must learn to exercise that control. Throughout history people have had to choose whether they would give in to fear or stand firm against it. In the Great Depression when jobs were scarce and people were hungry and homeless, Franklin Roosevelt in his inaugural address of 1931 said, “This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Ten years later during World War II and the bombings of London, Winston Churchill’s famous speech rallied England. He said, You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination. But for everyone… this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished.…
Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle… we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.
Things may look grim at the moment, but if you remain faithful to the One who is always faithful to you and trust Him, He will bring you through circumstances and change the situation. I have learned to say, “This too shall pass.” The Holy Spirit is looking for people to “stand in the gap” and pray (Ezekiel 22:30). He is waiting for you to make up your mind to end fear and worry and to trust God. This is more than simply grit your-teeth-and-bear-it. The Spirit is ready, willing and able to supply the power that is needed to overcome fear. Ask Him to strengthen your will so that you can choose not to fear. Use scripture to help you, like Joshua 1:9, Psalms 56 and 91; 1 John 4:18 or 2 Timothy 1:7. Pray that your enemy, fear and worry, will be defeated. Stand firm in the lovingkindness of God and His provisions as laid out in the Scriptures. God has guaranteed your triumph; you need only to persevere to be victorious.
Matthew 6:33-34 addresses one of our greatest fears of what tomorrow will bring: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Hope When There Seems to Be No Hope Scripture: Psalms 33:13-22; Romans 4:13-21 Last Sunday we lit the candle for joy and talked about how you are always to rejoice in God and His salvation as found in the birth, death and resurrection of His Son. We discovered how praise and rejoicing guard us against worry. Today we light the candle for hope. Scripture frequently connects joy and hope. Christmas is also the season for great hope, but it is not always easy to hope. Nineteen years ago almost to the day, I was told I had an advanced stage of cancer that had come on rapidly and was growing at the same rate. I was already depressed, and in human terms this should have pushed me over the edge. I already had thoughts of suicide. Where was the hope in being told you need a mastectomy that included the removal of 39 lymph nodes – 24 contained the cancer? But God did a marvelous thing, He gave me His word. Jeremiah 30:16-17 says, 16 " 'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. 17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'” The passage certainly described my situation. I had asked for help from family and friends and received none. For twenty years I had watched one hope after another go down the tubes. I truly felt like an outcast. The cancer was devouring my body and stealing my life. What was there to hope in? God. God said that He would devour the devourer and steal from the robber and heal my wounds and restore health to me. This was His promise to me. This was my hope – not an uncertain, “gee, I hope this will happen” but a certainty, a knowing that it would be so. I knew I would be OK in the physical because God had said it.
This is the difference between the Greek view of hope that we in our American culture use in our everyday lives and biblical hope given in God’s Word. “The Greek view of hope is “characterized by uncertainty and fear of the unknown future.” The biblical (or Hebraic) view of God’s hope is characterized by “a firm confidence in God as the one who determines the future according to what He has promised.” Furthermore, the biblical view of “Hope is closely related to faith…it overlaps that part of our faith that is directed toward the future….(and) is closely related to assurance of salvation. Hope as such is the “expectation of something desirable”…. In Scripture, hope is the confident expectation of our future possession of all that God has promised us. In Romans 4:18 (NIV), referring to the promise God made to Abraham concerning an heir through which his descendants would be like the sands of the sea or as numerous as the stars in the sky, Paul writes, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…” “Against all hope” refers to the human way of thinking with uncertainty and “wishful thinking.” In human terms Abraham was well aware that his body, at a hundred years of age, and Sarah’s at ninety were well past the years of procreation. There was about as much hope for them having a child as for an ice sculpture of the American flag not to melt when placed outdoors in the hot Florida sun on the Fourth of July. The second use of hope in this verse, “Abraham in hope believed,” is the biblical of God’s hope. When God has declared something, it will happen. It is a done deal. What had God promise Abraham? (V. 17, NIV) “As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” When God revealed this would happen within the year, Abraham laughed because both of their bodies were as good as dead, but that momentary lapse is faith did not persist. Notice how “faith” and “hope” keep appearing together. “Indeed, the line between ‘faith’ and ‘hope’ blurs, so that they are almost indistinguishable.” The strength of Abraham’s faith lay not in his or Sarah’s abilities, but in the ability of God to keep His promise. The strength of his faith was precisely his recognition that there was nothing in him which could make the fulfillment of the promise possible…that he had to rely wholly and solely on God who alone can give life to that which is dead, who alone can make something out of nothing…. The strength of Abraham’s faith was precisely that it was unsupported by anything else…it was not something Abraham could do. It was trust, simple trust, nothing but trust. (Italics are mine.) Abraham believed and trusted “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” He believed that God would restore their “dead” bodies and call into existence a son after nearly twenty-five years of waiting “against all hope” because of their advanced ages. Notice, this is not a denial of the facts on Abraham’s part. He is fully and completely aware of the problems. He chooses to believe God and that is credited to him for righteousness. He is saved by faith just as you are. “Genuine faith adheres to God’s promise despite the whirlwind of external circumstances that imperil it.” Abraham may have struggled at times with faith, but “he always recovered…. he never gave way to unbelief….struggling faith is not the same as unbelief.” How do you measure up to your father, Abraham?
Listen to what experts have to say: · . What God said to Abraham was not ‘Obey this law and I will bless you,’ but ‘I will bless you; believe my promise.’ ” This state of affairs is just as critical today as in Paul’s day. Too many churches center on law rather than grace, and too many Christians are placing their trust in what they are doing rather than in the One on whom they are believing. The level of commitment on the part of the average Christian all too often seems to be going down rather than up. · To fail him in the relatively insignificant activities of daily life is to be guilty of a sort of practical atheism. Can God? is not a valid question for the believer. Will God? is the question that drives us in prayer ever closer to his heart. “Fully persuaded” leaves no room for doubt. It calls for complete capitulation to the power and goodness of God. · The church of Jesus Christ is in desperate need of those who will insist that God is able to bring to pass anything that is consistent with his nature and in concert with his redemptive purposes. “Your God Is Too Small” is a sad epitaph inscribed on all too many ecclesiastical groups who, strange as it may seem, claim to worship the Almighty. Faith is total surrender to the ability and willingness of God to carry out his promises. Are you like Abraham who was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” or do you always seem to be struggling with doubt? Is your commitment to God increasing or decreasing? Do you do what you want to do or what He wants? Is your God too small to meet the problems of your life or do you trust Him implicitly with every detail?
Returning to my situation nearly two decades ago, God had given me his word through His Word, and I had to decide whether to look in the natural and give in to despair, or to believe God and live in hope. I chose the latter and with it came a certainty that it would happen. My hope was not based on what I wanted to have happen, but on His specific promise. Did I ever have momentary doubts? Yes, like when the surgeon told me the number of lymph nodes containing cancer. My faith faltered momentarily, but I recovered.
Right now I have been told that I have a broken bone in my wrist that may die due to lack of blood supply. I may need surgery or might live in pain the rest of my life. I choose to believe I have a great God who has good “plans for me to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).” I believe in a “God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”
What obstacles are you facing? Is it unemployment, sickness, loss of loved ones or the impending loss of them? Is it the temptations that face you at work, school or home? When the problems pile up, instead of looking at the situation as if God has abandoned you, try seeing it as a hefty workout to build up your faith like the workouts in the gym build your muscles and strengthen your heart. “Genuine faith adheres to God’s promise despite the whirlwind of external circumstances that imperil it.” Faith, hope and joy go hand in hand. They build up and support each other and combined with the other things we have looked at will help you to live above the circumstances and to overcome worry. Anchor your faith “on the God who made the promises. (The Bible is full of them. God’s unfailing love rests on you as you put your hope in Him. “…the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” Hear the conditionals. As you hope in God, i.e. exercise your faith the promises are released. I have included just a few of them on the bulletin insert.) He can and will fulfill his pledges because he is the resurrecting God who creates life out of death, and because he is the sovereign God who summons into existence that which does not even exist.” (The parentheses are mine.) Because of this baby born at Christmas to reconcile you to this all powerful God, when there seems to be no hope, you can live in hope and joy in victory.
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